Signs of summer are popping up everywhere you turn and boy are they more than welcome. I always claim that fall is my favorite season (soups! chilis! pies!) but right as the weather hits that summer mark I fall in love and any deep rooted memories at the apple orchard are quickly replaced by watching L run through the yard barefoot with popsicle dripping down his face. He looks like he is in heaven and therefore, at that moment, I am the happiest person alive.

This past weekend was as ‘summer’ as you can get: my first peony opened, L was in the pool for a total of 13 hours and officially looks like he is a different race, a mosquito woke me up this am, water was consumed in unimaginable amounts, the mentality ‘early to bed late to rise’ has been in full force, the hunt begins for the aloe vera you just know is in the back shelf of the bathroom, Kid Rock’s ‘All Summer Long’ blasts on our patio while we plant hydrangas, breezy cotton dresses and sandals are a refreshing wardrobe change, surprise pool toys make an appearance on our front door step (thank you Heidi!) and, the oven is officially shut down for business.

Well, not permanently – don’t worry.

But, I do find my cooking style shift to ‘if you can’t grill it – we’re not eating it.’ Take this recipe for example. It calls for the the use of the oven to roast the veggies. The thought of setting my oven to 450 degrees made my sun kissed (well, more like ‘made out with’) skin ache so I shifted things around in my head and came up with a super easy and colorful side that can be almost completely fixed on the grill. The only indoor cooking to be done is boiling a pot of water. Somehow I’m OK with that.

‘Chilled Green Beans with Grilled Veggies’ – serves 4

Ingredients:

- 1 lbs french green beans, trimmed
- 1 yellow pepper, cut in large slices
- 1 red pepper, cut in large slices
- 1 purple onion, cut in large chunks
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
- toasted almonds, optional

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium heat and boil large pot of water.

Brush the veggies with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Grill until lightly charred, roughly 3 minutes per side. Bring inside and cut into chunks, set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the green beans for just a few minutes, drain, and submerge in a large bowl of ice cold water (use ice cubes to make it super cold). This will stop the green beans from cooking and will leave you with a nice, crisp, texture.

At this point it’s up to you – you can warm the green beans and the grilled veggies all together in a saute pan, or, just transfer the chilled green beans to a platter and top with the warm grilled veggies. I chose the latter and it was delicious. You can also get creative here – top with toasted almonds…blue cheese, or, leave it simple!

This might be the easiest recipe on ‘A Life From Scratch!’
Courtney

P.S. This is the life, right?