Tropic-Al's BBQ Review

CHEERS! Brewing at Home Now Legal in All 50 States!

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Mon, 01 Jul 2013 15:56:00 +0000

Homebrewing Takes Up Residence in All 50 States

July 1, 2013

Today, homebrewers can legally brew in every state in the country, as recently passed homebrewing legislation takes effect in Mississippi, according to the American Homebrewers Association (AHA).

Homebrewing was federally legalized in 1978 for the first time since Prohibition made it illegal in 1919. However, regulation of alcohol is predominantly left to the states. In 2013, Mississippi and Alabama—the last two states remaining with laws against homebrewing—passed legislation to permit beer brewing at home. Alabama’s law went into effect immediately after the Governor signed the bill on May 9.

“Homebrewers are deeply dedicated to their craft and the AHA is thrilled that homebrewers in all 50 states can now legally take part in that passion,” said Gary Glass, director, American Homebrewers Association.

While homebrewing is now legal in all states, existing statutes in some states prevent homebrewers from removing homebrewed beer from their houses, effectively restricting interactions with the rest of their local homebrew community, including club meetings, festivals and competitions.

“Sharing and community interaction are key ingredient of homebrewing,” added Glass. “We will continue to work to protect and advance the rights of homebrewers to share their unique creations.”

The hobby of homebrewing in the U.S. has seen exponential growth in recent years. With more than 38,000 members, the AHA estimates that more than one million Americans brew beer or make wine at home at least once a year.

For a complete list of federal and state homebrewing laws, please visit the AHA website.

- See more at: http://beverageworld.com/articles/full/15762/homebrewing-takes-up-residence-in-all-50-states#sthash.CVqJa2te.dpuf

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

Barbados Rum Punch Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Mon, 01 Jul 2013 15:51:00 +0000

Rum Punch

Ingredients:

One of sour - One part pure lime juice (1/4 cup)
Two of sweet - Two parts sugar (1/2 cup)
Three of strong - Three parts Barbados rum (3/4 cup)
and Four of weak - Four parts water (1 cup)

Method:

Dissolve sugar in water, add rum and lime juice. Blend well. Chill and serve with bitters or nutmeg. Makes 4 servings.

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

Take Your Potting Bench and Make it a Rum Bar

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 18:39:00 +0000

When the weather is rough and the seas too high for sailing kick back and enjoy a rum at your very cheap outdoor bar..made from a potting bench.

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining

Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

Cheap Furniture for Landlocked Pirates

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 18:19:00 +0000

Looking for some cheap home made furniture for your poop deck? How about making it out of pallets. Pallets are give aways at many places and often made from oak and other hard woods. Some paint a few screws and cushions then it's all aboard for a mid summer afternoon nap................

After a glass of rum that is

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

Where Are The Shops Like This in The East

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 18:03:00 +0000

It's March 23rd March Madness is on the tube and it's a whopping 35* with a 20 MPH wind blowing outside. Very hard to get excited about BBQ when it should be 50*..

Then you see pictures like these. All the great smokers parked inside The KC BBQ Store. Bulk bins of hard woods for smoking make this place great.

Then there is that hot sauce mecca in Rehoboth beach DE peppers.com

They literally have 3500 hot sauces in stock. Oh to wish for something like this in Upstate NY. Not just in Summer but any time of the year.

Coconut Charcoal? OH YEAH

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 13:22:00 +0000

It takes some getting used to but this stuff is cleaner burns hotter and longer than hard wood charcoal. Flavor is good as well!

I have a gigantic Weber gas grill on my deck. But after purchasing a Weber charcoal grill I grill now on hardwood charcoal more than gas. Then I discovered charcoal made from coconut shells.
The concept of producing charcoal briquets from waste coconut shells began over five years ago when the two company founders,traveled to Thailand in search of investigating coconut products for the S. marketplace. After savoring delicious barbecued foods, the founding partners learned that the barbecue fuel of choice in Thailand was coconut shells. After experimenting with natural binding agents and coconut shells the founders came up with a method of producing charcoal briquets made from all natural ingredients. From a humble beginning of opening a small charcoal briquet factory in Kaiwai Thailand, the partners soon expanded to a larger facility in Thailand. Coshell Charcoal has been rigorously tested and formulated using only natural ingredients. Southeast Asia has an abundant supply of coconut shells,as well as, cornstarch and other natural ingredients which help in the manufacture of a "natural" charcoal briquet.

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

Revolutinary Picnic and Carnivale Menu for July 4, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 19:31:00 +0000

BEER
Grilled wings: still working on spices, heat etc
Assorted skewerd meats including: Chicken, beef, sausages, bacon all marinated in beer
Assorted marinated char grilled veggies: peppers, onion, tomato, squash,carrot, potatoes
Sliced orange glazed duck breast over spring greens in soft taco/fajitas
Mini baked potatoes
Following grilled pitas: Mediterranean chopped salad
                                      Shrimp, Bacon, Asiago
                                      Pepperoni Pizza
                                      Blue cheese pear and carmelized onion
Grilled mushrooms with bacon and parmesan

And the usual fare: RIBS, CORN ON THE COB, salads
For the lame: hot dogs hamburgers

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

Tropic Al's Now Only Accepts it's Own Currency

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Mon, 30 May 2011 21:31:00 +0000

Visitors to the island will be asked to trade in all forms of currency for Island Rum Money the official and only accepted form of cash on the island

The American Dollar is fading in value fast as gold and silver rises. We at the island are pleased to own a stash of silver and are using it to back up our own Island Rum Money currency. Now that BBQ season has finally arrived in our isolated back water we are getting ready for a summer of BBQ fun. Make plans for July 4th ammual blow out here on the island.

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining /Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

A Little Comedy For the New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:55:00 +0000

Hard to grill with two feet of snow in the way. However this combination of two Hallmark Xmas ornaments and a menu from the Weber Grill Restaurant in Chicago light up my day

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining

Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

New Year, New Attitude

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 13:48:00 +0000

Tropic-Al's has not posted much this year. 2011 will be different. More on Q ad on Time

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

Perfect Smoke Ring

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:31:00 +0000

Excellent pink smoke ring on this pork butt (look at lower part of photograph) just before it got shredded and mixed with a batch of homemade BBQ sauce.

This three pound butt was cued over hardwood charcoal for 3/12 hours. Alongside to keep company were fresh from the garden taters (potatoes to the liberal artsy crowd) and umyuns (onions to you elistist snobs)

The sauce in keeping with the Tropic-Al's theme was island inspired. Tomato base, crushed plums, allspice, nutmeg, clove and a good dose of RUM along with several other secret ingredients

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:39:00 +0000

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining

Perfect BLT! A little extra from the garden. Roasted Marconi frying pepper, onion steak and red sail lettuce. All on the grill as the sun set with a little reggae flowing. Everything from the garden except the bread and bacon. So there is a challenge! What can you do to make an ordinary sandwich into something spectacular? My next project: grilled cheese (actually grilled on the grill)

Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

Great fourth of July BBQ

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 15:28:00 +0000

Had a great fourth of July weekend. Parties Friday night Saturday and Sunday had everyone over for a BBQ. Only thing is some landlubbers ate all my ribs before I got some! Got rave reviews anyway from the crowd who ate all my food.

Today got some ribs marinating in Italian dressing and orange juice. This afternoon will put on my famous Rajan Cajun Rub. Just before sunset sparking up the Weber kettle to cook up them ribs!

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

Open for The Season-ing

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:07:00 +0000

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining

Tropic-Al's is open for the season and BBQing has begun. Going to have a lot of Q's outside this season. The invitation is open! looking forward to the new garden as well. Turns out a spinning wheel I bought at an auction this weekend is way too big for our colonial re-do of the living room. So the 48" diameter wheel will be come my "BBQ Garden" and the main 4x4 from the 1800's that was the frame for the whole thing is a perfect fit for our fireplace mantel!

Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

Superb BBQ in Utah!

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:09:00 +0000

BANDIT'S GRILL AND BAR

PARK CITY, UTAH

Bandits BBQ indeed is the best in the west as the sign concurs. Excellent nachos, outstanding brisket BBQ sandwich and good beer.Located about 45 minutes outside Salt Lake City in Park City Utah. Stay there if you need to go to the Salt Lake Area. Salt Lake City SUCKS

Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

Revolutionary Picnic and Carnivale a Success

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:04:00 +0000

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining

We started "cooking " Friday night the third of July for our big shindig an Saturday. I spent three and one half hours formulating my famous BBQ sauce, grilling eggplant slices, making salsa, grilling the sausage for the stuffed peppers and, finishing the menu.

Saturday at 6AM I began cutting the veggies, cleaning the grill and making sure the weather would hold up. Well the morons at the weather desk got it wrong again. While the sun shown brightly the wind whipped about all day scattering napkins and tortillas all over the island.

The 4 pound pork shoulder I had on the charcoal pit should have taken only three hours to cook. The wind prevented the inside of the grill from heating up enough and the internal temp of Porky the Pigs' shoulder was stuck at 130* for over an hour!

To remedy I added a layer of coals on the opposite side of my Smokenator 1000 and that fixed the problem. Two forks tore into perfect pork and pulled it apart into thousands of perfectory pieces that were then soaked down with "Partial Eclipse" BBQ sauce. The final product was devoured by the guests leaving me with only two fork fulls!!!! So much for "Kiss the Cook". Ended up taking almost fiver hours!

Also on the menu: Tortillas with spices and cheese, fajitas with all the fixins, eggplant with capressa, corn on the cob, spaghetti squash, sausage IN peppers, shrimp, shark, clams, scallops, garlic bread. NOT ONE HOT DOG OR HAMBURGER WAS GRILLED!!!!

This was gourmet 'Cue devoured by 20 guests. The guests left the island just after 9PM. We then sailed down wind and watched the fireworks from a high point and felt good seeing more than a dozen other islands scattered about celebrating Tropic-Al's "Revolutionary Picnic and Carnivale"

Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

Dredging the Lagoon Today

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:45:00 +0000

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining

Taking a tip from GE, we heard that the federales' were coming our way looking for stashes of booty and rum. They won't find any though. We dredged the lagoon this morning, built a new waterfall just to wash out any sediment left behind.

All in preparation for the Carnivale and Revolutionary Picnic this weekend.

Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

BBQ Today

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Mon, 25 May 2009 11:37:00 +0000

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining

Had a test run on the gas unit last night. Everything went fine. Burnt hamburgers to a crisp as this is the only way the family eats them. Who am I other than just the cook.

This evening: Pork chops smoked with wild apple chips, peppers, onions potatoes etc.
Not burnt just good.

Need to repair the leak in the lagoon. Other than that the coconut colony has not accepted any bailout money from Washington

Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

Great Turn Out In Newburgh

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:36:00 +0000

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining

I did not know what to expect Saturday Feb 22nd when I arrived in Newburgh at Adams Fairacre Farms to set up for my class on Rubs, Marinades and BBQ sauces. Of the three Adams locations crowd turn out during seminar season is hard to predict.

I average 50-60 in my audiences on gardening topics. BBQ is a big business at Adams but small in comparison to gardening revenues. However the first two seminars I did in February at Adams Newburgh set the record for attendance. In excess of fifty were in attendance for both seed starting and bird feeding!

Things did not start out well! Upon unloading my gear I discovered an entire bottle of SESAME OIL spilled onto everything in the tub! What a mess.

So I took advantage of my extra time, I always show up two hours before the scheduled start time just in case, and cleaned up the mess.

As usual five minutes before the scheduled 1PM start time only five people were seated. The clock hit 1 I started talking and the fashionably late filled every seat. Standing room only crowd again!

The I hit my stride.........systematically measuring out the spices and herbs for my signature rub "Red State Blue State". Then it was on to "Not So Crude Oil" vegetable glaze which splashed up on my blue shirt.

Finally I finished with Tropic-Al's Partial Eclipse BBQ Sauce. Ahh! I can still smell the aroma of the thick tomato based concoction that, has yet to, made me famous.

The questions went throughout the talk and the most memorable was when a gentleman asked me what the difference was between BBQ and grilling. I took about five minutes to answer his question extolling on family memories of pig roasts that lasted all night long in Jackson South Carolina. At the end of my explanation I asked him if that answered his question. He said yes. And I answered back that in the time it took me to answer his question several hot dogs and hamburgers would have come off the grill by now. I said that is grilling: BBQ is an experience.

Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic
in The Catskills

Chicken Wing Shortage Predicted for Super Bowl Weekend? No Problem Make Great Snacks and Appetizers on the Grill Instead

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:51:00 +0000

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining

Chicken Wing Shortage Predicted for Super Bowl Weekend? No Problem Make Great Snacks and Appetizers on the Grill Instead

Just as I sat down to write this article an news alert came across my computer. It seems there is a shortage of chicken wings this winter. As well the price will higher by as much as thirty cents per wing. That’s an extra $3.60 a dozen or a big down payment on the football pool at the office. Never fearTropic-Al is here! They have moved the Super Bowl to warmer climates to avoid the cold. True football lovers remember the ice bowl at Lambeua field and never put away their grills when the snow flies.
Super Bowl party food should be tasty, quick and easy. This "holiday" is not about food. Leave that to Thanksgiving where the food takes center stage. Super Bowl food should be the cheerleader while the focus is on the game. Kind of like the way wine should complement food. Football is an outdoor sport and Super Bowl food in my opinion is better when cooked outside. Following my simple recipes for grilled Super Bowl fare is just like a tailgate party in yard back yard.
It seems women realized years ago that they would never take their man away from the big game. Football was originally a guy thing and guys, sports and beer always go together. Fortunately beer lends itself as an ingredient to some wonderful appetizers and snack foods.
Pre-game Bean Bites:
First off oil some tortillas with your favorite oil such as olive, canola, vegetable etc. Oil the grill grates as well. Over medium hot flame (medium hot is when the heat makes you pull your hand away at the count of two or three) grill both sides of the tortilla until grill marks appear. Do this on each side. They should still be flexible with a smokey flavor but not crunchy like chips. (That comes later)
Next combine the following ingredients: 1 cup refried beans, 1/4 cup dark beer, two to three table spoons finely chopped fresh chile peppers, three tablespoons fresh cilantro or one teaspoon dried, and one half teaspoon cumin.
Strain 1 cup of your favorite jarred salsa to remove all the liquid junk that takes away from the taste of the salsa or use the salsa from the next recipe.
If using 10 inch tortillas cut them into small circles, you can get up to ten 2 inch circles with a cookie cutter but this is your meal so the size is up to you. Spread the refried bean mixture evenly over each round, top each round with the drained salsa and top with shredded any cheese of your liking.
Now for best flavor place the rounds back on the grill on a well oiled grill pan. This time use indirect heat to slowly heat up the ingredients not grill them. To do this simply turn off the middle burner and turn on the burners either side of the food.
When the cheese is fully melted and the tortillas turn golden brown the delectable pre-game snack is ready.
Three ten inch tortillas will kick off thirty bites.
Dips were the mainstay of the party crowd for decades. But now salsa is king. But like BBQ sauce the best salsa is home made not from a jar! To make salsa even more authentic with our own personal touch smoking or roasting several of the ingredients on the grill makes for an extra point every time. Salsas are not only for use with chips or as dips. They make great toppings for fish burgers and other standard fare.
First Down Roasted Tomato Salsa:
Roast eight tomatoes, three small shallots and one clove of garlic on the grill or in the oven if you can’t stand the cold. The tomatoes should be blackened on all sides but not looking like cinder ash. Many folks remove the skins after roasting but to me this uses up all my time outs in the first quarter. Dice the tomatoes, remove the seeds if you like and let cool. The hardest part is roasting the tomatoes. The rest of the ingredients just get mixed together. Then add the tomatoes and serve.
Mix together the garlic, shallots, three teaspoons of chopped or minced olives of your choice, two tablespoons capers, ½ teaspoon of fresh rosemary with leaves stripped from the stem throwing away the stem. Then add a pinch of salt. I use sea salt exclusively as table salt is bitter and boring.
Next step is to finish by adding a pinch of cayenne or chili powder along with some lemon zest and orange or pineapple juice (1-2 tablespoons). Finish it off with a drizzle of olive oil. Now just add the roasted tomatoes and serve along side chips or your main dish.
Home Made Penalty Flags
It is so easy to make grilled fare for the Super Bowl why ruin your efforts with chips out of a bag?
The choice of what to use for home made penalty flags is endless. Flour tortillas come in a wide range of sizes and flavors. Pita pockets work well here too adding a little extra dimension of flavor and texture. The hardest thing is choosing the "fabric" to make your flags from. Don’t fret though there is no illegal procedure if you follow the easy instructions for making great chips on the grill.
I use a pizza cutter to cut tortillas into chips shaped like a penalty flag or small triangle. Before cutting them however brush them lightly with your favorite oil. I am getting tired of using olive oil and balsamic vinegar for everything so feel free to use your favorite oil. The idea is to brush them lightly so they crisp on the grill and not get soggy from too much oil. Other oils I have used include canola, sesame, and garlic.
If using pita breads split the breads in two leaving the top and bottom sections. Oil the same as the tortillas and cut with a pizza slicer or sharp knife into shapes of your choice.
On a well oiled grill pan place the cut up pieces directly over a medium hot fire. Turn once or twice over a three to five minute period. When the pieces start to brown on both sides they are almost ready to remove. If the turn black they will taste burnt and bitter. Light brown and crunchy is where we want them.
Place your home made penalty flags on a tray and serve next to salsa and dips.
Cheese quesidillas are incredibly easy to make on the grill as well using tortillas as a bottom and top. Just remember to oil both top and bottom tortillas before placing on the grill. Place your favorite cheese or cheese blend on the bottom, maybe add some chopped chives, garlic or tomato. Place the top on and set over medium hot direct heat. With a LARGE spatula carefully flip the tortilla over when golden brown.
When the tortilla is golden brown on both sides and the cheese melted remove from the grill. Slice into wedges if desired and serve hot.
Any Super Bowl party is improved when the food is great and even better when it is grilled with fresh ingredients. With any luck the game will go into overtime to give your guests more time to enjoy your grilled fare even longer.
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Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

Time to Teach "CUE"

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:29:00 +0000

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surf side Dining

In late February, my favorite seminar, BBQ comes up. Join me in Newburgh as I race through a one hour messy cooking demonstration making rubs, oils and BBQ sauce. It is a fast moving class that can only evoke thoughts of family cookouts in the deep south at my grandparents where we stayed up all night watching a pig slow cooking over a pit of burning embers. No one got any sleep but the results the next day were to die for. Well the pig already had done that for us so all we had to do was enjoy the tasty results.

For more information on our outrageous cooking and gardening classes visit http://www.adamsfarms.com look for the events/seminar link then click on your favorite Adams location for a complete list of upcoming seminars and lectures including Tropic-Al's!

Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

It's Not Grilled But Then Again The Outdoor Kitchen is Froze Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:29:00 +0000

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining

Happy New Year BBQ nuts! Right now it is 12* outside and the deck is frozen which means no BBQing today. But I have to make something for the church soup and sandwich social next Sunday.

Just right for football playoff time and a winter lunch are chowders. I don't think it matters what kind of chowder. Just the sound chowder conjurs up thoughts of warm soup sipped slowly enjoyed with friends over crusty bread and good talk.

Since we do not like to go to great lengths on Sunday, other than to and from church then the couch for football, this chowder will be an easy one.

So here we go with : Tropic-Al's Corn Chowder with Chiles and Spicy Sausage

For four servings: 1/4 pound spicy sausage with patty form or links. Break the links up and remove the casing. Ground is better since it must look like ground hamburger to work well.

11 oz can of corn (south of the border style) Usually mixed with some red peppers hot or not red will make the corn look south of the border-ish.

3 cups of good chicken broth. I find most broths are to laden with salt so choose a low sodium one if you desire.

Now for the easy part: place the sausage in a skillet and cook to break up the chunks and stir around until there is no pink left at all in the meat. Five minutes should be plenty for four servings.

Then the hard part is adding the corn and broth! Simmer this undeniably difficult recipe for 5-10 minutes to warm through. Serve warm.

Now here is where I would be tempted to add some garlic, fresh parsley, thyme and oregano to the simmer. Go ahead there is no coals waiting to ash over so load up the pot with good stuff nice sliced tomatoes.

On the side serve up crusty bread or nacho chips or tortillas.

Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

Snowed and Iced in for Xmas

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:45:00 +0000

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining

It seems just as I get snowed n each winter I miss the grill most. Now mind you I grill/bbq year round. But when we receive threes storms in four days the grill gets a little more than covered by snow. It disappears.

The hot tub, my redneck kitchen and both of my grills are buried under four feet of white sugar like stuff called neige en francais and snow to the rest of us rednecks.

But anyway if you are lurking around BBQ land looking for something to do check out our publications on the left hand side bar. We have every topic for island living under the sun.

Tropic-Al

Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

A perfect Ssaturday BBQ

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:44:00 +0000

Tropic AL Hosted some landlubbers Saturday afternoon to a beautiful fall lunch. The feature was spaghetti squash grilled to perfection over a Weber Summit. After the outer shell was charred to perfection the stringy squash was removed and placed in a glass bowl to keep warm.

Meanwhile some sweet turkey sausage was being grilled in beer inside a ceramic dish.

Pineapple slices were alongside the beer soaked sausage getting their share of the heat.

After the pineapple was done sliced chicken breast was placed on the fire next to the sausage.

When everything was done grilling it was tossed along the stringy spaghetti squash and drizzled with a delicious sauce of maple syrup, soy sauce, lemon juice and garlic.

And they say pirates lead a tough life!

Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills

Lemon Verbena A Rough Cut Tongue Biter

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Draiss) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:57:00 +0000

Tropic-Al's: Almost Surfside Dining

With it's light green fine textured foliage and great citrus aroma lemon verbena is a winner. I just wish it were hardy in my back yard. Growing to six feet this verbena gives multiple chances at cuttings throughout the season. I have just taken my thirds cutting in ten days. The plant just response well to haircuts.
Very surprised by the rough service on the under side of the leaf. I thought it would be as soft as basil but not so. Rough on the tongue for sure.
I have my verbena growing in a 10 inch pot out by my tropical island just off the back porch.
I hope I have a sunny enough window to place it in for the winter. The cuttings I have taken are now hanging upside down drying out. Some will make it in my rubs for fish the rest maybe in your kitchen.

Tropic-Al's: A Banana Republic in The Catskills