For dinner,AePI grilled blue cheese burgers and thick sliced red onions spread with bbq sauce after each flip (the onions are a favorite, and always perfect for grilled burgers, the heat and basted bbq sauce combination results in nicely caramelized wedges of delicousness). Sides were provided courtesy of Lisa and Jess, using Mark Bittman,Aeos 101 20-Minute Dishes for Inspired Picnics, published July 2 in the NY Times.
Dish #1, which I think was my favorite:
7 GRAPES AND CHEESE Mix feta cubes and green grapes (or grape tomatoes or pieces of watermelon). Add mint, salt, pepper and olive oil. A tiny bit of chopped fresh chili is good, too.
The briny feta perfectly complements the sweet grapes. We decided that crumbled feta would work, but cubing a block gave it a much better taste, and the structure of a huge chunk of feta in your mouth with the bright sweet grape was just too good.
Dish #2, which rivals #1 for my favorite (note the ending ,Aeuyes,Aeu, to be interpreted any way you choose):
60 Toss cornbread cubes with blueberries, lemon juice, olive oil and hazelnuts. Yes.
Yes. Yes, indeed. The dish sounds weird, and I raised my eye brows when reading the description. But it ab-so-lute-ly worked. I can't describe, but the combination all together was well, positively delicious. The only thing that could make it even better is the addition of freshly whipped cream, but it really isn't necessary. We also poured cassis on top, which decidedly changed the flavor (Jess loved it, Lisa and I were a bit less than neutral on the cassis infused dish).
Dish #3, which was good, but was missing something (the olives, actually; the next day addition of olives and more anchovies gave the dish that added punch):
33 Toss cooked or canned white beans with chopped seeded tomato, chopped anchovy, chopped olives, oil, lemon juice, lots of black pepper, salt if necessary and parsley.
Notice anything unusual about the recipes? Yep,AePno proportions. All 101 picnic recipes are similar ,Aei just mix stuff together, rely on your instincts and taste buds and have fun. Once I realized that only the barest, most essential information was listed, I understood his point: we can be creative on our own. And remembered that many of the best family-passed down recipes are similar, throw the ingredients together, rely on your instincts for measurement and enjoy.
I also felt like cupcakes...and made orange chiffon cupcakes with orange glaze. They didn't quite rise properly, but were still light and delicious, and as Lisa noted, "almost like angel food cake". Oh, and margaritas to drink, because nothing says 4th of July like a few batches of tangy margaritas.
And yes, I did watch the fireworks. We had a perfect view of the Space Needle Fireworks, plus a great view of Lake Union. And, most perfectly, the "not bolted to the roof" rooftop deck did not slide off of the building..huzzah!
PS: Notice the pretty blue wall? And the orange chair. I've ordered a new kitchen table, and since I didn't like the "suggested chairs", decided to go fun with funky chairs. Thus, saffron chairs, and probably some laminate ones too. We'll see. And of course, the table needs to arrive.
