Memorial Day Menus

I have been waiting soooo long to post this photo. It came from reader Abby with a note that read, in part:

Just wanted to say thank you. I’m sure you hear this a lot, but wow do I love your blog and your book even more. I have four children five and under (just turned 5, just turned 3 and 16-month-old twins.) I have always been totally committed to sitting down as a family to eat dinner without articulating it as a philosophy or, really just articulating it at all. It was just something we did and boy is it hard. Your book makes me feel so proud of myself and, as I’m sure you can tell from my family set-up, I need some of that good feeling every once in a while! So thank you for that.The dark n’ stormy’s have inspired me too. Attached is my beachtime innovation – drink to go in an empty jam jar. Life changing. With four kids it doesn’t take much.

I can't recall the exact month she sent me the photo, but it had to have been cold because I remember taking in not just Abby's genius beachtime innovation, but the tall pines and the blue sky and the water and her swimsuit and sunglasses....and man oh man summer seemed so far away. Like it happened to people on other planets.

And yet! Here we are about to kick off the first big weekend of summer grilling season. In addition to those Dark & Stormies, here are some suggestions for what to make:

Chicken: Option 1 BBQ Chicken Grilled Vegetables with Haloumi Cornbread Apple Coleslaw with Yogurt

Chicken: Option 2 Yogurt Marinated Grilled Chicken or Shrimp Campfire Potatoes (tossed with chutney instead of creme fraiche) Shredded Kale Salad

Steak Tony's Steak Macaroni & Cheese Asian Slaw with Peanuts

Lamb Grilled Lamb Chops or Grilled Leg of Lamb Fava Bean Crostini Wild Rice Salad with Feta and Cranberries

Fish Grilled Whole Black Sea Bass Sorrel with Mint, Peas, & Parm Oven-baked Fries (from my book) with Spicy Mayo

Happy Long Weekend!