When the thermometer starts to register in the 80s and 90s, my mind takes up residence in the shade of my patio, situated near the grill and not too far from the drinks’ cooler. For foodies like the folks in my family, backyard cookouts mean long lazy days brushing a perfect protein with a tangy sauce over a slow fire. It means tossing together colorful, herby appetizers and barbecue side dishes, imbibing in a newly invented icy drink, and whipping up a batch of homemade ice cream to go with pie. Other than a loose plan of when we want to eat, we let the day guide itself. We just sink into the mindful, soul nurturing process of preparing a meal to eat outside. I think of this time as some of the very best summer medicine.
Chef and restaurateur, Thomas Keller, once said, “A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe.”
At Mountain Rose Herbs, we love to create herbal recipes for you to try, knowing that you’re going to add the soul to them with your unique palette and flair. So, for summer cookout season, we want to inspire you to head to your backyard or patio and spend a day nurturing yourself with good food.
Here are some of our favorite summer recipes to inspire you!
To truly make a day of a relaxing cookout, especially when it’s hot, you’ve got to pace yourself and stay hydrated.
To fully capture the enjoyable, lazy nature of a summer cookout, it’s important to not let yourself get too hungry while you wait for dinner. Keeping healthy, delicious appetizers at hand can help you maintain even blood sugar and keep your brain in working order.
BBQ with a perfect sauce is at the heart of American cookout culture, but we do love a good taco as well. Fortunately, the two work perfectly well together.
Summer gives us so many opportunities to make fantastic salads. Late summer in western Oregon means plentiful peaches and plums as well, which are particularly amazing when grilled and added to greens.
No surprise, I’m a big believer in dessert! With all the produce available this time of year, pies and crisps become the summer dessert staple at our house.
You may also enjoy:
Topics: Culinary, Recipes, Tea & Herbal Drinks
Heidi is an award winning freelance writer with a passion for urban homesteading. She has been honored to receive a number of literary prizes including the esteemed Pushcart Prize and an Individual Artists Award in Creative Writing from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is proud to have earned a certificate of completion for the Herbal Medicine Making Course at the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine. When she isn’t working in the garden, cleaning the henhouse, preserving food, crafting herbal formulations, or writing and editing content for really fantastic small businesses, you’ll likely find her with her nose in a book.
When the thermometer starts to register in the 80s and 90s, my mind takes up residence in the shade of my patio, situated near the grill and not too far from the drinks’ cooler. For foodies like the folks in my family, backyard cookouts mean long lazy days brushing a perfect protein with a tangy sauce over a slow fire. It means tossing together colorful, herby appetizers and barbecue side dishes, imbibing in a newly invented icy drink, and whipping up a batch of homemade ice cream to go with pie. Other than a loose plan of when we want to eat, we let the day guide itself. We just sink into the mindful, soul nurturing process of preparing a meal to eat outside. I think of this time as some of the very best summer medicine.
Chef and restaurateur, Thomas Keller, once said, “A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe.”
At Mountain Rose Herbs, we love to create herbal recipes for you to try, knowing that you’re going to add the soul to them with your unique palette and flair. So, for summer cookout season, we want to inspire you to head to your backyard or patio and spend a day nurturing yourself with good food.
Here are some of our favorite summer recipes to inspire you!
To truly make a day of a relaxing cookout, especially when it’s hot, you’ve got to pace yourself and stay hydrated.
To fully capture the enjoyable, lazy nature of a summer cookout, it’s important to not let yourself get too hungry while you wait for dinner. Keeping healthy, delicious appetizers at hand can help you maintain even blood sugar and keep your brain in working order.
BBQ with a perfect sauce is at the heart of American cookout culture, but we do love a good taco as well. Fortunately, the two work perfectly well together.
Summer gives us so many opportunities to make fantastic salads. Late summer in western Oregon means plentiful peaches and plums as well, which are particularly amazing when grilled and added to greens.
No surprise, I’m a big believer in dessert! With all the produce available this time of year, pies and crisps become the summer dessert staple at our house.
You may also enjoy:
Topics: Culinary, Recipes, Tea & Herbal Drinks
Heidi is an award winning freelance writer with a passion for urban homesteading. She has been honored to receive a number of literary prizes including the esteemed Pushcart Prize and an Individual Artists Award in Creative Writing from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is proud to have earned a certificate of completion for the Herbal Medicine Making Course at the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine. When she isn’t working in the garden, cleaning the henhouse, preserving food, crafting herbal formulations, or writing and editing content for really fantastic small businesses, you’ll likely find her with her nose in a book.
