hot summer in the city
I’m hosting a cook-out & eat-in tonight at my parents’ house; Mama Ro is in Connecticut seeing her sister, and iDad is in Dallas with his mum and brother. Which leaves me all alone BECAUSE I’M AN ONLY CHILD WHO HAS NO SIBLINGS TO VISIT WITH.
It’s wicked hot here in Boston this week and my window unit hasn’t been put in yet, so I’ll be sleeping in air conditioned splendor at Mom & Dad’s house until this heat wave breaks. Also: entertaining my friends at their dinner table.
I’m so thrilled that my friends will get to eat one of my meals at a proper table, rather than buffet style in my living room. Really, I’m such a simple girl at heart.
The plan is to have cocktails outside, set one of the boys in front of the grill, then head indoors to dine with the AC blasting. I asked everyone to bring something to put on the grill (steak tips, kielbasa and vitriol have all been mentioned thus far) and told them I’ll take care of the sides. So here’s what I’m thinking:
However, I’m missing a starch. I don’t want to do a bean dish because I’ve got cannellini in my salad, and the idea of roasting potatoes to chill and toss with a light dressing is out of the question – it’s too hot to have the oven turned up to 400.cookout menu
spiced nuts roasted on the grill
crudités
onion dip*
arugula salad with red onion & cannellini beans
coleslaw
steak tips, assorted other grilled meats
dessert: fruit salad, ice cream sandwiches
drinks: white sangria, beer
Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Generally, what are some of your favorite side dishes for cook-outs?
*yes, good old Lipton onion soup mixed with sour cream – my friends go bananas for this, and who am I to deny them such a simple pleasure in life?
***
Labels: fêtes, mi famiglia, recipes
posted by jolie @ 8:41 AM
3 Comments:
At 11:06 AM,
J said…
Pasta salad with pesto - Just toss the pasta with pesto, halved cherry tomatoes, and a little fresh mozzerella if you wish. It's so easy and everyone loves pesto.
Your menu sounds so yummy! I could totally go for an ice cream sandwich right now.
At 3:41 PM,
jolie said…
J, thanks so much for the suggestion! I ended up doing a cold cous cous salad with pine nuts, broccoli and confetti peppers in a mint dressing. It was delicious, and I'll post the recipe, along with those for the other two dishes, tomorrow.
A friend emailed with a recipe for orzo salad, and we must have been sharing a brain because without having seen her message I decided on orzo salad! But there was no orzo to be found in all of Boston yesterday, so cous cous it was.
At 8:18 PM,
1blueshi1 said…
ooh, wish I'd caught up with your blog BEFORE the holiday was over. oh well. for the 4th I did barbecued pork chops and then Sunday I marinated chicken breasts in buttermilk and oven fried them *yuuuuumy*
but the best,easiest side of all is fresh farmer's market tomatoes, chopped fresh basil, and the bottled or homemade balsalmic vinaigrette of your choice. with a bottle of shiraz. add some feta and tortellini if desired. or not. good just like it is. I made this for a work thing last summer and people STILL ask for it.
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