Lazy Summer Nights
Mix-and-match menus for easy entertaining...and thoughts on the word "simple"
Some friends are coming over for dinner tomorrow night and after we nailed down the details, I said to Andy, who was editing a book on his iPad, “Let’s keep it super simple, I don’t want to spend a summer Saturday shopping and cooking.” He looked at me over his reading glasses and said, very slowly, “Ha. Ha.”
He doesn’t even pretend to take me seriously. This is because I usually start at “super simple,” but then — call it occupational hazards — my wheels get turning and I think, ooooh I’ll bet Sara and Daniel would love that slaw with the creamy miso dressing. And ok, that involves a mandolin and a mini food processor and lots of chopping and mincing, but it’s so so good…I’m just going to do it. Then I think about the pavlova with passion fruit pulp and coconut flakes piled high with summer fruit…and our favorite cucumber-lime gin cocktails that have a hint of ginger syrup…and…
In my head, though, this is still keeping things simple. All of these dishes I conspire to serve, even if they sound complicated, can be made in advance, and when things are made in advance, I can actually enjoy being lazy later and hanging with my friends. In other words, for me, it’s about making the evening simple. Andy isn’t twisting himself into a pretzel over the concept, though. For him, simple is simple. Especially in the summer. Throw some good sausages on the grill. Slice some tomatoes with mozzarella. Corn on the cob with butter. No mandolin or food processor or special gear. Just the grill and a pot of water and a guarantee that your guests will be thrilled. I can feel all of you collectively nodding your heads in agreement.
All this to say, a few weeks ago I received a note from a reader named Britt. I had just posted a 100% make-ahead dinner party, and Britt wanted to know if there was something similar for “lazy summer patio nights.” She wrote, “I so want to regularly invite friends over this summer to grill and hang but also need to know that food can be thought about and taken care of mostly in advance.”
First of all, thank you to Britt for the note and the inspiration. Second of all, I took on the challenge. What follows is a mix-and-match menu line-up for Lazy Summer Patio Nights. Each part of the meal — Drinks, Snacks, Mains, Salads, Desserts — is broken down by my definition of lazy, i.e. make-ahead so you can be lazy later, and Andy’s definition of lazy, i.e. minimal prep, minimal pots, minimal energy, i.e. truly lazy. You can choose your own adventure here — pick something from the Make-Ahead Lazy column and pick a few things from the Truly Lazy column. Either way, you’ll be making the most of a summer night.
In the comments, I’ll suggest some good combinations, depending on what kind of lazy you are aspiring to. But, you can’t really go wrong. And please feel free to weigh in with questions or with your own mix-and-match menu suggestions.
Lastly! You might have to click through to your browser to read everything — this is long, and I used so many photos that your newsletter will almost certainly be cut off in email. Sorry! I couldn’t help it — optimization of summer eating is important to me.
