The Perfect Summer Meal

Ever since Stephen got his dual gas and charcoal grill last summer, he's been trying to master the art of grilling with charcoal. He has done an amazing job with that grill and makes the absolute best food! While I was in Tennessee, I stopped by an amazing used book store and snagged Stephen a few grilling cook books. These cook books have been amazing and we tried a few new recipes over the weekend that I wanted to share.

Since it's "Five on Friday", I'll be sharing 5 recipes for this perfect, summer meal

One - Honey-Rosemary Pork Chops
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4 tbsp olive oil (divided)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 4, 6 oz boneless pork chops (each ~3/4 inches thick)
- Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat a clean grill to med-high with the lid closed for 8-10 minutes (this will all vary depending on if you're using gas or charcoal) and make sure to brush the grates with oil

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, 2 tbsp olive oil and rosemary. Transfer half to a small bowl and use the other half to glaze the pork chops. The remaining glaze will be used to cover the cooked chops.

3. Lightly brush the chops with the remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Then, brush the honey glaze on each side of the pork chops.

4. Place the chops on the grill and cook until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Turn the chops over (you can add some more glaze if you want) and cook another 6-8 minutes for medium. Remove from heat and brush with the remaining glaze. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes.

Two - Grilled Lime Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into rounds about 1/4 inches thick
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp lime zest (we didn't use the limes)
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions:
1. Preheat a clean grill to med-high with the lid closed for 8-10 minutes (this will all vary depending on if you're using gas or charcoal) and make sure to brush the grates with oil

2. Toss together the olive oil and sliced sweet potatoes in a large bowl, until well coated. Season with salt and pepper

3. Place the potatoes on the grill screen. Close the lid and cook, turning once, until tender and golden brown - 7-8 min total (ours ended up taking a lot longer than this...). Place in a service bowl and toss with the lime zest and juice

Three - Grilled Romaine
So, I actually saw April blog about her grilled romaine - my interest was sparked but once I saw Annie's recipe, I knew I had to try it out. Turns out, it was so delicious and so easy to make!!

Ingredients:
- Romaine hearts (cut in half)
- Grape tomatoes
- Avocado
- Bacon
- Corn (we grilled this corn)

Directions:
1. Cut your romaine hearts in half, cut off the top portion and coat with olive oil

2. Place on the grill, cut side down, for about 5 minutes or until your liking

3. Add the toppings and enjoy!

Four - Grilled Tomatoes
An item not shown are grilled plumb tomatoes as a side. Stephen loves to make grilled tomatoes and recently, he discovered plumb tomatoes are the best to grill since they're not as juicy.

Ingredients:
- Plumb tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Salt

Directions:
1. Cut the tomatoes in larger pieces and coat with olive oil. Sprinkle salt on top of the tomatoes and throw on the grill

2. Grill for about 5 minutes or until cooked and serve warm

Five - Vanilla Pepsi
Stephen sure loves himself a good vanilla coke - but we really like Pepsi so it's more of a vanilla Pepsi lol We love adding vanilla syrup to Pepsi for the perfect summer drink that's very refreshing!

What are your favorite summer meals?