Summer food you HAVE to try!

Hi everyone,

Well Summer is truly here and so I was inspired to make some nice food to enjoy the weather, and celebrate our little boys' second birthday with a lovely barbeque.

The dishes I chose were all easy-ish to make, Summery, zesty and flavourful so I definitely recommend you try them if you have never enjoyed them before - and even if you have - these recipes are scrummy and a true staple:

Chicken satay kebabs with real satay sauce

and that includes what I consider The Easiest satay sauce (not requiring peanut butter).
For me personally, I love Thai inspired food and so for extra properness... rather than cube the chicken, I cut it into strips and then 'knitted' it onto the skewers by piercing in folds (I hope that makes sense, the chicken ends up in S shapes on the skewer). Remember to soak wooden kebabs first.  They look amazing when done!


and a general staple for a BBQ or any time you need a dipping sauce that's truly simple yet delicious:

Tzatziki - a refreshing Greek cucumber based dipping sauce, yum yum. For me, it has, has, has to have a bit of mint in there for the true taste of Summer to really pop out and wake up your senses.

For afters? A British classic:

Strawberry fool - After looking at a few recipes, I decided on this one. I first tried fully combining all the ingredients (into a pink fluffy cream pudding), and this was lovely. I then tried a more layered technique like the image above, which I preferred from a looks point of view, but also because you get different textures.

Here's my result - a smaller portion for a more waist friendly treat:

I also wanted to share with you the M&M cake I made for our little ones BBQ birthday party. I found this on Youtube, I am such a YT addict these days, and I knew I had to make it - here's my finished one:

 

One tip I would recommend is a) do not do this with a nearly 2 year old who when helping decorate nearly eats all the M&M's and devours the (already melting) buttercream... and b) take it out of the fridge a few moments before cutting, it was too hard for me to cut after we sang happy birthday

I followed this recipe on YT to make the cake and it was well worth it - all the kids rushed forward to have a look and get a taste, very excited!

Enjoy the warm weather and do share any BBQ or other Summery recipes that you have been enjoying!