For our first dinner in our new home, we thought we’d do a BBQ by the pool. Or, rather, in the pool, because those kids are ob. sessed. (As an aside, because the safety issues surrounding kids and pools clearly deserve mention – our approach this weekend was to have a serious talk with our son about pool safety, confirm that the gate around the pool was secure, and install a home security system that also chimes whenever the doors to the backyard open.)
The BBQ plan was slightly confounded by the fact that we don’t actually own a grill yet (although we will as of 4PM today, when it gets delivered, so if you have any fun recipes pleeeeeease pass them on; I plan to cook outdoors every single night, all summer long and my grilling repertoire is pathetic), but I dug our old stovetop grill from our NYC apartment out of a box, and that did the job. Also I could totally have served my family old taco shells and they would have been perfectly happy, because: pool.
The Menu: Since first meals in new homes should be 1) simple to make (because most of our utensils are still MIA) and 2) WONDERFUL, I went with my all-time favorite summer menu; it’s fast and easy and inexpensive and so, so (so) delicious.
Strip steak (marinated in this) grilled and sliced over Lemon Arugula Salad
The Wine: Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio – I arrived at our place to discover a couple of the limited-edition bottles designed by Zac Posen waiting for me, and our first meal seemed like a good time to break them out (mostly because the wine is light and fresh and pairs perfectly with summer BBQ-type food, but also because the bottle – inspired by Zac’s Fall 2012 Kiko collection – is so pretty that it’ll make a lovely vase for our table after it’s empty).
The Dessert: Oranges from our tree. (I need to put that in caps: ORANGES FROM OUR TREE. We have an orange tree! Eeeeeeeee. Let me try not to kill it now.)
Ecco Domani is a 2015 partner of Ramshackle Glam.