The Perfect Summer Meal! (And it’s EASY!)

The perfect summer meal is the one that I don’t have to cook! Just try to tell me I’m alone here! Even though my favorite thing to make is reservations, it’s not healthy or practical to eat out all the time, so my grill has become my new bestest friend. When it’s blazing hot outside, the very last thing i want to do is heat up my house by cooking. You see, there’s just one problem with that, we have to eat!  Last night’s dinner was prepared completely on the grill, except the salad, of course, but everything else was grilled.

Here’s what we had:

Marinated chicken breasts, roasted Vidalia onions, fresh corn and salad . YUM!  The only thing missing was fresh strawberry shortcake or some watermelon. But to be perfectly honest, after I finished my dinner, I was stuffed! So the dessert thing was only a nice idea!

The BEST chicken marinade ever!

1/4C balsamic vinegar

1/2tsp lemon pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1-1/2tsp lemon juice

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

In a large resealable bag mix the marinade ingredients and put the chicken  in the bag. Turn to coat and refrigerate at least 30 minutes turning once.  Discard marinade and grill over medium heat 5 to 7 min per side, or until juices run clear.

This recipe produces the juiciest chicken ever! I got it out of one of my magazines, I can’t remember if it was Simple & Delicious or Kraft, but we love it!

Roasted Vidalia Onions

4 to 6 Vidalia (sweet) onions

butter     salt    pepper

Cut the top off the onion and cut out the core,  making a little hole in the center of the onion. cut the onion four times without severing from the root part. In the little well, place 1tsp butter, salt and pepper to taste. Wrap onion in a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil and seal tightly to form a little packet.

Place on the grill over low heat for 35 to 45 minutes, until onions are soft. Be careful opening the packets, steam will escape when opening.

The corn I cooked in a pot on the side burner, but I have cooked the corn on the grill and it gives it a different, smoky taste. To cook the corn on the grill, leave the husks on, trim off the silk and any stray, hanging husks. Cook over medium heat 20 to 30 minutes, turning every 5 minutes to prevent scorching of the husks or drying of the kernels.

Voila! Dinner made entirely on the grill! YAY!

Check back, my next post I’ll share my recipe for Tomato & Mozzarella Salad!

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