Summer Food Goals

July is already more than half over!!  I thought that I would make a list of some summer foods that I want to make sure we make/try before September arrives.  We've already made ribs and strawberry pie.  Some more things that I want to make sure we cross off our food list:

Homemade Popsicles - Shay made these greek yoghurt popsicles that I want to try.  They look amazing and there are so many possibilities.

Sangria - you don't really need a recipe for sangria because any combination of wine and fresh juice is tasty, but here is my recipe:

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
3 1/2 cups white or rose wine (can use red too, but I prefer a lighter sangria)
1 cup sparkling water
1 lime, thinly sliced, cut into rounds and in half
1 orange, thinly sliced, cut into rounds and in half
1 lemon, thinly sliced cut in rounds and in half
Fresh mint sprigs for garnish

Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Continue to boil until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is clear, about 10 minutes.  Allow to cool.
In a large container combine juices and sugar syrup.  Mix well.  Add wine and sliced fruit.  Add sparkling water about 10 minutes before you're ready to serve.  Serve in wine glasses with ice and garnish with mint sprigs.

Peach Pie - I love peach pie but it is one of the harder pies to make.  Peeling and pitting the peaches can be an onerous task and usually I just end up with a mushy mess of peaches rather than beautiful uniform slices.  I may try to find one at a bakery or farmer's market instead.

Lamb Burgers and Kebabs - I really like lamb, as long as it comes from Ontario (sorry New Zealand), but for some reason I prefer to make it in the summer over the grill.  My recipes for these come from this cookbook that I got at Winners many years ago, and we use it all summer long.

(sorry for the weird angle)

Grilled Vegetable Salad - I discovered this easy way to make a salad a couple of years ago, but I haven't had the opportunity to make it yet this year.  Cut different coloured bell peppers into chunks (add a red onion too if you want), drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper.  Mix around so they are covered.  Let marinate for at least an hour, then grill in a BBQ grill basket until soft.  Then put them on some salad greens alongside whatever else you were cooking on the grill.

This is pretty much the one we have.  Also great for potatoes. 

Strawberries and Milk - This is a simple thing that I used to eat all the time when I was growing up.  I would just slice up strawberries, pour milk over them, and sprinkle with white sugar.  No cream, no cereal, just simple fruit and milk.  I could eat just this for breakfast and be happy.  

As we work through this list I'll take a few more photos to show you.