GRILL, Baby, GRILL

Who doesn't love grilled stuff in the summertime?

And grilling is not ALL about the meat.

I have a restaurant friend (Troy Gagliardo - at Gagliardo's Grill Express in Mooresville) who grills EVERYTHING. If you have never had lightly grilled iceberg lettuce with one of his dressings, ya haven't lived.

But most impressive are the roasted vegetables. He is the one who taught me how easy this is, using good quality olive oil and seasonings. And ya gotta season them - and he has a seasoning mix that is killer. It includes pepper, lemon, garlic, and other things that he prefers to keep nameless - but you can approximate it.

He grills corn on the cob, and he grills pizza. Eat his food to see how it's done.

Try it. I know you'll love it.

See you at the grill -on the lake,
Eloise

Blackberries and tomatoes...oh my....

Ahhh, the bounty of summer. Not quite time for corn yet in NC, or Georgia peaches - but the (some say even more delicious) SC peaches are here, along with HUGE blackberries from Georgia. I just ate some that were the size of small hand grenades.

Then down a country lane near our log home are some small wild blackberries. I gathered a pint before breakfast.

Heirloom tomatoes have begun appearing at the Farmer's Market in Denver, where this AM I bought some fat purple & green ones, and some lovely, sweet yellow ones.
Immediately went home and made BLT's to die for.

Ahh, summer in the South - the local produce is both larger and earlier.

Outdoor Living all year in NC

Last night temps dropped, and it is chilly ( that is, chilly for here. In New England, my friends would choke with laughter at the idea that 'in the 50's' is "chilly"! But as I say, living here has made me a wimp, and proud of it.)

One of my favorite things about North Carolina is the concept of outdoor living - I know it's popular everywhere these days, but here you really get to do it. Pretty much year 'round. Thus the popularity of the screened porch.
And of course, the ever-popular outdoor living space with its stone fireplace and kitchen.
I visited a particularly beautiful one this week - a lovely outdoor patio and kitchen with a double-sided hearth that you can enjoy from the patio or from the screened porch "inside". Weather in the 50's is perfect for this, especially with our legendary carolina blue skies.

See you on the lake, or by the hearth,
Eloise