Rissa's "Beachside" BBQ

In the summer, I try to use my bbq as much as possible. Who says a 3x5 foot "backyard" (aka enclosed patio) can stop me from cooking out?! So when it comes to my dinner night in this season, it's usually incorporated. I wanted to do something summer-y in general so a gorgeous pink torpoedo with grilled apps was the right start. A Los Angeles summer fav for me is Duke's Restaurant in Malibu. This dinner night basically tried to mimick that beach feel with fish tacos, Spanish rice, etc. I'm just catching on to how seasonal corn on the cob is..I used to always shortcut corn by getting it out of the can, but now I know there's no substitute! So I had to incorporate this realization into my veggie dish. A good choice at that. Lots of colors and zest in this meal, which set the tone I was looking for!

Pink Torpoedoes




Kristin- These were fairly easy to make and incorpated two of my favorite things every- vodka and strawberries! Because of this, I think my expectations were really high and the drink fell slightly short. A decent summer time drink by all means, it just seemed like it was missing something. Maybe more sweetness would do the trick?

H: Thumbs up.
K: Thumbs sideways.
N: Thumbs sideways.
R: Thumbs up - I thought it was great.

Grilled Drumsticks with Herb Dipping Sauce



Nicole - These were super easy and delicious too! I am still a complete beginner on the grill, and this recipe was a good one for me to get some practice in.

H: Thumbs up.
K: Thumbs up- the sauce was a great compliment to the smokeyness of the chicken.
N: Thumbs up.
R: Thumbs sideways - anytime I eat this kind of app, I can’t help but expect buffalo sauce somewhere!


Margarita Fish Tacos with Chipotle-Lime Mayo and Arugula




These were easy enough to put together but the chipotle flavor overwhelmed all the other flavors in the tacos. If I were to make these again, I’d cut back on the chipotle.

H: Thumbs down – there are better fish taco recipes out there.
K: Thumbs down- little flavor to the fish and the sauce was too spicy for even me!
N: Thumbs sideways – a bit spicy for me too.
R: Thumbs down. Not the one..

Spanish Rice



Kristin- I was excited to tackle this recipe since I had never made spanish rice before. I believe I accidently added too many diced tomatoes, but I didn’t mind since I love tomatoes! Overall, solid rice recipe that wasn’t too bland (some of them can be!)

H: Thumbs up.
K: Thumbs up
N: Thumbs up.
R: Thumbs sideways.



Zesty 3 Bean and Roasted Corn Salad




Rissa - This recipe was one of the hits of the night. Full of flavor and spices. This is where I also learned about fresh vs. can corn. Major difference! I snuck in a smidge more avocado of course, but you just can’t waste any. And as for browning the corn and green beans in a pan, that was a good tip. Very easy and super tasty dish.

H: Thumbs up.
K: Thumbs up!
N: Thumbs up.
R: Thumbs up.


Caramel Banana Cupcakes



Even though these required a lot of manual labor in unwrapping all the caramels, it was well worth the effort! I love the flavor combination of banana and caramel and you could really taste both in these cupcakes. The only thing I didn’t like about this and would definitely change next time was the frosting. It tasted like straight up butter. I would do a sweeter, less buttery frosting or even a cream cheese frosting next time.

H: Thumbs sideways.
K: Thumbs up- such a fun surprise inside! Though best when served immediately.
N: Thumbs up – yum!
R: Thumbs down.