Finally a sunny day!

We had sun. Finally. and not just a little peek. It was for the entire day! That was nice. So we grilled. Without an umbrella. Can't crank up the grill without some hot dogs. These are the good ones. Hebrew National from the butcher. Big difference form the supermarket packages of Hebrew National. Those are really good. These are outstanding! The kind that link. Ask your butcher. Trust me.

We always have a little bit of this and a little bit of that so we grilled a small rack of baby lamb chops, marinated in garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. A sirloin steak, slopped with Peter Luger sauce. and grilled portobello's. Baked stuffed baby zucchini. Definitely a feast! We started with a Mexican Black Bean Salad. It was excellent. Definitely a keeper!

The baby zucchini was delicious. I had two packages in the frig that I forgot about. and some grape tomatoes to use up. So I put the tomatoes in the food processor with a shallot and a clove of garlic and pulsed. Sauteed them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, until everything was soft, and then threw about two handfuls of plain bread crumbs in to soak up the juices, and sauteed it all up. It was still too moist, so I threw in another handful of seasoned bread crumbs, and stirred it around a bit, adding a little bit more olive oil.

Sliced the baby zucchini lengthwise and topped it with the stiffing mixture. Put them in a jellyroll pan and baked them until the tops were golden brown. I forget how long, I didn't pay attention and got there just in time before the timer on the smoke alarm went off again! These were a huge hit! Even with Miss Picky, who ate half the tray!


Mexican Black Bean Salad
source: gardenweb (stacys)
Printable Recipe

1 cup frozen (thawed) whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4-ounce) can chopped mild green chilies, drained (I used a whole fresh jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, chopped in a very small dice.)
1/2 pint or more grape tomatoes, sliced in half
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (I used less)
4 cups torn iceberg lettuce (I used one head, and chopped it
2 avocado, diced
Shredded Monterrey Jack, Cheddar or Mexican Cheese blend

Optional: Tortilla chips for garnish

Dressing:
1 tablespoon honey (little bit more, I just poured)
2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice (little bit more)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Whisk all the dressing ingredients in large bowl.

Add all salad ingredients except lettuce and cheese; stir until well coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to blend flavors.

Toss the lettuce, avocado and cheese with the bean mixture a little while before you are ready to serve. Garnish with Tortilla chips at the last minute.

Gadgets...


My new gadget! It's a corn zipper! Not everyone here likes corn on the cob. With this thing you get corn off the cob. It worked great! Got it on my shopping spree at Sur La Table last week.










For dessert we were practicing for Suzy's Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social, we all had Ralph's Ices! Check out Suzy's blog for more info on her upcoming event on July 11-12!



Tomorrow I start back to work for the summer in a day camp. Long days. It'll be feast or famine for dinners. Mostly famine, I'm sure.

Tweet