Weekend Things

August is such a confusing time.  Even though we’re still in the 90s during the day, there is that unmistakable chill in the morning air and I can never decide if I’m excited for fall or devastated that summer might end.  I did my best to just enjoy the fleeting summer moments this weekend and what better way than by going to a Rockies game, finally finally having a backyard movie night and enjoying a patio lunch on Sunday?

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I’m starting to realize I probably won’t make it through every dog at Biker Jim’s by the end of this baseball season.  Unless, of course, I start doubling up!  Joey and I are going to go halfsies from here on out.  There was a very weird lightning delay at the beginning of the game, even though the sun was fully shining?  But, even with the delay, it was a really fast game AND we won!  Can’t argue with any of that.

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Woke up (too early) and made a mountain of whole wheat pancakes before grabbing our bikes to head to the Farmers’ Market, only to discover Joey had a flat.  Look, he’s not quite as fast changing a bike tire as a car tire, but I was still impressed.  My usual peach selling stand was MIA (WHY??) but I bought some from another farmer and felt such relief.  Also, you guys know how much I LOVE going to the FM on Saturday morning, but… I could be done with the biking part.  Or at least done with the biking in the heat part.

Back at home, OUR PATIO FURNITURE WAS DELIVERED!!!!  We sort of wish we had shelled out for a second chair and side table, plus two ottomans but we love how it looks and even better, how it feels!  We ate steak dinner (that Joey grilled to perfection!) out there, then set up our new projector to watch a movie.  Joey has wanted to watch The Mighty Ducks all summer but there were technical difficulties and we ended up having to watch something we own on DVD, so The Mask it was.  When’s the last time you watched this movie??  I was mostly focused on how he wears a zoot suit?  Also, my favorite part was that cameo by Ben Stein 😛  Oh and I made us this Freezer Caramel Slice for dessert and it sure was decadent!

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Sort of slept in on Sunday then had breakfast before splitting up to do some chores.  I harvested our basil and made the best pesto for pizza later, assembled salads for lunches this week (we hadn’t made this one in too long!) and then my mom and sister stopped by to see our new patio furniture and to join us for lunch.  We hit up Avanti and managed to snag seats on the outdoor but covered patio (hallelujah!).  My sister and I tried the new spot, Street Feud and I approve!  My mom got an order of truffle fries and seemed to find particular joy in dipping a fry in mayo, then using it to get the truffle-herb mixture to stick to her fry.  What a goof!  

I went to 4 PM yoga and even just walking from the car to the studio had my black pants feeling like they were on fire.  Back at home (and on the deck, of course), we did some transportation logistics research for our trip to Italy and bought a train ticket from Varenna to Venice.  Then we made that pizza!  We’ve made this ricotta-tomato pizza a handful of times, but never on the grill.  Seemed like the right thing to do though.  Also, I don’t know if we got a different brand of ricotta or maybe we usually get part-skim and bought whole milk instead but it was SO CREAMY and SO GOOD.  Whoa!  After, we watched Big Brother and my fantasy team is screwed.  Oh well!  How was your weekend?

Make This Now

Even though it is the end of July and I’m already (sort of) jokingly lamenting that “summer is over,” temperatures in the upper 90s, nightly dinners in the backyard and the pain I suffered when I wore black pants outside earlier this week means we are truly in the thick of it now, friends!  Please enjoy some of our very favorite recipes from this summer, and just remember there are plenty of tomatoes, corn and peaches and eggplant to come.

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BBQ Salmon Cobb Salad

Katie Lee does not mess around with a good salad and neither do I!  Perfectly cooked flaky salmon, salty bacon, egg that is boiled to my liking (help, I recently developed an aversion to soft egg yolks), in season corn and tomatoes, a creamy avocado and most importantly: homemade croutons!  We really dug this meal.

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Juicy Grass-Fed Beef Burgers

What’s summer without a really good burger, though?  Get this, these ones have mayo MIXED INTO THE PATTY!  Why have I never thought to do this??  These were SO GOOD.  So juicy that they were dripping everywhere and I was sad because I wanted those flavors in my mouth and not on my plate but what can you do?  Also, Joey claimed these were better than the BA Burger Deluxe which had previously been our go-to classic burger recipe.  Reader, I gasped when he said this but… he’s right!  P.S. Please season the outside of your patty with salt and pepper, regardless of whether this recipe tells you to or not.

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Loaded Summer Chili Fries

Switching gears entirely, we now enter the vegan portion of this post.  I make this cashew cheese sauce often and always have so much left over — I’ve tried halving it and my blender says NO — so I have to find ways to use it up.  Enter these chili fries, which already called for a similarly-made cashew sour cream, so it seemed like an easy substitution to make.  I was not prepared for how delicious this meal would be!  It was light and fresh but still hearty and satisfying?  I was FULLY in my happy place.  Plus, even though it seems like a lot of components, it was pretty quick to whip up.

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Peach Crisp for Two

Okay, this actually served four but that means two nights of dessert for each of us, instead of one, so I’m calling it a win!  A gluten-free vegan peach crisp is, in fact, NOT Betty Crocker’s peach cobbler but I just can’t make it like Mom, so why even try?  I actually don’t know how this tasted as good as it did considering there was no butter or white flour involved but IT DID.  I would 100% make this again!  And that’s the end of the vegan portion of this post 😛

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Grilled Salmon with Whole Lemon-Sesame Sauce

I made Joey watch a video of the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen making this recipe then said “I don’t care what you think, I’m making this!”  He’s maybe not quite as into lemon as I, a person who will eat the lemon slice that comes in a glass of water, am but don’t let the idea of cutting up a lemon skin scare you because when mixed with shallot, olive oil and honey, it’s really mellow and lovely.  I really love the easy salmon grilling technique used in this recipe too and scattering basil over anything just feels so fresh and summery, doesn’t it??

Please tell me what delicious things you are whipping up this summer!