Summer Main Dishes

I see fantastic recipes throughout the blog world or in magazines and I save all the links.

The problem is, I rarely go back and try out these new recipes, so they just collect.

Recently though I've tried out several and I thought I'd share them.

A few nights a week it is hard for me to get dinner on the table for the 4 of us.  The boys have swimming and tennis and we're usually not home until 6:30.  I need to get a good list of crock pot meals for those nights, but lately we've been doing sandwiches and other simple meals and it's worked out fine.

Then I get an itch to make a full meal and have everyone sit down together.  Everyone seems more appreciative when it's been awhile :)

Red Beans & Rice

David's been asking for Red Beans & Rice for quite awhile.  I found this highly rated recipe on allrecipes.com (which I love!) and tried it out recently.  I used crushed tomatoes instead of whole peeled tomatoes.  We all liked it but I will definitely cut the tomatoes in half next time.  It was a little too tomato-y for our taste.  I used the turkey kielbasa and served it with french bread, salad, and Tobasco.  A hit!

photo from allrecipes.com

Basil Pesto

Brennan and I love basil.  Brennan eats it right out of the pot on the back porch.  Our basil was overflowing and I found this light version of basil pesto at our little beehive.  Brennan and I made the pesto together, following the directions.  I love the freezing directions the couple share on their blog!  We served it over piping hot angel hair.  It was delicious!

Grilled Corn

I believe I have grilled corn before but out of the husk.  One night I decided to follow recipes I have seen in magazines lately, grilling the corn in the husk.  My family loved it.  Will definitely grill corn from now on.

1.  Pull the husks back, but don't remove them.

2.  Remove the silks.

3.  Soak corn in a large bowl of cold water for 20 minutes.

4.  Shake off water.

5.  Rub lime all over the corn.

6.  Brush with garlic butter (melted butter with garlic powder or minced garlic).

7.  Recover the corn with the husks.

8.  Cook, covered, for 20 minutes.

Even on a charcoal grill the husks don't catch fire.

Spicy Shrimp

Joan at Applejack Lane shared this delicious shrimp recipe a few weeks ago and I had to try it out.

David and I love shrimp and I always have frozen on hand.

But the boys have been hit or miss with their shrimp love throughout the years.

I usually boil or steam it with Old Bay Seasonings and serve with cocktail sauce and everyone likes it just fine.

Then I tried out Joan's recipe and the gushing and rave reviews just didn't end.

We ate 2 lbs of shrimp in record time.

I followed Joan's recipe at the link above but was short on time.  So instead of putting the marinated shrimp on skewers and grilling them, I baked them in a 350* oven for about 5 minutes.  They tasted great! 

Will definitely grill them next time.