Summer Lovin and it tastes so good...

I have been remiss on my Summer Sunday posts.
It is all that summer lovin...things slip by.....

We had guests for dinner last night.
The menu was easy and it tasted so good.

A summer's day
A summer's menu

It all starts with the apron.

It must be a summer apron :)

and then....

A little something to get started:

Sliced carrots and hummus (easy!)

Kalamata Olives and Picholine Olives (easy!)

Fire up the Grill:

 Lamb and Mint Skewers

Chicken and Garlic Skewers

Wild Boar Sausage

English Sausage

Chicken Sausage

BBQ Pork Ribs 

(a la the local Butcher)

 Salads:

Couscous and Chickpea Salad with Orange Balsamic Dressing 

(recipe below)

Tomato, Basil and Olive Salad 

(recipe below)

Grilled Asparagus, Yellow Pepper and Red Onion

(recipe below)

All made with beautiful, fresh vegetables...

Followed by

A Little Sweetness:

A choice of-

Lemon Tart

Treacle Tart

Cambridge Burnt Cream

(a la the local market)

with choice of:

Alphonso Mango Sorbet

White Chocolate Ice Cream

Assorted Berries

and the final touches...

a few flowers from the garden

and my favourite summertime candle

I had a surprise visitor too...

who decided to make a crash landing 

into our kitchen window

and then decided to stay awhile 

to check out the view

so beautiful.....

There you have it...

a summer menu

a summer day

a summer friend 

and a few recipes..

one from Australia

one from New Zealand

and one from me :)

Tomato, Basil and Olive Salad

(From Donna Hay, The Instant Cook)

Serves 4

4 thick slices bread (I used ciabatta)

olive oil

80g (2 1/2 oz) rocket (arugula) leaves

5 tomatoes, thickly sliced

5 bocconcini cheese, torn (I used Buffalo Mozzarella, yum!)

2 tablespoons finely chopped black olives or tapenade

2 tablespoons basil leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil, extra

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Preheat the oven to 200 C (390F). Roughly tear the bread and toss with some olive oil. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and cook for 10 minutes or until crisp and golden to make croutons. Place the rocket on serving plates and top with tomatoes, cheese, olives, basil and croutons.

Spoon over the combined olive oil and vinegar to serve. 

Couscous and Chickpea Salad with Orange Balsamic Dressing

(from Sensational Salads by Alison Holst and Simon Holst)

Serves 2-3 large servings

1 cup couscous

1/4 cup currants (raisins)

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups boiling water

300 g can chickpeas

1 red pepper (capsicum)

2 spring onions (green onions)

1/2 cup Kalamata olives

2-3 tablespoons fresh mint

 Dressing:

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

Measure the couscous, currants and salt into a large bowl. Add the bowling water, then cover and leave to stand for about 5 minutes. Open and rinse, then drain the chickpeas. Cut the pepper into cubes about the same size as the chickpeas. Thinly slice the spring onions. Fluff the soaked couscous with a fork, then add the chickpeas, diced pepper, spring onions, olives and most of the chopped mint to the bowl. Prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients into a screw-top jar, then shaking to combine. Pour the dressing and toss salad to combine, then garnish with the remaining chopped mint.

Note: If you are not a purist, you can use pitted Kalamata olives. Pour about 3/4 dressing on first and taste. Add more if needed.

Grilled Asparagus, Yellow Capsicum and Red Onion

(a la Jeanne)

Select vegetables and quantity needed. Snip the bottom of the asparagus, cut capsicum into strips 

and slice the red onion. Pop into a large ziploc food bag.

Add sliced 2-3 pieces of sliced lemon and give a gentle squeeze with one.

Drizzle your favourite olive oil into the bag along with a little shake of sea salt.

Zip, shake, marinate for a bit and toss onto the grill or frying pan.

I serve at room temperature.

Good for leftovers with a bit of hummus too.

Bon Appetit 

and 

Best Wishes for a Wonderful Day!

Join in on more Summer Sundays 

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images~ me