Simple Summer Dinner

Anyone who knows me, knows I cook pretty much every day. The thing is I forget to blog about the savory stuff, mainly because it usually isn't very pretty, tasty, but not always pretty. After a long day last week, I was really in the mood for a flavorful dinner. There is nothing that will rock the gastronomy world here, but it is a testament that good food is sometimes the simplest to prepare.

It started with a lovely organic chicken. I gave him a quick bath, tied his wings together and seasoned him well with some blend from Penzey's. I basically grabbed a few different jars from the pantry and shook them in my hand and slathered them on the bird. No oil, butter or extra fat here. I opened a cold one and took a nice long sip...the first sip is always the best! You can use any kind of beer. My husband worked for Coors in college as a campus rep, so you usually find that in the fridge around here. Stick the opened can where the sun does not shine and balance him on the hot grill. I heat the grill on high and keep it in the med range while cooking. I stick some onion in the neck cavity and lightly cover the top with foil so the steam from the beer is sort of caught. You can see what he looks like about a half hour into it, and note the grill needs to be smoking pretty good. You can see by the lead picture what he looks like in an hour. How perfect is that? Need I try and tell you how delicious it was? And simple (the only dirty dish was the serving platter!) So while the bird was smoking away on the grill, I boiled up some wheat berries. I buy them at Whole Foods, and discovered them making an amazing salad I found in a Martha Stewart magazine years ago. That is another blog. But I love these little wheat nuggets, they are delicious and have a chew to them. So I bring them to a boil and then simmer for about 40 minutes. Check for doneness, but I like them a little al dente.
I chopped up some pepper, tomatoe and scallions and made a mustard vinaigrette and tossed them with the wheat berries. Delicious. I have been eating it for days, and just sprinkle a little more dressing on when I serve it.
Vinaigrette
6 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 c white wine vinegar
4 tea dijon mustard
1 ½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
1 T sugar
½ t. celery seed
1 cup olive oil

And finally, I really was in the mood for something sweet. We love frozen yogurt, but the craze here is serve yourself. Don't even get me started on this. I was reprimanded on another blog for complaining about these stores, and was accused of not supporting local businesses. Nothing could be further from the truth. I do not eat public food. Period. Those bins of topping and the hoards of kids are a major turnoff to me. And then you pay, holy moly, they charge .40-.50 cents an ounce. It adds up in a hurry. I am happy to pay more for a superior product (it isn't), great service (I have to do it all myself) or even a great atmosphere (um, nope). So I made my own frozen yogurt. I took 2 cartons (16 oz. each) of Oikos 0% fat, plain Greek Yogurt. I mixed in a tablespoon of vanilla paste and ¾ cup of sugar. I ran it in my Krups ice cram maker for 20 minutes and had a creamy, tangy frozen yogurt. This is not like TCBY, this is like Pinkberry. I love the tang, but it is not for everyone. I have plans to try other flavors. But what a delicious dinner, and easy. So what are you waiting for? Get in there and cook!