Eat This!

Grilled Corn with Herbed Butter, Lime and White Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 18:55:00 +0000

A-maize-ingly Great Husker-dos

This recipe always blows people away. It is simply grilled corn with herbed butter and cheese. Barbeque's or even a weekend family dinner can shine even greater with this side dish. Whenever we have new people come to our BBq’s they always rave over this grilled corn dish, asking what makes this kick butt. Why it’s the herbed butter and cheeses folks, that’s all.

Herbed butter is easy to make and is an excellent topping for everything from steaks to seafood to vegetables. To make herbed butter just soften some butter, add some spices, and herbs (which are mentioned in the herbed butter recipe below), refrigerate and delight in this smoothe sensory sensation!

Ingredients:
Corn (on the cob with husks still intact)
Limes
Garlic Herbed Butter (see recipe below)
Cotija Cheese (Mexican white cheese) – Grated

How To Make It:

1. Remove the silks from the inside of the corn, if desired, and pull back up the husks to cover the corn.

2. Place the corn in a cooler (any large vessel will do) filled with water and let soak for at least 30 minutes.

3. Heat your grill to medium-high heat. (350-400 degrees)

4. Remove the corn from the water and shake off as much excess water as you can.

5. Place the corn on the grill over direct heat and grill for 15 to 20 minutes with the grill lid closed.

6. Remove the corn from the grill and pull back husks. (I recommend leaving on the husks because they make great handles.)

7. Brush the garlic herbed butter (see below) onto the corn and sprinkle with cheese. Squeeze a lime over the corn and mmm, mmm, they are ready to serve.

Garlic Herbed Butter
Butter – ½ cup softened
Garlic – 2 cloves minced
Italian Blend Herbed Spices– 1½ teaspoons (found in your grocer's herb and spice isle)
Lime Juice – 1 teaspoon

1. Place the butter in a bowl and mix in the garlic, Italian blend and lime juice.

2. Cover and refrigerate.

Roasted Potatoes and Onions

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 19:13:00 +0000

Hearty and “Delish”

This side dish is hearty and delicious. It is easy to make and is an excellent change from the same old rice or potato side dish. The aroma that the herbs give off when this is baking will have everyone asking, “What smells awesome?!”

My son can eat a whole plateful by himself with a grilled steak as a side dish. I love this dish for entertaining because it requires so little effort allowing you to concentrate on other preparations.

An Early Tip:

When you clean the potatoes be sure to dry them thoroughly or they will stick to the baking sheet. This is a real downer, even if you have used aluminum foil and sprayed it with a non-stick cooking spray.

Ingredients:
Red New Potatoes – 2 pounds cut in half (make sure they are dry if you wash them)
Cippolini Onions – 1 pound, peeled
Olive Oil (extra virgin) – ¼ cup
Herbes de Provence – 2 teaspoons (If need be, you can substitute dried rosemary for the Herbes de Provence for a tasty change.
Salt – 1 teaspoon
Pepper (black) – 1 teaspoon

How To Make It:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together thoroughly.

3. Pour the mixture out onto a baking sheet and spread out evenly.

4. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes are golden and cooked through.

5. Serve on a platter and enjoy!

“What smells awesome?!”

French Green Beans in Shallot Dressing

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 21:08:00 +0000

Dressed to Impress

This dish is an excellent side that has a lot of flavor, it is quick to make up and is a real crowd pleaser. It has a restaurant style moxie. As long as you don’t over cook the green beans you are good to go. I personally like to serve this dish with chicken or steak and risotto. But you can decide what main dish you would prefer to place this great side next to.

One time my friend had asked me for a meal that he could make for his wife on their anniversary. This recipe was one of the sides I had recommended and had written out for him. The following day he told me she was so impressed at the incredible meal he had made and how that the green beans was her favorite.

And you know what? To this day they include this dish as a regular side to many of their meals. I was and still am happy about that.

The technical term for these thin French green beans is “Haricot vert.” This comes from the French Haricot meaning, “beans” and vert meaning, “green.” French green beans are longer and thinner than most American varieties. They are also more tender and have a more complex flavor, meaning the dish or food has multiple layers of flavor – the base flavor and several subtle undertones.

Try this recipe out and we are quite sure it will be a favorite side at your house as well.

Ingredients:
French Green Beans (haricots verts) – 1 pound
Olive Oil (extra virgin) – ¼ cup
Dijon Mustard – 1 tablespoon
Red Wine Vinegar – 1 tablespoon
Shallot – 1 minced
Salt
Pepper (black)

How To Make It:

1. Place the French green beans in a steamer and steam for 4 to 8 minutes or until tender.

Gourmet Standard 2-qt. Double Boiler & Steamer Set

2. While they are steaming it's time to make the dressing. Whisk together the olive oil, mustard, vinegar, and the shallot.

3. Remove the French green beans from the steamer and place in a bowl.

4. Toss in the French green beans with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve!

You just may hear the cries, “Sacre bleu, this is the best haricot vert dish ever!”

“Wi, monsieur.”

Potato Pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 13:28:00 +0000

Kartoffelpuffer, Latkes, It's All the Same Good Eatin'

Gotta love a potato pancake. Crispy fried potato perfection. This recipe is the easiest way I have found to work this one out. If you have an abundance of leftover mashed potatoes from last night's dinner, just regift them as potato pancakes. It's a different side dish, utilizing leftovers in a unique way, that no one will be sayin', “Oh man, yukkie leftovers.”

I love these pancakes with a dab of sour cream on top, or if I am having these with pork chops, my kids top them with applesauce. Whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner you can’t go wrong with a kartoffelpuffer on your plate.

Ingredients:
Mashed Potatoes – 2 ½ cups
Egg – 1 large
Flour (white) – ½ cup
Onion (white) – 1 small
Chives – 2 ½ tablespoons
Salt
Black Pepper
Oil (vegetable or canola)

How To Make It:
1. In a large bowl mix together the potatoes and egg, then stir in the flour.

2. Mix in the onion, chives then season with the salt and pepper to taste.

3. Put enough oil in a skillet (I use an electric skillet) 1/8 inch deep over medium-high heat. Make sure it's very hot but not smoking. If you are using an electric skillet set the temperature to 350 degrees.

Cuisinart 18x15-in. Nonstick Electric Skillet

4. Scoop heaping tablespoons of the mix into the hot oil a few at a time to cook them without crowding them.

5. Once they are in the oil flatten them with the back of your spoon. Let them cook for about a minute on each side or until golden brown.

6. Remove the potato pancakes from the oil and let drain on paper towels.

7. Serve with your favorite meal, whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Brined Roast Turkey

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 20:52:00 +0000

Brine, Dine, and Shine

Years ago, I had found an incredible recipe for a brined roast turkey that sounded delicious. I had brined chicken and pork before but never turkey until now. But before I impart to you the recipe, let me first share a little story.

I remember the time I had made this roast turkey for my brother and his family. It was about five years ago on Christmas. We had taken a trip to visit them in New York. They wanted to have a turkey for Christmas dinner and I suggested that we brine it. They are always “game” (ha, ha – get it? Turkey? Game?) for new recipes so away to the store we went for the ingredients. They had gotten all the fixin’s and the turkey already, all we needed were a few spices.

When we returned, they pulled out this freakin' Godzilla sized turkey. I knew we would have to use some ingenuity on this one. It definitely was not going to fit back in the refrigerator in the brine. I told my brother it was no problem. We will just make up the brine, submerge the turkey in it, place the whole mixture in a clean portable cooler, and set it outside on the patio until we are ready to cook it. (By the way, the temperature outside was sub zero.)

Well, needless to say they absolutely loved the brined roast turkey and have made it that way since. The cooler idea worked great, and I have done it this way since then. (A clean 5 gallon bucket would do just as nicely also.)

A Little Chemistry About Brining:

“Brine” is simply defined as, “water saturated or nearly saturated with salt.” The science of brining meat is very simple. All meat contains salt water and by submerging it into a liquid that has a much higher concentration of salt, the brine mixture is absorbed into the meat.

When you add spices to the brine it is carried into the meat, flavoring it, as well as adding extra moisture to the meat which makes it extra juicy when served.

A very simple basic brine you can use for any meat is as follows: 1 gallon of water to 1 cup of kosher salt. The spices you prefer to add are up to you. Be imaginative and enjoy the most flavorful, juicy meat you’ve ever had.

Brine: (The following brine is based upon a recipe by Alton Brown)
Vegetable Stock – 1 gallon
Brown Sugar – ½ cup
Kosher Salt – 1 cup
Peppercorns (black) – 1 tablespoon
Allspice Berries – 1 tablespoon
Candied Ginger – 1 tablespoon
Iced Water – 1 gallon

Ingredients:
Brine
Canola Oil
Turkey – 16 pounds

Aromatics for Inside the Turkey:
Apple (your favorite)– 1 sliced
Onion (white)– 1 sliced
Cinnamon Stick – 1
Water – 1 cup boiling
Rosemary – 4 sprigs

How To Make It:
A. Do this the day before you are going to have the turkey.

1. In a large stockpot combine together all brine ingredients. Bring this mixture to a boil to dissolve the sugar and salt.

2. Remove the brine mixture from the heat and let cool.

3. Once the brine is room temperature mix it with the iced water into a container large enough to hold the brine and the turkey.

4. Place the thawed turkey into the brine, cover and refrigerate or set in a cold area for a minimum of eight hours, preferably overnight.

5. Turn the turkey over once during the brining to ensure the entire bird gets flavored up.

B. The day of the roasting.

1. Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse with water inside and out.

2. Throw away the brine.

3. Preheat the oven for 500 degrees.

4. In the meanwhile, combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and water in a measuring cup and let steep for at least five minutes.

5. Place the turkey on a roasting rack in a large roasting pan and add the aromatics and the rosemary.

6. Using a basting brush, coat the entire turkey with canola oil.

Oneida 17x14x3-in. Nonstick Roasting Pan with Rack

7. Roast on the lower level in your oven for thirty minutes at 500 degrees.

8. Remove the turkey from the oven and cover the breast with aluminum foil. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and return the turkey to the oven.

9. Using a instant read thermometer roast until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. (This should take about 2 to 3 hours.)

10. Once done, let the turkey rest for 10 – 15 minutes, covered loosely with an aluminum foil tent before carving.

Now you are ready with your brined turkey to dine and shine!

Grilled Garlic Shrimp

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 22:17:00 +0000

Shrimp Eatin' Excellence

These babies are an excellent side to a grilled steak or an appetizer. They are very easy to prepare and are full of flavor. My kids are “shrimp crazy” and could eat a bushel, I'm sure, by themselves. If you are a crazed shrimp eater like my kids or just love a tasty shrimp from time to time, this is a great grillin’ dish.

Ingredients:
Shrimp – 16 - 20 large shrimp, shelled and deveined, tails left on
Olive Oil – ½ cup
Garlic – 3 cloves chopped
Oregano – 1 tablespoon dry
Parsley – 2 tablespoons fresh chopped or 1 tablespoon dry
Red Pepper Flakes – 1 teaspoon
Salt – ¼ teaspoon
Pepper (black) – ¼ teaspoon

How To Make It:
Combine olive oil, garlic, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in measuring cup and mix well to make this marinade.

Place shrimp in a 1-gallon freezer bag and pour marinade over them. Seal and marinade for at least an hour.

While the shrimp are marinading, take wooden skewers and place in a bowl of water. Presoaking them prevents them from burning on the grill.

Prepare the grill for medium high (350-400 degree) heat.

Remove the shrimps from the marinade and skewer them on the wooden skewers. This makes life easier when you try to flip them on the grill.

Place the shrimps on the grill over direct heat (shrimps directly over the heat source) and grill covered for 2 minutes per side.

Now you are ready to serve and enjoy this fantastic dish!

Down Home Fried Catfish

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 12:38:00 +0000

A Fish Fry Favorite

Some time back catfish wasn’t what I thought of as “good eats.” Reasons why? First of all I just never tried it. Secondly, I just didn’t like the looks of ‘em. Terrible reasons, I know, especially from me being a “foodie” and all.

But the truth is, many people use the same crazy reasons (more accurately called, “excuses”) why they don't like a certain dish as well. Well, let me share this little story with you and maybe, just maybe catfish will become one of your favorites like it is mine now.

My wife’s family has a semi-annual fish fry that is greatly anticipated by everyone. We all bring a little something, but the spotlight is always the fish. All types of fish are prepared, but my new favorite became, on that day, catfish.

I can still remember the day I tried catfish just like it was yesterday. The weather was warm with a cool breeze flowing, a distinctive smell of frying fish in the air. Everyone was enjoying an icy cold beverage, playing darts, pool, horseshoes and eating up some real good vittles.

My wife brings over a plate of catfish and asks me to try it. “Nah, I’m ok,” I said, noticing that her overall expression has now changed. No one ever accused me of being real smart, but I am smart enough to realize that the look from her meant, “Eat it or wear it.”

So grabbing my first ever nugget of unkowingly perfectly prepared catfish, I bit into the flaky piece and said, “Hey, this is pretty good.” I thought, “Hmmm, I’d like to have myself a little fish fry of my own. A similar outing with good friends, good drink, and good eats would be great. But I need to pick someone’s mind about the catfish and hushpuppies and then I can get to making it myself.”

My wife smiled at me and said, “See. It didn’t kill ya'. Now get over yourself.” She then turned and walked away.

Yes, I will live to see another day, whew! But seriously, I did really like this delightful new taste sensation and went to the table to fix me a plate of my own.

Well, after much trial and error I have finally come across a method for making delicious fried catfish. I have tried wet batters and many different dry mixtures till I finally settled on this particular recipe as my all time favorite. (It seems that all who partakes agrees also. Hope you will too.)

Ingredients:
Frying Oil – preferably peanut oil, but you can use canola or whatever frying oil you prefer
Flour (white)
Cornmeal
Catfish fillets – cut into 2 inch pieces
Salt
Old Bay Seasoning

How To Make It:
1. Preheat a fryer with oil to 350 degrees.

T-Fal 2.65-lb. Titan Class Pro-Fryer Deep Fryer, Stainless Steel

2. Mix together the flour and cornmeal. I usually measure these out 4 to 1, for example: 1-cup flour to ¼ cup cornmeal, or say, 4 cups flour to 1-cup cornmeal. It all depends on how much fish you are going to make.

3. Place the flour-cornmeal mixture in a paper bag. You can use a large covered plastic bowl if you prefer.

4. Season each catfish piece lightly with salt and the Old Bay seasoning. (Do watch the amount of seasoning you use. You don’t want this to taste like a salt lick.)

5. Place the fish in the flour-cornmeal mixture and shake, shake, shake till they are covered evenly.

6. Place the fish in the oil carefully and deep fry for 8 minutes. (Don’t over crowd the fish in the fryer because they won’t cook evenly and they will stick together.)

7. Drain the catfish on newspaper or paper towels and serve with slaw, hushpuppies or your favorite fixins.

Hope this becomes one of your Fish Fry Favorites!

How to Grill the Perfect Shrimp

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 20:14:00 +0000

Shrimp Eatin’ at Its Best

Grilled shrimp is a favorite food accoutrement to any meal we have around our house. As an appetizer you can’t ever get enough and as an addition to a main dish, such as a juicy steak, it is “the tops.”

One of the biggest pitfalls many people face is keeping the shrimp moist and tender. They (the shrimp, not the people) overcook very easily due to their short cooking time. Because of this factor you may wind up with a plateful of chewy, gnarled and dried out shrimp.

I recommend grilling shrimp with the shells on. This helps retain the moisture and insulate the shrimp from the intense heat of the grill. I also recommend using only large to Jumbo shrimp for grilling as small shrimp always overcook and take on the consistency of pencil erasers.

To Prepare:

To make it easier to remove the shells after the shrimp are grilled, cut along the back of the shrimp with kitchen shears stopping about a ½ inch from the tail. (This also helps facilitate deveining them if you chose to before you start grilling.)

Skewering the shrimp makes it easier to flip and to remove them from the grill. If you use wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least a half an hour prior to grilling to prevent the skewers from burning on the grill.

Weber Set of 7 Skewer and Kabob Set

Ingredients:
Large to Jumbo Shrimp – ½ pound, unpeeled

How To Make It:
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat, from 350-400 degrees.

2. Prepare shrimp as instructed above, deveining if you choose to.

3. Grill the shrimp, with the lid for the grill on, directly over the heat source until they are opaque in color (not able to be seen through, or not transparent) all the way through. Use the chart below as a guide for grilling times.

Shrimp Cooking Times:
Large:
2 minutes per side

Extra-Large:
2 ½ minutes per side

Jumbo:
Three minutes per side

4. Be careful removing the shrimp from the skewers as the shrimp and the skewers will be very hot.

Well now. There is only one thing left to do and that is to have at it! Enjoy these moist and tender crustaceans.

Practical Cooking Safety Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 20:41:00 +0000

The kitchen can be a very busy center of activity. Many of us have more than one thing that we are working on in getting that meal prepared and ready for consumption. The stove is heating pots of whatever, the oven is cooking or baking something else, the cutting board and knives are either being used or going to be used for chopping, dicing, mincing, etc. We are moving from the refrigerator to the sink to the stove to the kitchen countertop to the microwave to the . . . You get the idea.

Add one or more precious ingredients while this is going on, like our children, and we really need to be extra careful that no mishaps occur. Here are some cooking safety tips that we trust will avoid anyone getting hurt in your kitchen.

• Always use cooking equipment tested and approved by a recognized testing facility.

• Never leave cooking food on the stovetop unattended.

• Keep a close eye on food cooking inside the oven.

• Keep cooking areas clean and clear of combustibles (e.g. potholders, towels, rags, drapes and food packaging.)

• Keep children away from cooking areas by enforcing a “kid-free zone” of three feet (1 meter) around the stove.

• Keep pets from underfoot so you do not trip while cooking. Also, keep pets off cooking surfaces and nearby countertops to prevent them from knocking things onto burner.

• Wear short, close fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can dangle onto stove burners and catch fire.

• Never use a wet oven mitt, as it presents a scald danger if the moisture in the mitt is heated.

• Always keep a potholder, oven mitt and lid handy. If a small fire starts in a pan on the stove, put on an oven mitt and smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan. Turn off the burner. Don't remove the lid until it is completely cool. Never pour water on a grease fire and never discharge a fire extinguisher onto a pan fire, as it can spray or shoot burning grease around the kitchen, actually spreading the fire.

• If there is an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed to prevent flames from burning you and your clothing.

• If there is a microwave fire, keep the door closed and unplug the microwave. Call the fire department and make sure to have the oven serviced before you use it again. Food cooked in a microwave can be dangerously hot. Remove the lids or other coverings from microwaved food carefully to prevent steam burns.

Source: The National Fire Protection Association (www.nfpa.org).

If you feel you've got some other safety tips that just might help someone stay safe in the kitchen, why not let us know.

Bratwurst in Beer

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 13:33:00 +0000

Have I Died and Gone to Heaven?

Doesn't it seem like some things are just made for each other? Things like peanut butter and jelly, milk and cookies, ice cream and cones, etc. Aahh yes. Then there's grilling bratwurst and beer. This recipe is way easy and tastes phenomenal.

My favorite Canuks, Bob and Debbie, who lived down the street, loved this recipe and requested it every time we had pool parties. Its funny. Bob would season everything he ate with, what we dubbed, “Bob Spice” (ketchup). I was honored that this was the only dish he didn’t have to season with Bob Spice.

They have since moved back to Orillia, Canada but I can still hear him sayin’, “Hey Johnnie! How’s aboot you make that Beer Brats this weekend, eh? We’ll bring the beer!” Well Bob, this Labatt’s Blue is for you, my friend. Cheers!

I like to whip this baby up on a grill with a side burner to keep from having to run back and forth from the kitchen to the grill. It isn’t all that bad if you don’t have a side burner, it is just convenient. You can substitute kielbasa for the brats if you prefer. No crime here, just good eats.

Ingredients:
Beer – 1 can of your favorite
Water – 1 ½ cups
Onion (yellow) – 2 medium chopped
Bratwurst – 2 pounds
Salt – ¼ teaspoon
Pepper (black) – ¼ teaspoon
Butter – 2 tablespoons
Flour – 2 tablespoons
Apple Cider Vinegar – 2 tablespoons
Sugar – 1 tablespoon
Parsley – just enough to garnish

How To Make It:

1. Preheat the grill for medium high heat. (A gas grill with a side burner is recommended for this recipe. But if you need to use the stovetop in the house it will work just fine as well.)

2. Combine the beer, water, onion, bratwurst, salt and pepper in a saucepan over medium heat on the side burner.

3. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook covered for 10 minutes.

4. Remove the bratwurst from the beer mixture and place the bratwurst on the grill turning them frequently to brown them all over. (The brats are done when an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees.)

5. Remove the beer mixture from the heat and reserve for a reappearance later on for this dish.

6. Meanwhile, place a large sauté pan on the side burner over medium heat. Melt the butter and stir in the flour, cooking for about 6 minutes to make a light brown roux.

Calphalon 3-qt. Nonstick Simply Calphalon Nonstick Saute Pan

7. Then stir in the vinegar, sugar and the remaining beer mixture.

8. Season with salt and pepper and bring the mixture to a boil.

9. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, which is about 10 to 15 minutes.

10. Slice the brats into 1-inch pieces and add to the sauce. Cook for 5 more minutes.

11. Garnish with parsley and you are done.

Serve this wonderfully flavorful dish to your adoring guests with pride. You've done well. I'm proud.

Cooking and Fire: Some Alarming Statistics

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 23:16:00 +0000

Food for Thought

Cooking is fun and very rewarding. The holidays are quickly approaching and with it the cooking intensifies and seemingly multiplies. But cooking can also be deadly if safety is not maintained. Here are some alarming statistics that may cause you to be more conscious of safety while cooking.

• Cooking fires are the #1 cause of home fires and home fire injuries.

• More than 100,000 home fires associated with cooking equipment are reported each year, resulting in nearly 300 deaths and more than 4,000 injuries.

• Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires.

• Three in ten reported home fires start in the kitchen – more than any other place in the home.

• Two out of three reported home cooking fires start with the stove.

• Electric stoves pose a higher risk of producing fires, injuries and property damage than gas stoves. Gas stoves carry a higher risk of fire deaths.

• A study published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that 75 percent of stove fires started with food ignitions, 45 percent began with cooking oil and 63 percent occurred when someone was frying.

Source: The National Fire Protection Association (www.nfpa.org).

We at Team Eat This!™ ask that whenever you cook, please be extra careful and be safe

How to Grill the Perfect Fish

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 23:58:00 +0000

I’d like to be, down by the sea . . .

Fish on the grill is awesomely good eats. Simply seasoned, or with a wonderful marinade or glaze will tantalize your taste buds and elicit “ohhs and ahhs” from your guests. I will show you how to prepare the perfect fish fillet on the grill. After you have the basics down, then watch out – the sky is the limit on grilling flavorfully fishy feasts.

“How the heck do you keep the fish from sticking on the grill” you might ask? The answer to this seemingly everlasting question is this -- the grill grate needs to be very clean. If this one step is over looked you can expect to scrape your fish off the grill in fragments and bits.

Prepping the Grill:
• Set it to high heat.
• Place a sheet of aluminum foil on the top of the grate.
• Close the grill top and let it clean like a self-cleaning oven for 10 minutes. The heat will burn off any bits o’food that may have stuck to the grill surface previously.
• Open the lid and remove the foil.
• Using a wire brush scrape the grill clean.

You are now ready to dive into some awesome fish grilling.

My personal opinion is that all fish is great grilled. Some fish take more to grilling than others due to the texture of the meat. Firm fish like red snapper, grouper, tuna, salmon, or swordfish grill up nicely without the use of extra hardware like the grill basket I'll mention next.

Other fish such as tilapia, catfish, and trout work nicely with the use of a grill basket since these fish are thinner and tend to flake apart when you try to flip them over.

Nonstick Rectangular Grill Basket

Marinating, lightly oiling, or using a cooking spray on the fish will help prevent the fish from sticking to the surface of the grill grate when they are ready to be turned over. The fish will naturally release itself when it is ready to be turned providing the following three simple rules are in place:

1. Ensure that the grill is clean.
2. Oil the fish before placing it on the grill.
3. Use medium high heat to cook the fish.

If you are ready to kick this thing off, let's get grillin.'

Ingredients:
Fish Fillet or Steak
Olive Oil
Salt – kosher ¼ teaspoon per fillet
Pepper (black) – ¼ teaspoon per fillet

How To Make It:
1. Get grill ready for medium high heat (350 to 400 degrees).

2. Let fish stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes then brush both sides of fish fillet with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

3. Put the fish on the grill over direct heat ( directly over the heat source) skin side up and close the grill lid. (Use the chart below to determine when to flip the fish over.)

4. Turn and continue to cook for remaining suggested times. If the fish has skin attached you can remove it when taking the fish off the grill by sliding a spatula between the fish skin and the meat.

5. Remove the fish from the grill. Now it's time to serve and enjoy this very flavorful dish..

Suggested Fish Cooking Times:
If the fish is ¼ to ½ inch thick (use a grill basket):
3 to 5 minutes per side

½ to 1 inch thick:
5 to 7 minutes per side

1 to 1 ½ inches thick:
8 to 10 minutes per side

More than 1 ½ inches thick:
Plan on at least 10 minutes per inch and reduce the grill heat to 300 to 350
degrees

Best Ever Potato Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 19:44:00 +0000

Potato, Spud, Tater – It's All Good!

Another great salad for the beach, for grillin’, parties, or whatever your pleasure may be, is potato salad. There are many variations out there but, and I must be bias now, mine has got to be the best.

“Why?” you may ask? I could get into a million reasons, but let your tongue do the judging. It's simple to make and you will definitely not be disappointed.

To begin, let me give you a couple of simple “potato tips.” The best accommodation for these spuds is to be kept in a dry, dark, and cool place to prevent them from turning them green and bitter. A refrigerator is too cold so don't put them there. They need to be in room temperature, cool, like a closet or pantry.

Any potatoes that are green or ripened to the sprout or eye stage may contain a mildly toxic compound you don’t want anything to do with. Cut away these portions or discard the potato all together, especially if it has an odor. That’s basically it. “Easy peasy.”

My personal favorite potato to use for my potato salad is the red creamer or new potatoes. They will stay together after they are boiled, preventing you from making potato salad puree when you mix the ingredients together.

If you use baking potatoes, which, by the way, have a higher starch content (and this is what makes them flaky and fluffy when making mashed potatoes), they will start to crumble up when you mix the salad ingredients together. In my opinion, it doesn't make for a very appetizing looking concoction so I don't use them for this dish..

Now, this is just a matter of preference but I sometimes leave the skins on for a little flair. It's totally up to you.

Ingredients:
Red Creamer or New Potatoes – about 2 pounds and diced to 1-inch cubes
Hard Boiled Eggs – 3 and chopped
Mayonnaise – 1/2 cup (Hellman’s brand is my favorite)
Onion (red) – 1 medium size and diced
Celery – 2 diced stalks
Salt – Kosher
Pepper (black)

How To Make It:

1. Cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes and place in a large pot. Put enough water in the pot to cover the potatoes.

2. Boil for about 15 minutes or until tender. When done, let them cool in a colander.

3. Mix together the eggs, mayonnaise, onion, and celery in a large measuring cup.

4. When the potatoes have cooled, transfer them to a large bowl. Add the contents of the large measuring cup to them and fold together gently. (To “fold” means to cut and mix lightly with a spoon to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.)

5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

No matter what you call it, Spud Salad or Tater Salad, this Potato Salad rocks!

Hard-Boiled Egg Perfection

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 20:05:00 +0000

“Egg-zactly” Perfect Boiled Eggs

Can you boil an egg? I know, I know, “insert your favorite joke here.” But believe it or not, many people have asked me how to boil an egg. Well, heck. Before I had any sense I figured that boiling eggs in water for half an hour was the way to go. Little did I know.

Over boiling eggs leaves that delightful green ring around the yolk that is oh so appetizing and the texture is something NOT to be desired. That's the way my boiled eggs used to come out.

I noticed that my grandmother used to make the most prefect deviled eggs that I had to ask her where she bought her eggs at. I thought that where you bought your eggs, not how you boiled your eggs was the crucial difference, but no. I got learned, now so can you.

This method I'm about to reveal is the easiest, fool-proof method out there. Grandma insisted that I should have no real difficulty learning this. She’s right. As the saying goes, “It's so easy even a caveman could do it.” Pretty much if I can do it, anyone can, so lets get a crackin’.

Ingredients:
Eggs
Water

How To Make It:

1. Place the eggs in a pot large enough so that all the eggs have plenty of “breathing room” and cover with cool water.

2. Place the pot on the stove, uncovered, and set the heat to medium-high and bring this baby to a boil.

3. Let the eggs boil for one minute, then remove the pot from heat and cover with a lid.

4. Let the eggs cook for 11 minutes off the heat, then drain the hot water from the pot and rinse the eggs under cool water.

Presto! “Egg-zactly” Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs.

Grilled Mustard-Savory Pork Loin

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 19:28:00 +0000

A Mouth-watering and Juicy Meat Experience

I had seen this recipe on a cooking show many years ago and loved the marinade. It was very simple with big flavor. Simple with big flavor -- that’s what I’m talkin’ about. They used country ribs at the time, but I prefer a pork loin. It's a little less fatty and oh so tender.

This recipe will go over great if you love boneless grilled chops, since the pork loin is the very same cut of meat that boneless chops are cut from. Let me tell you what, it stays moist and juicy.

When using pork tenderloin be sure to truss it. This may sound daunting to some, but believe me it isn't. All trussing a pork loin requires is kitchen twine and the ability to tie a simple knot.

Just cut the twine and tie it around the pork loin. Separate the tying of the twine every 2 inches. This will give you a more uniform size allowing the pork to cook more evenly.

Ingredients:
Olive Oil – ¾ cup
Dijon Mustard – 1/3 cup
Red Wine Vinegar – 3 tablespoons
Savory (dried) – 3 tablespoons
Pepper – ½ teaspoon
Water – 3 tablespoons
Pork Tenderloin – 3-4 pounds (trussed)

How To Make It:

1. Prepare the grill for medium high heat of 350 - 400 degrees. If you are using a gas grill you can get the grill ready after you pour the marinade over the pork. (It's a good idea to oil the racks to prevent the pork from sticking.)

2. In a measuring cup whisk together the olive oil, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, savory, pepper and water.

3. Place the pork loin in a dish large enough to lie flat and pour the marinade over it. Cover and let marinade for 30 minutes (at room temperature) turning over once halfway through the marinating time.

4. Remove pork from marinade and discard marinade.

5. Place the pork on the grill over direct heat ( meat directly over heat source) and grill these fine pieces of meat for 30 minutes with the lid closed.

6. Now turn the pork over and grill (covered) for 20 to 25 minutes more or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the loin registers 155 degrees.

7. Remove from the grill and let the pork rest for about 10 minutes.

(With large cuts of meat, the internal temperature continues to rise another 10 to 15 degrees while resting, finishing the cooking process. Cooking the meat on the grill to a temperature any higher than the recommended 155 degrees will result in a dried out pork loin. We don't want that. We want it to be moist and juicy.)

8. Remove trussing from the pork loin and slice. Mmmm, mouth-watering it is.

How to Grill the Perfect Chicken Leg Quarter

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 14:07:00 +0000

Getting a “Leg Up” on the Competition

(I must preface this by saying that the following is a recounting of an actual event.)

I can remember my first grilling experience on my own grill just like it was yesterday. My family had helped my wife and me move into our first home some years ago. My dad and I put my gas grill together, but what good is a grill if there's nothing to grill? So off to the store we go and came back with chicken leg quarters.

My dad said he was going to show me how simple it was to grill. He proceeded to light up the grill, cranking it on high, and then chucked the chicken inside and put the lid down. “It's just like an oven,” he says.

We then headed back inside the house leaving the chicken quarters in a cranked-on-high gas grill with the lid shut.

About twenty minutes later my wife tells me that black smoke is coming from the grill. So I run outside, followed by my dad, only to see fire coming from under the lid. Indeed black smoke was belching out from under the lid.

Once the fire had been extinguished and the severely charred remains of the leg quarters were removed from the grill, my dad grabs one of these partially incinerated chicken parts and takes a very, umm, “crunchy bite.” Smiling he says, “These aren’t too bad,” as the black char was blotting out his teeth and gums.

My wife gives me “that look” and seconds later I was on the phone ordering pizza for delivery. (I should have captured it all on video.)

Despite my true story introduction, grilling chicken is easy. One just has to keep a few simple things in mind, like:

• Chicken parts render off a lot of fat.

• Grills cranked on high will probably easily reach 450 degrees.

• Fat and very high heat will produce lots of fire. This is not considered, “good eats.”

• Chicken leg quarters are an excellent choice for grilling due to the higher fat content than chicken breast, giving you a juicier and more flavorful meal.

• They are more cost effective and can be substituted for chicken breast in any recipe.

• Certain care is required though, to prevent my first grilling experience from becoming yours.

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Ingredients:
Chicken Leg Quarter – 1 leg quarter
Olive Oil – extra virgin
Kosher Salt – about ¼ quarter teaspoon
Black Pepper – about ¼ quarter teaspoon

How To Make It:

1. Prepare the grill for medium heat. It would be wise to use a thermometer to get a reading of 325-350 degrees.

2. If you are using a gas grill, only turn on one side of the grill burners. If you are using a charcoal grill, mound up the coals on one side. The reason for this is because you will be incorporating both direct (meat over the heat source) and indirect (meat away from heat source) cooking techniques.

3. Brush both sides of the chicken leg quarters with the olive oil and season with the salt and pepper.

4. Place the chicken directly over the heat and grill with the lid open for about 3 minutes per side. (It doesn't make a difference which grill you are using here as long as you have an internal temperature of 325-350 degrees.)

5. Move the chicken to the other side of the grill (away from the heat source) and grill with the grill lid down for about 45 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the chicken leg quarter registers 170 degrees.

Although salmonella, a bacterium that causes food poisoning, is instantly killed at 165 degrees, chicken still has a slight pink color at that temperature and most people are hesitant to eat chicken that is pink. Therefore, 170 degrees is what I recommend.

(On a side note: if you prefer to cook legs or thighs, use the same techniques described above. Just reduce the covered grilling time to about 30 to 35 minutes or until a thermometer registers 170 degrees.)

6. Once this is accomplished, your chicken has just been grilled to perfection. Now there's just one more step to take and that is,

7. Bring in the chicken, serve it to the awaiting fortunate recipient(s) and bring on the accolades.

And that's, “How to Grill the Perfect Chicken Leg Quarter.”

Overnight Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 20:50:00 +0000

This Baby’s an “Overnight Success”

O.K. My wife has this wonderful overnight salad that is to die for. The best part is you can make it the day before you entertain, giving you more time to be with your guest(s) and get your “drink on” (whoo-hoo).

Her friend, Beth, many years ago shared this recipe with us and it has been a favorite at our BBQs and other get-togethers since.

The longer this baby sits in the refrigerator the better it tastes. But I am talking a day or two, no longer. Any longer than that and you can submit it to become one of your kid's science projects.

Ingredients:

Bacon (regular) – 1 lb cooked and crumbled
Lettuce (Iceberg) – 1 head (shredded)
Cauliflower –1 small head (broken up into small florets)
Onion (white) – 1 medium; julienned or thinly sliced.
Mayonnaise – 1 cup (I prefer Hellman’s)
Sugar – ¼ cup
Parmesan cheese – 1/3 cup
Salt – ½ teaspoon

How To Make It:

1. Here's how to prepare the bacon. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place strips of bacon onto the baking sheet and place in a cold oven. Why a cold oven? The fat will render off the bacon as the heat slowly rises.

2. Turn the heat on to 400 degrees and cook for about 15 minutes. The degree of crispiness that you like will determine whether you cook them for more than 15 minutes or not.

3. Remove from baking sheet and drain on paper towels. Crumble and put aside.

(If you enjoy cleaning up bacon spatter reminiscent of the Exxon Valdez from your stovetop, counters and floors, then frying bacon in a pan on the stovetop is for you.)

4. Place the lettuce, cauliflower and onion in layers. Lettuce on the bottom of the salad bowl, then the cauliflower, and finally the onion.

5. In a large measuring cup mix the mayonnaise, sugar, Parmesan cheese, and salt to make an incredible dressing.

6. Now pour the dressing on top of and evenly across the salad. DO NOT mix at this point.

7. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon on top of your masterpiece, seal over the salad bowl with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator.

8. Let sit overnight and let “the magic” happen. All the flavors will blend to make a wonderful overnight taste sensation.

9. Mix well before you serve.

Feel free to add your favorite additions to this salad, such as: hard-boiled eggs, beets, carrots, etc. etc. The sky's the limit.

Believe me. This salad is good and good for you!

How to Grill the Perfect Steak.

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 01:10:00 +0000

Bring the Steakhouse to Your Backyard

The perfect steak starts with a good piece of meat. Some good choices are rib eye, porterhouse, New York strip, or filet mignon. Personally, my favorite is the rib eye because the price is right and it has just the right amount of fat. Always remember – fat equals flavor!

When you can, look for steaks with a Prime grade or Angus cut of meat. These types of steaks have the perfect amount of marbled fat rewarding you with rich taste, juiciness, and are great with the simplest of seasoning.

Prepping the steak for the grill is very simple. Some easy-to-follow guidelines are what's needed to ensure a very happy grilling experience. (Aahh, I can just smell the steak now . . .)

Prepping the Steak :

Fat (the fat on the steak I'm talking about, not necessarily on our hips, people) rewards you with great benefits to your palate but requires a little prep work before you grill.

1. If you find that your steak has a large amount of fat on the outside edge, just make a few cuts vertically through the fat at 2 inch intervals to prevent your steak from curling up and taking on the resemblance of a catcher's mitt from the 1930s.

2. Definitely brush your steaks down with a little olive oil before any seasoning is sprinkled on. This will ensure that your entire steak gets covered with oil resulting in great color. It also prevents the steaks from sticking to the grill grate.

3. Some people let steaks come to room temperature before grilling. Most professionals don’t bother, so, heck, why should we. Any meat left out to come to room temperature is an invitation for bacteria to grow.

4. Preheat your grill to high heat. Preheating the grill heats up the grates and helps prevent the food from sticking. High heat is required to sear the outside of the meat, thereby sealing in those fantastic juices.

5. You'll never hear a steak shout out and say, “Hey buddy! Stick a fork in me, I’m done!” I beg of you with my entire being, DON'T DO IT. You never ever want to violate a steak with a fork to turn it over on the grill. Piercing the steak will only release the juices resulting in a dried out piece of meat. Instead, what I suggest to use is a pair of tongs.

6. Brush the finished steaks that come off the grill with extra-virgin olive oil or butter for that little extra added richness.

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When you take them off the grill let the steaks rest on a platter (or whatever you want to use) uncovered for about five minutes. You may be asking, “Why wait? Can't I start eating them right away? I'm starving!” You can, if you must.

But, did you know that when you cook meat the juices pull toward the center, huddling away from the heat source? So by letting the meat, after cooking, rest for about five minutes you will allow those wonderful tasty juices to redistribute themselves throughout the meat. This makes the entire steak full of flavor. A little patience before serving will result in juicier steaks all the way through and make for satisfied palate.

Ingredients:

Rib Eye Steak
Olive Oil – Extra virgin
Kosher salt – About ½ teaspoon for each steak
Black pepper – About ½ teaspoon for each steak

How To Make It:

1. Preheat the grill for high heat.

Weber 22.5-in. One Touch Gold One Touch Gold BBQ, Black

2. Brush both sides of the steaks down with olive oil and then season them with salt and pepper.

3. Grill on a covered grill to the desired degree of doneness. For your aid, I've prepared a chart below that you can use for grill times.

(If you like those fancy crosshatch {+ or X} marks on the steak, simply rotate the steak 90 degrees after two minutes then continue for the remaining grilling times per side. Repeat this technique on the other side to get the same effect.)

4. Remove steaks from the grill and let rest for about five minutes before serving.

Enjoy the praise. You deserve it. Now that you have successfully brought the steakhouse to your backyard, you just may never order a steak out again.

Steak Cooking Times

3/4 inch thick:
medium rare – two minutes per side
medium – three minutes per side
medium well – four minutes per side

1 inch thick:
medium rare – three minutes per side
medium – five minutes per side
medium well – six minutes per side

1 1/2 inch thick:
medium rare – six minutes per side
medium – seven minutes per side
medium well – eight minutes per side

Personal note: Steaks cooked “well done” are not my idea of the perfect steak. But if you consider this to be your perfection then just add another minute to the “medium well” times per side.

The Art of Mastication

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 23:43:00 +0000

How to Masticate Properly

Ted has a limited time for lunch. He quickly leaves his job, dashes to his car and goes to the nearest fast food restaurant. He decides to go through the “drive-thru” to save time. Ordering a numbered meal on the menu board, he then pulls up ahead, pays the cashier clerk, gets his meal bag and drives off.

Hurriedly unwrapping the burger while widening the orifice in his head called a mouth to the full extension of the jaw muscles, he takes a gargantuan bite. Forcibly swallowing the chunks of beef only after three hasty chomps, he quickly inserts several potato fries into his mouth while negotiating traffic ahead of him.

The soft drink he sucks through a straw seems to take on the role of a liquid plunger compressing the food down his gullet to avoid choking. He repeats this method of consumption until his entire meal is inhaled with world class speed.

(Unbeknownst to Ted, he has just broken the record held by a Wet Vac on how fast spillage can be cleaned up emanating from a fifty gallon drum.) Arriving just in time to report back to work, his lunch time is now over.

Does this sound familiar? Perhaps you know someone who eats like Ted. To consume food in this manner is extremely taxing on your digestion system, not to mention being unsafe to eat while you are driving.

Our gulping friend Ted would do his body some good if he could just learn to master the art of masticating. How to masticate properly is perhaps the most important and fundamental requirement of healthy digestion, for it is the first step of digestion.

What is Mastication?

It is, basically, chewing. It's the process by which food is mashed and crushed by teeth. “Masticate” stems from the Greek word, mastikhan, which means to “grind the teeth.” During the mastication process, the food is positioned by the cheeks and tongue between the teeth for grinding.

Some Benefits of Masticating Properly

• It generates saliva. Saliva is allowed to break the food down so that you can absorb the nutrients.

• Salvia also helps kill potential food-borne bacteria. (Saliva in your mouth contains an enzyme called lysozyme which kills bacteria.)

• It increases the surface area of foods in your mouth to allow more efficient break down by enzymes while still in your mouth.

• The food is made softer and warmer and the enzymes in saliva begin to break down carbohydrates in the food.

• Salivary enzymes can digest as much as 30 to 40 per cent of starches before food even reaches the stomach.

• The digestive system is being prepared for the reception of the food, stimulating the production of digestive enzymes in the stomach. (The various glands of the stomach that perform such important work in digestion begin to pour their juices into the stomach.)

• The more we chew our food, the less work we leave for the rest of our digestive organs, including the stomach, pancreas, liver, gall bladder, and intestines.

• You allow the taste buds in your tongue and your mouth to fully register the flavors of the food, whether bitter, salty, sour or sweet, which can enrich your eating experience making it more pleasurable and enjoyable.

• The act of chewing is relaxing. It is no coincidence that the digestive system is hindered during stress.

Stress is hard on the stomach. Our entire physiological system is extremely sensitive to our moods. Remember how you felt the last time you spoke in public? Those butterflies weren't in your head.

In fact, experts now see stress as a major player in a wide range of digestive problems, including irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, and heartburn.

As we masticate properly, it is a relaxing act of food intake. We are only able to digest properly if we are relaxed.

• Thorough chewing helps to prevent the heavy feeling that sometimes follows a meal.

• It is believed by many to also facilitate managing and losing weight because it slows down the eating process, allowing time for the body to signal to the brain when it is full.

How To Masticate Properly

• In a hurried lifestyle that so many lead, it may be difficult to allow enough time to eat ones' food. But, it is worth the try. As with our friend Ted in the beginning of this piece, he had very little time to eat the amount of food he ordered so he attacked it ferociously. Try to give yourself enough time to eat your food so that you can chew slowly.

• Perhaps one of the most important thing to remember is to please take small(er) bites. I've seen spoons, forks and even knives pilled so high with food that I've wondered how in the world could it ever fit in a person's mouth. But, lo and behold, they manage. Wow.

• Chew, chew, chew and chew some more. There are advocates of chewing anywhere from “3 - 5 times” to “35 - 100 times” before swallowing. Personally, I prefer not having to apply any of my math skills while eating.

Here is what I do and it's much easier. Just continue to chew until the food becomes somewhat of a liquid or is broken down enough so that it actually passes down your throat involuntarily. Allow your involuntary muscles in your throat, all by themselves, to pull the small pieces of food down.

Each mouthful should be retained in the mouth, being masticated up to the point of involuntary swallowing. And you know what? As you develop this habit, you will be swallowing before you realize it.

• Use your tongue to periodically position the food between your teeth while you are chewing so that your teeth can break down the food properly.

• Endeavour to eat in a nice relaxed manner. Digestive activity slows down significantly when worry or anxiety cause tension in the abdominal area. Be stress free while masticating. (See the point, “the act of chewing is relaxing” handled above in the section called, “Some Benefits of Masticating Properly.”)

• Sit in an upright position when eating. Hunching over your food is not only poor eating etiquette, but it also hinders the food, when it is swallowed, to travel down the esophagus smoothly to the stomach. Try it and see, or rather, feel it for yourself.

• Use of liquids during a meal may be necessary when they are needed to satisfy thirst, rather than to force or wash food down one's throat. A certain amount of liquid is essential to carry on the digestive process. But even liquids should be drunk by taking small mouthfuls (sipped), not guzzled.

If one does not properly masticate food, what is eaten goes through the digestive system as large pieces of food, making the digestive organs work that much harder. Let's face it. You do not have teeth anywhere else in your body. After you swallow your food, there are no other opportunities to break up large pieces of food, so give your body some help.

In the beginning you may have to give some very conscious attention and effort to reform your eating habits. But with discipline, desire and proper application, over a period of time, the art of mastication can be established and mastered for the rest of your life without further thought.

Southern Sawmill Gravy and Biscuits

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 22:45:00 +0000

Something Good from Down South

Having grown up in the north I never was exposed to the wonderful delights of southern cooking. To me “grits” meant the various grades of sandpaper and “greens” were the colors found in the park. Boy, was I in for a culinary awakening.

My wife and her family are from Tennessee. Because of this I have been educated in some good old down home southern cooking over the years. The mere mention of hog jowls, pig knuckles, greens and grits now brings forth a respectful and heart-felt, “them's good eats.” And I mean it, southern cooking has very tasty dishes.

I have learned quite a few recipes from these wonderful folks and think you may be enlightened by the simplicity and BIG flavors found in southern cuisine.

Sunday mornings are known for “Dad’s Big Breakfasts,” as my kids endearingly call them. This is usually when I lay out a feast “fit for a king” (and my queen of course.) Everyone looks forward to these meals with great enthusiasm. Whenever I do decide to take everyone out for breakfast instead, they all try to make me feel guilty for not cooking them breakfast by saying, “Why do we have to go out to eat?!” Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

Here is my recipe for Southern Sawmill Gravy and Biscuits that I think you will enjoy. Just a few ingredients are required. And the taste? Well, according to all accounts, it's aaawesome.

Ingredients:
Bulk breakfast sausage – 1 pound (available from your butcher)
Flour – 5 tablespoons
Milk – 2 cups (any kind will do but whole milk is preferred)
Salt
Black Pepper
Cayenne Pepper

How To Make It:

1. Cook the sausage in a cast iron skillet or whatever heavy skillet you have available. I have, on occasion, used an electric skillet which works great if you have one.

2. When done, remove the sausage from the pan and place in a bowl and set it aside for now. Pour off all but about 3 tablespoons of fat. (I just eyeball it the best I can.) If you happen to get lean sausage that doesn't render off much fat you may have to add a little butter to the pan.

3. Whisk flour into the fat adding a little bit at a time, getting it to be the consistency of creamy peanut butter. If all you can get to mix into the fat is 3-4 tablespoons of flour to get it to the right consistency then so be it. (We don't want to make wall spackle here.) Cook over a low heat for 5 minutes to remove any floury taste. This is called a “roux.” It's done when you notice that the roux gets to be a light brown color.

4. It's now time to whisk in the milk a little at a time. It may start to get a little lumpy, but as it heats up and you continue whisking, it will smooth out.

5. Now return it to medium-high heat and stir occasionally while the gravy comes to a simmer and thickens. (Flavor note: Scrape up any yummy bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan; that's where the flavor is.)

6. Add a pinch of salt, pepper and cayenne to your taste, put the sausage back into the pan and mix it in with the gravy.

7. Serve over your favorite biscuits. I like to use Bisquick for its simplicity. Want it even easier? Use Pillsbury Grands Biscuits.

How simple is that. As you can see, just properly using a few ingredients can go a long way. This one can be whipped up in “no time at all” and can be kept warm while you make your “big breakfasts.”

Sweet n' Spicy Southern Slaw

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 23:09:00 +0000

Mmmm, Just the Way I Like It

OK, so the perfect side dish recipe that will have even coleslaw haters asking for is my southern slaw that's sweet and spicy. This dish goes great with grilled ribs, chicken and fish fry’s. If you need something that screams outdoor entertaining, besides an exotic belly dancer or something, its this slaw.

(Pardon me while I brag a little bit now.) At all covered dish functions that I have brought this particular dish along, I've had just about everyone ask for the recipe. Heck, even a caterer asked for it once.

It has the wonderful crisp crunch of cabbage with the added spicy sweetness that compliments your next outdoor dish.

Ingredients:
White and red cabbage – 1/2 head each, shredded
Fresh spinach – 1/2 bag pre-washed and julienne
Red onion – 1 medium sized, chopped
Mayonnaise – 1 cup
Zatarain’s Creole mustard – 5 tablespoons (found in your grocer's ethnic food isle). If you have trouble finding this you can substitute any spicy brown mustard.
Garlic – 2-3 cloves, minced
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne pepper – 2 or 3 pinches
Honey – 1 tablespoon
Parsley flakes – 1 tablespoon

How To Make It:
1. In a salad bowl toss the cabbages, spinach, and red onion.

2. In a measuring cup mix the mayonnaise, mustard and garlic together.

3. Add a pinch or two of salt and some pepper to taste.

4. A couple of pinches of cayenne pepper and the honey complete this awesome dressing.

5. Mix it all together thoroughly and take a taste. (Incredible, isn’t it?)

6. Now toss the dressing with the ingredients in the salad bowl, cover and refrigerate for about an hour to let all the flavors marry.

7. Before serving sprinkle the parsley on top and prepare for the accolades.

Maple Glazed Pork Ribs

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 20:58:00 +0000

A Tender Sweet Goodness You Can't Deny

There are so many ways to prepare pork ribs on the grill that I thought I would share one of my favorites with you. I know, I know. Everyone has a “method” to it and I employ many a kind, but it all depends on what you want that final product to feel like in your mouth.

Some want the meat just “melts in your mouth and falls off the bone” feel. Others like it where the meat requires a good “bite and tear” feel to get it off. Personally I like the “melts in your mouth and falls off the bone” feel, rather than having the latter.

The method we will use for this particular preparation of pork ribs will be parboiling, then grilling. (Parboiling is partially cooking food in boiling water before finishing the cooking process by another method.)

Parboiling helps render off some of the fat from the ribs, which helps to prevent flareups, as well as reducing the cook time on the grill.

In order to eat these ribs, please keep in mind that this method will probably take about a good three hours before it is all said and done. When done these ribs will have a great dark maple syrup glazed coating that just looks amazing on the platter and have the “fall off the bone” tenderness that slow cooking provides. Let me tell you, it's worth the wait!

Ingredients:
Pork Spareribs – 2 slabs about three pounds each
Maple Syrup (pure) – 1 cup
Soy Sauce – 1/4 cup of lite soy sauce
Garlic Cloves – 2 cloves (minced)
Mirin (rice wine) – 3 tbsp. This item can usually be found in your grocer's ethnic foods isle.

How To Make It:
1. Place the ribs in a large stockpot and add water making sure the ribs are all under water.

2. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a medium-high and simmer for 30 minutes.

3. To make the Maple glaze, stir together the maple syrup, soy sauce, minced garlic cloves, and the Mirin in a measuring cup. You can set this aside for now.

4. While the ribs are parboiling in the water, get your grill ready to go. Clean and oil the grates with vegetable oil and preheat the grill.

For this recipe we usually use a gas grill for convenience. I like to have an thermometer handy to check the temp of the grill and keep it at about 325-375 degrees. We are going to cook the ribs over INDIRECT heat, which means that we are going to light only half the grill burners and cook the slabs over the unlit side.

5. When the ribs are done parboiling remove them from the water and place them on a platter.

6. Using a basting brush paint some of the maple glaze all over the ribs reserving some for basting later.

7. Place the ribs on the grill over the unlit side and close the lid. Check the thermometer to ensure the temperature stays between 325-375 degrees.

Hey, hey, hey. Don't give in to the temptation to open the grill and look at your “grilling masterpiece” because every time you do the grill temperature drops and it takes a little while to come back up to temperature.

(Constantly opening the grill will obviously take the ribs longer to cook and, who knows, the natives may get restless and start an uprising.)

8. After an hour you can finally open the grill and rotate the slabs, meaning place the slab closest to the heat away from the heat and the slab farthest away from the heat closer to the heat.

9. Also take this time to give those babies a little basting bath with the reserved maple glaze.

10. Close the lid and let cook for another hour, basting two more times in this final hour.

11. Remove the ribs from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes before chowing down on those juicy, mouth watering maple glazed pork ribs.

Enjoy!

Fresh Fruit Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 21:41:00 +0000

A Cool and Tropical Delight

I never thought one day that I would ever like a fruit salad, let alone have and write my own recipe for it. But, ladies and gentlemen, here I am about to do just that. I suppose my taste buds have changed over time. I can honestly say that I love fruit salad – at least my “special blend” fruit salad.

I've had years preparing and serving this dish to many a populace. I now offer my personal and treasured recipe to you for your consideration and perhaps (should you care to prepare this cool and tropical dish), your consumption as well.

Ingredients:
Fruit – The following are my choices. I try to put in all of these for this dish. You may add or delete to your liking.
Apples – I like using red delicious apples.
Bananas
Peaches
Plums
Strawberries – Try to get these as fresh and as red as you can.

It's great that there's a strawberry farm so close to where I live where I can pick fresh strawberries from rows and rows. If you can ever get to a strawberry farm and pick your own, please, mark it on your calendar and take the time to go picking. It's lots and lots of fun. Bring the kids, your date, or your whoever.

Raisins – I prefer the “normal” raisin, not the golden raisin.

Besides the nice sweet taste of a raisin in this dish, I like the different textures in my mouth when I chew this meal. My tongue gently rearranges and positions the fruit in my mouth so I can masticate properly. (Aahh, the art of masticating is, I'm afraid, just about lost. But that's another topic.)

Coconut Flakes – The kind in a bag that is often used for baking cakes.

Granola Cereal – The brand I use is Heartland Granola Cereal (original), in a box.

I buy it from the local grocery stores in town. If you want, you can try buying it from a “health food” market where they have bins and bins of various grains. You may be able to find the granola cheaper at a place like that.

Almonds (natural) – Optional for some people. I like this in my fruit salad. You can use either the whole almonds or the sliced. Avoid the salted, coated or the fancy funky kind of almond. The plain natural almond is the best.

Yogurt – I get from the Publix grocery store in town their brand of the “fat free light” yogurts.

I use their vanilla flavor and one other flavor, either mandarin, strawberry or strawberry with banana. Not matter what I use, I always, and I mean always must have their vanilla flavor. It's the best vanilla yogurt I've tasted in quite some time and it blends nicely with all the ingredients.

But you may have a favorite brand of yogurt that you like to use. You have my permission to use whatever your taste buds prefer.

How To Make It:
Depending on how many people plan on eating this ambrosial dish, determines how much fruit you'll be slicing and how much of the other ingredients you'll be adding.

The following directions are for one serving, the serving size that I normally have. Remember this is not a snack dish. This is a full size meal portion. I eat nothing else after this fruit salad. I'm done.

1. First get the bowl that you will be eating this dish from. I use a glass bowl about 1-2 sizes larger than a normal cereal bowl, or the smallest mixing bowl I've got.

2. Begin chopping, slicing, or cutting the fruit to comfortable bite size pieces and put them into the bowl. Here's the breakdown:

Apples – I use just less than a quarter of an apple.
Bananas – One whole banana.
Peaches – Less than one quarter, depending on the size.
Plums – Half or more, depending on the size.
Strawberries – Five or so, depending on the size. I like to de-core the strawberries before slicing.

Raisins – One box of mini-snacks. This is the real small boxes that come in a bag of 14 mini-snacks.

I recommend not cutting too much at first. If you are hungry when you start to cut, you may wind up putting way too much fruit in the bowl and then find out that you don't have the room in your tummy to eat all of it. Saving the leftovers and putting it in the refrigerator for another time loses that fresh taste when first prepared. I've done it often enough to know it just doesn't
taste the same.

So cut what you know you can eat. You can always add more of the fruit you
like best. The extra fruit you don't need can be stored in a zip lock bag and
put in the fridge.

3. Add the coconut flakes to the bowl. I sprinkle in about 1-2 tablespoons.

4. Now pour in the granola cereal. I like the “crunchy-ness” of granola so I put a nice coat over the fruit in the bowl.

5. Next, put in the almonds. If they are whole, I put in about 6-10. If sliced, about 1-2 full tablespoons.

6. Now add the yogurt. I'll use half of their vanilla flavor and half of one of the other flavors I mentioned. The extra I'll put back in the fridge for the next fruit salad I make.

7. Mix it all up making sure everything is fully coated with the yogurts.

There you have it, folks. This is a perfect refreshing dish for a hot steamy day, or if you just want to have a “no-meat meal” for a change.

So, from one fruit salad lover to perhaps another, Enjoy!

I Love Cooking BBQ

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 19:40:00 +0000

Got Gas?...or Charcoal

I love cooking. In some way or another, who doesn’t love cooking. If you are reading this blog you probably love cooking as well.

Hey, either you love to eat what is cooking or you love the act of cooking itself. In any case, cooking is always a good thing because that means there is something to eat. Mmm, yum yum.

My favorite way of cooking is by way of BBQ.

Everybody has their preferences when it comes to this style of cooking. Personally, I love charcoal grilling. My wife, on the other hand, likes gas grilling. We have both types and “fire” them both up equally.

In my opinion, charcoal grilling imparts a “grilled flavor” to foods that gas cannot achieve. My wife says I’m nuts. I say she's full of – gas. (Sorry. I had to get that in.)

I like that getting-back-to-nature feel of building a fire and tending it. Very zen, very manly, very . . . -- well you get the point.

(Uh, my wife says I need to choose my next words wisely.) Anyway, in her own right she can throw down with the best of them (gas or charcoal) and that's not me just kissin' up. Gotta' give her props.

And don’t forget, most kids love to roast marshmallows over the fire when dinner is over. (Charcoal has got the kids' vote; otherwise they may as well put a marshmallow on a twig and hold it over the stove in the house. Boy, is that ever fun.)

Now, let us quickly explore a few simple differences that I notice between charcoal and gas grilling. First, let's check out:

Charcoal Grills:
Charcoal grills are inexpensive.

They are easy to cart around with you to different locations. By the way, have you seen the grills that attach to the trailer hitch of your vehicle? They are great for tailgating and so freakin' cool.

Although you may have to wait a short bit of time for the coals to heat up, you won’t even notice the wait time if you time things right like prepping the food. (Hey, if you're ahead of the game you can even pop a couple of icy cold beverages. Wink.)

Gas Grills:
Gas grills will give you greater control over the temperature and are fast to light and heat up.

They usually come with a side burner, which is pretty cool for making sauces and vegetables.

They also have options such as steamers, smokers and electric rotisseries.
Choose a grill with two or more burners for greater control over heat.

Also the food grates that have angled metal bars over the burners are usually the best to prevent flare-ups during grilling, as the ceramic briquettes and lava rock tend to collect grease on them.

Features you might want to consider when purchasing a grill:
Find a grill made of aluminum or high grade steel with a baked-on porcelain enamel finish. They will last longer and they look good as well.

Thankfully they don't make many grills with viewing windows anymore. They are plain dangerous (window breakage) and don't hold heat well. Grillin' is serious business. You ain't cookin' with an easy-bake oven here.

Most important, purchase one that is heavy for its size. One way you can estimate the “heaviness” is to check to see if the lid of a grill feels heavy to swing open for its size. If it does, more than likely it is going to keep the heat in the grill and cook food more evenly.

(Another way of looking at it is to think of two identically sized frying pans, one made of aluminum and the other made of cast iron. The cast iron one is heavier and conducts heat better than the aluminum one can.)

A grill that is large enough to cook both directly and indirectly over the heat is important too.

Wooden or plastic handles are a plus because they will stay cooler.

Whatever your preference – Grilling Rocks!

Whether you are new to grilling or a seasoned pro, we trust you will find some great recipes and tips throughout this blog that suites your taste.

Mom's Saturday Mornings French Toast

noreply@blogger.com (Team Eat This!) — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 16:16:00 +0000

A Damn Good Tasting Breakfast Treat

Here's a favorite of mine from my childhood. My mom used to cook this in the morning for the family just about every Saturday. It was a breakfast I looked forward to the whole freakin' week.

People always thought that I played Pop Warner (little league) football better that day because of the “energy” this meal gave me. Yeah, yeah, I must admit that the sugar rush did help initially, but it was mostly my astounding athletic ability that catapulted me above the other “earthling opponents.” (Smile)

Anyway, I learned to cook this meal while still in grade school (with my mom's help) and through the years I've, you might say, “made it my own.” Whether you've got a sweet tooth or not, or you just don't mind indulging once-in-a-while in a damn good tasting breakfast, then people, “I've Got Something to Put in Your Mouth.”

Ingredients:
Eggs – I like to use 1 egg for every 2-3 pieces of French Toast when I make it.
Nutmeg (powder) – the first of three ingredients that are on this list are some of the greatest aromas on earth to live for.
Cinnamon (powder) – the second great aroma.
Milk – Use whole milk if you can, but if you need to use 2% or less, you'll be fine.
Vanilla Extract (pure) – the third great aroma on earth to live for.
Toppings – Aahh yes, this is where I (or you) can go ape nuts with this, and let me tell you, I have many a time. You can add strawberries, blackberries, peach slices, banana slices, or my favorite “special” topping – which I'll tell you more about later.
Maple Syrup – The pure stuff. I use the brand Spring Tree 100% Pure, All Natural maple syrup, grade A dark amber.

Whatever your brand choice, please use the pure stuff. It makes a big difference when you pour that warm syrup over those perfectly cooked juicy pieces of French Toast and oohh baby, . . . I better stop. I'm getting a French Toast fix right about now, so let's move on.

Butter – We're talking real butter here. But if you need to cut down on it, use the “lighter” butter.
Sliced Bread – My choice is the 7-9 grain whole wheat bread that are the soft slices. (I don't like the hard slices for this recipe.)
Sausage – This is optional. You can either have patties or links. It's up to you.

How To Make It:
This recipe is for 2-3 pieces of French Toast. Make needed adjustments for ingredient portions according to taste and number of servings.

1. Get a mixing bowl. The size of the bowl you'll use will depend on how many pieces of French Toast you are going to make. For me a small – medium bowl will work because I'll make 2-3 pieces to put in my pie hole.

I like to use a mixing bowl with somewhat of a flat bottom to it so that the bread can soak up the batter without having to move the bread around too much when placed in the bowl.

2. To make the batter, crack the eggs in the bowl and add the nutmeg and cinnamon. I like to use about 4-5 good shakes of each spice.

3. Then add about 1/4 to 1/2 cups or more of milk and mix very well with a fork or a whisk. Make sure those eggs are broken up all the way. I personally rather not see any white from the eggs on my French Toast while it's cooking.

(The reason for the amount of milk that I mention is because I like my bread pieces soaked well in the batter and really soggy. Some people don't like it that way, so I say start with less milk and then you can always add more milk to the batter according to need.

Also, if you later need to add more milk, you may want to add more nutmeg and cinnamon as well since you might lose the “full flavor” of these spices with more milk added to the batter mix.)

4. Now add a good quick dash of the pure vanilla extract. It doesn't take much for this exotic liquid to bring flavor to this dish.

5. Mix all the ingredients well but make sure you don't over do it. Just mix it well enough so that everything is blended together nicely. We don't want it to look all bubbly. We're not making whipped topping here.

6. Cut any toppings you desire and put them to the side for now. They will be ready to be put atop the French Toast when all the cooking is done.

7. Get your pure maple syrup set it aside. The moment the cooking is done, have the syrup warmed (I use a microwave rather than heating it up on the stove)and pour it over the golden entrée.

8. Use a 10-12 inch (or bigger if you've got it) non-stick skillet or fry pan and put it on a middle to high heat setting. If you don't want the bread to cook quickly on the outside, leaving the inner portion of the bread to remain soft, then set your stove to a lower setting.

9. Coat the entire bottom of the skillet with butter. Keep that butter close at hand as you may be using it more than once. Once the butter has melted and the skillet and nice and hot, start soaking the pieces of bread in the batter to your liking.

10. Tilting the spatula slightly to drain any excess batter from the bread, put the bread piece(s) in the skillet and watch this new tasty breakfast treat come into fruition before your very eyes.

(Note: you may want to have a splatter guard to cover the skillet just in case you have some “spitting” from the skillet. I know I need it because I have my heat setting on high when I cook this.)

While cooking, check the bottom of the bread piece(s). When they have cooked to your liking, turn over the bread slice(s). You may want to add more butter so that the skillet stays slightly coated.

Because I love my bread slices to be soggy, I will see that the down side of the slices are dark, dark brown first before I flip the slices over, making sure there is ample butter on the skillet for them to slip and slide in.

11. When all your slices of bread are cooked and delicately placed on the plate that is graced to have such a noble breakfast resting upon it, pour your warm amber sweet syrup upon it and then add your favorite selected toppings that you pre-cut earlier.

Aahh, you thought I forgot about my favorite “special” topping I mentioned earlier. I did not, my curious friend.

Warning!! You may not want to put what I put on the top of this mound of food, but if you think you can handle it, be my guest.

12. The finishing touch, the ultimate crown topping to this meal is 1-2 scoops of Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream!! Nothing beats that brand of ice cream for me.

This is the time to shut off the TV, radio, computer and all that is around you in the world and eat with honored reverence, “Mom's Saturday Mornings French Toast.”

And the cheering of the crowd swells as another touchdown is scored! Enjoy.