Our Favorite Summer Meals

Fresh Fruits & Vegetables 2
Originally uploaded by invisibleElement

I love the different seasons!! I love change and making things different. I love looking forward to things and making family memories.

We have different things we serve at different times of the year. We don't grill much during the winter and we don't have salads and things from the garden. Likewise - we don't serve spaghetti (sometimes at a birthday if it's requested) or chili or stews in the summer. My family looks forward to their favorites coming up each season. Keeps their love alive. They sit in the summer and say I can't wait for some of your chili mama or in the winter - I can't wait till we can grill out some hamburgers with garden fresh tomatoes on them. It keeps the food fresh and not boring.


Here are some of our summer foods -


Grilling:

hot dogs
hamburgers (my all time favorite summer meal)
hamburger steak
pork chops
ribs
steaks
chicken

Summer dinners:

A big salad (using things from the garden)

A big sandwich - a loaf of french bread - sliced lengthwise and loaded like a Dagwood then sliced for individual slices

Subs

Tomato and bacon sandwiches (tomatoes from the garden)

Corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, and sliced cantaloupe. (I don't get away with many meals without meat - but this one is okay cause it's so summer-y)

Chicken Taco Salad - great served cold

Pepperoni pasta salad

Tuna salad

Chicken salad

BBQ sandwiches



Sides:

Veggies and dip

baked beans

coleslaw

macaroni salad - want to find a good one

potato salad - not much

boiled eggs

deviled eggs



Drinks:

lemonade

sweet tea



Desserts:

I want to learn how to make homemade ice cream this summer!!

ice cream

ice cream cones

Popsicles

Italian icee

strawberries and whipped cream

strawberry shortcake

watermelon

jello

milkshakes



From the garden:

fresh made salsa




Meal Activities:

picnic at the park

picnic at the lake

when it gets really hot - sometimes we will put a video in, turn fans on everyone and watch a movie during dinner on a blanket

hobo lunch - I love this one - I fix the littles a lunch - Pb&J, carrots, a little Debbie, chips or something - tie it up with a bandanna and hang it on a stick. - little boys and sticks with a lunch on it - it doesn't get better than that!!


Please share your summer meal ideas....