Weekend Cooking: 6 Links for Food Lovers

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

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Am I the only one who has multiple food-related Pinterest boards but rarely remembers to actually use them when it comes time to plan dinner? I'm sure I'm not. We all have good intentions when we pin that delicious-looking pie, beautiful salad, or perfectly decorated cake.

Even though I usually forget to use my boards, I have an additional problem. I save food-related articles to a special notebook in Evernote. I read the article and tell myself I need that advice or I must remember to make that recipe. Again, do I actually look at Evernote when I'm getting ready to make dinner or a snack? Of course, I don't.

Well, just because I don't remember to go back and use the information in my Evernote files doesn't mean you can't. So in the spirit of sharing, here are six articles I thought you might like to read. Maybe after I post the links here, I'll be more motivated to give some of the recipes a try.

• The Right Way to Freeze Basically Everything: We're coming into the big harvest months here in the Northern Hemisphere: From August through October, the markets are bursting with fruits and vegetables. I no longer do much (okay, any) canning, but I love my freezers. Here are some great tips from Bon Appetit magazine on the hows and whats of freezing. I particularly like the sections labeled "Keep in mind."
• 17 Boozy Popsicles to Enjoy This Summer: It's still plenty hot out, and because I don't have central air-conditioning, I'm always looking for good ways to cool down. Marie Claire has gathered up a bunch of recipes for delicious-sounding adult ice pops. Those bourbon and peach pops are calling to me! Now I just need to find my Popsicle molds.
• 21 Things to Cook in a Cast Iron Skillet on the Grill (or Over the Fire): Many years ago, I bought a whole box of cast-iron pans at a house auction. I love them and use them often, though not every day. This article from Kitchn caught my eye. I like the idea of taking my cast-iron out to the grill--anything to keep from heating up the kitchen this summer. The recipes cover the whole day, from breakfast to dessert.
• 18 Light Summer Dinners: I often visit the site Cookie + Kate and love this list of summer dinners that are pretty on the plate and easy on the cook. They are all vegetarian, most are vegan, and some are gluten free. Since I'm not a vegan, I could see adding leftover roasted chicken, an egg, or a bit of cheese to a couple of these meals, although they look pretty darn good just as they are.
• 17 Easy Make-Ahead Recipes You’ll Want to Bring Camping: Ignore that word camping if you wouldn't be caught dead in a tent or camper. Replace it with picnic, cookout in the park, tailgating, or even grilling on the back deck. Brit + Co. rounded up some awesome dishes that are made at home and heated up on the grill or fire: the shrimp dinner and breakfast sandwiches both look fantastic.
• 10 Super Healthy Smoothie Recipes: Every time one of you posts a smoothie recipe, I'm all: Yeah, I need to start making smoothies. Do I do it? No. But I did save this recent article from Runners World for protein-packed nutritious drinks. Banana ginger and strawberry-kiwi both sound refreshing. Maybe I really will make a smoothie this weekend . . . or soon.

Now that I've armed you with tips and tricks and recipes, I hope you--and I--will find a few new meals to try before the fall weather sets in.