Your Summer Hosting Menu
(Doubles as your summer dinner menu)
Today’s the last day of school! June is the craziest month and will continue to be crazy for at least another week, when my kids start camp. (If you’re last-minute shopping for camp or summer activities, here’s my list to help you out.)
Whether you’re getting ready for the long July 4th weekend, end-of-school celebrations, or just craving a little vitamin D, now’s the time to fire up your grills (or grill pans) and make a summer feast. You don’t even need to have people over—make a salad and burgers for an easy dinner and save the rest of the recipes for another day. I’ve included our favorite burger recipe plus tons of veggie-packed options (and the most incredible summer dessert) so everyone has something delicious they’ll love.
Here’s what’s on the menu:
Pita Burgers with Quick Pickled Veggies & Sauce
Veggie Option: Broccoli Burgers
Halloumi Salad
Watermelon & Corn Salad
Grilled Zucchini & Pesto
Chocolate Cookies & Cream Icebox Cake
Paid subscribers—last chance! I want to hear from you. Please tell me what you’d like to see more or less of around here—everyone who replies will be entered to win a giveaway of my favorite things. Reply via the chat or email askmelissa@bakedbymelissa.com. Thank you!! (Must be in the US for the giveaway, but I’d love to hear from everyone!) I’ll be choosing the winner next Monday, June 23.
Pita Burgers with Quick Pickled Veggies & Sauce
I made these for me and Adi for lunch one day, that’s how quick they are to make. Add your favorite veggies, top with quick-pickled red onions, and drizzle with your preferred sauce. It’s the perfect summer dinner.
Veggie Option: Broccoli Burgers
These are such a delicious vegetarian option when you’re serving burgers. It gives everyone something they’ll love to stuff in a pita, and you can use all the same toppings as you’re using for the burgers. It’s also great with Green Goddess, as if you needed an excuse to whip up a batch.
Halloumi Salad
Adding fun, crunchy toppings to salads is a great way to make it more interesting and more delicious. Grains make it more filling, halloumi gives a salty bite, and you can whip it all up standing next to the grill.
Watermelon & Corn Salad
As soon as corn and watermelon fill the market, I start to riff on this salad. It’s so good, even if you’re not a fruit-in-salad kind of person (like me). Add feta or halloumi if you want, or leave it as is for a refreshing side.
Grilled Zucchini & Pesto
An incredible side for dinner or hosting. Make the zucchini on a pan or a grill, and blitz the pesto ahead of time to make serving easier. The pesto doubles as a great topping for burgers!
Chocolate Icebox Cake
The perfect treat for the end of school! It’s my favorite for hosting—you have to make it the day before, so you can easily pop it out of the fridge when it’s time for dessert. If you don’t want to make it, let me do it for you—Chocolate Cookies & Cream is the mini of the month right now, and it is GOOD.
More Recipes for Summer Feasts
