Summertime Dining – Bring it on!
Posted on July 22, 2009 by FoBaM-Jamie
It’s the height of summer in my corner of the world and that means a transition to easy-breezy meals served al fresco.
Since I don’t cook (my repertoire includes things like Boboli pizzas, grilled cheese, chicken fingers, and pancakes), I love this season of laid back dinner options. I’m thrilled when something that’s usually considered a snack – chicken and cheese slices on crackers, for instance – suddenly becomes a meal … just add some fresh fruit, a glass of lemonade, and maybe a bit of sponge cake for dessert.
Being so challenged in the kitchen, I’d love to know what secret summertime weapons other moms have in reserve for keeping dinnertime fun, healthy, and easy (emphasis on easy). The truth is, I’d much rather be spending time blowing bubbles in the backyard than slaving over a hot stove. Summer is supposed to be a time to kick back and reconnect with the kids.
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Do you have any special recipes that get you out of the kitchen and back to the beach or the backyard before you can say “peanut butter and jelly”? Won’t you tip off those of us with less culinary imagination?
I love making quick, fresh quesadillas – with cilantro and fresh chopped fruit.
Love to be on the go during th summer — and not trapped inside the house cooking all day..lol.
For all my summertime easy meals, and for easy meals all through the year, I used Wildtree products. Wildtree is a wonderful line of all natural, preservative free, MSG free, food dye free culinary products that are produced in a peanut free facility. Message me for more details, I love helping people solve their “What’s for dinner?” dilemnas!
I’ve found sloppy joes to be a new family favorite! It takes no time to brown a lb. of hamburger and mix in some sauce! Just add a bag of potato chips!! Fruit salad is also an easy crowd pleaser!!
I don’t necessarily have a particular easy recipe, but I would definitely recommend the kraft website (kraftfoods.com). It’s where I’ve found a lot of easy to prepare, quick dinner ideas. And you can subscribe to their free magazine “food & family” , which you receive four times a year by mail.
I love fresh grilled veggies! Such as zucchini and summer squash, and cherry tomatoes on a skewer with some chunks of chicken brushed with olive oil and lemon juice
I also like this but we use lemon pepper seasoning. And also steamed in the microwave for super fast eating.
easy, light pasta dish-takes 20 minutes
Set salted water to boil (I like bowties for this but anything will do)
In a deep pan, saute 4 cloves crushed garlic in 1 tbsp butter & 1 tbsp olive oil.
When water is boiling, add box of pasta and sm. box frozen peas-boil according to pasta directions
When garlic is soft and almost light brown, add in 1 can chicken broth & 1 tbsp cream cheese, wisk till smooth. Bring to boil and pour over pasta and peas. Toss and top with grated cheese.
VARIATIONS:
Cook frozen chicken nuggets, quarter and toss in with pasta a sauce
Substitute Frozen artichoke hearts for peas
For a little heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to sauteed garlic.
fresh veggies on the grill are alot of fun give different take by adding low fat dressings~ put in foil my kids love trying differnt flavors!~add chicken to them even better
i love anything i can grill. you can sit outside w friends and family while making supper/dinner. while @ work, the main dish can thaw out and be ready when you need it too, or i marinate the meat over nite in a baggie…..saves time and doing dishes! tinfoil is also a fam. favorite for potaotoes, etc and saves on clean up while everyone is busy. oh ya….dont 4get the paperplates….no Dawn required here!!
I love wraps; so easy to make! Take a sheet, put anything you like in it, and roll! Grab a fruit salad, bottles of water & juice boxes for the kids from the market the day before, and some veggies from the fridge. Out of the kitchen in under 15 minutes!
My son loves for me to make “salad rolls”. I take loose leaf lettuce and baby carrots and roll them into tiny rolls standing them on end and serve with ranch dressing to dip in. Sometimes I will stick them into a cherry tomato as something different. This way he eats his veggies and has fun doing so.
Another recipe. Put penne pasta in the botton of a baking pan, and cover with water (about 2 cups) and a drizzle of olive oil. Then a single layer of breaded chicken strips (Banquet or Perdue). Cover with pasta sauce. Top with a 2 cup bag of shredded low-fat part-skim mozzarella cheese. Cover loosely with foil, and cook in pre-heated oven set to 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
prep time: 5 min.
cooking time: 20 min.
total: 25 min!
A great, refreshing fruit salad recipe I found, is cut up strawberries, grapes, kiwi, blueberries, a banana if you wish, and mix that all together with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Its a hit everytime with my family. I usually pick different fruits everytime, and its good however.
Smoothies are also a good way to get kids to have their fruits as well. You can even sneak in a veggie or two. Also, popping a yogurt in the freezer is a good healthy summer snack as well.
One of my favorites is a crockpot staple. Who doesn’t want food that tastes like you slaved over it? Try this one for a quick meal that won’t cook your house or budget. It’s great for a rainy day when the grills covered.
http://www.recipezaar.com/Crock-Pot-Potato-Chowder-50144
I live in hawaii so 3 out of 4 seasons are perfect for a BBQ. I cook on the grill everyday. I like to make salads on the grill (yes it is possible lol), but fruits on the fruit. Anything is good and it’s fun to just experiment
I recommend pulled chicken. It takes all day, but that is in the slow cooker. I throw frozen chicken bottled BBQ sauce in in the morning, and by dinner all you need to do is pull the chicken apart with a fork. Serve with buns or not and whatever summer side you like. Just like ordereing from a BBQ place.
Nothing beats not heating up the house using the oven or stove. I like to make Tuna melts. Just make up some tune pop some bread in the toaster and add cheese… If they can consider it a sandwich worth 10 bucks at Friendlys then it must be worthy of being called supper!
I have found that you can take chicken or pork (I used boneless ribs today) put in crock pot with bbq saucein the am cook on low till dinner. BBQ is ready and yummy. I usually make some steamed veggies and potatos or pasta for the sides. Everyone loves it.
One of my favorite recipes for any time of year is a Meatza Pie. I have no idea where I found this recipe, but it is great to use with kids and have them help make it.
1 lb of thawed ground beef,pork or turkey (your choice)
10 Saltine crackers (crushed – put it in a plastic bag and let the kids go)
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp garlic salt
Mix the above ingredients together (with your hands) in a 9″ pie pan.
Then spread it out evenly making a small lip around the edge.
At this point squeeze some ketchup on the top and spread it thinly with the back of a spoon or spatula.
I like to crush and sprinkle herbs to taste on at this point ( rosemary, thyme, oregano)
Next, break 4 slices of American cheese into 1/2 strips and make a grid pattern on the top of your pie.
Finally sprinkle with parmesan cheese and put in a 375º oven for 25 min.
I like to check it at about the 15 min mark and use a turkey baster to suck out any fat from around the edges.
Your kids will love to help, and it almost tastes like real meatloaf.
We like to split hotdog the long way, slap some mashed potates with spices and butter in them on top of the hotdogs and then lay a piece of cheese on top of that and this is what we call Hotdog Boats. Add some slice Zuccini with ranch dressing and a fruit of chose and your in and out of the kitchen within 45 minute (cooking, eating, and the clean up) make it faster and us paper plates and plastic ware.
Just a quick tip. I buy large packages of ground beef and cook it all at once when I get home, then I package it in quart size freezer ziploc bags (about 2 cups per bag) and then all I have to do for tacos, sloppy joes or a hamburger helper if we are short on time and ideas is to thaw the meat in the microwave for 2 min and dinner takes a matter of 15 min to prepare.
Thanks for posting about this, I would like to read more about this topic.
My husband grills out 2-3 times a week! He likes doing it and I love eating it!
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Just a recipe for you! Simple PB cookies. My house is known as the hang out! All the kids from the neighborhood show up to play. This recipe is so easy because you know you always have the stuff. 1 cup sugar 1 cup peanut butter 1 egg combine sit in fridge 10 min roll into balls flatten criss cross with fork sprinkle a little sugar bake 7 min at 350 best peanut butter cookies around NO FLOUR NEEDED.
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