The View From Halcyon Farm: Summertime, and the Living is Easy

At last! It finally feels like summer! With Memorial Day behind us and the beginning of June just ahead, we’re ready for summer at Halcyon Farm.

We kicked off the summer weekend with what we had planned as a picnic supper, and while we cooked out, we ate in! The weather was just chilly enough for us to decide to set the dinner table inside.

Stiles loves to grill, so he made some gorgeous grilled chicken.

The marinade is a closely-held secret, but you can get a similar taste with some good bottled Italian dressing and a lot of lemons. One tip is to microwave the chicken before you pop it on the grill, so the inside will be done, and the outside won’t be overdone.

Naturally, you’d want to serve the chicken on Halcyon House Antiques fabulous Provencal-style melamine plates.

Jonathan’s go-to summer recipe is fabulous, but not for those on a diet. Basically, it’s corn and butter… and a bit of salt and pepper. Cook the corn, remove the kernels from the cobs, add a copious amount of butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Chuck it all in a pot and cook over the stove for a few minutes, until the butter is melted and absorbed.

Another perfect summer dish is insalata caprese, just sliced tomatoes – wait until you can get local ones if you want – good fresh mozzarella and basil leaves. Drizzle with some good balsamic vinegar and olive oil. When you lay it on a platter, it’s the colors of the Italian flag.

A friend gave us a recipe for a great hors d’oeuvre. It’s a little work, but a great presentation. Take a seedless watermelon and cube it and put it to drain on paper towels. Scoop out a tiny bit of watermelon in the cubes to make a little bowl. Get some good balsamic vinegar and make a reduction. Take basil leaves and make a chiffonade. This is simple: stack basil or any other flat leaves, then roll them into a cigar shape.

Slice to make strands. Now, pour the balsamic reduction in to the bowls you’ve made in the watermelon, and decorate it with the strands of basil.

With all the fruits coming into season, there are million things you can do. Have you ever thought of grilled peaches? Scrape off the grill from the chicken first! Then slice the peaches in half and remove the stone. Put them cut side down on the grill and drizzle with a little bit of maple syrup. After a few minutes, flip them and cook a few minutes more. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

When we’re not cooking or gardening, we tend to spend lots of time by the pool, iPad in hand! Last summer, we found the most amazing towels for poolside, which in a pinch, can be used to cover up if someone arrives unexpectedly!

They are cotton and come in the most gorgeous rainbow of colors and stripes. We can’t keep them in stock at the store. They also make the best hostess presents if you’re visiting friends at the beach. Who can’t use a few more towels?

We would love for you to leave a note in the comments with your favorite summer recipe. We are always looking for new ones, and ones we can share with our readers!

The View From Halcyon Farm is sponsored by Halcyon House Antiques located at 11219 Greenspring Avenue, and open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  For more information visit the Halcyon House website or call 410-828-8889.