Enjoy easy & balanced recipes — ranging from 30-minute weeknight dinners to holiday appetizers and everything in between. My goal is to make sure you can cook a successful and memorable dish every single time.
Fire up the grill — an easy summer cookout
Cookout season is in full swing around here, and honestly my favorite kind of summer dinner is the one where the grill does most of the work and I'm not stuck inside. So this week I pulled together an easy little cookout spread — one grilled main, one app everyone reaches for, and two make-ahead toppings that quietly make everything else taste better.
Lemon Garlic Salmon Skewers — Juicy salmon cubes marinated in lemon, garlic, and parsley, threaded with lemon slices and grilled until tender — just 7 ingredients and about 30 minutes. This is the one I'd fire up first.
Spice Rubbed Chicken Wings — Crispy, smoky wings in a brown sugar spice rub with just 10 minutes of prep and no deep frying — oven or air fryer, your call. The app that disappears first at every cookout.
Bacon Onion Jam — Sweet, smoky, and savory all at once. Spoon it onto burgers, brats, or a cheese board and watch it vanish. Make it ahead and it's ready when the grill is.
Pickled Red Onions — Bright, tangy, and just two ingredients with 5 minutes of prep — no cooking, no canning, just slice and chill. They cut right through anything rich coming off the grill.
One quick tip: Make the bacon onion jam and pickled onions a day ahead. They both keep beautifully in the fridge, and having them ready means cookout day is just grill, plate, eat — no scrambling.
If you make one thing this week, make the salmon skewers — they come together fast and feel a little special. Hope your week (and your grill) treats you well!
Talk soon,
Sara
P.S. — if you've made the Spice Rubbed Chicken Wings before, would you leave a comment with a star rating? It takes less than two minutes and it genuinely helps other readers find them. Thank you!
Real Balanced — Sara Nelson
Enjoy easy & balanced recipes — ranging from 30-minute weeknight dinners to holiday appetizers and everything in between. My goal is to make sure you can cook a successful and memorable dish every single time.
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