barbecue season is coming friends. with a summer baby on the way, many a baby bbq are now on our late spring/early summer calendar and i am STOKED. i LOVE barbecue food. ALL of it. the messier the better and in preparation for all that grilling goodness, i’m working on my perfect summer side dish game.

one of my all time favorites is corn. white corn to be specific. it has such a juicy sweetness to it that i will chow down on it with no salt, butter or other corn condiments. now, if you do it up with this zesty avocado & greek yogurt sauce and some crumbled cotija cheese, it will BLOW YOUR MIND.

now, if you aren’t all about that mess, you can easily serve this corn OFF the cob by simply slicing the kernels from the ear of corn once you have finished cooking the corn. if you are all about eating with your hands, no extra step required.

elote style white corn

serves: 4

prep time: 5 minutes

active time: 25 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

ingredients: 4 ears white corn, (you could sub your favorite corn or whatever you can find) husks removed and cut in half. half an avocado, completely smashed so you don’t have any lumps. 1 cup greek yogurt. 2 tbs lime juice. .25 cup finely crumbled/grated cotija cheese. 2 tbs kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp turmeric. .5 tsp chili powder. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 2 tbs cilantro leaves. nasturtium petals, optional. large pot of water (if you have room on your grill and prefer to grill your corn, you could do that instead of boiling. cook time on your grilled corn will be about 10 minutes on a hot grill as opposed to 25 minutes of boiling).

start by adding all but 1 tsp of the salt to the pot of water and get it boiling. combine the remaining salt with the pepper, turmeric, chili powder and cayenne pepper to make a spice blend. add the spice blend, the avocado and the lime juice to the greek yogurt.

stir until everything is well combined and you have a creamy sauce.

when your water is boiling, add the corn to the pot and cook till the kernels are tender (20-25 minutes). while the corn cooks, finely chop the cilantro and the nasturtium petals together and set them aside (nasturtium petals are a little spicy so they add great seasonal flavor and color to your corn).

once your corn has cooked, remove it from the heat and allow it to dry. if you are serving the kernels with out the ear of corn, now is the time to carefully (with a sharp knife) slice the kernels away from the ear of corn. lay your ears of corn or just the kernels on to your serving platter.

spoon the creamy sauce over the top of the corn. sprinkle with cotija, cilantro and flower petals.

serve hot and enjoy.

elote style white corn

serves: 4

prep time: 5 minutes

active time: 25 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

ingredients: 4 ears white corn, (you could sub your favorite corn or whatever you can find) husks removed and cut in half. half an avocado, completely smashed so you don’t have any lumps. 1 cup greek yogurt. 2 tbs lime juice. .25 cup finely crumbled/grated cotija cheese. 2 tbs kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp turmeric. .5 tsp chili powder. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 2 tbs cilantro leaves. nasturtium petals, optional. large pot of water (if you have room on your grill and prefer to grill your corn, you could do that instead of boiling. cook time on your grilled corn will be about 10 minutes on a hot grill as opposed to 25 minutes of boiling).

start by adding all but 1 tsp of the salt to the pot of water and get it boiling. combine the remaining salt with the pepper, turmeric, chili powder and cayenne pepper to make a spice blend. add the spice blend, the avocado and the lime juice to the greek yogurt. stir until everything is well combined and you have a creamy sauce. when your water is boiling, add the corn to the pot and cook till the kernels are tender (20-25 minutes). while the corn cooks, finely chop the cilantro and the nasturtium petals together and set them aside (nasturtium petals are a little spicy so they add great seasonal flavor and color to your corn). once your corn has cooked, remove it from the heat and allow it to dry. if you are serving the kernels with out the ear of corn, now is the time to carefully (with a sharp knife) slice the kernels away from the ear of corn. lay your ears of corn or just the kernels on to your serving platter. spoon the creamy sauce over the top of the corn. sprinkle with cotija, cilantro and flower petals. serve hot and enjoy.

our "grilling days" are numbered my friends. 

we are mere moments away from labor day and i feel like i'm trying to soak up every last second of summer. and grilling is one of my favorite summer activities. 

i LOVE barbecuing fruit. something magical happens to fruit when the heat and the smoke hit it. and berries are no exception. try this QUICK and super EASY crowd pleasing end of summer dessert. i know the idea of grilling cake may seem weird, but you are just going to have to trust me on this one. it is epic. 

bbq'd berry shortcake

serves: 5-6

prep time: 20 minutes

cook time: 5 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: 20 1-inch cubes of angel food cake (store bought is great, it is firm enough to hold up to the grill), 10 strawberries, greens removed (hulled). 10 large blackberries. 10 mint leaves, thinly sliced. 2 cups whipped cream. .25 cup chopped roasted & salted almonds. 2 tbs vegetable oil. 10 skewers (smaller, around 6-8 inches). 

start by soaking your skewers fully in water. you will want to soak them for 15-20 minutes so they don't burn up on the grill. while the skewers are soaking, preheat your grill to a medium heat. after the skewers have soaked, skewer one strawberry, then a cube of cake, a blackberry and the final cube of cake. repeat with all the skewers.

when your grill is hot, use a paper towel to brush the grill with the oil so the fruit and bread won't stick to the grill.

place your skewers on the grill and cook for 2 minutes each side. when the bread is lightly toasted and the fruit is nice and hot, remove the skewers to a platter. now you have a choice. if you are eating in a more buffet type scenario, serve the skewers as is with the whipped cream, mint and almonds as available garnish for people.

but if you are in a more sit down dinner environment, remove the fruit and cake from two skewers into each bowl.

top each bowl with some mint, a few dollops of whipped cream and finally the almonds.

serve warm and enjoy. 

xo, a

bbq'd berry shortcake

serves: 5-6

prep time: 20 minutes

cook time: 5 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: 20 1-inch cubes of angel food cake (store bought is great, it is firm enough to hold up to the grill). 10 strawberries, greens removed (hulled). 10 large blackberries. 10 mint leaves, thinly sliced. 2 cups whipped cream. .25 cup chopped roasted & salted almonds. 2 tbs vegetable oil. 10 skewers (smaller, around 6-8 inches). 

start by soaking your skewers fully in water. you will want to soak them for 15-20 minutes so they don't burn up on the grill. while the skewers are soaking, preheat your grill to a medium heat. after the skewers have soaked, skewer one strawberry, then a cube of cake, a blackberry and the final cube of cake. repeat with all the skewers. when your grill is hot, use a paper towel to brush the grill with the oil so the fruit and bread won't stick to the grill. place your skewers on the grill and cook for 2 minutes each side. when the bread is lightly toasted and the fruit is nice and hot, remove the skewers to a platter. now you have a choice. if you are eating in a more buffet type scenario, serve the skewers as is with the whipped cream, mint and almonds as available garnish for people. but if you are in a more sit down dinner environment, remove the fruit and cake from two skewers into each bowl. top each bowl with some mint, a few dollops of whipped cream and finally the almonds. serve warm and enjoy.