One of the joys of warm weather is spending time outside.... sitting on the deck, watching the birds explore for worms, listening to the wind wrestling the leaves - discovering the new sounds and sights of the season.
Our deck is so high, we feel like we are in a tree house. Some nights, I wish we had a hammock and could sleep out there. Then when I'm nice and snuggled in my bed, I'm really happy that we don't. It's kinda like camping. Who knew that the woods could be so loud? "Birds, bugs, and babies," Kim says... but that is another adventure for another day.
One of our new joys is our new grill. YAY!! One of the discoveries of our new grill is the lack of dishes to wash in the kitchen. How great is that? We've used our grill lots since we got it this past weekend. It's not gourmet, but it sure was good. :)
First Grilling, Sunday afternoon lunch -- Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Chicken Breast, simply seasoned with salt and pepper. After cooking, we diced the chicken into small bits, added diced water chestnuts, shredded carrots and seasoned with Rice Vinegar, Wheat-Free Soy Sauce, and Sesame Oil. Then we heated it all up. It only took a few minutes. I discovered through our Living Gluten-Free for Dummies book how to get the lettuce all nice and crisp. You soak it in ice water for a few hours. Amazing! Next time, we'll probably use less rice vinegar and add honey. You can make this a million different ways - just do something that you like.
Second Grilling -- Sunday evening dinner
Tonight's meal was ENTIRELY done on the grill. We had ham steaks with a molasses/dijon glaze with grilled asparagus and skillet potatoes. It was really nice to do the entire thing right on the grill - even the skillet potatoes... on the grill in a skillet. Super cool --- and very delicious.
Tonight -- Hamburgers
Nothing super exciting, just really yummy hamburgers with cheese ooozing off the patty. Of course, our gluten-free buns weren't anything to write home about. Maybe one day we can figure out how to make our own! :)
Grilling seems to have become a right of passage for summer. I can't wait to spend loads of time out on our awesome deck with our awesome grill and sharing it all with friends. Although, spring is really nice this year and I'd like summer to take it's time getting here. Kim noticed the first bugs of the year tonight, so I'm sure that summer is not far off.
Until then, though, I'm certainly enjoying the breeze, the serenade of chirps, and the green leaves.
3 comments:
T&K-
Tonight Jessica and I had tacos for dinner. Gourmet in fact. Jessica's secret is something called a "taco kit" that she gets at Publix (our local grocery store). Jessica masks any deficiencies in the flavor of our ground turkey with "taco sauce" that comes in an unlabeled plastic bag (see "taco kit"). She also piles sour cream, pickled jalapenos and shredded cheese (also from a plastic bag) on top to guarantee satisfaction. Our daughter has a lot to look forward to in the department of home cooking. Perhaps you can share some grilling secrets with her...
j/k of course.
I enjoyed the site!
Mike
Your blog now says you have one comment!! By the way, you need to get a grill wok. It works great with all kinds of veggies. I wish I were there to get you one. There are several different kinds of round woks . . . and they don't work as well as the rectangular one that I have. You just cut your veggies however you want, toss them with a little olive oil and season as you wish. Cook them tossing regularly like you would if you were using a wok inside. I have cooked asparagus, green beans, brocolli, carrots, celery, and onions just to name a few . . . separately or mixed together and cooked to the desired doneness. I like mine crispy. Yummy and very healthy for you. Love you both, Mom
Love the porch! I see you have a screened-in area, which is essential here in the buggy south. I basically live on my screened-in porch from April through October. We even hooked up cable out there for the times when a can't miss TV event is on during gorgeous weather.
As for the grill... food tastes so much better, and as you said, the clean-up is much easier/quicker.
Note: Your dots remind me of JMPs bubble charts. :)
Post a Comment