Sunday Grillin' & Chillin'

I had such a good time at Mom and Dad's yesterday. The weather was perfect, the food was out of this world, and Mom and I did some shopping! We went to a new nursery down the street and picked up some great perennials and herbs for each of our gardens.

When we got back to the house, we made the most amazing meal, and one of our all-time favorites: roasted vegetables with fresh rosemary on ciabattas with basil garlic mayo. HELLO???!!!! I found a recipe in a Cooking Light magazine a few years ago and we have tweaked it as our own. Trust me when I say this simple meal is so good. We are always surprised at how tasty it is. We've also made the open-faced sammies on sourdough, but the ciabattas were fresh, airy and wonderful. Dad lightly grilled them so they were warm and had these great grill marks! We also had some awesome grilled chicken (Mom has a marinade that rocks and Dad is some kind of Jedi on the grill) and deviled eggs (with fresh, local farm eggs from the co-op) and strawberry shortcake for dessert.

Here is my beautiful dinner plate...
Roasted Veggies with Fresh Rosemary
(this is not an exact science...)

3 bell peppers, roughly chopped
2-3 cups chopped squash and/or zuchinni
1 large onion, roughly chopped
5-6 garlic cloves, whole (I like A LOT of garlic)
1/2 t salt (we used flake salt)
1/4 t black pepper
2-3 T olive oil
2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Combine all chopped veggies, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil in a large bowl. Spread out the mixture on a lightly sprayed baking sheet. Throw in the rosemary and mix it all with a spoon (or be brave like Mom and use your hands!). Roast at 450 for about 15-20 minutes, stirring it once or twice. (Is it just me, or does garlic turn into Heaven when it's roasted?????????)

Basil Garlic Mayo
1 T fresh basil minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2-1 c mayo
Mix to combine.

Here are some more pics of a great day...hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend!! Today I am headed for a run then back to plant and pot all the stuff I picked up yesterday at the nursery!!

Buddy on the back patio

Mr. Buddy, posing for me

Miss Holly, who is camera shy!

Oh! I almost forgot!! Mom and I tried the new Cupcake wine...a Sauvignon Blanc and I thought it went great with the meal (I guess so since I had 3 glasses!). I'd also like to try the Cupcake Cabernet Sauvignon. Next time I am bringing a Riesling for Mom to try...I think she'll be a fan of the German wines! :)