Jonathan and I spent last week at my parents’ place in Sonoma County and one of the highlights was an evening at Jack London State Historic Park with my Mom and Dad. In the summer they have musical performances in the ruins, and you can picnic in the vineyards beforehand. We packed mint pesto potato salad, BBQ chicken and this Strawberry Caprese Salad. If you’re planning a trip to wine country, this is a fun stop!
By Erin Gleeson for The Forest Feast
Independence Day is tomorrow and we are going to a BBQ pool party! We’ve been asked to bring a dish to share, and since the white peaches at the farmers market right now are soooo sweet, I was thinking of making this savory Peach Salad. It’s a bit unique, easy to make ahead, and great at room temperature.
Above is a little round-up of some of my favorite past recipes that I think would be fun to have at an outdoor summer gathering, like Radishes with Butter, Watermelon Bruschetta, and a refreshing Berry Fizz. Happy 4th!
By Erin Gleeson for The Forest Feast
It’s been in the high 90’s up here in the woods lately and this dish is a perfect hot weather snack. It works for lunch or dinner and can easily be made ahead. Any dressing works, but I used a soy sesame one. Might be fun to do a “lettuce wrap bar” for a dinner party, with lots of different filling options. What’s your favorite lettuce wrap filling?
By Erin Gleeson for The Forest Feast
You might also like: Lentil Lettuce Cups or this salad served in purple cabbage leaves
Jonathan and I made a whole platter of these recently for a party and they were a hit! We cut the tomatoes and mozzarella balls in half to make them smaller bites. Perfect outdoor summer snack. Happy weekend!
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By Erin Gleeson for The Forest Feast
Our good friends and neighbors (who live just a short walk away here in the woods) had us over for a BBQ recently. It was a warm evening on their beautiful deck and it was fun to meet and hold their adorable new baby chicks!
We grilled lots of veggies but my favorite thing they put on the grill were artichokes! I’d never seen that before and they were delicious- brilliant idea. Just slice them in half and drizzle a little oil and salt. It’s best to steam them first to make them cook faster. Dip in a garlic aioli afterward (DIY: mayo + minced garlic). I also brought this Orange Avocado salad which was great with all the smoky veggies and cold beer.
For more summer grilling ideas, come to the Twitter party I’ll be part of TONIGHT from 7-8pm CST. A whole crew of food bloggers will be sharing summer BBQ menu ideas- should be good. My twitter handle is @theforestfeast. Follow the @BHG feed and look for #BHGGrilling. Hope to “see” you tonight!
