June 5, 2021

WEEKLY MENU 06.06.21

Weekly Menu 06.06.21 is the first menu of the unofficial summer season. And we’re loving it!

The Weekly Menu 06.06.21 is something to look forward to as we head back from our family vacation. This post will publish (computer gods willing) as we are on the last leg of our trip home from Folly Beach, South Carolina.

Do you beach?

We do it a lot less than we should, what with living on one of the Great Lakes. In our defense, the lake doesn’t ever get crazy warm. Even after a long, hot, summer the average water temperature is only about 74. In August. When we’re just about ready to “unofficially end summer” with Labor Day. Late May/early June in Folly Beach the water temperature is a balmy 75.

Folly Beach is just outside of Charleston, South Carolina, one of my favorite cities in the world. It’s chock full of southern charm, great food and really interesting history. Bert and I enjoy it so much that when we were looking for options for a summer trip with the boys, we looked to Charleston and the beaches surrounding it. I’d like to say someone recommended Folly Beach, but it was sheer, dumb luck that’s what came up when I VRBOed for places to stay.

The first time we came to Folly, we spent at least as much time in Charleston as we did at the beach. The second time we spent about a third of the time in Charleston. This time? We went into Charleston once. We still love Charleston, but Folly Beach has an awesome beach town atmosphere, pretty good food (there is a decided dearth of salads), and copious amounts of sun and sand. It also has families, couples, an older crowd and a bunch of surfers. I love the mix of all the people. Sitting at the beach people watching is a real treat.

Plus there’s lots of cold beer.

Do you think there is a class somewhere to learn how to successfully navigate in flip-flops? The sand was so hot one day, I was trying to move too quickly in them, and the front of each one bent under, throwing me to the ground pretty violently (stone cold sober too). I have two scraped knees and a bit of bruising. I’m thinking it makes me look younger. Thank god I didn’t stub my toe too.

Before we went, I bought some fabulous beach towels from Amazon (Affiliate links follow – see Disclaimer Page for Details) since most of our towels seem to be disintegrating. These towels were BIG (35×70), colorful, and washed well. Nary a color bleed in the bunch. We got a selection of colors so everyone would know what towel was theirs. I also bought this Sand Free Beach Blanket. Sure, I got a bit of ribbing for it when the boys realized it was made of fabric similar to a parachute, but it was great! It has stakes, corner pockets, and the sand does NOT stick. The beach blanket folds (or rolls) up compactly (even with really high winds), so it fits in the beach bag. It would be great for camping as well. (No, that’s not me in the picture, but I look almost identical in my bikini.)

Menu time!

We’re starting out on Sunday with Grilled Buffalo Chicken Wings. I usually do about a quarter cup of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce to one tablespoon of butter. Microwave/melt the butter in a pretty microwave bowl then whisk in the sauce. Take the wings directly from the grill and toss in the bowl with the sauce. Then serve them in the same bowl. Finger licking good!

Fire Burgers (because we haven’t had near enough burgers this past week) are burgers with Pepper Jack Cheese, jalapenos, chipotle mayo and store bought jalapeno poppers. They’ll pep you up! We’ll round out the full grill meal with foil packets filled with thinly sliced potatoes seasoned with salt & pepper, onions and a little drizzle of olive oil. Some green beans wrapped in bacon finish off this meal.

We’ll use Chipotle Mayo on just about anything. And it’s crazy easy: mix in a finely chopped chipotle in adobo (from a can) into your favorite mayo. If it’s not spicy enough, add another pepper. If it’s too spicy, add some more of the adobo sauce (or a bit more mayo). Transfer the unused portion of the chipotles into a small storage container and keep in the fridge for at least a week or two. Great on turkey sandwiches too.

We’re looking forward to eating at home!

WEEKLY MENU 06.06.21

The Green Bean Bundles are from Bush Cooking. The Nanaimo Bars are (again) via Cooking Classy. I found the Taco Lasagna at Smart School House. The simple cheese sauce on this recipe alone is worth a look. I found the Cilantro Grilled Swordfish at The Stay At Home Chef.