Cookout Update

We ended up having beef kebabs as my British friend (Britgirl, from now on) could not find any lamb that she liked. For some reason the Halloumi melted. One of Halloumi's interesting properties (normally) is that it doesn't melt when heated. Thus, it's ability to be grilled. Anyway, we were able to salvage a few pieces so people got to try it.

I also made some "souvlaki" chicken. It turned out nicely. It was just a marinade of balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and pepper.

The grilled banana splits were a hit! I grilled some strawberries this weekend again because I enjoyed the grilled fruit so much last weekend.

First Cookout

Today will be our first cookout in our new house. It's just a small affair - about 7 people. My British friend is bringing lamb kebabs with green peppers and halloumi accompanied by tzatiki and pita bread. To keep with the Greek theme, I'm making grilled chicken souvlaki and a Greek salad. I'm also going to buy some hummus. Dessert will not be Greek as I do not think I'm up to making baklava. And, I've already mentioned that I'm not a big fan of the Greek version of baklava. Dessert will simply be grille bananas and strawberries topped with vanilla ice cream and Thin Mints on the side.

Mediterranean Food

I love almost all food that is Mediterranean. Here in Richmond we no longer have access to a Lebanese restaurant. I'm very sad about that. I love Lebanese baklava the best of all. Rosewater and pistachios instead of honey and walnuts like the Greeks. But, I can get some really good hummus and baba ghanouj. We're having a cook out next weekend so I'm definitely looking forward to our first grilled Halloumi of the season. If you don't remember Halloumi, click here.

I never did try it with kebabs as I mentioned in that post from last year. We also never tried it for breakfast. Maybe this year.

Bocce Ball

MTH is a huge fan of this game. I don't remember the first time he played but it was at a party somewhere. After that he was hooked. He happened to mention it to his parents. They decided to then send him a set of bocce balls for his birthday. In between them giving him this present and him telling his parents he wanted them, he bought himself a set. So, we had two sets then. Every time we have a cookout, MTH brings out the bocce balls. Half the people stay down in the yard for most of the cookout playing. It seems that they have a lot of fun. I don't usually join in since someone has to cook the food.

At our last cookout, MTH decided he wanted to try out a new game. He bought croquet. It turns out he doesn't like the game very much. So, they ended up playing bocce ball most of the time. Here's a picture in motion of MTH playing.