By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
As we inch into a new school year, and look forward to fall colors and football, it’s not a bad idea to squeeze in a few last meals cooked on the grill and served al fresco.
The nights are finally cooling, if only slightly, and in my backyard at least, fireflies are still calling out to each other at twilight with their fleeting, magical flashes of neon yellow.
The four deer that sleep behind my rhododendron bushes each night may have eaten every last thing I planted this summer, but life is still good when it comes to planning a tasty dinner.
As always in August, my favorite farmers markets and farm stands have come to the rescue with all sorts of colorful, fresh and locally grown produce. That makes it easy to fill up on things that don’t just taste great at mealtime, but also are actually good for this aging body.
Cooking and eating outdoors always puts people in a better mood. That’s especially true when the menu — like my beloved lightning bugs — is hyper-seasonal. There’s something so special about enjoying foods that are only available for a few months or weeks each year — not just because they’re flavorful, but also because they support local farmers. Often, they’re also more affordable.
With that in mind, I decided to take advantage of both the good weather and all the produce being harvested at its peak ripeness for my latest installment in the PG’s ongoing budget dinners series.
The main attraction on this week’s menu: a grilled chicken and vegetable entree that’s so simple to prepare that you’ll have time to make a homemade dessert. Start to finish, the dish takes only about 25 minutes once the grill is ready, and because all the ingredients are conveniently cooked together in tidy foil packets, there’s very little cleanup.
Chicken cooked over charcoal often is slathered in barbecue sauce before serving. In this recipe, the boneless breasts are nestled in an aluminum foil “boat” filled with sliced summer squash and cherry tomatoes, then topped with a tangy mustard sauce. The veggies steam as the chicken cooks, and everything comes out moist and tender.
“Hobo meals,” as these foil packets are sometimes called by campers, are great because they’re as versatile as they are easy. If you don’t like zucchini, substitute peppers, onions, carrots or whatever you like. For faster cooking, you also can cube the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
This three-course meal for four also includes my Americanized version of one of Italy’s most famous appetizers — a savory bruschetta — that shines a well-deserved light on the exceptional flavor of heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil.
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Finally, there’s the peach dessert that you can pop in the oven while the chicken sizzles on the grill. After all, who doesn’t love finishing a meal with something sweet and crunchy?
Crisps — a dish of baked, jammy fruit topped with a crumbly mixture of oatmeal, sugar and butter — never fail to hit the spot, especially when they’re topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They’re also relatively simple to prepare, which is a beautiful thing for those who don’t bake on a regular basis.
Total cost of this late-summer, nutritious meal for a family of four: $25.23, or just $6.30 per person. I overspent my budget of $25 by a quarter, but hey, just try getting an entire dinner at a fast-food joint for the same price that’s not loaded with unhealthy fats, sodium and calories.
Plenty of people are pretty cheesed off at what a meal for four can cost these days, especially if you eat out. The latest round of President Trump’s tariffs — which are expected to impact a majority of U.S. food imports — are only making us more anxious with the seemingly ever-present possibility of higher food prices.
But as this complete meal demonstrates, the cost of dinner doesn’t have to come with a gut punch.
So how did we do it?
For starters, I thoughtfully planned a menu to avoid impulse purchases or buying items I already had in my pantry or refrigerator. Then, I took advantage of the low prices you often find at farmers markets.
All of my veggies, in fact, were purchased from local farmers for far less than what I normally would pay for out-of-season produce at the grocery store. Everything from the summer squash ($1 each) to the tomatoes ($4 for a pint of cherries or 50 cents for each heirloom) to the shallots ($7 for a box of seven), basil ($1.50 for a huge bunch) and peaches (60 cents each).
I also paid only $4 for the loaf of ciabatta on which the bruschetta was built, and had enough left over for toast the next morning. That’s a bargain.
As for the chicken, rather than a famous national brand, I chose the one with the grocery store label that was on sale.
I’ll admit it takes some planning to create flavorful, complete meals that get the most bang for your buck. It also often requires ferreting through your fridge and pantry before you head to the store — with list and pen — to see what needs to be used up.
Even committed shoppers don’t always follow that cardinal rule of looking before buying: When my refrigerator broke earlier this summer, I found four jars of sun-dried tomatoes in oil on a back shelf along with multiple half-eaten jars of pickles, several dried-out lemons and a moldy plastic container of sour cream.
Other tips for smart shopping and meal budgeting: Look for sales, compare unit prices, buy in bulk if it makes sense (it doesn’t always!) and use coupons. Also, never shop while hungry — it’s so easy to reach for a high-priced, unhealthy junk food on an empty stomach! (My weakness is Zapp’s Voodoo potato chips.)
The menu that follows is designed for four, but depending on who’s eating, it may serve more. You’ll definitely have enough peach crisp left over for breakfast the next morning!
Bruschetta
PG tested
When vine-ripened local tomatoes are (finally!) in season, I eat them almost every day in sandwiches, on toast and tossed with a little olive oil and vinegar as a salad. But my favorite way to enjoy the fruit is as bruschetta.
Traditionally, marinated tomatoes are simply piled onto toasted or grilled bread, but I like to slice and fry mine in a little olive oil to make the dish both warm and extra crispy.
You’ll want to choose a bread that can stand up to the juicy topping without getting soggy; think a sturdy baguette or loaf of ciabatta. Allow the tomatoes to marinate for at least 15 minutes before using to maximize flavor, and don’t forget to add a sprinkle of grated Parmesan before serving.
For tomatoes
1 large heirloom tomato, diced
1/3 cup basil leaves, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For bread
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 1-inch slices ciabatta or baguette
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Prepare topping: In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, basil, garlic, vinegar, olive oil and a pinch of salt and grind of pepper, and toss to coat. Set aside while you fry bread.
Add olive oil to a large frying pan set over medium-high heat. (I used cast-iron). When oil is hot, add bread slices and fry until golden and crispy, then flip with tongs and cook for another minute. Remove to a platter.
Divide tomato mixture among the bread slices. Garnish with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan and serve.
Serves 4.
— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette
Honey Mustard Chicken, Tomato & Zucchini
PG tested
It’s easy to dry out boneless chicken breast on a grill because the meat is so lean. But if you borrow a cooking technique from campers, and wrap them with veggies in a foil packet, you’ll get tender, juicy chicken and perfectly cooked vegetables every time.
Feel free to cook the chicken with any vegetable you like. I used a mix of yellow and green summer squash and added in half of a leftover bell pepper I found in my crisper.
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon hot paprika
Large pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 medium green zucchini, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow zucchini, thinly sliced
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts,
Chopped fresh parsley, for serving
Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; preheat 5 minutes. (I used a charcoal grill.)
In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Cook shallot and garlic, stirring occasionally, until light golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add whole-grain mustard, honey, Dijon mustard, paprika and red pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then continue to boil over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened and slightly darkened in color, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, toss zucchini, tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
Season chicken with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
Arrange 4 sheets of foil on a flat surface. Pull up sides to form a shallow boat. Divide vegetable mixture among packets. Portion chicken into four servings, then nestle each next to vegetables.
Spread tops of chicken with honey mustard sauce. Tightly fold foil packets to seal.
Grill, covered and rotating packets halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 165 degrees, 18-20 minutes. Carefully open foil packets and sprinkle with parsley.
Serves 4.
— adapted from delish.com
Peach Crisp
PG tested
Peaches taste even sweeter when they’re baked and their natural sugars concentrate and caramelize. Here, they shine in an easy-to-prepare crisp made with brown sugar and oats adapted from one of my favorite baking sites, sallysbakingaddiction.com.
You don’t have to peel the peaches, but some don’t like the texture of the fruit’s skin so it may be a game-day decision based on who you’re cooking for.
For filling
5 cups sliced peaches, peeled or unpeeled
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For topping
1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
2/3 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats (or quick oats)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a deep-dish 9-inch pie dish, 9-inch square pan, 10-inch cast iron skillet, or any 2- or 2 1/2 -quart baking dish. Set aside.
Gently mix all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl, then spread into the baking dish.
Make the topping: Whisk brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt together in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or forks until the mixture is crumbly. Fold in oats. Sprinkle evenly over filling.
Bake for 45 — 50 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the fruit juices are bubbling around the edges. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving warm. You can also serve room temperature or cold.
Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Serves 4-6.
— adapted from sallysbakingaddiction.com
©2025 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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