Favourite Summer Recipes

There is nothing better than great BBQ food. Matt and I haven't turned on our oven since the beginning of May. We BBQ almost every night, we've even cooked Indian Butter Chicken on the BBQ. We don't have air conditioning so the last thing we want to do is turn the oven on to heat our apartment more. It's been so hot this summer.

Anyways I thought I would share my favourite BBQ recipes. Nothing too fancy or complicated, but they are definitely staples in our house.

Stuffed Italian Tomatoes

1. Make sure the tomatoes are flat on the bottom if they aren't they'll roll about on the BBQ and it won't work. I sometimes cut a flat surface on the bottom

2. Cut the top of the tomato off. Cut it at a fairly wide part of the tomato

3. Cut the stem/ hard bit out of the centre of the tomato. Leave most of the guts of the tomato in.

4. Mix Italian bread crumbs, parmesan cheese (grated, powder or baby parm all work), Salt, Pepper and a little garlic salt

5. Spoon in bread crumb mixture into the tomato and on the top.

6. I will sometimes sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top so it browns. Yummy

7. BBQ until crumbs are browned and tomato is soft. Sometimes it's tricky to get them off the bbq we usually cook them on the top rack or on a tray in the bbq just incase they fall apart.

Grilled Balsamic Portabello Mushrooms

1. take stems off out of the mushrooms and wipe clean with a damp paper towel

2. mix 1 part balsamic vinegar, 2 parts olive oil, some fresh garlic, salt & pepper, and sometimes I'll but a tiny tiny tiny bit of dijon mustard to keep it from seperating.

3. Marinate Mushrooms for an hour or so. You can just brush it on while grilling too but I think it's better when the mushroom soaks it all up.

4. Grill until they're cooked fully.

I thought I could give you my Famous Pasta Salad recipe as well. I hate Mayo and miracle whip so I came up with this recipe in College. I could of lived off this pasta salad.. sooooo goood.... soooo easy

1. chop any veggies. My usual mix is: Finely chopped carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, green & red peppers, baby spinach, red onion. Red onion is the key!

2. Mix with cooked pasta. I usually use fusilli.

3. Add as much feta cheese as u like.

4. Then smother the salad in sundried tomato & oregano Kraft dressing ( the roasted red pepper is good too)

5. It's yummy right a way but if you let it soak up the dressing over a couple hours it's even better. I make huge portions of it and matt and I eat it with everything haha. After I taught Matt's mum my secret pasta salad dressing recipe she started experimenting, by adding olives and using greek dressing instead. I hate olives so it's not for me.

Hope your are all inspired to get out there and BBQ dinner tonight. Why not invite some friends over drink some beer or wine and gossip around the BBQ?