On The Menu 4th Week Of July

This week’s On The Menu features 52 easy summer dinner recipes, from grilled favorites to fresh salads and one sweet treat.

Summer is in full swing, and this week’s On The Menu is packed with delicious recipes full of flavor, perfect for these long, warm days. From Bobby manning the grill to a quiche full of farm and garden fresh vegetables, this week’s dinners celebrate everything I love about this time of year.

There’s a little of everything here, grilled favorites, a few new discoveries, and one very special steak dinner that changed our whole week’s plans. With 52 recipes in all, there is plenty to keep your table full and your family happy, whether it is just a regular Tuesday night or a special occasion worth celebrating.

Grilled Honey Garlic Chicken is on the menu tonight, and it’s a good one to add to your summer rotation. Bobby is the grill master at our house, so this one is his to tend, and I always ask him to make extra because it is just as good the next day for lunch. The glaze caramelizes into a sticky, savory finish right on the grill, giving the chicken so much flavor in every bite.

Round it out with a cool spaghetti pasta salad- a blast from the past, thick slices of garden tomatoes, and grilled brown sugar peaches with vanilla ice cream for a sweet finish to the night.

🌿 TIP BOX: Save the last brush of glaze for the final few minutes on the grill. Adding it too early can cause the sugar to burn before the chicken finishes cooking through.

Grilled Honey Garlic Chicken

Spaghetti Pasta Salad

Sliced Garden Tomatoes

Grilled Brown Sugar Peaches With Vanilla Ice Cream

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We always look forward to our salmon cakes on the menu. They were often part of our dinner table growing up, though these are not my mom’s salmon cakes since I infused them with lots of extra flavor. If you don’t want to air fry the salmon cakes, you can pan sauté them or bake them in the oven. Serve them alongside garlic corn on the cob for a simple, satisfying dinner.

🌿 TIP BOX: To bake instead of air fry, form the salmon mixture in a loaf pan and cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve it sliced, just like you would a meatloaf.

Not Your Mother’s Salmon Cakes

Garlic Corn On The Cob

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I’m excited about this beautiful, summery quiche recipe. I love making food with a crust, and while the recipe calls for a ready made pie crust, I’ll be making my own pate brisée instead since it is simple and so delicious. Round out the meal with an arugula salad topped with shaved parmesan and pepitas in a lemon vinaigrette.

🌿 TIP BOX: A quiche with a rich, custardy filling pairs best with a salad dressed in an acid based vinaigrette. The lemon or vinegar cuts through the richness and keeps the meal balanced.

Farmer’s Market Quiche

Arugula Salad with Shaved Parmesan And Pepitas In A Lemon Vinaigrette

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Rotisserie chicken is such a miracle of modern convenience, and there are so many ways to put it to good use. Tonight’s rotisserie chicken and rice bake only takes about an hour, and most of that time is just cooking, so it comes together as a tasty, easy dinner, especially since I almost always have leftover rice tucked in the freezer.

If you make one thing this week, make the panzanella salad. Tomatoes are so good right now, and this salad is always a big favorite whenever the whole family gets together.

🌿 TIP BOX: Toast the bread cubes for panzanella a day ahead and store them at room temperature in an airtight container. This keeps them from turning soggy once they meet the juicy tomatoes.

Easy Amazing Rotisserie Chicken And Rice Bake

Simple Delicious Panzanella Salad: Tuscan Bread Salad

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Taco salad is one of my favorite dinners, and I could easily eat it every day of the week. I season the ground beef with my Magic Dust Rub, the same rub I use on chicken and sprinkle over fish, and it adds so much delicious flavor to this recipe. Round out the meal with a batch of homemade refried beans, served in a crispy baked tortilla bowl.

🌿 TIP BOX: To season the beef, add about a quarter cup of water and two tablespoons of Magic Dust Rub while it browns. This keeps the seasoning evenly distributed and adds moisture so the meat doesn’t dry out.

Taco Salad With Baked Tortilla Bowl

Homemade Refried Beans

Sliced Garden Tomatoes

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I have always liked cod, but it was not until a vacation at Wequassett Resort, where I had the most delicious sauteed butter cod, that it became something close to an obsession. This recipe comes very close to that cod perfection I first tasted on Cape Cod, so follow the directions closely for the best buttery finish with a hint of garlic.

The salad alongside it is another must make. My daughter made a version of it during another summer trip to OXB, and it was one of the best things I have ever eaten. Make it now since tomatoes, peaches, and cherries are all in season right now. Finish the meal with a loaf of no knead crusty bread for soaking up every bit of the buttery sauce.

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Lemon Garlic Butter Cod

Tomato Peach Cherry And Burrata Salad With Herb Vinaigrette

No-Knead Crusty Bread

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I loved the look of this skirt steak so much that I decided to forego tonight’s original menu so we could have it for dinner instead. Bobby is out on the patio right now, grilling those steaks in the 98 degree heat, cooking thermometer in hand. I sent him out with instructions to pull them at 130 degrees for a perfect medium, since the carryover heat will bring them up to 135 by the time they rest.

Round out the meal with boiled corn on the cob and a simple caprese salad, and dinner tonight will be a special one.

🌿 TIP BOX: Let grilled steak rest for five to ten minutes before slicing. This allows the juices to redistribute through the meat instead of running out onto the cutting board.

Marinated Skirt Steak On The Grill Or Stovetop

Boiled Corn On The Cob

Caprese Salad

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The first icebox cake I ever ate was made by my mother in law, way, way, back when I was dating my husband, so any icebox cake holds a special place in my heart. This key lime version is perfect for summer, cool and refreshing with just the right amount of tang, and it comes together with very little time at the stove.

🌿 TIP BOX: Icebox cakes need time in the refrigerator, at least four hours and ideally overnight, so the layers soften and meld together. Plan ahead so it is ready to slice when dinner is done.

Key Lime Icebox Cake

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Here are a few more recipes that caught my eye this week and are worth adding to your own rotation. Take a look and see what looks good to you!

An Easy Herby Chicken Salad with Dill and Lemon is perfect for a light lunch on a hot day.

With our local peaches coming in, a Summer Peach Spinach Salad will be a wonderful way to use them.

I love Fritos, though I bet I haven’t eaten any in ten years, so this Fritos Corn Salad is definitely on my list to try.

A Frozen S’more Dessert is such an ingenious idea for a hot summer night.

From our own archives, a Strawberry Lemon Pound Cake With Lemon Glaze is always worth revisiting.

These Strawberry Lemonade Cookies sound just as refreshing as they look.

For a porch dessert with friends, I have my eye on this Skillet Bourbon, Peach, And Blueberry Crumble.

Zucchini can be a little bland on its own, but these Baked Parmesan Zucchini Rounds solve that problem nicely.

A Rolled Zucchini Salad With Balsamic Dressing is another good way to use up a garden full of zucchini.

A Watermelon And Feta Salad With Mint And Balsamic Lime Drizzle is one of my favorite ways to celebrate the season.

For another take on corn, try these Cheesy Corn Fritters.

No summer table feels complete without The Best Dill Pickle Potato Salad.

A loaf of Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread makes a lovely addition to breakfast or an afternoon snack.

This Eggplant Casserole has so many wonderful flavors layered into it.

Queso Chicken has long been a StoneGable favorite for an easy weeknight dinner.

These Seasoned Ranch Pretzel Bites are hard to stop eating once you start.

A Chinese Chicken Salad is loaded with great veggies and crispy fried noodles.

I always make a batch of Garlic Dill Refrigerator Pickles once the cucumbers and zucchini start coming in.

When you need dinner on the table fast, this 15 Minute Bang Bang Salmon is a great one to keep in your back pocket.

A Garden Vegetable Spread is a nice way to use up whatever the garden gives you.

A Creamy Broccoli Salad is a classic side worth having on hand all summer.

This Creamy Chicken And Corn Pasta is comforting enough for a cool evening and easy enough for a weeknight.

A colorful Cowboy Caviar is perfect for topping off tacos or scooping up with chips.

For your next summer gathering, this Fresh Caprese Pasta Salad is easy to make ahead.

A crispy Oven Baked Pork Tenderloin with Garlic and Herbs is a simple way to bring a little more flavor to weeknight dinners.

This Honey Butter Skillet Corn turns fresh corn into a rich, buttery side in just minutes.

For a heartier dinner, try Salisbury Steak Meatballs with Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes.

This Air Fryer Flounder Recipe is a light and easy way to get dinner on the table fast.

For a crunchy side dish, this Garlic Parmesan Roasted Zucchini is worth adding to your rotation.

Chicken Pinot Noir with Wild Mushrooms and Fresh Basil feels special enough for company but simple enough for a weeknight.

For a taste of the coast, these Clams with White Wine Butter and Garlic come together quickly and taste like summer.

On the days it is too hot to cook, The Greek Salad That’s Built for the Days It’s Too Hot to Cook is exactly what you need.

That wraps up another delicious week On The Menu! I hope this week’s menu makes your planning a little easier and your table feel a little more special. Enjoy, and I will see you back here next week with more inspiration for your kitchen.

Happy cooking, friends…