Summer Meals: Salads and Easy Brisket and Pulled Pork

Are you tired of thinking about what is for supper? Need some inspiration? Sometimes it's easier to let someone else curate your menu, so here I go. Below you will find some recipes for some tried and true, Sursee Gal tested and approved recipes that will make getting supper on the table a breeze. Plus, I have listed some easy go-to suppers that have helped me out in a crunch. These supper ideas are also ones I have sent to my kids when they would call and ask for ideas for easy ideas to get a meal on the table. Hope this helps you, friend!

Summer is for Salads. Try this delicious salad named after a dear friend. I call it Carol's Amazing Salad. One way to mix it up is to add chicken to it or a grilled salmon filet.  You can also add any fresh veggies you like to the salad like cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, red onion. It is the dressing and the blue cheese crumbles that make it sing!

Lemony Zucchini Salad is another yummy salad that will use the extra zucchini you grow or are given by the gardening friends in your life. Very easy and super fresh tasting with the zesty, lemony dressing.

Watermelon, Arugula and Feta Salad. Boom! So good. SO pretty. Thank you, Ina!

Now let's transition to two meat dishes to serve up this summer.

Best Ever Brisket  perfected by the Pioneer Woman. I love her and find this recipe to be a real winner, especially if you are serving a crowd. This is the recipe that I referred to in Mise en Place when I forgot to marinate the meat for 24 hours before. That is why we read the recipe through before we start. And, remember, Starting in the Morning would have solved this problem.

Summer is also a great time to serve Pulled Pork Tacos. I have a yummy recipe that uses a funky veggie called a Tomatillo. Tomatillos are related to a tomato so I guess they are technically a fruit. They are green and have a papery husk that you tear off before you use. You can eat them raw or sauté them.

Serve your tacos with all kinds of fun toppings. Some of my favorites are blue cheese or cotija cheese, grilled red onions, slices of avocado and cilantro! I know some of y'all don't like cilantro but I do; to me, cilantro is like eating Fresh Summer. Use an Instant Pot or a crock pot to keep your kitchen from heating up when you make these. Oh, and start in the morning!

Here are some easy prep meals if you are running short on time. These are actual ideas I sent to our sons when they would call and ask for ideas for what to cook.

Buy a rotisserie chicken and serve with grilled veggies or the Sursee Sauté above. Then next day make a big salad with the leftovers. Or serve up some chicken quesadillas. Or fajitas. 

Boil your favorite pasta and put summer veggies in it that you grilled on your grill pan. Use zucchini. Squash. Cherry tomatoes. Add a little cheese on top.  Serve with a green salad.

Make a Summertime Panini with mozzarella, basil and tomato. Try to find a good sourdough bread in the bakery section. I often freeze my bread and pull out for a special sammy.

Buy chicken picatta at Whole Foods already made. Serve with pasta, either a fresh pasta or dried.

Hope this helps you, friend. Coming soon are Summer Desserts for the win!