The weather in New England has been especially hot lately and the last thing I want to do is cook inside on the stove. So, let’s fire up the grill and invite friends over for a summer barbecue!  Here is a menu that will please everyone:

Grilled marinated Flank Steak

Salmon filets

Wild Rice Salad

Broccoli Salad

Green Beans with Mozzarella and Grape Tomatoes

Sour Cream Cheesecake with fresh Blueberries

Flank steak:  I like to use McCormick’s Grill Mates Monterey Steak marinade which only takes 15-20 minutes to tenderize the meat. Cook over a hot grill until medium rare (130^o to 140^o) & slice thinly diagonally. I like to serve steak with a Horseradish Sauce made by adding prepared horseradish to sour cream.  This sauce is also excellent with salmon.

Salmon filets: Place each salmon filet individually in a square of heavy-duty aluminum foil.  Before you close the “pouch,” put a pat of butter on top of each filet, place a slice on lemon on top of the butter, squeeze a little lemon juice on the salmon and sprinkle with fresh chopped dill. Then seal the package by folding the top seam first and then folding up the ends.  These little pouches can be placed on a hot grill for 15-20 minutes or they can be cooked in a 350^o oven for the same amount of time. They will be so juicy and flavorful!

Salads: The salads remind me of a colorful summer flower garden! They are all vegetarian, and the wild rice one is vegan. Actually the broccoli salad recipe calls for bacon, but I like to use Fresh Gourmet’s Bacon-Less Bits which are plant-based and made from pinto beans. Bacon-lovers will not be able to tell the difference – they’re delicious!

The salads can all be made a day ahead of time and will keep for a day or two covered in the refrigerator. The green bean salad needs to be brought to room temperature before serving as the olive oil may have solidified in the refrigerator, but the other two salads can be served cold. (I first had the green bean salad on the Amalfi Coast in Italy with large, cooked shrimp added to it. What a delicious lunch that was! It would be an excellent way to use any leftovers.)

Dessert: The recipe for the Wild Rice Salad was posted on my blog in February and the Sour Cream Cheesecake recipe was posted on my blog in March 2022 (www.theadmiralschef.com) and is also featured in my cookbook “The Admiral’s Chef: Recipes from a Navy Wife’s World Travels” available from Amazon.

The Broccoli Salad and Green Bean, Mozzarella and Grape Tomato Salad recipes follow this post.

Bon Apetito!