Summer Grilling – Menu Plan July 6-12

I don’t know about you, but the weather here in Ireland has been GLORIOUSLY BEAUTIFUL for the past few days, and the good weather is supposed to last through the week.  We are taking advantage of the weather to do some grilling and enjoying time outside.  I’m actually a bit late posting this because I have avoided spending time indoors with my computer.

Saturday, July 6 – we spent the day in Skerries, on the coast north of Dublin, and I picked up some great Irish salmon, and mussels at the local fishmonger.  Mussels here are about the equivalent of $1.80 – $2.00/pound.  They are super fresh, and so easy to prepare.  We made maple syrup and ancho chile grilled salmon, grilled mussels, with honey mustard roasted potato salad.  To grill mussels, just clean and de-beard them, then toss on the grill for 5 minutes or so, until they are open.  That’s it!  It’s literally that easy.

Sunday, July 7 – Another great grilling day.  We made lamb burgers with grilled vegetables and pesto barley.

July 8 – Meatless Monday.  Fried brown rice with stir fried tofu, cabbage, and carrots.  The kids love tofu, especially when when stir-fry it with soy sauce and brown sugar, and it creates a sweet and salty caramelized coating on the outside.  I use the recipe out of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

July 9 – Pasta Bolognese from Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?  This pasta dish is quick, easy, and can easily be doubled for a crowd.  In the time that it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta, you can make a great bolognese sauce.  It is definitely better than spaghetti sauce from a jar, and only a few minutes more prep time.

July 10 – Tomato soup and onion galette. We tried tomato soup a few weeks ago, and the kids have been asking for it ever since.  We have an abundance of onions right now, so we’ll probably make an onion galette (free-form tart).

July 11 – Leftovers! Or baked potatoes…or both!

July 12 – Pizza – if this weather holds up, we might try it on the grill.

Ok – next week I really have to start adding pictures to these posts!