Eating Al Fresco – July Linky & June 2016 Round Up

Last month was the first month of my Eating Al Fresco Linky which will be running throughout the Summer months on this blog. I was a little nervous having never organised my own linky before ( I have guest hosted for others ) and I was ever so slightly worried that nobody else would join in, but I was wrong. Thank you to the 17 other bloggers who linked up to Eating Al Fresco for making the first month a success. A little further along in the post you will find links and images of their recipes as well as finding out who won the first Homesense gift card. Anyone who wants to join in with this months linky will find the details at the end of the post – it’s simple, just write about any of your outdoor dining experiences, link back to this one and you will be included in a full round up at the end of the month as well as have a chance to win a Homesense gift card each month ( chosen via random.org ).

So what have my outdoor dining experiences been like this month? Limited unfortunately as the Welsh weather hasn’t allowed for much Al Fresco fun but when we have the odd glimpses of sunshine I have made sure we have been out in the garden. On a few occasions I have enjoyed my evening meal after work while the girls eat their bedtime cereal on the grass besides me. My meals haven’t necessarily been cooked out there but they still taste better outside right?

The only exception has been this pork belly cooked on a small BBQ we picked up in one of the clearance sales last Summer. Just rubbed with oil, salt and pepper and chargrilled just enough so it was crispy yet succulent. Such a depth of flavour that I didn’t eat anything else alongside it just a brioche roll. Simple food. Cooked properly.

And my Greek Basil plants are seriously flourishing so I have been adding it to all my salads and pasta dishes:

I did intend to buy a Firepit from Homesense this month but my local store sold out before I had the chance – you have to remember in Homesense to buy as soon as you see something you love as they aren’t there for long but it means lots of the items are pretty unique. I have bought lots of their melamine serving dishes though which I will share in my next post.

Without further ado here are the recipes which have been linked up to this months Eating Al Fresco:

Kicking off with Dutch Oven Roast Chicken from The Hedgecombers:

Ice Cream Topped Waffles From Coffee & Vanilla

Baked & Barbecued Thai Chicken Thighs from Fab Food 4 All:

Asparagus Pesto Tarts from Tin & Thyme:

Best Ever Chunky BBQ Relish from Fab Food 4 All:

BBQ Waffle S’mores from Foodie Quine:

Vegan Picnic Pies from Thinly Spread:

Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable Pasties from Jo’s Kitchen:

Three Bean Salad With Asparagus & Coconut Dressing from The Taste Space:

Our Family Favourite Potato Salad from Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary:

Grilled Sweetcorn, Samphire & Avocado Salad from Roast Chicken & A Country Walk:

Tenderstem & Cucumber Soba Noodle Salad from The Veg Space:

Portobello Mushroom Puff Pastry Tarts from Maison Cupcake:

Marmalade Marinated Chicken from Farmersgirl Kitchen:

Mojito Cupcakes from Caroline Makes…

Strawberry Cream Cakes from Tin & Thyme:

The winner of this months linky is Fab Food 4 All with her Baked BBQ thighs as chosen by Random.Org:

If you want to enter this month please see the ( very loose ) guidelines below:

You can add up to three links each month as long as they either write about your outdoor dining experiences, feature a recipe for the BBQ or similar or simply show images of your food being eaten outdoors. You just need to add your link to the linky at the bottom of the page each month and link back to this post – simple yes? Now for the good part – each month one entrant will be randomly chosen via a number generator to win £30 in Homesense vouchers just for taking part. Tweet your entries to me ( @writingforfun ) using #eatingalfresco and I will retweet.