I had planned on doing a beef clod for the forth but the weather did not cooperate.  We had storms early in the evening and I was not prepared.  Imagine that?

Lil'Iron and me decided to spend our time together and just do some burgers on the grill this evening.  Our neighbors will come over and have a burger, play some cards and watch the firworks show from the porch.

I hope everyone of you have a happy and safe 4th of July.  Please keep the spirit of this county's birth in your hearts today and remember what we as a nation, have gone through.

Happy Grilling,

BigIron

Happy Birthday, America!

We will be taking it easy today and having some of our favorites for dinner. I'll be adding photos during the day as I get things made if I don't have a photo already on my computer.

First up ~ one of my DH's favorites:

Beer Burgers with Beer Braised Onions

Onions:
1 tbsp butter
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 cup beer
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Burgers:
1 1/2 lbs ground chuck
2 tbsps beer
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
4 burger buns
4 cheese slices (your choice)

Onions: Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute, frequently stirring, until the onions are tender, about 5-6 minutes. Add 3/4 cup beer, sugar and salt. Cook until the beer has been absorbed by the onions and the onions are beginning to brown, about 18 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup beer and bring to a simmer. Keep onions warm

Burgers: In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the ground chuck, Tabasco, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Gently form into 4 patties. Do not handle the meat too much or the burgers will be tough.

Grill burgers to your desired degree of doneness. Top with cheese right at the end.

Toast buns on grill and serve burgers topped with the cheese, beer braised onions and your favorite condiments.

Serves 4

I use vegetarian baked beans in this dish but you can use your favorite.

Root Beer Baked Beans

3 slices of bacon
1 small onion, diced
2 (16 ounce) cans of vegetarian baked beans (I use Bush's)
1/2 cup root beer, NOT diet
1/4 cup hickory-smoked barbecue sauce
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp hot sauce

Fry bacon in a skillet over medium heat until it is crisp; drain on paper towels, reserve 2 tbsps. drippings in skillet. Crumble the bacon when it has cooled enough to handle and set aside.

Saute onion in bacon drippings over high heat for about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir together the onion, crumbled bacon, beans, and remaining ingredients in a ligthly greased 1-qt baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 400º for 1 hour or until sauce has thickened.

Serves 4

Next up is my Mom's potato salad. I don't measure anything in this salad so it's not going to be precise. Add however much of each ingredient you like.

My Mom's Potato Salad

5 lbs. potatoes, peeled, washed, cubed
celery, chopped
green pepper, chopped
onion, chopped
cucumber, chopped
3 or 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
mayonnaise

Peel, wash, and cube the potatoes. Place in large pan, cover with cold water, bring to a boil over high heat, boil for 10 minutes. Do not boil longer or you will have mashed potato salad (been there, done that!)

In a large bowl, add all the ingredients except mayonnaise and mix gently. Add mayonnaise ~ I generally start with 2 big spoonfuls and add more from there. I don't add any salt and pepper to the salad since we salt and pepper at the table. Feel free to add it at this point if you want.

For dessert:

Fourth of July Cupcakes

18 1/4 ounces white cake mix
1 cup water (or as indicated on cake mix directions)
1/3 cup oil (or as indicated on cake mix directions)
3 eggs (or as indicated on cake mix directions)
1/2 teaspoon blue food coloring
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
1 (16 ounce) can vanilla frosting
red white and blue candy sprinkle

Prepare cake mix according to package directions.

In a small bowl, combine 1 1/3 cups batter with blue food coloring. In another small bowl, combine red food coloring with 1 1/3 cups batter. Leave the remaining batter plain.

Fill paper-lined muffin tins with 2 tablespoons red batter, 2 tablespoons plain batter, and 2 tablespoons blue batter. Do not swirl batter, leave it layered.

Bake at 350º for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a cupcake comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes in pan and then remove cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frost with vanilla frosting and decorate with sprinkles.

Makes about 18 cupcakes

We'll also be having blue cocktails which I haven't decided on yet :)

Have a happy, safe, delicious Fourth of July!

Grilled Cajun Chicken Breasts
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon Wildtree Cajun Seasoning
1 1/2 tablespoons Wildtree Natural Grapeseed Oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
Combine the Cajun Seasoning and the Natural Grapeseed Oil in a shallow dish and mix well. Add the chicken and marinate for 30 minutes or longer, turning once. Grill over medium heat until done.

Serve this with grilled veggies (Have you tried our Herb Grilling Blend?) or a salad and dinner is done!

Enjoy.

While the beer and burger grabbing crowd will be hogging all the attention this Independence day, the EA thought we might add a little class and sophistication to this year's festivities with a cultural cookout that a discerning connoisseur would appreciate. For starters, Grace Parisi’s Scallion-and-Brie-Stuffed Burgers are so lusciously and expeditiously prepared and presented, they should be at every table, grill or private picnic hideaway where true gourmands congregate.

In fact, this is but one idea for the discriminating palate this holiday weekend. Food & Wine offers thirty more quick-grill recipes with style, panache and just the right assortment of flavors to win over the fussiest of grill kings, with dishes like Grilled Swordfish Steaks with Basic-Caper Butter, Chinese-Style Ribs with Guava Barbecue Sauce, or for lighter fare, a Baby Leaf Lettuce Salad with Olives and Watermelon. And now that we all know the real secret about watermelon, [See EA 07/02/08] the smart host/hostess might want to add this as a last minute party pick-me upper. See the entire connoisseur's cookout menu here. And happy holiday!

Grilling was made for these times.

Actually, it was made for all times, but particularly for those with economic struggles. Cooking with fire goes back to the days of the woolly mammoth, but during more recent millennia, the most prevalent meats for grilling were the cheaper ones -- the very kind many of us are turning to as food prices soar at a much hotter rate than our incomes.

"Barbecue was originally designed for the disenfranchised," said Steven Raichlen, author of the recently updated "The Barbecue! Bible" (now in its 10th year). "The ribs and the briskets weren't going to the masters."

True, except that these days, once-inexpensive cuts -- pork ribs, flank or skirt steak and even the once-lowly Cornish game hen (which a friend invariably calls "game-ish corn hen") -- cost several times as much as they did a decade or so ago.

But there remain plenty of ways to combine frugality, fire and flavor this summer, when vacations-at-home -- and entertaining there -- have become so prevalent. And just like in the old, cheaper days (not so long ago), the items best suited for grilling are the cheaper cuts.

Take ground beef. The extra-lean stuff is great for concocting some hockey pucks, while the fattier meat, whose grease adds sizzle and smoke to the process, produces spot-on burgers if cooked correctly (and to at least 160 degrees).

Same goes for fowl. Chicken breasts are notoriously ill-suited for grilling: Boneless ones get tough with just a few seconds too much -- or too little -- cooking, while the bone-in ones have such an odd shape that only a real pro can cook them perfectly throughout. Meanwhile, the more reasonably priced dark meat is a grillmeister's pal, not to mention a continuation of America's dubious preferences.

"The great irony is that we send most of the dark meat from our birds to Asia," said Raichlen. "I love those cuts. I'm a big believer in the fact that any meat that's next to the bone is inherently more flavorful."

I have a couple of grilled corn recipes that are really good but the pictures are from before I figured my camera out so they are pretty bad. Hopefully, I'll get to the farm stands out at the beach this weekend and get some sweet corn and retake the pictures. The recipe is adapted from Coastal Living.

Grilled Corn with Jalapeno Lime Butter

1/2 cup butter
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
2 tbsps lime zest
1 tsp fresh lime juice
6 ears fresh corn
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsps kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Combine first 4 ingredients and shape into a log. Wrap in wax paper and chill 1 hour.

Remove and discard husks and silks from corn. Rub corn with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper.

Grill corn, covered with grill lid, over high heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender, turning often.

Serve with flavored butter.

Serves 6

Happy Cooking!

Be creative with your proteins, but make it easy on yourself and your guests and limit the options. Three is a magic number. Burgers and dogs are a classic. Add brats or chicken or ribs and you have a nice little spread. At one BBQ, we had just steaks, shrimp kebabs, and skewered sardines. Delicious.

Burgers: Trust me on this one: think thin. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and slap out patties no more than ½ thick. These are quicker to make, easier to eat, faster to cook, and you get more of them.

Cheese: No individually wrapped slices. It’s a pain and creates a mess. Get sliced cheese from your deli and keep it next to the grill – in a cooler if you are going to be cooking for awhile. For crumbly blue cheeses, press into a log, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill. This can be easily sliced at grill time.

Buns: Do yourself a favor and unpack these in advance. Throw them in a basket or stack them on a platter.

Hotdogs: Of course these cook quickly, so put them on after you have the burgers on and have flipped them once. This seems like a duh. It’s not.

Brats: Delicious, easy to grill, and no bun required. Make sure you have mustard! For a twist, throw some in an aluminum loaf pan, add beer and sliced onions, and put the whole thing directly on the grill ‘til its bubbly and boiling.

Chips & dips: Don’t bother with mayonnaise- or sour cream-based dips in hot weather; they get a funky crust and are unappetizing when lukewarm. Opt instead for salsas, chutneys, cheeses (which are meant to be room temp), and assorted tapenades.

Finally, no matter what you are grilling, everything should be prepped beforehand and set on a table within reach of the grill. And please be sure to have enough buns for your fillings.

For convenience and ease, you can't beat a gas grill - but I personally can't stand them. To me, it's no different than using a grill pan on your gas stove, and you get none of the flavor and smokiness.

Weber is a king of charcoal grills, and their inexpensive One Touch Silver is a hands-down classic:

We have also used this little puppy with great success. It's perfect for travel, camping, or an extremely tiny backyard - and you can buy it at Target.

If you have a charcoal grill, DON'T use lighter fluid. As a petroleum derivative, it smells awful and tastes worse. Use charcoal or natural briquettes and get a chimney starter like this one at your local hardware store, or by all means make your own from common household items.

Finally, no matter what, have the grill lit and heated BEFORE your guests arrive. No one wants to watch you struggle with the messy task of loading and lighting the grill - or in the case of gas grills, suddenly discover you are out of fuel or that there is something wrong with the starter.

While I'm here let me take this time to wish everyone out there in the ether Happy Fourth of July U.S.of A.!

This country may be entering the post-American World but we are still a super power and capable of great contributions to the world community thorough the good works of charity and compassion and strength. Perhaps, it is fitting that our time as number one is fading & the torch is passing to other nations. May they act in wisdom and peace for the benefit of all.

Vacation update: Yesterday we picked sweet cherries at Pangratz Farm off Route 20 [south side of the road, two miles from Fairview] OMG, trees were dripping with cherries. Saturday or Monday sour cherries will be ready to pick also. Lots of people were there. Fun.  Gonna pit the cherries and make cherry sauce with some of them and drizzle over vanilla bean ice cream! 

Today~cleaning, laundry, mail box to grandchildren, pay bills, and then.....GRillin' and Chillin' in the backyard. Potato Salad, Grilled veggies, Chicken Breasts, Polish Sausages, baked beans corn on the cob, green salad, cherries and ice cream or strawberry shortcakes and lemonade, coffee, tea, or juice. My brother, sister-in-laws,brother-in-law, mother-in-law, Cricket, and the hubby and me..... plans going all right so far....listening to Jewel, Marvin Gaye, Ella Fitzgerald, James Taylor, Big-n-Rich, Johnny Cash, Big Leg Emma....roasting somemores over the fire pit filled with cherry wood at the dimming of the day and gazing at the stars [hopefully].

Fourth of July~ picnic at the mother-in-laws, fireworks Boom-on-the-bay!!!!

 

“It was not her sex appeal but the obvious relish with which she devoured that hamburger that made my pulse begin to hammer.”  Ray Kroc

The beautiful weather galvanized my husband and I to fire up the grill and make burgers. I must admit, I really haven’t given burgers a lot of thought in the past. Yet this last week of experimenting with every kind of healthy burger has really brought a new respect to this humble meal.

The origin of the hamburger actually goes as far back as Genghis Khan. He and his “Golden Horde” rode long, hard hours to rape, pillage, and plunder so they needed fast eats to keep them on their very important job. They would take a ground meat patty and place it between their horse and saddle, then ride. When they had a moment they would take it out and eat it,…..raw. Yum. Gets ya salivating huh? These wonderful fellows brought the ground meat patty into Russia, where it became steak tartare, because Tartare is the Russian word for Mongol. These meat patties eventually found their way to Germany. Fast forward many years, to the mid 1800s, and the ground meat patties came overseas with the Germanic immigrants. Americans started seeing them show up here as steak, “Hamburg style.”

The bona fide American hamburger on a bun showed up in the late 1800’s. There is some controversy on who actually created it. About 5 families swear on their family trees that their great grand daddies were the first to come up with the famous sandwich. In 1995, one avid hamburger devotee, spent hours researching, trying to figure out who was the rightful king of the hamburger and gave the crown to an Oscar Weber Bilby out of Tulsa Oklahoma. Supposedly he and his wife Fanny, devised the hamburger, on one fine fourth of July in 1891, to serve to their guests.  He used their hand ground angus beef and she made buns from her famous sourdough yeast bread. Oscar, by the way, also invented the first grill to cook them on, ya know, the Weber Grill.

Hamburgers have an infamous reputation as being the ultimate junk food, but with a little weeding and care they blossom into a fine, healthy meal. There were so many delectable burgers that it was tough to narrow it down to such a few recipes. This first recipe is my husband’s Paul creation. (One can use fresh spinach in this recipe, just steam it a bit first, then drain it and squeeze it dry.)

Paul’s Greek Burgers with Feta Aioli

1 pound of super lean ground round or elk burger

2/3 cup of fresh whole wheat breadcrumbs

1/3 cup roasted red bell peppers chopped, (bottled is fine)

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons each of dried basil and oregano

¼ teaspoon of salt and pepper

1 10 ounce package of frozen spinach, thawed, and drained and squeezed dry

1 large egg

2 – 4 garlic cloves, grated

¼ cup of crumbled feta cheese

5 thick slices of red onions

Combine everything except onions, in a generous bowl and squish it all together with your hands. Divide the mixture into 5 equal parts and shape into patties. Spray the ole` BBQ rack with cooking oil, then heat it up. Place the patties on the grill rack. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side till they are cooked to your liking. Take off the burgers and let them rest while you grill the onion for about 2 minutes. Serve with Feta Aioli and other delish burger toppings.

Feta Aioli

¼ cup of crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons light mayo

2 tablespoons of light sour cream

2 – 4 garlic cloves grated

¼ cup of chopped bottled red bell peppers

Few cranks of pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir till mixed well. Spread on the burgers and watch out! Fireworks to your taste buds!

Nutritional information per burger with 1 ½ tablespoons of sauce

Calories 385, Fat 12.1 grams, Fiber 4.3 grams

The flavor of these burgers takes me back to living in the Hawaiian islands when tahini salad dressing was all we ate. Very nurturing and delicious!

Chickpea Burgers

1 10 ounce can of chickpeas drained

1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds

4 scallions chopped

1 egg

2 tablespoons of all purpose flour

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh oregano

3 cloves of garlic, grated

1 teaspoon of cumin

½ teaspoon of salt

Couple cranks of cracked pepper

2 tablespoons of olive oil

To prepare burgers; put all the ingredients except the oil in a food processor and pulse, pulse, pulse until a coarse mixture forms that one would be able to press together into patties, which is what you do next. Don’t overdo the pulsing here or you will have a sticky mess, literally, on your hands here. You should get four nice sized patties out of the deal. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high. Add the patties and sizzle them till golden brown and getting crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes, flip and do the same treatment to the other side. Serve on whole wheat pita bread with lots of sauce, tomatoes, sprouts, and sliced red onion. Ono!

Tahini sauce

½ low fat plain yogurt

2 tablespoons of tahini*

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1-2 cloves of garlic pressed

1/3 cup of chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon of fresh chopped oregano

¼ teaspoon of salt

Before you make the burgers, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whip it up till well blended. Refrigerate till you use.

* Tahini is a smooth paste made from ground sesame seeds and commonly used in Middle Eastern foods.  You can find it at any health food store.

I love a good turkey burger!  These are really taste bud sparklers!

Asian Turkey Burgers

1 pound of ground turkey

¼ cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoons of orange juice concentrate

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

1–2 teaspoons of fresh grated ginger

3-5 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup of fresh chopped cilantro

1 egg

½ cup of fresh whole wheat bread crumbs

Combine all the above ingredients in a deep bowl and squash together with your hands till well blended. Divide into 5 equal portions and shape into whatever shape of patty feeds your soul. Place on heated BBQ grill that has been coated with cooking spray, grill 5 to 6 minutes on each side till done. Serve with Asian Aioli and other burger toppings. (Reduced fat Swiss cheese is really good on this one!)

Asian Aioli

3/4 cup of light mayo

1-2 tablespoons of finely chopped green onions

2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon of orange juice concentrate

1-2 teaspoons of soy sauce

½ - 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

¼ cup of chopped fresh cilantro

Whip all the ingredients up in a small bowl and serve with burgers. Resist the urge to put this sauce on all of your dinner. Even though it is fantastic, it doesn’t go well with strawberry shortcake, I tried it. Have a festive fourth of July!

Nutritional Information per burger with 2 tablespoons of aioli

Calories 390, Fat, 11.5 grams, Fiber 3.6 grams

On to the recipe......

I say #1 because I have a couple recipes for grilled bourbon chicken that are similar but not exactly the same and this helps me to keep them straight.

The weather was weird yesterday so I used my indoor grill pan and I used thin sliced chicken which only takes a couple of minutes on each side. Gosh, I LOVE thin-sliced chicken. Has anyone else noticed how HUGE chicken pieces are now? The thin sliced are nice and small and trimmed ~ YAY!

I love cooking with bourbon ~ the flavor is just terrific.

On the grill:

Ready to eat:

Grilled Bourbon Chicken #1

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tbsps olive oil
2 tbsps Dijon mustard
1/4 cup bourbon
2 tbsps red wine vinegar
2 tbsps Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsps soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced

Combine olive oil and the next 7 ingredients in a ziplock bag. Add the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or as long as overnight.

Remove chicken from marinade and discard the marinade.

Place chicken on the grill and cook over medium heat. Grill for 15-20 minutes, turning once, until chicken is cooked through and no pink remains.

Serves 4

My zucchini plants have exploded in my garden so I threw some zucchini slices on the grill pan ~ I just used olive oil, salt and pepper on each side and grilled until softened.

I also made some delicious zucchini bread ~ you can find the Zucchini Bread recipe on Recipezaar

This quick bread is so nice and spicy ~ it's my favorite and even my zucchini-hating DH eats it :)

Happy Cooking!

Half-day tomorrow, three-day weekend beginning Friday.

A Summer-induced torpor is taking over my body and mind already.  And so, in celebration of the languid, lazy weekend that's so close I can nearly touch it, I'm going to take it easy on this post.

No recipe, no story; just some pictures and some links.  A few old posts have been going bonkers this week, so I figure, in the spirit of my summer lassitude, I'll make it easy for you, my readers to find them.

Need delicious berry desserts for your Independence Day party?  Click here.

Hankering for some purple pickled eggs?  Click here.

Want some delicious carrot pickles for your picnic?  Click here.

Looking for a quick, easy, slightly unusual, utterly impressive and drop dead delicious first course? Click here.

Hungry for something unusual to grill?  Click here.

Cucumber salads got you down?  Need something new?  Click here.

So, go forth and enjoy your Fourth!  See you next week.

American Beef Primal Cuts

American Lamb Primal Cuts

While memorizing cuts of meat may seem tedious, there are two main differences in the muscles that it makes it worth your while. For the most part, muscles are divided up into static and locomotive. Locomotive are the muscles that get moved a lot and have a lot of connective tissue. A general picture is shown below. The reason it’s important to know the difference between these two is that certain muscles are better receptive of certain cooking methods.

Cooking methods tend to be broken up into dry heat and moist heat. Moist heat is pretty self explanatory- heat is conducted to the food by water or water-based liquids like stock or by steam, etc. Dry heat is conducted without moisture. So hot air, hot metal, radiation, and even hot fat. This might surprise you, but deep frying and sautéing are both considered dry heating.

Now, again, as a general rule, static muscles do best with dry heat methods, and locomotive muscles tend to do best with moist heat. Locomotive muscles have a lot of what's called “connective tissue.” Connective tissue consists of collagen and elastin. Elastin does not break down during cooking and needs to be cut out for tenderization. But collagen does break down when cooked long and slow in the presence of moisture, making tougher pieces of meat more tender.

Moist heating methods include poaching, simmering, boiling, steaming (and smoking), and braising.

Dry heating methods include roasting, baking, broiling, griddling, pan-broil, sautéing, pan-frying, deep-frying, and…grilling!

Cooking methods are only one of the tenderizing techniques. Others are…

- Marinades (the more acid, the more effective at tenderizing; oil controls the acid so the more oil the less effective as a tenderizer)
- Physical tenderizing (slicing thinly against the grain, ground, pounding)
- Enzymatic (certain fruits have natural tenderizing enzymes, for example, like papaya, mango, fig, kiwi, pineapple, all of which are heat activated)

So that’s why it’s possible that fajitas, while coming from the flank cut are able to be grilled. Primal cuts are further broken down into what’s called “fabricated” cuts, which use the names you know them by: prime rib, flank steak, porterhouse steaks… I will build a little chart to recommend cooking methods for different fabricated cuts, but it’ll probably get put up by the weekend sometime.

As far as doneness goes for red meats, typically you’re not going to be taking the temperature of a steak on the grill the way you would a roast. For a guideline, rare is a browned surface with a thin layer of grey meat and a red interior. Medium is a thicker layer of gray and a pink interior. Well done is grey throughout.

The basics for grilling are really simple. Grilling is a high heat coming from one direction. If an item you’re serving from the grill is going to be served with a sauce, you must build this from scratch. No integral sauces since the juices fall through the slats.

Before grilling, you need to make sure that your grill is clean and scrubbed free of any residue from the last time you grilled. This can leave for an unpleasant taste. For those without the ability to check temperatures on your grills, the best way to tell is to hold your hand around five inches above the grill. If you need to move your hand after a couple of seconds because it’s so hot, it’s high. If you need to move after a few seconds, it’s medium. If you don’t need to move your hand until ten seconds or more, it’s low.

The outside of a piece of meat crisps up and turns a darker brown color because of what’s known as the Maillard Reaction. This is very similar to caramelization of onions. Ideally, you would like the meat to cook in the amount of time it takes the outside to crisp up. Typically, red meat is served no more than a medium. I prefer mine around medium-rare to medium. Because of this, you’re looking for a high heat when grilling steaks and such. You want a quick sear without overcooking the inside. It doesn’t take long to cook a steak to a medium-rare.  However, if you are cooking ground beef, like for a hamburger, then I would caution you against leaving that at a medium rare or rare due to the potential E Coli risk factor.

Have you ever noticed those cool grill marks on photographs of food? That’s really easy to replicate. It’s called a “quadrillage.”

Crappy artist’s interpretation of a quadrillage.

If you thought about it, you could probably guess how the grill marks are made, right? Either, you put a piece of meat on the grill, rotate it 90 degrees, flip it and then rotate it 90 degrees. Or you can put it on the grill, flip it, flip it AND turn 90 degrees, flip and turn 90 degrees. I personally think it’s just best to flip it three times because it makes for more even cooking that way. The only tricky part is when you’re flipping it over the second time, you’ll have to note which way the grill slats are running, and which way the marks are running on your steak. You don’t have to have them at 90 degrees. You can tilt the steak more or less to get more severe or fatter diamonds. One thing to keep in mind though is that one you set the meat down, leave it. If you didn’t get it lined up exactly, just leave it anyway. You don’t want to risk getting multiple stripes and have it look sloppy.

When it comes to cooking the meat, you just need a pair of tongs. But right before you set out to grill, you need to oil and season the meat. Oil keeps the meat from sticking to the grill. Canola works fine. Just lather up both sides. Then liberally salt both sides. You want salt covering both sides. The thing to keep in mind is that the amount of salt on the surface of a piece of meat is for the insides of that steak as well. So it might look like a lot at first. Then add pepper on both sides to taste. Oiling before seasoning is a good idea, since adding the oil afterward tends to “wash” the seasoning off.

After grilling, it’s important to let your meat “rest” on a rack. You’re not looking for it to cool any. Rather, when food cooks, it changes the water within that item at a molecular level. By allowing that item to rest, you allow the moisture within the item become even within it again. At least that’s the theory. However, I can say that from experience, a piece of meat that has been well rested will not bleed on a plate. When you see that on the plate, it tends to be because the meat was not rested. It had nothing to do with searing a meat to “seal in the juices.” That is a myth, and searing does nothing of the sort. A meat that is seared will still bleed if it is not rested properly. It is strictly to build flavor. And a piece of meat doesn’t even need to rest long. Maybe half the time it took for the meat to cook. You don’t want the meat to get cold.

So say we were to make a Grilled New York Strip, the directions would look like this:

1 each 10 oz New York Strip steak
AN canola oil
AN kosher salt
AN black peppercorn, ground

Lather both sides of steak with oil. Salt liberally, and season with pepper to taste. Place on a high heat grill. A fourth of the way through, flip with a pair of tongs. Allow to cook to the half way point. Flip again with a pair of tongs and match up grill marks on the steak so that they are perpendicular to the grill slats. Flip one last time and again match up the marks. I’d hate to put a time limit on this since cooking times depend on a number of factors, especially how thick an item is. I’d say this takes about 6-10 minutes on a medium heat for a medium to medium-rare. Rest the steak.

If you’re looking to impress everyone by building a sauce from scratch, I’d recommend serving this with the Béarnaise sauce.

Shish Kebabs

There are not too many more things to add under here. Just a couple of quick points.

One, you may have heard to soak your skewers in water to keep them from burning. I personally find that you still might see some burning anyway. If that’s a concern of yours, I would wrap the exposed wood in foil. That tends to keep the skewers from burning nicely. However, soaking the skewers in water for awhile before assembling your shish kebabs is still a good idea, since it can help, but not stop splintering.

Two, the nightmare of shish kebabs to the cook is that you basically take a bunch of stuff that all have different cooking times but place them on the same stick and expect it to be done in time. If you have things like bell pepper next to chicken, this might be a problem on getting one to cook through without burning the other. I like to cut all the pieces so that they’re all roughly the same cube shape and size. Then when assembling the shish kebabs, I like to make sure that there is no space between the food. If it’s all shoved up against one another, it takes longer for the thinner items like the bell pepper to burn.

Three, shish kebabs are another area to get creative in. Grilling are one of the building block techniques I mentioned in the introduction post. Shish Kebabs are an easy way to break into creativity if you’re not used to that yet. Get creative in the pairings, get creative in the marinades. Get creative in herbs. You can use a thicker stems from herbs like rosemary as skewers. (Although I wouldn’t soak those in water beforehand). This really is a simple way to mix and match.

Lamb Shish Kebab

8 oz lamb sirloin, cubed 1” (and trimmed and clean)
½ lemon
2 each garlic cloves
1 each zucchini squash, thinly sliced
1 each red bell pepper, cut into thin 1” squares
1 tsp oregano, chopped
½ tsp cumin, ground
3 oz olive oil
AN kosher salt
AN black peppercorn, ground

The marinade consists of lemon, olive oil, garlic, oregano and cumin. Place the meat, zucchini and bell pepper in a bag. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in marinade. Set in fridge for an hour.

Assemble shish kebabs in whichever order you wish. Wrap the ends in foil. Grill on high heat. Make sure to heat all four sides of the shish kebab.

• Mango, Lime and Mace Shrimp Skewers
• Grilled Pizza with Sweet Veggies and Sausage
• Proscuitto-Wrapped Shrimp with Blackberry Mint Sauce
• Onion and Pancetta-Stuffed Fennel Bulbs
• Burgers So Big that the Cow Couldn’t Jump Over Them
• Scott’s Red Stripe Ribs
• Lamb Salad: Man Edition!
• Herb-Smothered Flank Steak with Stuffed Eggplant Wedges

Be sure to check back later this week and next for a whole new batch of recipes for your outdoor kitchen!

Ingredients

1 firm banana
1 tbsp. chocolate chips
2 tsp. chopped walnut pieces
2 to 3 tsp. mini marshmallows

Directions

On a flat surface, arrange a double thickness of aluminum foil large enough to wrap around the banana. Leave the skin on the banana and cut a long slit along the inside curve (if the banana is very curved, flatten it slightly with the palm of your hand).

Press chocolate chips, walnuts and marshmallows into the opening. Wrap the banana with aluminum foil and lay it on the hot coals. Cook it for eight to ten minutes, or until the chocolate and marshmallows are melted.

(Watch it carefully.) Let the boat cool slightly, then open the foil and eat the banana and add-ins with a spoon. Serves one.

After a couple tries, I was able to perfect the grilling so the banana was perfect for my tastes...not too mushy.  This required medium-low heat for 6-8 minutes with rotation half way through.  If you prefer a mushy texture, I recommend leaving the banana on longer and increasing the heat.  Next time I plan to change up the toppings...maybe some vanilla ice cream, mini M&Ms and some peanut butter sauce.  Mmmm, delicious!  Why wait?

While the wonders of backyard cooking were well known to mid-century dads, I'm sure it was mid-century moms who first attempted to contain the resulting mess of charred meat remnants and grease with foil. Apparently successful, foil cookery soon became a common sight on patios all across America. Harkening back to my own Scouting days in the late 1960's, this type of cookery was considered an intermediate step between regular camp cooking using pots and pans, and primitive cookery using sticks and coals. Leave it to the miracles of science and technology (and moms) to bridge the gap!

Be prepared!
To create a portable meal in a pouch you first need aluminum foil (duh). The next step, however, will vary depending upon what heat source you are planning to use.

1. Double wrap your meal in foil if you are going to be cooking directly on coals. This way you'll get extra thermal protection from the higher heat. Remember, If you're going to use an outdoor wood fire, be sure to let it burn down sufficiently to create a nice even bed of burning embers.

2. If you plan to put them on the grill several inches over the coals, you only need to wrap it once.

Traditional Foil Meal
For each traditional foil meal or "Scout Supper", you'll need the following ingredients:

• 1 thick hamburger patty seasoned to your taste (see note)
• 1 potato, peeled and sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the foil pouch per the instructions above. Spray the interior of the pouch (shiny side) with cooking spray. Layer the potatoes, carrots, seasoned meat patty, and onions in the center of the pouch. Season with salt and pepper then fold into a tightly sealed pouch (see illustration). Cook for about 15-20 minutes if you're cooking directly over coals, or 30-45 minutes if you're using the grate over your grill. Use your senses to help you determine when its done! When it's ready, carefully take it off the fire, let cool for a minute, then cut open to form a foil "plate".  Be careful of the steam when you open these, and I suggest you put the foil on a real plate lest you have molten food introducing itself to your crotch!

The hybrid meal shown above is an example of the diversity of this type of cookery. Note the squash and bell pepper along with the traditional beef patty, onion, and potatoes.

Note: Steamed meat inherently lacks the flavor that only direct fire can impart, therefore it's my opinion that you need to add something to help out the meat. Almost anything will do, but I suggest steak sauce, or dried soup mixes worked thoroughly into the meat.

Non-Traditional Foil Meal
The preparation for this recipe is the same as above, except the sky is the limit! Almost any combination of meats and vegetables can be used to create a foil meal. Squash, bell pepper, sweet potato, ham, pineapple, you name it...It's up to you! I'll use the following as an example of a non-traditional foil meal.

Chicken with Lemon and Rosemary in Foil

• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
• 4-5 springs fresh rosemary (or 3-4 Tbs. of store bought)
• about 1 cup of whole mushrooms
• 1/2 bell pepper cut into rings
• 3 thick slices of lemon

Prepare the foil pouch per the instructions above. Spray the interior of the pouch (shiny side) with cooking spray. Layer the fresh rosemary, chicken breast, mushrooms, bell pepper, and lemon in the pouch. Season with salt and pepper and fold to make a tightly sealed pouch. Cook for about 15-20 minutes if you're cooking directly over coals, or 30-45 minutes if you're using the grate over your grill. Remove and serve. Note that fresh rosemary tends to pack more of a wallop than its dried store bought cousins, so use accordingly.

Don't forget dessert!
For an extra treat give your foil a quick dose of cooking spray and wrap up firm, fresh apples and bake over the coals for about 30 minutes. Bananas are good too and only take about 10 minutes. Once you're an experienced foil chef you can try the ultimate tiki dessert...a whole pineapple!

Before Leaving

If your foil cooking adventure took you into the great outdoors, be sure to thoroughly douse your fire (I mean cold to the touch), and pack out your trash. Remember your aluminum foil (and "beverage" cans) are recyclable! You might could even recoup some of your gas expenses depending on your drinking habits!

Pizza has a special place in my heart. I've made, warmed up, ordered, picked up, reheated and plain ate a ton of pizza over the past 30+ years. My favorite pizza of all time was the Tombstone pizza that my dad would buy for me in the bars of Blair, Wisconsin. This is where my dad grew up and we would visit my grandfather every few years for vacation.

You see my grandfather was a bit of a bad ass, actually much more of a bad ass than my dad. When I started going back to Wisconsin at the tender age of 12, I was always allowed in the bars. Everyone knew my grandfather and even though he was in his '70s at the time, they respected and still feared him. They would break the rules, hence I was never bothered in any of the bars, would have full run and, well, occasionally I could have a bit of beer.

Back then my dad, grandfather and I would go fishing all day long, almost every day then many nights we would take a trip to one of the 17 bars in Blair, population 1,100, circa 1980. Between playing pool, sneaking a drink here and there and well, eating pizza, I had the time of my life.

Rivaling my childhood pizza memories was the trip Nancy and I took recently to Italy for our honeymoon. I couldn't get enough pizza when I was there and I think I ordered some almost every day, 17 days in total. True Italian pizza is in my opinion is the best you can get. Yes I love all types, but the thin crispy crust with a few toppings, it's simplicity at its best.

Fast forward to present times... Even though I've eaten 100s and 100s of pizzas, unbelievably I've never grilled one on my barbecue. I've thought about it quite a bit, but for some reason, I guess I chickened out. I end up throwing them in the oven. Good but not great!

So this past Sunday I finally worked up the courage to give it a try and let me tell you, it was awesome. I did take a shortcut and used dough I purchased at our local bread shop and I used Trader Joe's pizza sauce, but the basil was from our garden and I used fresh mozzarella for one of them and shredded mozzarella and pepperoni for the other.

By all means you can make the dough yourself. I've done it before and it's very rewarding. But all you have to do is call the local bread shop. We purchase ours for something like a buck per pound.

This post is for all of us who don't have a ton of time and want to get some great pizza on the table, after work, without any hassle. Better yet, invite all of your friends over, purchase a bunch of different toppings and throw an awesome party. Your guests will be talking about it all summer long.

Grilled Pizza Margherita or Grilled Pizza Whatever

• 1 Bottle of TJ's Pizza Sauce or Homemade Sauce
• 1 pound of Pizza Dough - Divided then formed into two balls
• 6 to 8 ounces of Fresh Mozzarella cut into cubes
• 6 to 8 Fresh Basil Leaves, medium sized
• Optional - caramelized onions, Pepperoni, Salami, etc, etc.

Set up your grill. If using charcoal then you will want to light about 40 coals. When ready spread them out on one side of the grill so you have a cool side and a hot side. If using a gas grill, light all the burners, close the lid and heat to high. You will then turn the front burner off completely when ready to grill the pizza. This will be your cool zone.

Lightly oil a large baking sheet or cookie sheet. Take one of the balls of dough and using your fingers and hands stretch the dough into a rectangle. I suggest about 13 or so inches long and 9 or so inches wide. Don't worry about it being perfect, it's to eat not to hang on a wall. The important thing to figure out is how thick you like your crust, so experiment with this part. It will be fun. Repeat with other ball of dough.

Prepare your ingredients, sauce, cheese and toppings. You want them ready and in reach once your dough hits the grill.

You will want to grill one at a time. Practice makes perfect. Gently lift the dough and drape it over the hot zone of your grill. Depending on the heat of your grill you will leave them there for 1 to 3 minutes. You are looking for nice grill marks a crisp and hardened bottom. If the top starts to bubble don't worry about it.

Using two spatulas or tongs or a combo turn the dough over and move it to the cool zone on your grill. Working quickly brush the top half with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, apply the sauce, cheese and basil leaves or the other ingredients you are working with. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Slide 1/2 of the pizza back over the hot zone close the lid. Every 30 seconds to 60 seconds rotate the pizza and close the lid so that the cheese melts on the top and the crust doesn't overcook. You are looking for a nice crunchy crust, golden brown, some charring, but not burnt.

Enjoy! Please share ideas for toppings and your pizza grilling experience.

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Det var en flott kveld, og brasilianerne prøvde å lære meg gloser slik som Cala a boca (shut up.)

Tror ikke de gjorde noen forsøk på å lære meg noe nyttig x)

Idag har vi vært på enda en barbeque, men nå var det i en "Condeminion^^" Det er et inngjerdet nabolag hvor de rikeste i byen bor (type omvendt getto.) Husene er virkelig flotte, og alle har selvfølgelig svømmebasseng som aldri blir brukt. Brasilianske ungdommer er helt topp=D utadvendte i massevis, og humør til den store gullprisen..^^

Barbeque i Brasil er langt bedre enn typisk norsk grilling - en objektiv sannhet x) Linguica (en type hot-dog) er nydelig^^ Caipirinha'en hadde heller ikke vært så verst, hvis de kunne blandet den ut litt mer.. (=

I've been growing garlic for years - it's one of the few vegetables that I consistently have in my garden, and I can usually grow enough that we only need to buy a few heads in the spring to tide us over. I used to grow softneck, but I discovered Rocambole hardneck garlic about 5 years ago and have grown it exclusively ever since - I think it has a better flavor, and it's often much easier to peel.

One major difference between softneck and hardneck is that hardneck puts up flower stalks in the spring. If you leave them on, the flowers turn into little clusters of bulbils, taking energy from the main bulb, so it's best to cut them off - I haven't always been good about this, but I usually make it out there at some point, haphazardly whack off the flower scapes and compost them.

But this year! This year I've been reading food blogs, and I've discovered something new. Turns out, if you pick the scape before it blooms and hardens, you can eat it! I have never seen this information in a cookbook, not even my Alice Waters book. So last week, when I saw the scapes coming up from my little garlic plot, I made sure I got right out there with my clippers and gathered up a good handful. I wasn't sure what to do with them, but they seem to get treated rather like asparagus or green beans, so I decided to try a really straightforward approach for our first attempt: olive oil and salt, and a quick toss on a hot grill.

J had seasoned a boneless leg of lamb with garlic and lemon juice, then grilled it until it was nice and crispy on the outside. Then we tossed on some Japanese eggplant and the garlic scapes. They seemed to grill nicely, although they have a tendency to try to slip between the grates.

The verdict? They were fun, with a very pleasant green garlic flavor. We discovered that the sheaths covering the flower buds are not good to eat - very tough and stringy - but if you pull on them they pop right off, and there's a bit of tasty stuff rather like an artichoke leaf right at the base of the sheath. The stem is tender, just a little firmer than a fresh asparagus stem. I think I won't have any trouble trimming my garlic scapes in future years.

The show starts with Captain Ross at an honorary dinner for a former cop and renowned crime fiction author, played by Brenda Strong. We know from the beginning Ross dated Kathy (the author) at some point, but the subject of the author's dismay is her missing husband (Woody), whom we discover ran off with his gym fling (Avery) and couched it as one in a series of recent car-jackings.

After emotional upswings where we don't know whether Woody and Avery are alive, a sarcastic appearance by Eric Roberts and Kathy's delusion her young Woody will return to give her—a self-denying cougar—babies, we discover Kathy is the killer.

This was an excellent case to help Goren earn his credibility with Ross, who refused to believe Kathy used him to disguise her crimes. Goren persisted with the tough-love news, in the way he does best. And of course, Kathy comes unglued in the end, ultimately exposing her true lack of character to Danny Ross.

As for the Goren-Eames tension, Eames continues to make great calls when working a case and even though she's pissed at Bobby, she still shows her loyalty by working in consort with him—putting the investigation before her resentments.

Goren has taken to a quasi-"yes, dear" approach with Eames—making it clear he recognizes her disappointment and hurt from his last stint undercover. He's not faking this however, as it has always been obvious he respects Alex Eames as a cut-rate detective.

If you want to enjoy German potato salad during next week's eppie of L&O:CI, try this loosely crafted recipe, a formal one can be found in Kingsford's Complete Grilling Book:

• 2 lbs of red potatoes, boiled
• Cook bacon for bacon bits (and save some bacon grease to create your dressing)
• Lightly mash the potatoes with the skins
• Create a dressing with appropriate portions of chopped green onions, stone ground mustard, white vinegar, olive oil, bacon bits, one teaspoon of bacon grease and course sea salt; your dressing should be light with enough to cover the potatoes without saturating them
• Let potato salad rest while preparing your entree
• Enjoy with fried pork chops, sprinkled with coarse sea salt and fresh crushed black pepper

Psst: Be on the lookout for Judy's and Rita's No-Brainers, where my virtual marketing assistant (the lovely Rita Ellingwood who cooks, assists with my marketing and has the ultimate tips on food service and food) will feature a series of tips on service and cooking.

Using ground turkey can be a challenge as it can very easily dry out during the cooking process and due to the low fat content (I use almost fat-free) it really needs help in the seasoning department. Because I've been blessed with my herbal garden (i.e. several herbs in pots on my deck), I have an abundance of various herbs I need to start using. I came up, with what I think, is a perfect turkey burger recipe - moist, flavorful, and tasty.

What strikes me as odd when I make turkey burgers as opposed to ground beef burgers is how different I treat them. With ground beef, I simply use sea salt and freshly ground pepper. That's it. That's all I believe a burger needs. But with the turkey burgers, they need a little (or maybe a lot of) help. Because the use of herbs in my burgers gave them some nice green coloring, I decided to carry that over into my side dish of whole wheat couscous and peas that I threw some butter, olive oil and Parmesan cheese in.

A few things I did different...I threw some horseradish cream in there for a little kick and I used a packet of instant oatmeal to bind the burgers (instead of breadcrumbs). The oatmeal is not even noticable in taste or view.

Overall ratings - Turkey burgers - 5 stars

Herbed Turkey Burgers

1 pound ground turkey breast

1 T. Dijon mustard

1 T. light mayo

1/2 T. horseradish cream

1 T. each of minced fresh parsley, rosemary, basil

1 egg

1 packet of instant oatmeal

Combine all in large bowl and gently mix. Using a non-stick skillet or grill, cook burgers about 7-8 minutes each side. Turkey burgers tend to take longer to cook than beef, so be sure they are done inside.

The list of ingredients are fairly simple.

• 1 3–4 pounds natural chicken
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 5–6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 6 tablespoons mixed fresh herbs (such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, and marjoram)
• sea salt, to taste
• ground pepper, to taste
• lemon wedges to garnish

They seem to forget the most important part, one good clay brick. What's that you say? You don't have a brick? They have them at most hardware stores or you can just pick one up that's been outside laying on the ground. Don't worry about the spiders, just flick them off. Be sure you have some tongs ready to handle the brick, as handling a brick at 500°F with bare hands will surely put an end to your cook-out.

Once you have all your ingredients, it's time to marinate the chicken in the refrigerator with the herbs, olive oil and pepper for at least 5 hours or overnight.

Now once your chicken is marinated, fire up that grill and let's start cooking.

A whole chicken should be cooked over a medium-low fire (you should be able to hold your hand over the flame for 5–6 seconds). Drain excess marinade off the chicken and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on the grill skin side down. Immediately place two heavy bricks wrapped in foil or a weighted cast iron pan over the chicken. Close the lid of the grill and cook for about 15 minutes. Check to see that the skin is crispy and golden. Cook on the other side for 15 to 20 minutes, until juices run clear when pierced with a knife or a meat thermometer registers 180°F. Serve with wedges of lemon.

This image is from Burnt Lumpia, and shows you what the chicken will look like as it is cooking.

Our friends over at Whole Foods say to foil wrap the bricks. That's not completely necessary, or perhaps they don't want to freak out their guests with clay bricks lying on chicken. They also use whole chicken in the recipe, you can however substitute boneless chicken breasts and even switch out the marinade for your favorite bar-b-que sauce. If you opt for the boneless breasts and sauce, follow the same cooking steps as noted above. I recommend salting the chicken before its placed on the grill and adding a little lemon pepper. You don't have to cook the chicken as long, but be sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 180°F or the juices run clear. Once the chicken has reached that golden temperature, or is close to being done, take the brick off the chicken using tongs and baste the chicken with your sauce. Flip the chicken and baste the other side. Once the sauce has begun to char a little, which happens thanks to the sugars in the sauce, you're chicken is ready for the masses.

Stay tuned for a vinegar based pasta salad to go with whichever style of chicken you choose to cook.