A Party! Complemented By Some Bourbon-y BBQ

I will begin with a confession - I did not make this sauce, I observed its making and enjoyed being a taster but I was most definitely not the chef. My lovely mother took on the job of BBQ sauce-maker and it turned out to be absolutely perfect (and, as proof, it was completely inhaled by the party-goers). We decided not to marinate the chicken and instead our master griller brushed the chicken with sauce as it cooked giving it a delicious, caramelized glaze. It was cooked to perfection and was such a success that we even glazed our sausages with it and gobbled those up as well. 

The aftermath

For the original recipe from Bon Appétit please click here. 

Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Chili-Lime Shrimp

In keeping with the seasons, I have been craving summer-y foods - cold, fresh fruit, burgers, the taste of  grill and one of my go-to meals of late has been a cold noodle salad that I came up with in an effort to make something refreshing and to make a dent in my enormous bottle of fish sauce. This dish has turned into one of our household faves, not only because it is yummy and refreshing, but also, for the cook-er, it is quite simple to throw together. You will find the recipe below but please note that you should always throw in whatever toppings or whatever sauce-y components that sound good to you (I change the proportions based on my mood - spicy, citrus-y, etc.). 

Also, I forgot to note that this lovely recipe card and the card I used in my last post were designed by The Dapper Paper Co. and you can purchase your own set here. I LOVE their stuff and want to have some sort of important event just so I can have an excuse to have invitations designed by them.

Also, continuing with my peony trend - I bought the most spectacular peonies at Trader Joe's that started out a bright pink color (I guess they are "coral" peonies) and then they slowly morphed into a light pink and finally a stark white. It made for quite the dramatic show.