{Monday Meal Planning} Edition my favorite summer meal

Here is last week's meal plan for borrowing:

It's upside down; I'm not sure why. Maybe it's rebelling since I didn't actually follow it.

Monday: BBQ chicken, potato salad, corn casserole, watermelon - this is one of my favorite summer meals.  You will thank me for every single dish.

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken - recipe from sister in law, Sus

1. Place 4-6 chicken breasts in bottom of slow cooker

2. Squirt BBQ sauce on top of it until it's thoroughly covered (Scotland peeps - that is about one container of HP's; I used woodsmoked flavour)

3. Sprinkle brown sugar on top

4. Shake some worchestershire on top of that

5. Turn slow cooker on low and leave for 5 or 6 hours or till chicken is thoroughly cooked

I omitted steps 3 and 4 because I was lazy curious to see if I could make this a 3 step process, and really didn't want the extra sugar.  Efficiency and healthy eating are key in this household obviously.  

And it tasted just as good to me this way.

I HATE potato salad.  And I try to use the word "hate" sparingly - it is saved for sin, and Satan, and potato salad.  That is how much I hate it.  I don't really care for potatoes, and I will not eat mayonnaise, but when my friend, Rachael, made this potato salad for her daughter's b-day party last year, I felt like it was calling my name which is weird because I HATE potato salad and potatoes can't talk.  Rachael is a foodie and loves to cook, so I figured I needed to try it even though I would probably gag on the mayo once I tasted it.  I didn't. 

Y'all.

This is the best potato salad I have ever eaten. And my friends always beg me for the recipe whenever I make it.

Dockside Potato Salad - recipe from my friend Rachael which she got from someone else

5-6 medium red potatoes

1/4 c finely chopped onion

1/4 c finely chopped celery

1 dill pickle, chopped

2 T dried parsley (I didn't have this much left in my parsely spice jar, but it still tasted fine)

6 strips of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (I have never made it with bacon because I never plan ahead enough when I make this - Rachael made hers with bacon I think, and let's be serious, bacon makes everything taste better)

1/2-1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 1/2 T vinegar (I used white wine)

4 T veg oil

1-1 1/4 c mayo ( I sub sour cream because even though I liked Rachael's with mayo, I can't actually eat something I've made that has mayo in it. I know, I've got issues.)

Cook potatoes in salted water till tender. Cool in fridge.  Cut into bite sized pieces. Mix in next 5 ingredients. Add salt and pepper, vinegar and oil and mix gently with a wooden spoon - does it actually have to be wooden?  Not sure.  Add mayo sour cream till well mixed. Refrigerate several hours before serving.

Corn casserole.  Definitely the best and unhealthiest (is this a word?) way to eat corn.  A staple at the Thanksgiving table and all BBQs.

My friend, Kristen, immediately emailed me after my first meal plan Monday accusing me of recipe blasphemy for not including this. Please forgive me for holding out on you.  

Corn Casserole - from my mom

stick of butter (1/2 a cup people)

box of Jiffy cornbread mix (Lupe Pintos carries it - it will cost you an arm and a leg fellow Scotland dwellers, but it is worth it)

1 can corn, undrained

1 can cream style corn

3 eggs, beaten

salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C).    

2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  

3. Pour into greased 10X13 baking dish.

4. Bake for 25 min uncovered - this is a lie; it always takes at least 30 even as much as 40 minutes - till toothpick comes out clean.

Watermelon  - if Seth Ince is in the vicinity, hide this or it will all be singlehandedly consumed by his 2 year old watermelon loving self.

Wow.  I've only gotten through Monday and I feel as though I've divulged so many of my culinary secrets.  I may not have anything more to offer for subsequent MMP posts.

Tuesday: Scratched today's meal because the sun, the glorious sun was out, so we had to BBQ instead.  I did make Ree's grilled zucchini and it was so good.  On another note, I faced my raw meat fears and formed hamburgers with my bare hands.  They were good, but I never want to do that again.

Wednesday: take out

Thursday: leftovers (this post is starting to feel like that line in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days when someone says, "you should call him and tell him everything you had to eat today."I do realize that I am doing that, but I just can't stop.)

Friday: Our French friend, JP, who is a chef at a Michelin star restaurant came to dinner.  No I wasn't intimidated at all to cook for him, why do you ask?  

That's because I had Taylor do it.

Contrary to my plan we had pesto chicken - I omit the prosciutto because that would mean I actually have to touch the raw chicken  

pasta - heat up sliced garlic and red pepper flakes in a couple of Tbsp of olive oil for a minute or two then toss it with pasta - easy and delish

Brussel sprouts - JP jumped in while Taylor was making this and added salt and pepper and chicken stock - it was amazing!)

Caesar salad

Sunday: leftovers

Have a great week y'all!