BBQ Weekend

Memorial Day = the start of potluck BBQ season. And we have three to attend this weekend.

BBQ #1 with people from the lab. I brought potato salad. It was amazing, and is definitely going to be my go to potluck side dish this summer. No mayo, and the sour cream/yogurt sauce is surprisingly light and refreshing. Recipe from the always reliable Smitten Kitchen: tzatziki potato salad

BBQ #2 is with the other fellows from the program. I’m bringing dessert, my second time making the Pioneer  Woman’s tres leches cake. I make it a little differently–leave it in the pan, and use the entire glaze instead of all but one cup. It was delicious the first time I tried it. Hopefully it will be delicious again. The key to a good tres leches cake is a good sponge cake. You need well beaten eggs and egg whites to make a light fluffy cake to absorb all that milk.

BBQ #3 is with friends, and unfortunately at the same time as BBQ #2, but we are hoping to make both. I will probably bring my favorite corn muffins. It’s a cook’s illustrated recipe, but I’ve transcribed it to tastebook, so I can link to it. I like to make these as muffins rather than corn bread, because they are easier to freeze and save for later meals that way. They go great with chili!

Giant Salad

Adam went out last night, so I was on my own for dinner. This gave me an excuse to make a giant salad for dinner. It was delicious, but I should have only made a half recipe. We now have two large Pyrex dishes full of salad in our fridge.

Quinoa, Garbanzo and Spinach Salad with Smoked Paprika Dressing from Bon Appetit

It was delicious, easy, and would be great to take to a party/potluck. I add some grilled chicken too, because I’m not a vegetarian. I like meat.