7 minute read
THE SOUTHERN TABLE
“THE SMELL OF WOODCHIPS ON THE
GRILL, TASTY FOOD WITH SMOKY FLAVORS, MAKING FUN SUMMERY DRINKS AND HAVING YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AROUND. IT CAN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT. “
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In my opinion, summer mornings are the best. I love getting up early before anyone else wakes up to take our dog, Louie, for a jog, then sip on my favorite coffee outside, listening to nature. Summer days make me feel so full of life. I feel more aware of my surroundings. The garden, in the summer is a perfect escape, where you can find much-needed solitude and leave stress behind. Hang a hammock in your backyard garden or read a book. And it’s the perfect place to entertain your friends and family. Invite someone special to hide away with you for a lovely picnic, host a late afternoon tea party with your girlfriends, or fire up the grill and have a few friends over for an easy summer evening dinner of smoky fish tacos. Thinking about these times inspired me to write down my recipes and ideas on entertaining to create my cookbook, The Bohemian Peach. There are many cookbooks out there. They share with us complicated recipes, specific ideas and how to do it all. I didn’t want to create another book like that- one with a few pretty pictures of food and dishes that you’ll never make. I humbly admit that I am not a trained chef and I make plenty of mistakes. I wrote The Bohemian Peach as an expression of my love for food and cooking for the people in my life. Rather, my desire is to inspire you to fall in love with your life and share joyful, creative, and–most importantly simple–recipe ideas. Beautiful moments. “Events”, as I like to call them. I want to share how to create interesting table settings from flowers, branches, and fresh herbs from your garden or stuff you already have at home. I mean, how easy
would it be if you had the freedom to buy anything or hire someone to do it all for you? How many people have that kind of luxury? Most of the cookware, dishes, pillows, and props for
Previous page: Our Royal Palm turkey, Matilda, that we hatched from eggs my son bought, follows me around whenever I am out side, waiting to be petted. She thinks I'm her momma! Opposite: Grilled fish tacos are the best. They’re easy and healthy, and when you have fresh, smoky fish inside a taco loaded with cilantro, cabbage slaw, zesty lime, and a splash of tequila, your summer meal can’t get any tastier! Top: Louie, our beloved dog, is always a part of our "events". He is part of the family, after all. Bottom: Mango coleslaw adds a vibrant, crunchy taste on the fish tacos or as a side. food styling came from my house, flea markets, or a thrift store. All it takes is a little creativity and time to go hunting for treasures. Mix and match your plates for your dinner party and include vibrant colors for your table settings. Use stuff that’s already in your closet, like colorful scarves and pillows that were thrift store finds. Use sticks and herbs from your garden for your table settings. Above all, remember to have fun and be playful. Nature is a big part of the relationship between me and my boys. Since I was little growing up in the Czech Republic, my parents had and still have a little cottage house in the woods. We as a family, including my grandparents, used to go to the cottage on weekends and spent every summer getting lost in the woods. All the wonderful food they would make, the desserts my grandmother baked, and the aroma of coffee in the air on our humble terrace - it was so lovely. We were all jammed into that cottage but the stories, the love we had for each other, the connection we all shared, was priceless. I have such beautiful memories from that time, and I wanted to give the same experience to my boys so they will remember it forever. There are times when we often can’t or shouldn’t be spending money on things we don’t need. But, we still want to live well and create a beautiful ambience for our homes and the people who share it with us. When I was looking for little bistro curtains for my kitchen windows, I wanted soft linen fabric. Sewing them myself would be time consuming, and it would end up costing too much anyway. I already had linen napkins from IKEA costing $4.00 each that I really liked, so I spray painted an expandable pair of curtain rods that I got for $8.00 and $16.00 later I had two linen curtains. Everyone loves the delicate botanical pictures I have framed in my house - I found them at a flea market and placed them in $1.00 gold frames from the dollar store. I also bought a little Asian tea set for $2.99 and silver trays for $1.99 each at our local thrift store. Spending times outdoors in the summertime, especially in the evenings, is just the best time. The smell of wood chips in the grill, tasty
“FOR ME, SPENDING TIME OUTDOORS IS JUST THE BEST TIME.“
food with smoky flavors, making fun summery drinks with fresh mint or basil, and having your family and friends around. It can’t get any better than that. Embrace the warm summer evenings and enjoy beautiful moments with your family or someone special. We are all just doing our absolute best to live a good life, provide, take care, nurture, and love our families. Doing life can be so hard, but one thing is for sure – it’s absolutely worth it!
Top left: This invigorating mint tea is very popular in Middle Eastern cuisine and full of health benefits. Bottom left: At home, we grow our humble garden in pots. When we can't, I always search out the freshest produce I can find. Tossing them on the grill sweetens their flavor and adds smoky flavor. Right: This combination of sweet grilled corn and buttery avocado with fresh cilantro is the perfect summer recipe.
SUMMER BACKYARD GRILLING PARTY
Recipes from The Bohemian Peach by Paulina Brand
RED SNAPPER TACOS
2 lbs. red snapper or other firm white fish fillets 2 Tbs. tequila 1 Tbs. honey ¼ tsp. smoked paprika 2 Tbs. lime juice and lime zest Salt and pepper 2 Tbs. olive oil
DIRECTIONS
Marinate the fish in a Ziploc bag with the above ingredients for at least 20 minutes. Heat up the grill to medium heat. Meanwhile, make the chipotle mayo and coleslaw. Grease the grill and grill the fish for 5-8 minutes total depending on thickness of the fish, turning it carefully once. Serve chopped into large pieces inside a soft tortilla with chipotle mayo and mango slaw. Serves 4.
CHIPOTLE MAYO
½ cup mayonnaise 1 tsp. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce from the can Sprinkle lime juice Salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS
Blend all ingredients together till smooth.
MANGO COLE SLAW
¾ bag of premixed coleslaw 1 large mango, cut into small chunks 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice (from 1 to 2 limes) 1 tsp. honey or agave nectar ¼ tsp. cumin ¼ red onion, finely chopped ½ cup cilantro, chopped
DIRECTIONS
Mix all ingredients together and serve chilled.
REFRESHING MINT TEA
This invigorating tea has many health benefits for our well-being. Supporting immune system and keeping our digestive system healthy.
4 cups of water 1 generous handful of mint 1 Tbs. sugar, honey or stevia 2 fresh or dried elderflowers or 1 tea bag of Elderflower or Green tea ½ tsp. lemon juice
DIRECTIONS
Boil 4 cups of water. Remove the boiling water from heat. Crush generous handful of fresh mint leaves, then add them to the hot water along with the elderflowers or a teabag of your choice. Cover, then steep 5 minutes, strain the tea. Add sugar, Stevia or honey drizzled with lemon.
LEMONY AVOCADO AND GRILLED CORN SALAD
1 bib lettuce or Romaine lettuce 1 avocado ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
DRESSING
½ small red onion or shallot, minced 2 Tbs. red wine vinegar 1 Tbs. honey or sugar 1 Tbs. lime juice 1 Tbs. olive oil 1 Tbs. water Salt & pepper sumac (optional)
TO ASSEMBLE
Arrange lettuce, avocado, and corn on a serving plate. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing and pour it over the salad along with salt, pepper, and dash of sumac.
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