Cocktails with Umbrellas
Foo-Foo drinks and dinner on the grill with a good friend - it doesn't get any better!
Victor played bartender - a role he played professionally for many years - and I started with the hors d'oeuvres.
Grilled Flank Steak
- Flank Steak
- Tequila
- Cilantro
- Chipotle Pepper
- Salsa
- Salt and Pepper
- Vidalia Onion Relish
Season flank steak with a bit of chipotle powder, salt and pepper. Grill until desired doneness. Cool and slice into small pieces.
Make a marinade of tequilla, cilantro, chipotle pepper, salsa, and S&P. Place the sliced beef and marinade ina big ol' ziplock bag and chill.
Place beef on a slice of baguette and top with onion relish.
And then the mixed grill...
Boneless chicken breasts, pork tenderloin, and salmon with a spicy rub and root beer barbecue sauce!
Spice Rub
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp chipotle powder
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
Mix and liberally coat grill item of your choice.
The Root Beer BBQ Sauce wasn't as root beer-pronounced as I would have liked it to be. It was really good as a barbecue sauce - but just not root beer-y enough. I think I shall boil down 2 bottles to 1 cup next time I make it... The original recipe came from Bon Appetit...
Root Beer Barbecue Sauce
- 1 cup root beer
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 tsp chipotle powder
- 1 tsp grated lemon peel
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
Mix all ingredients in sauce pan, simmer, and reduce to 1 1/2 cups.
And then there were grilled spring onions, Phoebe's Baked Beans, Mom's Potato Salad...
I'm hooked on these spring onions! A bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and placed on the grill. YUM!
And no dinner is complete without dessert... So... I made a brownie ice cream cake.
This is one of the easiest things to make. The filling is ice cream and anything you want to mix in with it!
Brownie Ice Cream Cake
Bake your favorite brownie recipe in a springform pan. When it is completely cool, take it out of the pan, line the pan with plastic wrap, and put back in.
Add ice cream flavors of your choice, along with anything you like. I used vanilla ice cream, mini peanut butter cups, walnuts, and chocolate ganache. Back into the freezer to get completely solid.
Take out of the pan, get rid of the plastic wrap, and cover in a chocolate ganache.
We had a great time solving the problems of work and the world and it was off to bed with full tummies.
Life is good.
The Tastes of Summer
I'm hooked. Even after my impatience with the chimney caused the fire to take even longer than it should have, I'm hooked. (I just have to learn a bit of patience, that's all!)
I seasoned the steaks with a multi-purpose meat seasoning I'm working on for Christmas presents. It's a combination of sage, rosemary, marjoram, oregano, thyme, black pepper, lemon peel... It worked pretty well! It was fun, because I tend to go spicy/chipotle/southwestern-ish with beef on the grill. This was a nice change and it definitely added a new dimension to the grill. I need to play with the spice mixture just a bit more, but it's definitely working!
Steak also means Baked Beans and the best ones around are the ones my sister Phoebe found a couple of years back... They are seriously the only baked beans I ever make anymore. I love 'em.
And then we had to have potato salad, because - we did.
I make a pretty close approximation to my mom's potato salad. Here are the basics... Amounts vary constantly, but you'll get the idea:
Mom's Potato Salad
- potatoes (russets, yukon gold, red bliss - I used a couple of red bliss and a couple of russets, today))
- onions (red, green, yellow, white - I used yellow, today)
- pickles
- hard-cookled eggs
- celery
- shredded carrots
- mayonnaise
- catsup
- mustard
- salt
- pepper
Mix and chill.
I think my mom probably used some Lawry's seasoned salt in hers, but it's not something I generally have in the house.....
All in all, the inaugural grilling went quite well. A little lesson in timing and patience will make next time (tomorrow, I'm sure) work just a little better. And then I need to work on the briquette placement to get my hot spots and cooler spots... and I have some wood chips for flavoring...
I see some fun dinners in our future!
Iron Chef Barbecue
Kenny's leaving - being transferred to Ardmore. This is a tough good-bye. Kenny started our Iron Chef competitions. While it's a good move for him, it shall leave a void in our Culinary Competitions unless someone else steps up to the plate right away. I am bereft. I have never won one of the competitions, but I've always walked away with a full stomach and a lot of ideas.
His last day with us is Thursday, July 3rd, so, in honor of his last day, we're having Iron Chef Barbecue. The rules of the past competitions don't apply this time. It's a wide-open dish-has-to-come-from-the-grill-event. I'm ready.
Today, I made sausage. A bit of an Asian-inspired recipe. Victor's mom - the consummate Italian Mother - was over as I was boning the pork and starting the marinade. She could not believe I was actually putting soy sauce and other Asian-type ingredients in the marinade. She thinks in terms of Italian Sausage. Mild or Spicy. Certain foods are sacrosanct. (She wouldn't touch the Amaretto Pizzelle's I made years ago, only to begrudgingly say they were "okay" when I made them again the following year.) But I digress...
I bought an 8 1/2 pound bone-in pork shoulder and boned and marinated it in:
- Soy Sauce
- Chinese Rice Wine
- Sriracha Sauce
- Fish Sauce
- Black Pepper
I ground it up with:
- Onions
- Peaches
- Cilantro
- Black Sesame Seeds
And then stuffed it into casings.
I'm heading out to the grill right now to cook some up for dinner at Victor's brother's house.
Lookin' good.
And they taste GREAT!!!
Bacon Bleu Cheese Burger
Ready for a heart attack on a homemade bun? This was definitely one of my better burgers!
Okay... other than the bacon and the blue cheese (and the avocado) it wasn't really all that bad - I did use 90% lean beef!
Freshly baked buns (I had some leftover dough in the freezer...) beef patty, thick slices of white onion, half an avocado, 3 strips of bacon, sliced tomato, sliced pickles, bleu cheese, and alfalfa sprouts... Pure heaven.
And... since I cooked the bacon on a sheet pan in the oven, I put the fries on the same pan and cooked them in the bacon grease. OMG they were good.
I don't really eat like this often, but when i decide to be bad - I'm bad!
And that burger was g-o-o-d!
Memorial Day
Tis the season to BBQ. Okay - I really mean 'grill' because I'm of the propane tank crowd nowadays. I'll admit that the flavor from the right charcoal is out of this world, but I can have something on the gas grill in minutes. It's one area where I have succumbed...
We started off Sunday with the typical foods - ribs, baked beans, and potato salad. But each had their own little twist.
The ribs were dry rubbed with a really interesting assortment of spices and herbs. I found the concept in a herb and spice book and switched things around a bit... This makes a goodly amount!
Spicy Dry Rub
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 2 tbsp chili powder (I used chipotle powder!)
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp cloves
- 2 tbsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp salt
Mix well and use liberally!
I rubbed the ribs and let them set overnight in the fridge. I brought them to room temperature before putting them on a slow grill with indirect heat. They cooked for about an hour and a half - and were perfect! The cloves and the cinnamon really come out, but don't over-power. Just great!
The baked Beans come from my baby sister, Phoebe! They have become the only baked beans I cook anymore. I love 'em! She got the original recipe from Cooking Light magazine...
Phoebe's Baked Beans
- 1/2 cup minced shallots
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup tomato puree (I use tomato paste - I never have puree in the house!)
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped
- 2 (28-ounce) cans baked beans
Preheat oven to 300°.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shallots; sauté 4 minutes or until golden. Add cumin and garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add tomato puree and oil, and cook for 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients (except beans.). Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Combine beans and shallot mixture in a 2-quart baking dish. Bake at 300° for 1 hour or until thick and bubbly.
And finally, my Mom's Potato Salad. I have no idea on amounts here. This is one of those recipes that I just make without thinking about it. It's a close approximation to what she made - and she never used a recipe, either.
Mom's Potato Salad
- Russet potatoes, peeled, cubed, cooked, and cooled
- Celery, diced
- Carrots, diced
- Pickles, diced
- Onion, diced
- Hard cooked eggs, diced
- Radishes, diced
- Mayonnaise
- Catsup
- Mustard
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
Mom used russets, because back in the day, the two types of potatoes available were russets or red bliss. I make it with yukon golds once in awhile and almost always peel the potatoes. Every now and again I'll make it with unpeeled potatoes and it works really well.
Play with it. Make it loose (lots of mayo) or dry (less mayo) as you like. Chop up other veggies, whatever. It's potato salad. Go for it. It won't be bad no matter what!
Naturally, I made enough for an army. We're going to have some great leftovers! I can't wait for round two!
Burgers on the Barbie
I've had a hankerin' for a burger, lately. One of my most favorite meals in the world is a good, greasy burger - and I mean a real burger, not one of those microwaved things you get at a {urp} drive-thru with clowns or crowns...
So, having the fixin's at home, I set out to create...
I had a package of meatloaf mix in the freezer - the ground pork, veal, and beef mixture - and figured I'm not going to be making meatloaf any time soon (it was another scorcher with high humidity, today) so time to get creative.
I minced half an onion and 3 cloves of garlic, added chipotle powder, a bit of cumin, and a bit of cheddar and caramelized onion cheese, salt and pepper, and formed into patties. (I froze four for another day and time...)
I quartered some baby purple and yukon gold potatoes, added some olive oil and S&P and set them on the grill. When they were about 3/4ths done, on went the burgers... A couple of slices of cheese on top and voila! Dinner!
The buns were dressed with mayonnaise, thinly sliced onion, yellow tomatoes and avocado. I came thiiiiiiis close to cooking up some bacon to add, but resisted at the last minute. The burgers didn't need it!
They were properly gooey and juicy, with avocado and tomato sliding all over the place, making a mess of everything.
I have a theory that the more napkins one needs when eating a burger, the better the burger. We both went through several...
I'm trying to think up something fun for the 4th of July... Our friend Dorrie is coming down from Boston with her 13 year old son to stay with us for a week, and I'm thinking an all-day food fest while lounging around the pool is definitely in order. I'll keep ya posted! :)
Chunky Andouille BBQ Sauce
"Oh... The weather outside is frightful..." And BBQ sounds so delightful...
I've been on a sausage kick, lately. Well, I've been buying a lot of sausage, but looking in the freezer, it doesn't appear that I've been cooking all that much! Somehow, those visions of cassoulets, jambalaya, and Portuguese stew have not translated from grocery store to reality. It's what I get for rarely shopping with a list, and never making weekly meal plans.
I actually envy people who can decide what they're going to eat every night of the week and shop accordingly. I just can't say on Monday that I'm going to be in the mood for meatloaf on Thursday. I figure out on Thursday what I'm in the mood for on Thursday - and then hope I have enough of the ingredients at home that I don't have to leave the house! (I'm usually pretty lucky!!)
So, opening the freezer on Saturday, I spied andouille sasage, chorizo, Italian sweet and hot... My own little sausage factory.
Out came the andouille.
I was recalling a recipe I saw in Bon Appetit a while back about an andouille BBQ sauce. Off to the computer and in seconds I had it - from August 2005!
Grilled Pork Chops with Chunky Andouille Barbecue Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups diced andouille sausage (about 7 ounces)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 6 1-inch-thick rib pork chops
- Additional chili powder and ground cumin
Spray grill rack with nonstick spray and prepare barbecue (medium heat). Sauté sausage and onion in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until onion begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Add tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, 2 teaspoons chili powder, and 1 teaspoon cumin. Bring to boil; remove from heat.
Meanwhile, sprinkle chops on both sides with salt, then chili powder and cumin. Grill chops until cooked through but not dry, about 9 minutes per side.
I actually followed the recipe fairly close, except I used about 3/4 pound of andouille, and I pan-seared the pork chops and then popped them into a hot oven to finish cooking.
I cooked up some Brown Rice Trilogy and some spinach, and dinner was served!
The BBQ sauce is served as a topping to the chop as opposed to actually grilling or cooking it on the meat. It was very slightly sweet, smoky and spicy all at once. Just my kind of dish! And since there are just two of us, I have enough left over for another meal. I'm thinking it would be great over a bone-in chicken breast!
Who knows... maybe next Thursday.....