A lot can change in a month. As we enter week five without a kitchen, I’ve gotten serious about our makeshift kitchen setup. An induction cooktop has been purchased, there is a new grill in the backyard, and our freezer is stocked with all sorts of fish and meat that is waiting to be marinated and grilled. 

But before I could begin to master the art of cooking without a functioning kitchen, I had to get sick of takeout and make some pretty simple dishes—ones that boosted my confidence in my ability to make it through this summer of cooking mostly outdoors. After countless sad sandwiches and empty Thai food containers, here are some of the highlights from month one without a kitchen.

01

Grilled Frozen Chickpea Pizzas

A week into life without a kitchen I realized we wouldn’t be able to rely on takeout for much longer. We had some cauliflower crusts from Banza arrive in the mail and I decided to give them a spin on the grill. Thankfully, it was so easy! The kids made simple cheese pizzas with store-bought sauce, and Joe and I used the same sauce with burrata, olives, prosciutto, basil, crushed pepper, and lots of yummy olive oil on top. We heated the grill up to 450 and waited until all the ingredients melted and the crust browned a bit. Check out this blog post from 101 Cookbooks (a forever favorite) for thirteen more grilled pizza ideas.

02

Musaengchae (Spicy Radish Salad)

Cookbook Club is back for my group of friends and this month we cooked Korean dishes. My assignment was to make this simple salad. It was a huge hit and is definitely something I’ll make again. I love the cool crunch of daikon along with the heat from the chili sauce. It’s DELICIOUS alongside ribs. 

03

Grilled Broccoli

After two weeks of takeout and an amazing home-cooked meal at Cookbook Club, I was both craving more bold flavors and in need of a hefty dose of veggies. I love how caramelized and smokey this grilled broccoli dish is; in my opinion, you could even eat it as a main dish with a side of rice and be perfectly content!

04

Grilled Shrimp Tacos

I’ve been getting more adventurous on the grill lately and love how quick and easy it is to grill up shrimp, toss it with some vinegar-y slaw, and eat it between a grilled corn tortilla. These tacos were HEAVEN!

Kate Arends

Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning how to play tennis and is forever testing the boundaries of her creative muscle. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.