Gazpacho and a side of egg salad with some chopped ham on a lettuce leaf with home made French bread.
Not very "inspired" but good.
Another was grilled veggies, zucchini, onion, tomato green and red peppers and chunks of parboiled potatoes, drizzled with balsamic olive oil and sprinkled with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.....grilled with some skinny slices of pork loin marinated in soy sauce and lots of fresh garlic.

Thinking of chicken on the grill tomorrow....
Linda C

Yesterday, I made a very thick meat lasagna. I believe, it was over 4" high. I had some eggplants bought at our local farmer's market. They were about to go bad. So, I sliced them up and layer the pieces within the lasagna. It was delicious and was even better today!

Here's my bad, while it was baking, the smell made me hungry. I took the lasagna out and cut a piece of it for an early dinner. Then, put the lasagna back in the oven and continued baking until the eggplants were more cooked and tender. LOL... Could you tell?

Tonight's quickie dinner was the fresh bruschetta from Trader Joe's cooked in a skillet with some fresh crushed garlic cloves, then I sauteed some chicken breasts pounded thin. At the end I melted some cheese and then topped with fresh basil. Super quick and easy!

Two of my favourites of late.

Grilled ribs and potato salad

Gina's Lemon Shrimp Linguine! Fast and light , great for summer eating.

{{gwi:1558374}}

BLT!

Oh, Sharon, that linguini looks delish. Adding it to my menu for next week.

This is really good and easy:

Cashew Chicken Salad With Mandarin Oranges
Cooking Light August 2004

3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
3 cups shredded rotisserie cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups fresh bean sprouts
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 tablespoons chopped roasted cashews
1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges in light syrup, drained

Combine first 6 ingredients, stirring well with a whisk.

Combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat.

Here's another:

Maple-Chili Glazed Pork Medallions

1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick medallions
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/4 cup apple cider
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Mix chili powder, salt and ground chipotle in a small bowl. Sprinkle over both sides of pork.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Add cider, syrup and vinegar to the pan. Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, turning the pork occasionally to coat, until the sauce is reduced to a thick glaze, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve the pork drizzled with the glaze.

Linda

How about a couple of easy pasta dishes and an unusual (for us, anyway) beet salad?

Becky

* Exported from MasterCook *

Kathy's Beet Salad

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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roasted beets -- sliced
pears -- chunked
feta or blue cheese -- crumbled
toasted walnuts -- chopped
Dressing:
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
salt and pepper -- to taste

Arrange salad on plate and drizzle with dressing.
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* Exported from MasterCook *

Cheese Ravioli with Fresh Tomato and Artichoke Sauce

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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2 packages fresh cheese ravioli -- (9 ounce)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound roma tomatoes - peeled -- seeded and
chopped
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts -- (6.5 ounce)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
3 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook ravioli according to package directions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over a medium high flame. Add tomatoes, artichokes, scallions, garlic, and salt and pepper. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are warmed through. Remove from heat.
3. Drain pasta well. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with 1 teaspoon oil. Add half of the sauce to the ravioli; toss gently, but thoroughly to mix. Transfer ravioli to a large serving platter. Pour remaining vegetable sauce over ravioli. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

www.allrecipes.com
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* Exported from MasterCook *

Pasta with Tomatoes and Mozzarella

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 pound pasta
1 small clove garlic -- minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 cups diced ripe tomatoes
1/2 cup pitted black olive (Kalamata)
1/3 cup red onion -- diced
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon leaf basil (fresh is better - use lots) -- crumbled
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 package mozzarella cheese (again, fresh is best,
cut into bite size pieces)

Mash garlic with salt in medium size bowl.

Stir in vinegar, oil, pepper, and basil.

Add tomatoes, onion, and olives.

Toss to mix.

Cook pasta and drain.

While hot add cheese and toss until cheese melts.

Add the tomato mixture and mix.

Serve at once.

Hints: the sauce tastes best when it is mixed ahead of time.
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No pictures, but this was easy to prepare and really good. I served them with rice pilaf, cream peas, sliced tomatoes, and cornbread.

DEVILISH PORK CUTLETS

1 lb. boneless pork loin, cut into 6 equal pieces
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, seasoned with 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. butter
1 tsp. vegetable oil
2 Tblsp. vinegar
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
2 Tblsp. Dijon-style mustard
2 Tblsp. green peppercorns

Place each loin slice between two pieces of plastic wrap, flatten to 1/8-inch thickness. Dredge cutlets in seasoned flour.
Heat butter and oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown cutlets quickly, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and keep warm.
Add vinegar and broth to skillet, bring to boil and stir until reduced to about 1/2 cup.
Lower heat, stir in sour cream and mustard and whisk until smooth. Add peppercorns, simmer and stir gently until sauce thickens slightly.

It's been close to 100 degrees here recently. I've been having lots of salads.

Egg salad sandwich
Avocado stuffed with tuna salad
Chicken or Salmon Caesar Salad
Spinach salad with warm sweet and sour bacon dressing
Spinach tossed with a warm italian dressing w/parmesan cheese

Emily, I know the feeling trying to keep summertime meals light and interesting! I find I run into the same doldrums. here are some of my summertime favs:
Bowtie Pasta and Sausage

5 Johnsonville Italian sausage links
1 16 ounce package farfalle (bow tie) pasta
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced into small wedges
1 green, red and yellow pepper cut in strips
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt & pepper to taste

Place five Johnsonville Italian links into a large skillet and cook according to the package directions. While sausage is cooking, start pasta. When sausage is done, remove links from the pan and cool until they can be handled, then slice into 1/2 inch coins. Keep remaining drippings from the sausage, and add the olive oil and minced garlic to the skillet. Heat on low until the garlic releases its flavor, but not browned. Add sliced vegetables and sauté for two minutes, or until tender. Mix the sliced sausage with the vegetables in the skillet, and cook until sausage is heated through. Add cooked and drained pasta to skillet and toss with the sausage and vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Optional Special Touches:
* Add 1/2 cup of red wine to the vegetables while sautéing.
* Add 1/4 cup chopped green onion.
* Top with shredded Asiago cheese.
* Substitute zucchini for one of the vegetable selections

Tortellini Salad:
1 pkg. of you favorite tortellini (cooked according to directions.
1 pint of grape tomatoes halved
Lots of fresh basil chopped
Lots of good parm. cheese.
Mix all together and refrigerate till you are ready to eat. I also add grilled chicken or shrimp to it sometimes to make a nice meal.

Some other ideas, beer can chicken, cold shrimp or seafood kabobs!
I also enjoy gazpacho and I'm thinking of making that this weekend!
Here is a pork tenderloin recipe that we enjoy:

Honeyed Pork Tenderloin with Avocado-Peach Salsa

½ cup soy sauce
1 TBSP Sesame oil
2-tsps teriyaki sauce
2-cloves minced garlic
1-tsp ground ginger
1 (1 pound) pork tenderloin
¼ cup honey
2 TBSPS brown sugar
4 ½ TBSPS sesame seeds

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large shallow dish or heavy-duty zip=lock plastic bag. Add pork. Cover or seal, and chill 6-8 hours.
Remove pork from marinade, discarding marinade.
Stir together honey and brown sugar. Brush pork with honey mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place on a lightly greased rack in a roasting pan.
Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 160. ( I grill the pork instead of roasting it for about the same amount of time) Cut tenderloin into slices and serve with salsa.

Avocado Peach Salsa

1 cup peeled, diced fresh peaches (In the winter I used canned)
1 large tomatoes diced (I used Roma)
½ cup diced avocado (about 1 small)
1 TBSP minced red onion
1 TBSP lime juice
1 tsp olive oil
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground red pepper
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, cover and chill until ready to serve

I have a chicken brushetta recipe that is easy and yummy that I'll pass along to you as soon as I find it! I hope this helps some. This is the time of year I start thinking about fall and Winter dishes!

Enjoy,
Gina

Bored? Summer? It sounds like you need tomato sauce. The smell of the tomatoes and garlic cooking is unbelievable, and when you throw in the shredded basil towards the end, it's like-- nirvana.

(If anyone has noticed that I've linked to this guy's sauce recipe like ten times, I swear, it's not secretly my blog. I just really, really love the tomato sauce.)

Here is a link that might be useful: How-to

There's not a whole lot of cooking going on here, it's canning season, so I work all day and go home and can until about 2:30 am, grab about 4 hours of sleep and start again.

I've had a fresh tomato sandwich, the obligatory eggs, some grilled vegetables because Elery made them and pinto beans and greens at a Cracker Barrel on the way to taking the grandkids to the Toledo Zoo.

Yesterday I had a rotisserie chicken sandwich at House of Flavors in Ludington where I met Tami_ohio for lunch, and I had grilled salmon at Schuberg's Bar for supper with a co-worker of Elery's. His staff has decided that he has an "imaginary wife" because they've never met me, LOL.

Today we're having an office potluck, so I made some orange teriyaki chicken in the crockpot. Another staffer made taco salad, one made tortellini salad, one of the guys brought chips and salsa. There's a cinnamon cake, some brownies, blueberry muffins and some kind of dessert with whipped cream, grapes, brown sugar and pecans.

Anything sound good?

Annie

With all the fresh corn that has been available, it has been Mexican Corn and Chicken Soup for me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Recipe for Mexican Corn & Chicken Soup

Thanks everyone! I think the ribs and Mexican Corn and Chicken soup are bringing my appetite back to life at the moment, but I've cut and pasted a number of the others as well.

I'll post back when I finally get my mojo back!

Em

How about some chicken or pork cutlets??
Pound them dip them in a mixture of Dijon and honey,
and then in Panko (Japanese bread crumbs), with parm, salt and pepper.
Saute in olive oil and WOW!!!
Fast and easy...add a tossed salad.
Linda

It's so hot and muggy here I don't even want to stand in the kitchen. I had an omlette for breakfast and that was good--with Ms. Annie's eggs BTW. Omlettes can be dressed up with fresh veggies and herbs very easily. Tonight I'm going for fresh tomato sauce with fresh basil over pasta. Salads would be good this time of year but I don't even want to stand around and chop stuff. I can't afford to run the air conditioner much. This weekend I'm going to turn some garden fresh beets into soups--one with the greens and one with the bottoms. I hope to freeze half the servings of each. Also going to make some bread in the bread machine to go along with the soups. That's my ticket in this hot weather--use the bread machine or crockpot and let them do all the work.