As we’re finally able to soak up the sunshine and embrace the good weather of the long awaited summer season, one of the best ways to celebrate the warmth is to enjoy a delicious meal enjoyed among loved ones. This meal captures the very essence of summer, with bright, fresh flavours that go best with a summer breeze!

Let’s start with the star of the show: lobster! Fresh lobster is a tell-tale sign of the season. Here’s our recipe for how to prepare lobster in your quickpot…

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup cold water

2 tsp salt

2 live lobsters, 1 to 1 1/4 pound each

Preparation:

1. Put the steamer rack in the inner pot and add the water and salt.
   
2. Prepare the live lobsters for cooking, first by inserting a knife deeply into the lobster’s head, this will kill the lobster instantly.
   
3. Remove any rubber bands and immediately put the lobsters in your quickpot.

4. Secure lid with the steam pressure release button in the pressure position. Select “pressure or manual”, set 4 minutes to “high with keep warm at off”. Press “start”. 

5. Once you’re done cooking, release the pressure immediately, remove the lid and take out the lobsters.
   
6. Season according to your preference.

As simple as that, you have a gorgeous helping of fresh, steaming lobster. However, our summer feast does not end there! Cooking on the grill, a quintessential summertime ritual, also has its place in our dinner tonight. Here’s our recipe for grilled chicken skewers using our smokeless electric grill!

Ingredients:

2 cups coriander leaves

1.6 kg chicken thigh filets trimmed

2 tbsp Vegetable Oil

Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp lime juice

Chipotle seasoning

Preparation:

Add the chicken, oil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat, half the coriander and chipotle seasoning,  Refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate. 

Preheat a char-grill pan or barbecue to medium heat. Skewer 2 chicken thigh fillets horizontally on 3 metal skewers. Repeat with the remaining chicken fillets. Cook the skewers for 5–6 minutes each side or until charred and cooked through. Slice the skewers and serve.
You may also use shrimps with this recipe or if you’d like to sub it out for a vegetarian option – tofu works well!

If you’ve prepared chicken, shrimp or even tofu using the electric grill, our next recipe makes great use of the protein. One of the things we love about summer is bringing more spice and heat to our palate and one of our favourite ways to turn up the heat is by making everyone’s favourite, chicken tacos!

If you have left over chicken or shrimp, instead of skewering them, slice them and add to some crunchy hard-shell corn tortilla tacos. The best way to serve tacos is using our Taquito taco holder, perfect for four tacos (but no one is counting!), with the Hyacinth serving basket, filled with toppings like red onion, avocado, red cabbage slaw, pickled jalapenos, sour cream, etc. This way, everyone can serve themselves and build their own tacos, a fun and interactive way to eat together!
This was our idea for a  festive summer dinner, there’s something for everyone to ensure that everyone gets a taste of summer with every bite. If you make any of these recipes, please share with us on Instagram by tagging @stokesstores and use the hashtag #StokesMoments.

Bon Appétit!

Print

Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 3 tbsp fresh orange juice
• 1 tsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
• 2 cups chopped white onion divided
• 3/4 cup chopped cilantro divided
• 1/4 extra-virgin olive oil plus more for grill
• 5 tbsp fresh lime juice divided
• 1 lb tilapia, striped bass, or sturgeon filets
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 4 corn tortillas
• 2 avocados peeled, pitted and sliced
• 1/2 small head of cabbage cored, thinly sliced
• salsa verde
• lime wedges for serving

Instructions:

Stir garlic, orange juice, oregano, 1 cup onion, ¼ cup cilantro, ¼ cup oil, and 3 Tbsp. lime juice in a medium bowl. Season fish with salt and pepper. Spread half of the onion mixture over the bottom of the 11x7x2″ glass baking dish. Arrange fish over onion mixture. Spoon remaining onion mixture over fish. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Turn fish; cover and chill 30 minutes longer.

Whisk mayonnaise, milk, and remaining 2 Tbsp. lime juice in a small bowl.

Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; brush grate with oil. Grill fish, with some marinade still clinging, until just opaque in the center, 3–5 minutes per side. Grill tortillas until slightly charred, about 10 seconds per side.

Coarsely chop fish; arrange on a platter. Serve with lime mayonnaise, tortillas, avocados, cabbage, Salsa Verde, lime wedges, and remaining 1 cup chopped onion and ½ cup cilantro.

Enjoy!

FEATURED PRODUCTS:
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Shake off that gloomy end-of-summer feeling! The season may be coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to stop now. Labour Day weekend is THE time to plan a barbecue! If you’re not travelling or attending an event yourself, this is your opportunity to take advantage of the last warm weekends, and put on a great cookout for friends and family.

Before you get busy in the kitchen, there are a few tips we thought were important to keep in mind while planning your outdoor cookout. With these useful pointers, your outdoor ambiance will be just as pleasant as you plan it to be!

Create a critter-free space:

Protect your friends and family from unwanted guests by setting up bug-repellent candles. They can even double as décor accents if you add the right touch! Find some cute candle holders here.

Break out the outdoor entertainment:

One of the perks of hosting an outdoor event is that the food and fun can all be in one space! Put out a beach ball or set up a table for some games to help bring the party level up a notch. You can check out our tabletop games here.

Keep it cool:

We’ve been saying it, and we’ll say it again—it’s still summer. That means the sun and the heat will (hopefully) be just as strong as ever! Give guests options for cooling off, whether it be sitting under trees or an umbrella, playing in the pool, running through a sprinkler, or enjoying a refreshing drink (you can find some delicious summer cocktail drinks here).

Impress your guests, but don’t blow them away:

Wind can often cause havoc at an outdoor event. You can use decorative accents or vases with flowers to weigh down napkins and tablecloths so they don’t get taken by the wind!

Create a fun vibe → Grill-tastic!:

Don’t shy away from using your grill! Your guests are expecting it, so why not prepare your sides and appetizers on the grill as well? If it’s possible timing-wise, it’ll make life easier!

A  BBQ is a great opportunity to make good on those promises you made for summertime catch-ups and hang-outs. Hosting a gathering everyone will remember is just the thing to end the summer on a high note! A successful barbecue is easy to plan when you have our handy tips, and the help of blogger and recipe developer Anne of @lafille.du3eme! She’s planned not one, but three jaw-droppingly easy and delicious recipes for your Labour Day cookout. You must be wondering: What makes these recipes so hassle-free? Well, they’re all skewers, which makes cooking and serving a breeze! What’s more? These recipes feature a variety of food, which provides a mix of flavours that will satisfy any palate: Spicy Pineapple-Mozarella Skewers, Tex-Mex Veggie Skewers and Potato Duo Skewers.

So, what are you waiting for? Get started on your epic end-of-summer cookout!

Helping you end the summer with a bang,

I consider myself a passionate person. I have a passion for life, for everything it brings and the experiences it provides. I grew up surrounded by people who have a passion for cooking. Inevitably, this has influenced how I decided live my life. I obtained a technical diploma in dietetics at Cegep de Saint-Hyacinthe. Afterwards, I started working as a technician at the Montreal General Hospital in Food Service Management. I learnt that there is a strong relationship between health and nutrition and enjoyed the chance to apply the knowledge I gained in my education to the real world. Although I loved nutrition, hospital environment was not for me. I decided to make a career change and I worked as a supervisor at Starbucks. I enjoyed being in a leadership position and wanted to study in a field that would help develop my leadership skills. I completed studies in Industrial Relations at Université de Montréal, which opened my eyes to the world of entrepreneurship—something I found incredibly interesting and appealing.

My interest in entrepreneurship gave birth to new dreams and ambitions: my blogger identity and brand (thegirlfromthe3rdfloor), my culinary blog, and the goal of one day opening my own café-boutique.  I work hard every day to accomplish my dreams and I am very proud of what I have achieved so far. The path to where you want to be can be challenging, but if you listen to your heart, you will achieve your goal.

Follow Anne on Facebook, Instagram and on her blog: www.thegirlfromthe3rdfloor.com

The Classic Ways

If you’re making a big batch of corn, boiling your corn is the easiest and quickest way. First, shuck the husk and silk from the corn then bring water to boil water in a stockpot. Leave it for 5-8 minutes depending on how fresh the corn is. If you’re only making a few ears of corns, simply microwave them. Keeping them in their husks, microwave two at a time for 4-6 minutes on high. Before shucking them, wait a few minutes until they cool down then enjoy!

Grill Em:

You’ve probably made sweet corn in a pot and the microwave before, but what about the grill? If it’s nice out, take advantage of the weather and bring out the grill to make smoky flavored corn. It’s a few extra minutes, but it is definitely worth it!

There are two ways to grill corn that will bring you different results. The first is to leave the corn in the husk or remove the husk and rewrap it in aluminum foil. Grill it directly on hot coal or on top of a grate that’s set over coals, make sure to turn occasionally and cook for about 15 minutes.  This method will bring you a less charred/ grilled taste but will be juicier. It’s also harder to see whether or not the corn is ready.  The second method is to place the ‘naked’ corn directly on the grill for 10 minutes. If you want a grilled and also sweeter flavor, this method is preferred however, it will be less juicy.

Spice it up:

You have such a limited time with corn and because butter and corn go so well together, we never thought to explore other flavoring possibilities. Instead of butter, sprinkle smoked paprika after or even rub barbecue sauce while they are grilling. But our favorite is treating sweet corn like it’s a baked potato. Once the corn is cooked, drizzle sour cream, sprinkle diced green onions and cheddar cheese, you can even crumble some cooked bacon, or anything else that you love on a baked potato. Make sure to not over-do the toppings or else you will forget what you’re eating; put just enough to enhance the experience but still be able to taste the sweet corn.

If you love sweet corn but hate eating it off the cob, our corn stripper is for you. You can eat fresh corn on the cob without the hassle. You can bring the corn to the table in our Amanda II rectangular plate and place the corn on your guest’s individual corn dishes.

Do you have any other tips for cooking or favorite toppings for sweet corn? Let us know in the comments below!