Nothing beats the feeling of enjoying delicious food with great weather and great company. The summer is the perfect time to have company over for a dinner party and enjoy eating outside. Luckily at Abt, we have all the cooking gadgets you need to make your dinner party a success! We have outdoor dining sets for your table setting, grills and smokers to fire up delicious meals, and other kitchen tools to help you prepare. If you’re unsure on what to prepare for your dinner, we’ve provided you with some yummy recipes. They’re pretty tasty and your guest will be wanting more!
Arugula, Watermelon, and Feta Salad
To start off the meal, prepare this fresh and refreshing salad. On a hot summer day, this salad is perfect with delicious barbecue or any kind of grilled foods. It’s simple and fresh ingredients combined to create a perfectly balanced salad. May seem odd to put fruit in your salad, but trust us. It is absolutely delicious!
What you need:
For the dressing
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1 large shallot, minced.
- 1 tablespoo honey
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
For the salad
- 6 cups baby arugula, rinsed and dried.
- 8 cups seedless watermelon, cut in 3/4 in cubes or into balls by using a melon baller.
- 12 oz feta cheese, cut in 1/2 in cubes
- 1 cup julienned mint leaves
Directions
Whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice, honey, shallots, salt and pepper. Still stirring, pour in the olive oil slowly into the mix. If not used right away, store dressing in the fridge covered until served.
In a large salad bowl, throw in the arugula, watermelon, feta, and mint. Lightly drizzle enough dressing to coat the greens and toss well. You may add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
Sweet and Tangy Grilled Chicken
The best food to serve in the summer is grilled food. What’s a summer dinner party without the barbecue? It’s all about the marinade when it comes to delicious recipe, the melody of vinegary flavors combined with sweet is absolutely delicious. The marinade is simple and grilling is pretty easy, this chicken will be a hit!
What you need:
For the marinade- prepare ahead of time
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- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 3 garlic cloves, minced.
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1 -1/2 tablespoon fresh squeeze lemon juice
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
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Meat
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Directions
Prepare your marinade in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the cider vinegar, dijion mustard, garlic, lime juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Pour over chicken, cover and let it sit in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.
When you’re ready to grill, remove the chicken from the marinade. Turn up the grill, and grill chicken on each side for 8-10 minutes, or until done.
Grilled Mexican Street Corn
This grilled recipe would be perfect to serve at your dinner party. Grilled Mexican Street Corn might be the best corn you have ever tasted, for those who are from the Chicago area, you know what we’re talking about. Grilled Mexican Street Corn, or know as “elotes” can be found at almost every street corner during the summer. When you’re driving by in the city and you spot a little cart with a huge umbrella, you have to stop because most likely they have grilled Mexican street corn. It’s like a festive version of grilled corn; the juicy, grilled corn, topped with the creamy, zesty spread, and sprinkled with Cotija cheese, cilantro, and that burst of flavor with sprinkled chili powder.
What you need:
For the sauce
- 3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Produce
- 4 ears of corn
- Cilantro, chopped
Dairy
- Cotija cheese
Directions
First, prepare the sauce. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lime juice, garlic powder, and chili powder. Mix well, and set aside for later.
Turn up your grill on high. While the grill is heating up, remove the corn for their husks, and also the silk strings that may be hanging out. Place the corn on the grill, and grill until most of the kernels are brown on all sides, careful not to burn the corn. You will have to turn the corn often so each side of the corn is grilled. Once all of the corn is grilled, with a brush– brush on the sauce all over each ear. When each corn is covered with sauce, top off each one with Cotija cheese, chopped cilantro, and chili powder for extra flavor.
Fresh Peach Lemonade
Quench your thirst with refreshing peach lemonade, you will definitely cool off with this fruity drink on a hot summer day. You can never go wrong with lemonade, and this twist will make you say “ahhh…” after each sip.
What you need:
- 3 large peaches, pitted, and cut into quarter pieces.
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 6-8 lemons)
- Water
Directions
In a medium saucepan, combine the peaches, 1 cup water, and sugar. Let it cook over medium-high heat until it boiling. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Let it sit and cool.
After the mixture is cooled, place in a blender and blend for about a minute until smooth. Place a sieve over a pitcher, and pour the peach syrup mixture through the sieve. Add the fresh lemon juice and fill the pitcher with about 2 qt of water and add ice.
Mango Strawberry Ice Pops
Finish off your meal with this cool, sweet treat. It’s healthy and perfect for the warm weather, every person of any age will love this dessert. You can use any popsicle mold for this treat but for best and fast results, use a Zoku Quick Pop Maker! The Zoku Quick Pop Maker can make 3 pops in as little as 7 minutes without electricity. Sound crazy, but all you have to do is freeze the unit overnight and its ready to use the next day!
What you need:
- 1 cup mango puree
- 1 cup peach puree
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- lemon juice to taste
- 8 strawberries, sliced.
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine the mango and peach puree. In a saucepan, heat water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar dissolves, add the sugar mixture along with lemon juice into the combined puree mixture. Using the Zoku, place a couple of strawberry slices along the sides within the mold, then fill the molds with the puree mixture up to the fill line. Stick the popsicle sticks in, and then repeat with the other molds.
If you’re not using a Zoku, any popsicle mold will work. Just fill the molds with the mixture and sliced strawberries and let it freeze for about an hour.
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