Summer Eating

With the warm weather over the last few days, we won't mention the torrential rain that we got last night.

My mind has been wandering towards Summer eating. Now Mr CLI loves to BBQ, not the run of the mill sausages and chops, we rarely have that, but cooking roasts in his hooded BBQ or his Webber.

His Webber is as old as our eldest daughter, on her first Christmas he decided to cook Christmas lunch, luckily I had pre thought and made entree's because it was a very late lunch. Not the thing you need with a 3 month old baby.

Anyway he has the timing done perfect nowadays, so he enjoys cooking on his BBQ. We were lucky when we bought this house to have a large cemented area at the back of the house, with an outside toilet, so we only had to put up a pergola to create a large eating area.

We have now extended it to go to the fence line, in this area we created a fernery including a fish pond and waterfall, that contains 4 very large goldfish. They were only 4 cm long when we got them they are probably close to 15 cms now ! They are Miss Fish's, fish.

So in the warmer months we use it a lot, we even have breakfast out there on the weekend. It is nothing for me to cook a batch of pancakes for breakfast, which we leisurely eat and enjoy the morning.

Other ideas are

- I bone a leg of lamb then rub it with a mixture of ground coriander, ground cumin, chopped fresh mint, olive oil, lemon juice, a sweet paprika. Mr CLI cooks it till tender, he also heats up some flour tortillas .

I make hummus and a greek salad, we spread the hummus over the wraps then some salad finally some sliced hot lamb. Roll it up and eat. Very yummy and actually very good for you.

- Another idea is to spatchcock a chicken and marinate that in fresh juice lemon or lime, olive oil and what every fresh herbs and spices that you fancy. Cook it till falling apart, basting occasionally with its juices. Then serve it with either salad, fresh bread, hot vegetables what ever you fancy.

There are plenty of other things. I have made home made pizzas , which Mr CLI has cooked in the hooded BBQ.

I even make a pineapple upside down cake which is cooked in the residual heat after Mr CLI has used his Webber.

The sky is the limit. So when you get your BBQ out this Summer don't just think sausages and chops. Try recipes that you would cook inside and adapt them for your BBQ.

Now I must go make a cuppa to warm me up with the cold weather today it is needed, but I will sit and think of the warmer days to come when we can once again wear skirts and sit outside till late enjoying the weather.

Till tomorrow good bye.