My Summer Go To …

I missed you last week! It was a family week at my house! An adorable 4-year-old accompanied us for 10 days: such a joy and delight! I dedicated all my attention to our darling blonde hair hazel eyed, dimpled babe. Woweeeee, we had a grand time!!!

I found a new routine this summer. I’ve never done things this way before, but it has worked like a charm. Today, I’m clueing you in!

Of course, we have company like everyone else. For our first weekend visitors, I came up with a carefree menu that proved easy.

When our second visitors came, I repeated the menu since it required prep the day before, but very little time while our company was with us!

Again, we were having company with a dinner involved. It had been several weeks since our last visitor, so I again repeated the menu. My husband enjoyed the food selection and neither of us minded the leftovers!

Putting it together was a breeze! And; I didn’t feel tired from food prep, like I have with some menus in the past!

I have a couple go to recipes, but often search for something new, especially if our company has been with us before! This summer, our menu for dinner guests was new to us and them. I love the way it came together. Using it multiple times seemed like a stroke of genius!

Everyone complimented the food over and over! Proven by the smidgen of leftovers😉

Here it is, my Summer 2024 dinner menu for houseguests…

Main Dish: Grilled Greek Chicken Tenderloins

Side: Smashed Potatoes

Vegetable Side: Roasted Broccoli and Carrots

For a larger crowd, I added:

Salad: Greek Chic Pea Salad

You could also add bread or rolls.

Dessert Varied

Here are my recipes:

Grilled Greek Chicken Recipe: this was so yummy and I recommend marinating overnight!

I didn’t use skewers. I just left the tenderloins whole and grilled them.

Smashed Potatoes

I used small new potatoes, boil them the night before. Put them in the frig till the broccoli was in the oven. Then I smashed them on a baking sheet with a spoon, dotted each with butter. Added bacon bits. I purchased the real bacon bits in a bag. Frying bacon was not required! Baked them until hot and looked crispy and then added cheese before serving. I offered sour cream to dollop on top.

Everyone seemed to appreciate these little delights. The oven was already on for the roasted veggies and it didn’t take long to heat them!

Roasted Broccoli and Carrots

I use a sheet pan. Cut the fresh broccoli into fairly large chunks. Add a bag of baby carrots. Spray with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, & pepper. Bake at 400 till desired tenderness.

These veggies will take the longest, so start them first. Add the potatoes to the oven for about 20 minutes. When veggies are getting soft, start the grill.

If the veggies are done and the potatoes aren’t done, take the veggies out of the oven and you can broil the potatoes for a quicker result.

Chicken tenderloins don’t take long to grill!

Greek Chic Pea Salad