Vacation Series: Dinner on the Grill

     When packing for vacation, I threw a couple of summer recipe magazines into my beach bag.  Last night, we turned to the July/August issue of Everyday Food for some quick and simple sides that were made just for lazy summer vacations.

Buttered Corn with Chives

Ingredients
4 ears of shucked corn
1 tbsp unsalted butter
salt and pepper
fresh chives

Method
1. Place the corn on a large sheet of aluminum foil.  Top with chunks of butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Seal the foil tightly around the corn and place on the grill over medium high heat for 8-10 minutes.
3. Remove from grill and sprinkle with freshly cut chives.

Potatoes with Parsley

Ingredients
1 lb small red potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh parsley

Method
1. Place clean potatoes on a large piece of foil.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Seal the foil around the potatoes.
4. Grill for 25-30 minutes over medium high heat.
5. Remove from grill and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

The Taste Test
Both side dishes were had simple and delicious flavors.  Everyday Food suggested using foil lined with parchment, but we just used regular foil and everything came out great.  The best part was that there weren't any dishes that had to be cleaned!

Vacation Series: Sweet Potato Burgers and Mediterranean Grain Salad

    Our kitchen is still out of commission, however, the counter tops have been ordered so we should be up and running soon.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  The status of my kitchen hasn't stopped me from pinning recipes on Pinterest.  This week I am at my parents' beach house in Maine when my dad asked for a suggestion for dinner tonight, I went right to Pinterest and had a grocery list ready in minutes.

Sweet Potato Burgers with Avocado
Recipe from kblog.lunchboxbunch.com

Ingredients
2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3 medium sweet potatoes, baked/peeled/mashed
2 tbsp tahini
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp Cajun powder
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
salt and pepper to taste
panko crumbs
oil
avocado

Method
1. Mix beans and sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl.  Mash them together.
2. Add the tahini, syrup, Cajun powder, flour, and salt and pepper.  Mix well.  If the consistency is too wet, add more flour or a handful of breadcrumbs.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over high heat.
4. Form a burger and coat with Panko crumbs.  Drop the burger into the pan.  Cook until browned on both sides.
5. Remove to a paper towel and allow to cool for one minute.  Top with avocado, dijon mustard, and lettuce.


Mediterranean Grain Salad
Recipe from marthastewart.com

Ingredients
1 cup bulgur wheat
salt and pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 small shallot, minced
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
3 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Method
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the bulgur wheat with 2 cups of boiling water.  Allow the bulgur to sit for about 30 minutes, or until tender.  Then drain any excess water.
2. Add the tomatoes, parsley, shallots, oil, and vinegar.
3. Season with salt and pepper and top with goat cheese.

The Taste Test
    Everything was very easy to prepare and didn't take long at all.  The burgers weren't the biggest hit with my family-especially when put on a bun.  There wasn't enough flavor and the textures were all too similar.  I ate my burger without a bun and liked it but agreed that it could use a bit more flavor.   If I were to make these again, I would serve them over salad.  The Mediterranean salad on the other hand was delicious and full of flavor. 

What We've Been Cooking...

    So I haven't blogged in forever, mostly because I haven't been making much since my kitchen has been under construction.  I am happy to annouce that the kitchen project is moving along quite nicely.  My dad and Arnauld worked all day today installing cabinets.  We should be up and running again soon!
     But just because I haven't been cooking any fun new recipes doesn't mean that I have been sitting around doing nothing.  Instead of food, I have been cooking up a baby girl!  Arnauld and I are so excited for our new baby to join our little family sometimethissummer.  The rest of our family is also anxious for the new arrival.  They havebeen planning a pretty pink baby shower for the last few weeks.  What better occassion to get back into the kitchen, in this case- my mom's, and bake some sweet treats?  This dessert was a combined effort on so many parts.  Jaxson helped to crack the eggs.  We were all amazed that he could do it and with only one tiny speck of shell in the bowl.  Ace is really good at measuring and mixing in ingredients.  My mom, sister, and I then worked on the assembly of these cupcake jars, an idea my sister came up with for party favors.  Let's just say that there was quite a bit of laughter as we put these together and a few suggestions to scrap the whole idea and buy candy to fill the jars with instead.  In the end, we celebrated our imperfect creations and only hope that our guests do the same.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
recipe from thecakeblog.com
Makes 24 cupcakes or 16 cupcakes in a jar

Cake Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup lemonade mix (Country Time)
1 cup milk
3 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, lemonade mix, and lemon zest and set aside.
2. In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until well combined.
3. Add the eggs and beat.
4. Add lemon juice and vanilla and mix.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients and milk, alternating.  Begin and end with the dry ingredients.
6. Fill lined cupcake tins until 2/3 full.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until a tookpick comes out clean.
8. Let cook for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Strawberry Lemon Frosting

Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups of confectioner's sugar
3 tbsp pureed strawberries (3-4 strawberries)
1 tsp lemon zest

Method
1. In a stand mixer, cream butter for 1-2 minutes.
2. Slowly add the sugar.
3. Mix in the strawberry puree and lemon zest.
4. Ice cupcakes.