{"id":797942,"date":"2019-07-24T16:32:14","date_gmt":"2019-07-24T22:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=369135"},"modified":"2019-07-24T16:32:14","modified_gmt":"2019-07-24T22:32:14","slug":"home-cooking-green-is-the-theme-for-easy-summer-entertaining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/home-cooking-green-is-the-theme-for-easy-summer-entertaining\/","title":{"rendered":"Home Cooking: Green is the theme for easy summer entertaining"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Visiting friends and using an unfamiliar kitchen with limited supplies is no reason to not entertain while you\u2019re on vacation. This week, I am in Florida visiting Mom and staying on the beach in a condo that belongs to friends of ours. As is our tradition, I make dinner for my friends as a way to say, \u201cthank you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I like to make a dinner that is easy to assemble and get to the table so that I can spend my time enjoying my friends rather than stuck in the kitchen. This menu meets all those requirements.<\/p>\n<p>And since the weather here has been unusually hot and humid with temperatures in the 90s, I wanted to start our meal with an elegant chilled soup \u2014 in this case, a cucumber soup \u2014 which has the benefit of being prepared in one step in a blender or food processor and is best made several hours before so that it can chill in the refrigerator. The soup was accompanied by a very simple shrimp ceviche, and I\u2019ll admit I actually cheated and cooked the shrimp so the whole thing could be thrown together at the last minute and served as a beautiful garnish to the cucumber soup.<\/p>\n<p>The main course was equally simple because I know my guests are very health conscious and prefer to eat chicken or fish. I made a lovely chicken piccata, which is made using just one frying pan, accompanied by roasted Brussels sprouts and an herbed green rice. In total, I used three pans and the blender for a second time.<\/p>\n<p>For dessert, I served a store-bought Key lime pie, which was absolutely delicious.<\/p>\n<p>My guests were relaxed, and I was able to spend the evening enjoying their company. I hope easy recipes like these will inspire you to invite friends and family to enjoy a sit-down dinner together.<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/col-anderson-sdn-072519-3.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-369147\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/col-anderson-sdn-072519-3.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/col-anderson-sdn-072519-3-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\"><figcaption><strong>Chilled cucumber soup<\/strong><br \/><em>Courtesy Suzanne Anderson<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Chilled cucumber soup<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ingredents:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1 1\/2 pounds of cucumbers<\/li>\n<li>1\/2 cup Greek yogurt<\/li>\n<li>1 bunch parsley<\/li>\n<li>3 tablespoons fresh mint and thyme<\/li>\n<li>2 cups water<\/li>\n<li>Salt and pepper to taste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Directions:<\/p>\n<p>Combine all in a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings. Chill for two to five hours. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt or shrimp ceviche.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Simple shrimp garnish<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ingredents:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>4 cooked and chilled jumbo shrimp, cut into half-inch pieces<\/li>\n<li>1 avocado, cut into half-inch pieces<\/li>\n<li>1\/2 cucumber, scoop out seeds and cut into bite-size pieces<\/li>\n<li>1\/2 bunch parsley, chopped<\/li>\n<li>1 lime, juiced<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Directions:<\/p>\n<p>Toss together, taste and adjust seasonings. Chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Serve as garnish to chilled soup or with crackers as an appetizer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Roasted Brussels sprouts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Directions:<\/p>\n<p>Preheat oven to 425. Cut Brussels sprouts in half. Toss with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/col-anderson-sdn-072519-1.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-369146\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/col-anderson-sdn-072519-1.jpg 640w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/col-anderson-sdn-072519-1-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\"><figcaption><strong>Herbed rice<\/strong><br \/><em>Courtesy Suzanne Anderson<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Herbed rice<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ingredients:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1 cup of basmati rice<\/li>\n<li>2 cups of water or chicken stock<\/li>\n<li>1 bunch of parsley<\/li>\n<li>2 cloves of garlic<\/li>\n<li>3 young green onions, chopped (use white and green parts)<\/li>\n<li>1 tablespoon of butter<\/li>\n<li>Splash of extra-virgin olive oil<\/li>\n<li>Salt and pepper to taste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Directions:<\/p>\n<p>1. Rinse basmati rice in a fine mesh colander until the water runs clear, then soak the rice for 30 minutes in water, covering the rice by an inch. Drain.<\/p>\n<p>2. In a pan with a lid, saut\u00e9 the green onions and garlic gently until just tender. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains and allow to cook for 1 minute.<\/p>\n<p>3. Meanwhile, combine the parsley and water in a blender (or food processor) and process until the herbs are finely chopped. Pour the water over the rice, and stir to combine the ingredients.<\/p>\n<p>4. Cover the pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, keep covered and let rest for 5 minutes, then fluff the rice with a fork.<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/col-anderson-sdn-072519-2.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-369145\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/col-anderson-sdn-072519-2.jpg 640w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/col-anderson-sdn-072519-2-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\"><figcaption><strong>Chicken piccata<\/strong><br \/><em>Courtesy Suzanne Anderson<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Chicken piccata<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ingredients:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>4 to 8 chicken breast cutlets<\/li>\n<li>Flour to dredge<\/li>\n<li>2 limes<\/li>\n<li>2 to 3 tablespoons capers, drained<\/li>\n<li>1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil<\/li>\n<li>2 tablespoons butter<\/li>\n<li>1\/2 cup chicken stock or white wine<\/li>\n<li>Salt and pepper to taste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Directions:<\/p>\n<p>Dredge each cutlet in flour seasoned with salt and pepper, then fry for 3 minutes on each side in a pan with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Remove chicken from pan and let rest on a plate. Deglaze the pan with white wine or chicken stock. Add in the capers and lime juice and 1 tablespoon of butter. Whisk all together and pour over the chicken cutlets. Serve immediately.<\/p>\n<p><em>Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson\u2019s column \u201cHome Cooking\u201d publishes biweekly on Thursdays in the Summit Daily News. Anderson taught herself to cook after college when she discovered dinner parties were a cure for loneliness. Her latest cookbook is \u201cA Year in the Mountains Cookbook.\u201d She has lived in Breckenridge since 2016. Contact her at <a href=\"mailto:suzanne@suzanneelizabeths.com\">suzanne@suzanneelizabeths.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/opinion\/home-cooking-green-is-the-theme-for-easy-summer-entertaining\/?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Visiting friends and using an unfamiliar kitchen with limited supplies is no reason to not entertain while you\u2019re on vacation. This week, I am in Florida visiting Mom and staying on the beach in a condo that belongs to friends of ours. As is our tradition, I make dinner for my friends as a way [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-797942","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-18 09:08:35","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/797942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=797942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/797942\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=797942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=797942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=797942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}