Lightened Pesto

Pesto is great, but obviously on the “expensive” side when it comes to calories.  This method to lighten it up a bit really retains all the great flavor minus some of the worst of the calories.  This makes about a cup of pesto, which freezes really well.

  • 2 cups fresh basil, lightly packed
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
  • Kosher salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (possibly less; check after 3 Tbls for taste/consistency)

Place the basil, garlic, cheese, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse a few times, then slowly add oil until pesto reaches desired consistency.

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Scallops and Warm Tuscan Beans

We love anything scallops, and this was a great quick weeknight meal.  The sauce created from the bean/spinach mixture was great, though next time I might thicken it up a bit.  We served this with tomato bread for a nice dinner.  This one came from Cooking Light.

tuscanscallops Recipe!

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Grilled Rosemary Chicken

This is another recipe from the great magazine cleanup of 2013, and we liked it a lot…would definitely make it again.  It came from Bon Apetit in 2011.   I used a whole chicken already cut up, marinated overnight as the recipe suggested, and it was awesome.  The only difficult part was grilling the breasts – they were *huge* and thus difficult to cook all the way through.   I might do only thighs next time.  We had this with an orzo/feta pilaf and an heirloom tomato salad.  Great summer meal.

rosemarychicken

Recipe!

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Lemon Bars

Lemon bars are such a great summer dessert –  very portable and light after a big grilled meal.  They are a little time consuming, but well worth the trouble. These are made with a traditional shortbread crust.  I made these for our friend’s summer kick-off roof deck party and they were a hit.

lemonbars

Recipe!

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S’mores Cups

Who doesn’t love s’mores?  Admittedly, I don’t really like chocolate.  But I’ll eat it in this form…especially because I’ll hoover any marshmallows in sight.   These was a cute and easy recipe that was handy for something like a party or cookout, because it was very mobile.  Also bite size, so you can eat more and not feel guilty, right?  Right. 😉

smores

Recipe!

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Cucumber Melon Salad

I was surfing around for interesting salad ideas for our Memorial Day cookout, and this one caught my eye on Chowhound.  It seemed like a pretty nifty one, and I really liked it.  Very refreshing and easy.  Plus I love anything that includes cucumber and mint, so there you go.  I would definitely repeat this with any number of grilled main dishes for a nice summer side salad.

cucmelon

Recipe!

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Onion Dip

As much as I love onion dip, I’ve never tried to make it before.  I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was – caramelize some onions and blend.  This was delicious – I could have eaten the whole batch myself.  This was from an Ina Garten recipe, and my only alteration was to add a pinch of smoked paprika, which I think was a good addition.  Another of our Memorial Day picnic recipes.

oniondip

Recipe!

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German Potato Salad

I was looking for a mayo-less potato salad…I’m not a huge fan of taters in the first place, and mayo salads even less.  Though I do recognize that many people are fans of both ;), I didn’t feel like a salad of that type went with our Memorial Day cookout menu.  I found this on Chowhound, and was very pleased with it – even I ate a serving!  It has done well leftover too, and is even more flavorful.  The only thing I did differently from the original recipe was that I served this cold, and the general consensus preferred it that way as well.

germanpotato

Recipe!

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Heirloom Tomato Salad

Not really a recipe, but a good starting point for a great summer side salad.  We served this at our Memorial Day cookout, and I also frequently use it as a quick side with grilled meats.  Especially delicious with fresh basil!

heirloomtomato

Combine sliced tomatoes, basil, parsley, a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper and gently toss.  That’s it!  Alter to taste.

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Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are one of my favorite appetizers, especially for picnics.  Shawn makes some killer deviled eggs, and it’s possible I helped myself to way more than my share.  They’re also great for lunch and snacks.  You may want to double this for a crowd.

deviledeggs

Recipe!

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