Grilled Artichokes with Lemon Garlic Caper Aioli | Easy Summer Entertaining Recipes

This is one of my all time favorite 'restaurant' recipes.  Anytime I go to a restaurant and I see grilled artichokes on the menu, I order them.  I've found that I like them best when simply grilled with a little bit of seasoning and a great dipping sauce.  I used to be intimidated by making a dipping sauce- especially those named 'aioli' until I discovered that 'aioli' is mayonnaise...  Now I use mayonnaise as a base to make all kinds of great dipping sauces- this lemon and caper is one of my favorites.  It is great with grilled shrimp, too- a favorite from my catering days.

Grilled Artichokes
with a Lemon Garlic Caper Aioli

3 artichokes, quartered
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of sea salt + 2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon of cracked pepper

for the aioli:
3/4 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 lemon, the juice of
1 clove of garlic
2 tablespoons of capers (or more, if you'd like)
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of cracked pepper

Combine olive oil and 1 clove of garlic cut in slices.  Let the garlic infuse into the oil while you are preparing the artichokes.

Cut the artichokes in quarters, lengthwise.  Fill a medium saucepan with water with 1 tablespoon of sea salt.  Bring to a boil.  Add artichoke quarters and cook for 20-30 minutes until tender.  Remove from water and let them cool on a baking sheet.  If you are preparing these ahead of time, you can refrigerate them at this point up to over night.

Before grilling, brush the garlic infused olive oil onto all sides of the artichoke hearts.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Grill for 2-3 minutes on each side until there is a nice char on the leaves.

For the sauce, stir together mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, garlic capers, salt and pepper.   Add more lemon, salt and/or pepper to taste.

The grilled artichokes are the perfect compliment to Grilled Prosciutto & Fresh Mozzarella toasts.

Orange Orzo Pasta Salad with Golden Raisins, Green Onion & Almonds

Orange Orzo Pasta Salad

2 cups of Orzo Pasta, Cooked
....
Golden Raisins
Green Onions
Slivered Almonds
....
Zest of 1 Orange
Juice of 1 Lemon
3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 teaspoon of sea salt

Cook pasta in salted water according to directions.  Drain from water.

Begin by making dressing in a medium bowl.  Add orange zest, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper.  Whisk together.

Add almonds, green onions, raisins and pasta.  Toss.  Serve at room temperature or chilled.

I packaged the orzo salad in one of the small Kitchen Containers, here >

Products Used :

Market Totes
Gingham Linens
Kraft Bags
Plastic Kitchen Containers
Clear Plastic Cups

For the rest of the picnic menu, visit my Tips for an Easy Picnic, here >

Tips for an Easy Picnic, here >

Roasted Root Vegetable Platter with Lemon, Shallot & Thyme Vinaigrette | Thanksgiving Sides Recipe

We haven't had a home large enough (or close enough) to host Thanksgiving for the last couple of years, so we do the traditional dance around town to two Thanksgiving feasts - My family around noon, then Mike's family in the evening.  Oddly enough, it seems I'm always asked to bring vegetables.  I know it doesn't sound very exciting when I could be baking beautiful pies, but I really kind of like being in charge of "vegetables."

I really love, love the mashed potatoes and the herbed stuffing with gravy, so instead of another heavy, saucy vegetable casserole (you know the ones...), I prefer something fresher and more colorful.  

For the last two years, I've prepared this Roasted Vegetable Platter that is roasted with a Lemon, Thyme & Shallot Vinaigrette.  It is fresh, seasonal, colorful, bountiful... and very easy.  The vegetables can go into the oven to roast just as the turkey comes out to rest.  After 25 minutes in the oven they are ready for the table.  Easy. 

Roasted Root Vegetable Platter 
with Lemon, Shallot & Thyme Vinaigrette

1 pound of carrots
1 pound of parsnips
1 sweet potato
1 acorn squash
1 red onion
1 pound of brussels sprouts
4 beets
....
2 lemons, juiced
4 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 tablespoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of cracked pepper

400 degree oven

Prepare all of the vegetables by cutting them into wedges, long stripes or cubes.  You can do any shapes you like, but I like to keep long vegetables long, and round vegetables into wedges or cubes.  Place on sheet pans (you'll need two).  Mix together lemon, oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Drizzle half of lemon oil mixture over the vegetables and toss to coat.  Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and browned.   Drizzle the rest of the lemon oil over warm vegetables.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

You can prepare vegetables the night before, but wait to drizzle the lemon oil over until just before roasting.

I love how the carrots and parsnips look in long pieces.

Acorn squash looks great in wedges.  I keep the skin on the sweet potatoes for extra color and texture - same with the beets.

 Yum, yum!   I just love how bountiful and colorful this looks.  I make this same platter all of the time to serve with a roasted chicken or just toasted bread smeared with goat cheese.

If you eat all of these veggies along with your Thanksgiving feast, you won't feel so bad about all of that pie later :)



Products Featured :

Natural & Cream Striped Tablecloth, $88 (also available in Tea Towels & Runner)

Warm Gray Plaid Tea Towels, $24 for 2 (on sale!)

Wilted Lettuce | Summer Salad Recipes

Wilted Lettuce with Hot Bacon Dressing is one of those things that I've seen at our family's dinner table my entire life.  All of the adults would drool over it and rave about how heavenly it was.  I hated it (though I had never tried it).  Bacon fat?  On a salad?  Sick.

I didn't try it until I lived with Pops (my grandpa) and his wife, Mary Carol, for a brief stint after college.  Every night Mary Carol and I would come home from work and Pops would have a small feast waiting for us... usually fried chicken, grilled pork chops, spaghetti and meatballs, corn on the cob with a stick of butter- all of the good stuff.  Early in the Summer he would make Wilted Lettuce.

Normally I would not have even tried it - I had known for years that it was something I never liked, but for some reason as a guest in their home I didn't feel like I could turn down dinner.  So I tried it.  And loved it.  I asked him what was in it- he assured me I didn't want to know, as Mary Carol and I were constantly requesting healthier dinner options.  He was right!  The ingredient list may seem strange, but you will love the result- salty, sweet, crispy bacon with fresh greens and onions. 

Some purists would say that you can only make "wilted lettuce" with garden lettuce in the Summer, but I make it all year long with leaf lettuce from the market.

Wilted Lettuce
with Hot Bacon Dressing

1 head of leaf lettuce
1/4 cup of green onions, sliced
1/4 cup of red onion, sliced thinly (optional)
5 slices of bacon, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of white vinegar

Chop the bacon into small pieces (about 1/2 inch).  Fry on a lot heat, rendering the fat and crisping up the bacon.  After about 4-5 minutes, turn off the heat.

Add the sugar to the bacon fat and pour into a glass bowl or pourable measuring cup.  Wash lettuce and chop green onions, put in a bowl.  Add vinegar to dressing, making sure it isn't too hot, or it will splatter.   The salad is ready to go - just toss with the dressing right before taking to the table.

If you are making it ahead of time, keep the dressing separate.  Microwave the dressing for 20-30 seconds, stir, then pour it over the lettuce, bacon and onions just before serving. 

Here is a version I made with lettuce fresh from our "garden."  We grow lettuce in large pots on our patio - so easy!

French Potato Salad

It is almost that time... the time of year when I made big batches of salads to keep in the fridge for easy lunches.  During the summer, I usually keep a chicken salad, potato/pasta salad and vegetable salad in the fridge to go with a quick BLT (or usually just T).  I used the Barefoot Contessa's recipe for this French Potato Salad, recipe, here.

It is a very simple - steamed potatoes tossed in a dijon and champagne vinaigrette with parsley, dill and scallions.  It was tart and tangy with the dressing and herbs - a perfect compliment to the sweet brisket sauce.


I use this Large Basin Bowl ($16) from the Robin's Egg Blue Enamelware Collection for everything - including beers on ice and salads!

Instead of cubes, I did the potatoes in slices - made it look/seem more like a dinner side dish than a potato salad.

Simple and pretty - perfect "real" food for summer.

I'm excited to snack on this all week for lunch.  I'm trying to upgrade my lunches during the week from a peanut butter sandwich... any ideas?

Shop : Large Basin Bowl ($16) from the Robin's Egg Blue Enamelware Collection

Sour Cream & Chive Twice Baked Potatoes with Ribeye Steaks

Like most guys, Mike's favorite dinner is Steak and Potatoes.  I've mentioned that a time or two on here...  While I almost always opt for mashed, he loves Twice Baked Potatoes, which I've never made before.  Oops.  I've always thought they were too much of a hassle, and weren't they just mashed potatoes put back into the skin?  What's the point of the extra work?

I decided to surprise Mike last week and make his favorite... but in my own way.  Most recipes call for sour cream, cheese and bacon all mixed in.  For me, that is too much.  Too many things going on and mashed together.  I need simpler flavors.

I decided on a really creamy filling (sour cream, cream cheese + chives) topped with cheddar that would melt in the oven.  We served the potatoes along with 16 oz. ribeyes on the grill and garlic roasted broccoli.

The twice baking really does make these potatoes different than just mashed potatoes.  They seem almost fluffier after being baked again - and creamier.  I'm a new fan of the Twice Baked for a couple of reasons- they are delicious, work best when made ahead of time (entertaining!), AND can be reheated easily for lunch the next day.  I'm also curious about freezing them.  As we head back into school and busy season, I like to use the freezer as much as possible.  Has anyone tried that?

Sour Cream & Chive
Twice Baked Potatoes

4 baking potatoes
.....
1/2 cup of sour cream
6 oz. of cream cheese, softened
fresh chives
sea salt & pepper
cheddar cheese, shredded

Begin by baking potatoes at 350 for 1 hour + 20 minutes until tender.  Slice in half and scoop out filling, putting it in the bowl of a mixer.  Add sour cream, cream cheese and chives.  Mix with paddle, on med-low until mixed and mashed thoroughly.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Scoop back into shells.  Place on baking sheet and top with cheddar cheese.  Before ready to serve, heat in 325 oven for about 20 minutes until heated through.

I use a towel to handle the hot potatoes while scooping.  You do want to make sure the potatoes are still hot when you mix them so they mash in the blender properly.

The mixer makes this so easy.

LOVE ribeyes on the grill.  We just do lots of salt before grilling, then pepper after.  We grilled these for about 4 minutes on each side, then let them rest for 10 minutes.

Can't imagine why this is Mike's favorite meal!

Creamy Cilantro Sweet Corn Recipe

I'm not sure what it is about the combination of sweet corn and cilantro, but I love it.  In classic Summer spirit this recipe is refreshingly simple and takes minutes to make.  It goes great with burgers or barbecue or steaks.  Of course, because of the addition of cilantro it would be great with fajitas or tacos, too.   Basically, I plan to make this all summer long - with everything.

Creamy CilantroSweet Corn

6 ears of corn
2 tablespoons of butter
1/3 cup of heavy cream
2-3 ounces of cream cheese
2 teaspoons of sea salt (or more to taste)
1 big handful of cilantro, chopped

Cut kernels off ears of corn.  In a large saute pan, melt butter and cook corn for just 1 minute.  Add cream and cream cheese.  Stir on low heat until cream cheese melts smooth.  Add chopped cilantro and stir.  Serve warm.  Reheat on stovetop or in oven if making in advance.

I should've put the butter in first, but this worked fine too - I just kept the heat low until the butter melted.

Cream and cream cheese.  You can add more or less cream cheese depending on how rich you want it.



Be sure to add plenty of sea salt.  The very sweet corn needs the salt.  The more cilantro the better - because it is a warm dish, it looses some of its potency.  Add more right before serving if you want to up the cilantro factor.

It is so good.  It reminds me of a ravioli we had in Vermont last fall that had a creamy corn sauce with ricotta ravioli.  Ok, now I have an idea for lunch with my leftovers : )