My parents came up to visit for the weekend. Hubster and my Anniversary is today, and they wanted to watch Pumpkin so we could go on a date night. So I thought a Saturday Family BBQ would be a perfect way to kick off our weekend together.
Spa Water Carafes
Spa Water:
I don’t drink soda and I recently gave up alcohol. I love water and drink a lot of it, but sometimes drinking it plain, or with a lemon/lime wedge gets a little repetitive. During our holiday, while at a posh restaurant, I saw something that sparked my memories… the water carafes. At spas, they often serve chilled water with cucumber slices in it, and I had several glass carafes I only use for entertaining. So it was time to pull them out and put them to good use. As I define Spa Water, it’s water with vegetables, fruit, and herbs chilled together for a refreshing drink. In the first pitcher, I grated three lime peels, sliced one whole lime and added a sprig of fresh mint. I put cucumber ribbons and watermelon balls in the second pitcher. For the third pitcher, I sliced a red delicious apple, a sprig of rosemary, and added a few sage leaves. I filled all of these carafes with water and allowed them to chill for 24 hours before enjoying (to diffuse the flavors). The flavors and possibilities are endless, I plan to try a lime cilantro one in the near future.
Most people would see this as a seasonal refreshment. But in the autumn I can see combinations of apples, pears, oranges, pomegranate, cranberries, cinnamon, cloves, etc…
Pumpkin liked the watermelon cucumber water, my parents enjoyed the lime mint and Hubster didn’t like any of them (probably because it’s not sugary, salty, or starchy). More for me!
Cornell Style Chicken Marinade
Cornell Style Chicken Marinade:
My mother-in-law first introduced me to this vinegar BBQ marinade. I love one particular brand of this chicken marinate, however it comes with a $5 a bottle price tag! I decided to make a variation of my own, and I actually enjoy it better. I started with 2 c. apple cider vinegar, 1/4 c. olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, minced onions, poultry seasoning and black pepper. I poured this over chicken drumsticks and put it in the fridge to marinate overnight. Then I had my dad cook the chicken on the grill until done (we also grilled a pork loin for the red meat eaters).
Yum drums!
Potato Salad:
I often make a creamy dill potato salad, but this time I decided to try a variation. I boiled two large potatoes, two large sweet potatoes, I cubed all 4 potatoes and left them in a large bowl. In a small bowl in mixed together sour cream, dill weed, minced onions, and pepper. Next, I added the sour cream mixture to the potatoes until they were well coated and refrigerated over night before serving. Of course, I love to use my trifle bowl to serve food!
- Potato Salad Close-Up
Additional Menu Items:
I served steamed zucchini and yellow squash (my favorite summer veggie) that I cut with my rippled cutter (my favorite veggie cutting tool).
I made mini cheese cake cups for dessert and served them with either chocolate sauce or cherry topping (more sour than sweet). It was refrigerator cheese cake and I prefer my baked recipe.
Dinner was nice; great food and great company. My parents are always more than willing (and encouraging) to try my new recipes/concoctions. I love having them here!
XOXO,
Young Wifey
