This is an easy dinner when it’s too hot to use the stove or oven, or if you don’t have an oven. My range is out on the back porch while the kitchen floor gets replaced. I had a plan to take up many layers of ugly flooring going back over 150 years, and refinishing the original wood. The original wood turned out to be ruined, so a new tile floor had to go over it. I hope to have the range back in place tomorrow or else we might use the grill out in the dark.
This is a suggestion on the kinds of things I get for an appetizer dinner, but you can be creative. First I get a fresh baguette. Give each person a little bowl with olive oil (add crushed pepper or oregano if you want) with a splash of balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese if you like. Have a bowl of red and black grapes or mixed fruit. Make a relish tray with fresh olives, nuts, gherkins, or sliced cucumbers. Make a platter with tomato wedges, baby carrots, broccoli, celery sticks, or other vegetable pieces. Add a few small bowls of hummus, canned sardines or anchovies, vegie dip, and/or sliced cheese.
Everyone passes around the various dishes and puts whatever they want on their plate. There’s such a wide variety that it doesn’t matter if someone passes on something she doesn’t like, and it still makes filling meal.
