Around the KitchenTable - Summer Fun + book #giveaway

It's time for Around the Kitchen Table. Are you ready?

From Daryl:  It's summer. It's party time. Barbecues. Ice cream. Margaritas. What's your favorite summer food? What gets you in the party spirit?  Personally, I love to barbecue. I love the aroma of a barbecue. I love the sound of the sizzle. And I love sitting outside with a longer day and enjoying a nice glass of wine and reading a book. Now, when my mother was alive, margaritas were a go-to beverage in the summer. I shared that recipe last week. Hope you took a sip.


What foods make summer fun for you?

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PEG: I love summer food! I'm an avid fan of grilling--to me everything tastes better (and tastes like summer!) done on the BBQ.  We love steak on the grill of course but also things like chicken satay and butterflied leg of lamb. And to really get into a summer mood, we like to sip an Aperol Spritz while sitting on the deck enjoying the sun and fresh air. We were introduced to the drink by our Italian son-in-law and ordered them daily on our trip to Italy.  If you'd like to try one, go HERE for the recipe!

 
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Sheila: I've always liked meat from the grill (my father was a big meat-eater, and my mother did not like hot kitchens in summer!), and early on we had a grill with an electric rotisserie, which was fun to watch. But recently I was commenting to my sister that our mother exposed us to a lot of summer vegetables (that a lot of kids probably wouldn't eat in those days), so we enjoyed asparagus and artichokes from an early age (we left the avocados to our mother and grandmother, but at least we knew what they were). However, I was never a big fan of squash--too squishy--and for a long time tomatoes made me gag (I outgrew it).

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DENISE Fresh from the garden corn on the cob, tomatoes, and sweet peppers are my go to summer treats. My dad was a farmer and he always had my mom get the pot of water boiling before he even picked the sweet corn. Drowning in butter and salt it is a taste not to be beaten. 

And there is nothing to compare to a a BLT with tomatoes you've grown yourself. Then to top of the trifecta, there is a thinly sliced pepper, tomato, and onion salad with just a tiny bit of vinegar,oil, salt, and black pepper.

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LESLIE: We grill all year round -- a habit leftover from when Mr. Right lived in a house so tiny the kitchen was a three-quarter sized fridge, a convection oven, and a hot plate, with a huge gas grill outside the back door!

But there are certain fabulous recipes that scream SUMMER! to us. Caprese salads and a yummy variation, Grilled Caprese Kabobs. Tomato Camembert Pie. Anything with fresh herbs -- I line the back porch with pots of them. Lavender Limeade, with or without tequila. Berry smoothies and slushies. Anything with fresh raspberries or basil. Ice cream with Chocolate Cabernet Sauce. 

Oh, dear. As I write, it's more a hot chocolate day than an ice cream-with-chocolate sauce day, and I've gone and made myself hungry for summer.

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LINDA:     I'm with you, Daryl! I love to BBQ although I must admit for our weekly family dinners it's usually my brother-in-law or his son-in-law who rise to the occasion. Not because I ask them -- I am perfectly capable, you know. But, it adds to the flow of getting everything on the table at the same time. Chicken breasts are a favorite, as are burgers of various ingredients (we have non-red-meat-eaters in the family). But my true favorite is a thick tenderloin steak, done more rare then medium. I salivate just thinking about it. And, our go-to refreshment is a gin and tonic with fresh lime slice. That really says summer to me!

           
LUCY: Me too on the corn Denise, my very favorite! And Campari spritz, which was on this blog last Thursday. And anything right out of the garden, especially tomatoes and basil and mozzarella with a little vinaigrette on top...We also have a ton of family birthdays in July, so how about this yellow layer cake with raspberry frosting?

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CLEO COYLE: I'll be short and sweet (literally)! Marc and I both agree, one of our favorite summer foods is ICE CREAM! We don't have an ice cream maker, so we use the easy no-churn method to make it fresh in our own freezer. If you'd like the recipe, click here or on the photo below, and have a delicious summer, everyone!

Click the photo for Cleo's easy recipe:
How to Make No-Churn Ice Cream,
and have a delicious summer!

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Giveaway

We're giving away the following books to one winner. 

Leave a comment and tell us about your Summer Fun
(maybe we'll steal the idea  - heh, heh) 

and leave your email in case you win.

Murder, She Uncovered - by Peg Cochran, ebook only
Sifting Through Clues - by Daryl Wood Gerber, ebook or trade paperback
Chai Another Day - by Leslie Budewitz, trade paperback
The Diva Sweetens the Pie  - by Krista Davis, hardcover