Summer Supper Essentials

I've been hunting for a great set of melamine plates for suppers outside on our patio and finally found them on One Kings Lane this week. In honor of the solstice and more outdoor meals on these new beauties, I give you our summer supper essentials:

If you're grilling steak, this is your marinade:
1/3 cup soy sauce 
1/2 cup olive oil 
1/3 cup lemon juice 
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 
1 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder 
3 Tbsp dried basil 
1 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes 
1 tsp ground white pepper 
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper 
1 tsp minced garlic
(I used McCormick Herbes de Provence instead of the basil and parsely)

Chicken, you say? Dinner, A Love Story has the only marinade you'll ever need:

½ cup plain yogurt (we've been using Fage 2%)
1 minced clove of garlic
2 tsp salt
Juice from two lemons
1 good squeeze of honey
1 tbsp olive oil
A very healthy dose of black pepper (I probably did 10-15 grinds)

(Don't skip pounding the chicken breasts flat--so worth it for evenly cooked, tender chicken.)

I'm about to dive into the newest issue of Southern Living and get re-inspired for veggies and side dishes, but we've been defaulting to a simple green salad dressed with a champagne vinaigrette.
Generally:
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp champagne vinegar
6 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove
Good squirt of honey
Salt and Pepper
And then I mix it all up in the immersion blender.

Which brings me to dessert! In an alternate world, I'd be making this for 4th of July:

Flag Cake from Food52. Totally amazing and labor intensive. Maybe in 10 years. 

This is more like it for the upcoming holiday:

Peach cobbler via Garden and Gun. I'll add blueberries.  

But here's the real surprise winner around here for a chilled dessert: Chocolate Avocado Pudding.  If you didn't know it's made with avocados, you could never tell. Ford certainly couldn't! 

Ingredients 
Serves 4

2 very ripe avocados
⅓ cup / 4 oz / 113 gr raw organic honey (or maple syrup)
⅓ cup / 1.4 oz / 40 gr cocoa powder (I splurged and bought Dagoba cacao powder)
3 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground chia seeds

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and silky. You might need to stop the blender and mix with a spoon to make the blending easier. Divide pudding among ramekins/cups and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving (this allows the chia to thicken).
Sprinkle with chopped almonds, walnuts, cocoa nibs or top with some whipped cream or Greek yogurt before serving.

What are your go-to summer suppers? Bon Appetit!