SUNDAY

Grilled Korean~Style Steak  |  Spicy Cilantro Sauce  |  Sweet White Corn

MONDAY

California Steak Salad

TUESDAY

Roasted Potato & Corn Chowder  |  Tomato~Oregano Pizza

WEDNESDAY

{Best} Burgers on the Grill  |  Cucumber Spears with Lime Salt

THURSDAY

Crustless Quiche with Corn, Tomatoes, Bacon & Basil  |  Silky Zucchini Soup

FRIDAY

~  Fourth of July  Barbecue  ~

Honey Butter Grilled Chicken Thighs  |  Baby Back Ribs with Blackberry BBQ Sauce  |  Sweet Peach Salsa  | Potato Salad  |   Basil~Mint Lemonade  |  

Hidden Ice Cream Strawberry Shortcake

Yesterday’s trip to the San Francisco farmers’ market was exceptionally lovely.  The morning sunshine was warm and the sky was a crystal clear blue {no fog in sight}.  After an intense week, it was nice to slow the pace down a bit, sipping a cup of Blue Bottle Coffee while strolling through the market, taking in the sights and smells of fresh summer produce, grilling meats, dahlias, hydrangeas and sunflowers.  As it happens in summer, our market cart spilled over into a large straw bag and a couple of canvas totes {one dedicated especially to carrying 13 ears of super sweet white corn, the other filled to the brim with carrot greens collected from a variety of farms as a treat for our horses}…Michael and I looked as though we were doing the shopping for a small restaurant.  Without an inch of available space for the eggs I wanted to buy or an available hand to carry the bouquet of dahlias which had earlier caught my eye, we retreated to a small, sun~drenched table at MarketBar for lunch before heading home.  Michael enjoyed a dish of baked eggs and I, a small salad of market greens dressed simply with a Banyuls vinaigrette and served with a deviled egg…a glass of crisp, dry French rosé topped off our Saturday morning date.

Here is how I will make good use of all that beautiful market produce…

SUNDAY:  If you have been following this little space for a while, you know that this Grilled Korean~Style Steak is one of our all~time favorites, perfect for grilling on a warm summer evening.  Fresh cilantro from the farmers’ market will be used for the Spicy Cilantro Sauce and hot, buttered {and salted} sweet white corn will round out our Sunday dinner.

MONDAY:  Grilling a little extra meat {to ensure leftovers} when preparing last night’s dinner will save me quite a bit of time this evening in preparing a slightly modified version of this California Steak Salad.  I will let the sliced leftover steak {which was stored in an airtight container overnight} come to room temperature while I prepare the rest of the salad.  I will substitute a bit of baby spinach leaves in place of the watercress because that is what I have on hand and   these beautiful Indigo Rose tomatoes {a new market find for me this week} will stand in for traditional cherry tomatoes…

TUESDAY:  Corn and tomatoes are a natural summer pairing.  For tonight’s dinner, some more of that sweet white corn will join a few baby potatoes in a hearty chowder seasoned with onion, garlic and fresh thyme from the garden.  Being served alongside this summer soup will be this cheese~less, Tomato~Oregano Pizza.  I am adapting the recipe for a busy weeknight dinner by using store~bought pizza dough and topping with fresh oregano from our garden.

WEDNESDAY:  These {Best} Burgers On The Grill are a summer staple in our house.  Once you try the “custom meat grind” route it is hard to go back to the pre~packaged stuff.  The butcher at our local market has become a convert since I began ordering this special order burger meat over a year ago and always prepares a bit extra for himself whenever I place my order.  I need to be out with the kids all day on Wednesday and will pick up the meat on my way home.  Michael will pick up some fresh buns from Acme Bakery on his way home from work and when topped with this Special Sauce, burgers just don’t get any better.  Cold, crisp cucumber spears dusted with a bit of Lime Salt I have on hand will be an easy, tasty side to our burgers.

THURSDAY:  Tonight’s dinner will be a variation on this Crustless Quiche using some more sweet white corn, Indigo Rose tomatoes, fresh basil from the garden and chopped bacon.  Some fresh zucchini {a summer favorite} will be used for this Silky Zucchini Soup {which can be served either hot or cold} with the remaining squash being turned into this Zucchini Bread.

FRIDAY:  If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen my recent posts of the pictures of my preparation of these Honey~Butter Grilled Chicken Thighs and this Blackberry BBQ Sauce.  Both of those recipes turned out to be winners and we all agree that they both deserve a spot on our Fourth of July BBQ menu. The honey~horseradish~butter that is used to baste the chicken thighs while on the grill is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy and so easy to pull together and any leftover grilled chicken thighs taste just as good, cold, the following day {making for a great picnic lunch}.  

I must admit, however, that we were not that excited about the parsley sauce referenced as a side in the chicken thigh recipe and I will be making another batch of Spicy Cilantro Sauce to be served in its place for our BBQ.  As for the blackberry barbecue sauce…

I took a shortcut by roasting the berries in the oven rather than on a grill, and the finished sauce was AMAZING.  Smoked paprika and chipotle peppers in adobo give the sweet berries a wonderfully smoky flavor perfect for grilling.  We have since tried this BBQ sauce on both short ribs and pork baby back ribs and our preference definitely rests with the pork. I could also see this blackberry barbecue sauce being a great basting sauce for chicken as well as barbecued turkey burgers.  As for grilled beef cuts, our favorite basting sauce is this Bourbon BBQ Sauce.  The peaches turning up at the farmers’ market this season have been some of the sweetest and juiciest I have ever tasted.  Last week we enjoyed this Sweet Peach Salsa with some pork tacos and I am bringing it back again for our BBQ.  Sweet peaches, earthy tomatoes, spicy jalapeños, fresh cilantro and a kiss of lime juice come together in a refreshing summer salsa/salad that complements grilled meats and smoky sauces.  I have also been making up large batches of this Basil~Mint Lemonade since the children have been on summer vacation making good use of the basil currently flourishing in the garden.  The children absolutely love this lemonade and I know of a few adults who have turned it into a favorite summer cocktail with a splash of gin or vodka.  Finally, I am trying this Hidden Ice Cream Strawberry Shortcake recipe out of sheer curiosity…making a shortcake dough using softened vanilla ice cream, self~rising flour and cold butter is quite intriguing and I figure I have nothing to lose if the dough goes to hell in a hand basket as I will be left with macerated berries and chilled whipped cream {a pretty awesome dessert on its own}.

Have  a wonderful week everyone!