Some sort of spicy chile because I've got some healthy beans on hand. Is that sacrilege for summer? And grilled hamburgers. Recently, I like to make them whopper style with bacon. Yes, not so healthy but delicioius!

We usually grill stuff outside, but since it will be 100F by Sunday and possibly 104F by Monday ... take-out from somebody else's hot kitchen is starting to look real good! :-)

Gazpacho, it's hot here!

We won't get the hot temps until next week. It's actually really comfortable right now.

Cindymac, I don't usually get too excited by pasta but that pasta looks great!

I thought about chili also, Snookums. Maybe made with some fresh tomatoes and zucchini?

It's a little early for gazpacho here-- but I am looking forward to it in another month or so!

We are supposed to get our first hot weather this weekend. Usually, once the weather gets hot, we subsist on salads with grilled fish or chicken. Since I'm playing with meal kits, I'll be making chicken shawarma on one of the days.

Cindymac, I am ALL OVER that pasta recipe!!!

We're celebrating Father's Day tonight, so I have to make a blueberry cobbler and a pan of brownies. They're getting BBQ, so I expect there might be some leftovers coming home. Otherwise I have no clue, so keep posting! Our heat wave passed, it's supposed to be a glorious weekend.

Last night, I made Spicy Peanut Shirataki Noodles, the recipe is from an Oprah magazine. It was the first time I used Shirataki. They're a no-cook noodle made from soybeans and yam flour (sold next to the tofu). It was very good and I'll definitely make it again, probably in mid-July when it's too hot to cook. Next time I'll add more cold, crunchy vegetable like matchstick carrots.

Forgot pics! My garden loved the May rains.

My in laws are coming over today for lunch. I am making a simple meal of traditional BBQ items. And a yellow cake with cream cheese frosting. All very retro. : )

Last night I made the macaroni salad. I use this recipe but with finely shredded carrots instead of tomato (tomato in mac salad)?

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/american-macaroni-salad-recipe.html

For my last cooking club I made Blueberry Martinis. They were yummy but too boozy for me; I've been watering down the leftovers for a week!

http://www.blueberrycouncil.org/blueberry-recipe/blueberry-margarita/

No cooking for me this weekend. Going to a 1st b-day party late this evening and then out to dinner with friends (the grandparents of the b-day boy). Tomorrow will do something lite for lunch as we are having a family dinner (out) again late evening to celebrate our dad. Produce has started coming in here - have had yummy cherokee purple tomatoes the last couple of weeks, cukes, yellow squash, etc. I got strawberries last night, so I will probably make a shortcake later today or early tomorrow. Have been grilling and making chicken or tuna salads lately then serving with the fresh produce. That's summer eating for us!

The local sprouts had what they called Indian eggplants that were small and only 5/$1. I thought they would be perfect for stuffing. I have not yet settled how I am going to do that, in more of an Italian style or a Turkish style. Not much in the way of produce from the garden yet here. Our heat has kicked up so it is too hot for the cool weather stuff but our season starts so late that the warm weather stuff has not taken off yet.

I didn't want to get too hot so I made shrimp salad and lentil salad...sometimes it' nice to just have salad for dinner, not to mention healthy.

I agree, Annie.. but that's part of my rut. I got tired of the same old salads. I made macaroni and tuna salad this morning which I'll have with sliced cucumbers and some grape tomatoes. It reminded me of a white bean and tuna salad I like also.

I forgot it was Father's Day weekend so I didn't smoke a chicken.

Those martinis sound good, Mtn.. I am ok with boozy! I usually just drink vodka with club soda but this recipe for Grilled Strawberry Cocktail sounded interesting to me. I am going to give them a test run in the next couple of days.

I have fresh corn that I am roasting tonight to have with burgers. Tomorrow it's fresh squash and smoked chicken. We have begun to get fresh tomatoes so those will be on the table almost every meal.

We had a break in the heat so we grilled yesterday: Sahlen's hot dogs, brats, Italian sausage, and tequila lime salmon burgers I got at Whole Foods. We use a Weber charcoal grill, so we will grill a lot at one time and then freeze leftovers.

Made a good salad the other day. Baked salmon over leaf lettuce with cucumbers, salad tomatoes, red onion, goat cheese, strawberry slices and pecans with miso ginger dressing.

DD drove 8 1/2 hours home here on Friday to spend part of Fathers Day weekend with her dad/us, and to pick up her new Tibetan Spaniel, India. They just left an hour ago, so we had our FD celebration with her yesterday. I made my Apple Oatmeal Cinnamon pancakes for breakfast. We grilled out brats for lunch. For dinner, we grilled out again. Steaks, this time. Served it with lobster tail (surf & turf), a fresh baby greens and mango salad and a farro side dish. Key lime pie for dessert.

This evening for dinner I'm making fresh salmon with a basil vinaigrette sauce, stuffed mushrooms and a salad. For lunch, I'd like to make us my chicken salad that has halved green grapes and pecans in it. I just need to stop lazing here on my front portal. Maybe in another hour (LOL).

I was invited to a picnic today and told to bring my own food since they would be serving food they know I don't eat (hot dogs, mayo based salads, and ice cream cake). Um, gee, thanks for the invitation? Glad to know I'm not putting you to any trouble. I'd prefer not to attend but I'm being a team player and going along with this foolishness. I'm not sure what I'll bring.

I don't know about cooking but...

Mtn is having the best week ever !!!

"For my last cooking club I made Blueberry Martinis. They were yummy but too boozy for me; I've been watering down the leftovers for a week!"

I am doing a small father's day brunch that just got a little smaller. My FIL fell and has a compressed fracture of the spine. They think he'll be okay, but is in some discomfort and won't be released from hospital for a bit.

I'm serving roasted veggie and cheese sandwiches on homemade foccacia and Ina's roasted shrimp salad (to which I plan on adding roasted corn and avocado).

hhireno, I have one DD who is a vegetarian and one who was a very fussy eater (thankfully she's outgrown it). I never expect our hosts to cook special for them and always bring something instead. However, I have never been asked to bring things for them and, as a host, I wouldn't dream of asking someone to bring their own (but would accept if they offered - esp. with allergies or vegans 'cause I'm so scared I'll get it wrong).

I'm just being a complainer, I understand it's hard to cater to everyone's needs and likes. But I make a ham for them every Easter, and I hate the smell and don't eat it, so I don't know why they can't think to have one item I would like and not ask me to bring all my own food. Whatevs, it's summer, there are plenty of fresh and delicious options I can bring.

eta: how I wish I had some of those wonderful tomatoes pictured above!

4 boys, I know, right!? I think my world would be greatly improved if I just kept a pitcher of cocktails ready to go in the fridge! ;)

Daisychain-- your menu sounds wonderful! Lynn, yours too. Ok, everyone's menus sound great!!

Hhireno, what a strange invite! I get the opposite service-- which can be embarrassing. We're having filet, baked potato and salad tonight (mom is cooking). I don't eat filet (just don't care for it and it is too expensive to "choke down"). Mom went through a large number of alternatives to make despite my insistence that I would be HAPPY to have salad and baked potato. She finally relaxed when I told her that hey, a baked potato was a treat because I NEVER make them myself. Still, she's insisting on getting shrimp too.