Category: summer

A summer entertaining series is on tap for the next few weeks here at Places In The Home.  Speaking of places in the home, wouldn’t we all love to have an outdoor space like this New Orleans courtyard?  Relaxing outdoor spaces, areas, decks, patios, and porches take the edge off the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  The stylish outdoor space has become a natural extension of the life lived within the home.  The outdoor home decor and accessories available in today’s market make it very easy to enjoy the summer in style.

Good times go well with good cuisine. Light fare, delicious salads and sides, and grilled anything make up the menu of summer.

Balsamic and Honey Baked Vidalia Onions have the culinary chops to be the main course or the star attraction side. Easy is the main ingredient along with balsamic vinegar, honey, butter, and garlic.  Here’s the recipe.

Balsamic and Honey Baked Vidalia Onions

Ingredients

per medium sized  Vidalia onion

1 medium Vidalia Onion, peeled and cored

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1  ½ teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon butter

pinch of Kosher salt

¼ teaspoon fine black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.  Peel and core Vidalia onion, leaving root end of onion intact. If needed, cut root end to allow onion to sit upright. Score onion on sides to allow better balsamic vinegar and honey absorption. Chop onion top and set aside.

Cut foil square large enough to wrap and twist onion up in and place onion in center of foil square. Sprinkle onion center with garlic powder.

Next, drizzle onion with  balsamic vinegar and honey.  Top onion center with butter, Kosher salt, fine black pepper, and chopped onion top.

Wrap foil up around onion, twisting at top to seal.

Place onion in oven proof dish or iron skillet. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until until tender. Be careful of steam when opening the tops of the foil packets. Serve in foil packets in individual cast iron skillets or transfer onion(s) to serving dish.

If grilling better suits the occasion:

Preheat grill to medium heat. Double wrap onion with foil.  Place onion on the grill over direct heat. Close grill top and cook for 30 minutes or until onions are soft. Allow onion to cool for approximately 5 minutes before opening the foil packet.

Chicken Salad, Tomato, Peach and Avocado Stacks with Peach Puree is a fresh and light salad made for summer days dish.

Chicken Salad, Tomato, Peach And Avocado Stacks With Peach Puree

Ingredients

For Chicken Salad:

4  skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1-1 ½  teaspoons teaspoon salt

1  teaspoon fine black or white pepper

2 teaspoons onion powder

4  teaspoons celery seed

4 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

½ – 1  cup  mayonnaise

For Peach Avocado Salad:

6  medium peaches, peeled and chopped

zest of  1 lemon or 1 orange

1-2  Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1  Tablespoon honey

3  medium avocados, diced

3  Roma tomatoes

3  green onions, chopped

salt- I prefer Kosher or sea salt.

fine black or white pepper

Directions

For Chicken Salad:

Place chicken breasts in large pot and cover with water.  Add salt,  pepper, onion powder, 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, and 2 teaspoons celery seed.  Bring to boil over high heat.

Lower heat to medium-high and cook for approximately 45 minutes or until completely done with no red or pink.  Add more water if needed.

Remove chicken from water and place into large mixing bowl.

Use a knife and fork to shred chicken. For a little zip of fresh, I like to add a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Now it’s ready for 2 teaspoons celery seed and any additional salt and pepper to your liking.

Begin with stirring in ½ cup mayonnaise to coat chicken. I always begin with only ½ cup mayonnaise, and add additional if needed.  Cover and refrigerate.  Serve cold.

For Peach & Avocado Salad:

Peel and chop peaches. Stir together peaches with  fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.  Add ½ cup peaches and 1 Tablespoon honey together in food processor and pulse until smooth.

Season with Kosher or sea salt and fine black or white pepper to taste.  Peel and dice the avocados. Chop the green onions and fresh parsley, and slice tomatoes.

If you want to stack the layers in a rounded presentation, an empty tuna can thoroughly washed and with the top and bottom lids removed makes a great round form.

For the first layer:

Arrange tomato slices, green onion, and fresh parsley on chilled plate. Lightly pepper to taste.

For the second layer:

Spoon 2 Tablespoons peach puree around the tomatoes, green onions and parsley.

Next, top tomatoes, green onions, and parsley layer with  2 Tablespoons diced avocados and ½ cup of the chopped peaches. Sprinkle with Kosher salt to taste.

Add ½ cup chicken salad and top with desired amount of green onions and chopped fresh parsley. Repeat steps for each individual serving.

Serves 6.