What to Cook this Summer: Four Seasonal Menus for Hosting
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What summer hosting challenges are we trying to solve?
Are you planning to host a backyard dinner, patio hangout, or summer barbecue, but need help with planning the menu? Hi, it's Carrie. Warm summer weather inspires us to host casual dinners, but it's also hot, life is busy, and then somehow casual hosting can suddenly feel overwhelming. That's why we're sharing four complete menus to make hosting feel easy, relaxed, and fun. Think make-a-head salads and cool desserts waiting in the fridge, and dishes you can prep ahead. And sizzle on the grill while friends gather around with a drink in hand. To get all the recipe links delivered straight to your inbox, plus original recipes, subscribe to our Substack. You'll find the link in our show notes or subscribe at foodfriendspodcast.substack.com and find us on Instagram at Food Friends Pod for more home cooking inspiration.
And keep listening to hear four doable hosting menus for easy summer. Get together.
Welcome to Food Friends, a podcast inspiring home cooks to try new dishes in the kitchen by sharing trusted recipes, tips, and friendship.
Hi, I'm Sonia. And I'm Carrie. We met in Los Angeles over 15 years ago as personal chefs and haven't stopped talking about food since. We're so glad you're here. Hi Carrie. Hi Sonia.
Carrie, summer hosting is on the one hand kind of easy because there's so much abundant produce and you don't have to do much to make it taste good, or you can just throw things on the grill. But on the other hand, it's hot and it makes it a little more challenging to be in the kitchen and you kind of have a stratized.
Yeah, I think a lot of people dream about summer and all the things you're gonna do during the summer, how you're gonna gather with your friends and your family and connect and do all these things. At least for me, I imagine other people feel this way too, is then when I start to think about inviting people, there's that nervousness and that anxiety that comes with, okay, so now there's twelve people coming to my house. What am I actually gonna make? To your point, there's so many great foods. in the summer, but how am I gonna get all this work done before people walk in the door?
Yeah, I thought that was where you were going, which is sort of like you have these all these aspirations for summer and you kind of never get through the list because everything actually moves so fast in summer and there's so much going on. So I think we're both thinking about menus that we really can execute in the summer that feel like they celebrate the season. And there's some strategies here with things that we could make ahead, things that we can make with our friends standing around in the kitchen, things you could eat outside or in a park. So when I was thinking about some summer hosting, one of the things I personally like to do is go back To some menus from the past. And actually, there's this menu from now, I don't know, 20 years ago, where a girlfriend and I in LA we went to the farmer's market.
This is when I was just getting into farmers market as like a regular routine. And it was peak summer produce. There were squash blossoms and green tomatoes and fruits and all the wonderful things. And we just got everything that we thought was delicious. We came home to her house, we cooked. And we had this feast, just the two of us. And it was such a memorable memory. My friend is Emmeline, I should say, and we still are friends to this day. So I'm like, I need to recreate this meal this summer because it actually was so perfect. So the menu is fried green tomatoes, stuffed zucchini blossoms, a corn salad with tomatoes, avocado, and lime dressing. And then an apricot cake for dessert. I'll get into each of them.
First, starting with fried green tomatoes, which is actually something I haven't made in years. Do you ever make it?
I never make fried green tomatoes. If they're on a menu, I order them. I just have to stop you for one second and just say, I think what I really love about what you're talking about with this menu is going back to a memory that already has warmth and connection and friendship in it.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What summer hosting challenges are we trying to solve?
0:00–12:28
2
How does Sonya’s farmers‑market‑inspired menu come together?
12:28–13:21
3
Why are fried green tomatoes and zucchini blossoms perfect for a backyard feast?
13:21–26:44
4
How can a bright lime‑cilantro corn salad be made ahead of time?
26:44–34:44
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy
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