Hey summer, what’s for dinner?
The Places In The Home gang knows the answer to that question.
Most evenings our summer appetites lean toward lighter fare, and a what’s on hand chilled summer salad is what’s on the menu.
The temps of those hot summer mornings, afternoons and nights have a way of slowing down the pace as well as the need for heavy dishes.
Who needs or wants to be in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove when there’s a lot of patio sitting, summer sippin’ and outdoor living to do.
I defer to Bertrand Russell and his brilliant words that fit so well with summer.
“The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”
My sentiments exactly, Mr. Russell.
To the cupboard and fridge we go for ingredients to make a what’s on hand chilled summer salad.
Baby field greens topped with tuna serve as the flavor foundation.
Left over crispy fried bacon from breakfast makes the cut. I spotted a cucumber in the crisper to go with the garden tomatoes and red onion slices.
A slice, chop, salt and pepper later it was time to whip up a generous portion of avocado spread.
Take a nice avocado, peel, scoop out the meat into a bowl and mash it with a fork.
Add a heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise and a generous squeeze of fresh lemon.
The lemon wakes up the flavors with a c’est si bon all its own.
Feta cheese crumbles bring more flavor into the mix.
Fresh sliced strawberries and fresh chopped Louisiana peaches drizzled with honey round out the melange.
I purposely positioned the Feta, fruit and red onion slices on the sides of the salad plates so the diners can incorporate the flavors as desired.
Now for what I consider the ultimate dressing discovery of the summer salad season.
There is buttermilk ranch dressing and then there is basil buttermilk ranch dressing. This dressed up take on Hidden Valley buttermilk ranch dressing is the new house dressing at Places In The Home.
The the fresh basil and lemon juice produce a bright flavor pairing- a combination perfect for summer.
Tangy (that’s buttermilk!) meets fresh meets zing meets damn, that’s good!
Basil Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
¾ cup mayonnaise (I used Duke’s in this recipe)
½ cup buttermilk
1 packet Original Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Recipe
¼ teaspoon fine black pepper
2 tablespoons basil, finely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Directions
Combine all ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before using, allowing flavors to marry.
Hey summer, what’s for dinner? Think summer salads.
