Rain or Shine...

Yep, just like the postal carrier, this griller is out there rain or shine. Which actually means it rained this evening! Great news for our draught ridden area! And the warm shower just helped me foster that sense of Hawai'i that I try to squeeze out of my Hooterville deck and back yard! Gabby Pahinui on my MP3 player really helps with that one!

SO tonight's GrillWorx featured nice lean little New York Strip steak, marinated in Shiraz, with EVOO and Montreal Steak Seasoning. A few frozen Onion Rings tossed on a sheet of foil spritzed with non-stick cooking spray and fresh Brussels Sprouts, halved, tossed with EVOO, S&P and a bit of fresh Garlic. The steak, was grilled rare with perfect grill marks (of course!). Truly picture worthy, but taking pix on the grill was out tonite because of the rain!

And then there was dessert in the rain. SO worth it. Listening to Gabby Pahinui... a glass of wine... halving and pitting beautiful fresh cherries. The cherries bathed in Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum 'til it was time to put them on the fire! And then... when it was time... the rum-soaked cherries and the remaining rum and cherry juice went into a foil boat to steam and to allow the rum sauce to reduce. OMG. The smell was heavenly! And then drizzled atop Bluebell Sugar-Free/Reduced Fat Vanilla Ice Cream... seriously better than... well.. better than most everything! LOL!

Ice Cream (FF/SF Bluebell Vanilla) topped with Fresh Cherries,
Bathed in Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum... and heated in a foil boat
to create a reduction of the rum & cherry juice. O yeah. It was YUMMY!

Lamb Chop Lollipops!

Tonite's GrillWorx featured delicious Lamb Chop lollipops. You know the ones. They are just about the size of a lollipop, and have a convenient handle to facilitate devouring! These were marinated in Dry Red Wine and EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), and Herbs, including Mint, Thyme, S&P, and whatever smells complementar! Brussels Sprouts, halved, drizzled with EVOO.. and sprinkled with S&P.

L'Amuse Bouche: Grilled Caprese Portabella!

Amuse Bouche was a Caprese Portabella.... Portabella Cap, spritzed with a bit of EVOO... sliced Grape Tomatoes, shreds of fresh Basil from my herb garden, and nice fresh Mozarella Cheese.

Dessert was a Drunken Peach...halved, pitted, soaked in Kraken Dark Rum. Grilled and served with Fat Free/Sugar Free Vanilla Ice Cream!

Salmon, Haricots Verts, and Pirate Pineapples...

So Tonite's GrillWorx featured Salmon. Wild Sockeye Salmon. Not quite sure what that means, but I am envisioning something from Harry Potter...

Yet spritzed with EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and encrusted with a blend of Orange Zest, Pepper, Sea Salt, Garlic, Basil, and Thyme... and grilled on a cedar plank... Well, it looked quite delicious! (Of course, you know, I do not eat fish!)

Veggies tonite included Corn On The Cob... Cleaned, rinsed and soaked, and grilled in its Husk. And Haricots Verts... with a touch of thinly sliced Onion and halves of Grape Tomato... drizzled with EVOO, a touch of S&P.

Wine choice, Los Pinos Rodeo Red (Personal Fave of mine! Yeah, I know... white wine with fish. Whatever. I like what I like! Yeah. I am a bit of a heathen!

Pineapple rings, soaked in Rum... sprinkled with Cinnamon. Grilled..
Served with Fat Free-Sugar Free Bluebell Vanilla Icecream.
And Flour Tortilla Quarters... grilled to a crispy texture, sprinkled with
Cinnamon and and a blend of Sugar/Splenda.

Dessert was phenomenal. Fresh Pineapple rings soaked in Dark Spiced Rum... Grilled. The rum that the pineapple soaked in was heated with the pineapple core bits, to add a little pineapple flavour... A dash of Cinnamon was incorporated too! A Flour Tortilla, quartered and spritzed with Canola Oil, sprinlked with Cinnamon garnished the dish, and added a little crunch.

GrillWorx On The Go...

Last nite was spent with great friends, so GrillWorx went On The Road!



Vanessa's Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes...
Mmmmm! I want Dessert first!



Portabella Caps and Salmon on Cedar!



Lots of people, and a small grilling surface meant that dinner would be prepared in shifts! We started with a little Amuse Bouche, Portabella Caps, stuffed with Cheddar Cheese and fresh sliced Jalapenos. When the Cheese was all melty (yes, "melty" is an official culinary technical term!), we sliced these up so that everyone could have a taste. ('cept for me... I don't care for mushrooms!)

Also, a couple of lovely Salmon Fillets, seasoned with Dill and Lemon, and grilled on Cedar Planks to enhance their flavour. I soaked the cedar planks so that they would not burn, and spritzed a little EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) on the fillets so that they would not stick to the Cedar. Then drizzled the top with freshly squeezed Lemon juice and dusted them with Dill. (Did I mention that I do not care for fish?)



Spicy Boudain and Salmon on Cedar

The Teenager loves Boudain, so I brought plenty of that for him and his friends. If you're not familiar, Boudain is a Cajun pork sausage with rice and plenty of Cajun spices. (This is another delicacy that I do not care for! But it seems like I am in a minority...everyone that likes spicy seems to like Boudain!)



Brussels Sprouts, Petite Sirloins, Brats



Petite Sirloin Steaks, marinated in Dry Red Wine, with EVOO, S&P, Garlic and other Seasonings were grilled for people like me that don't like Mushrooms, Salmon and Boudain!  And Robert brought Cheddar Bratwursts.




Brussels Sprouts steamed on the Grill

 

The Veggie du jour: Brussels Sprouts, halved, tossed in about a tablespoon of EVOO, and sprinkled with S&P, steamed on the grill in foil pouches. To faciliate creating these foil pouches for steaming veggies, I use ice cubes rather than water... that way you don't have water pouring out of the foil! As I don't care Brussels Sprouts, Shane, Lonnie, Sara and David served as official tasters for doneness!

Mike slow-smoked chickens, and Ashleigh created Baked Beans and a lovely Potato Salad. Sara and David brought what they called Mystery Meat (which turned out to be lovely Pork Spare Ribs, marinated in a tangy Barbecue Sauce.

And then... Dessert. 



Vanessa's decadent Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes. O yeah... it was good!

 Vanessa created these lovely cupcakes, rich chocolate cake infused with cherry juice... cherries baked inside and as a topping. Garnished with beautiful mint sprigs from Sandy's herb garden!



Great food, good wine, and awesome friends! What a lovely evening! Thanks everybody! ;-}

   

Simple Fare... Burgers, Fries and Onion Rings

GrillWorx last nite was devoted to teaching the Teenager the skills of the trade. So dinner was Teenager's Choice. Of course, that means Burgers and Fries!

The Teen's burgers were Angus patties. We mixed a blend of shredded Cheddar and Pepper Jack Cheese, chopped Jalapenos (thanks Brandi!) and Applewood Smoked Bacon, thick sliced, and grilled (on a piece of foil so the drippings do not catch fire!) to crispy perfection. The Bacon was crumbled up and that along with the Cheese and Jalapenos were blended into the ground Angus. Seasonings were simple... Montreal Spicy Steak Seasoning. Rather than Cheddar/Bacon/Etc., my burger was mixed with Bleu Cheese, fresh crushed Garlic, and S&P. (Sea Salt and Pepper...I use a blend of Black, Red, and White peppercorns, and prefer a coarse grind!)
The Teen's Burgers (yeah, he had two!) were served on King's Hawai'ian Sandwich Rolls. Mine was naked... sans buns, but with a big slice of Tomato.

As accoutrements, the Teenager selected Fries and Onion Rings. These are pre-fab... directly from your grocer's freezer section. Teenager spritzed a little non-stick cooking spray on a sheet of foil and arranged the Frozen Treats in a single layer. The Teenager likes spicy (wonder where he gets that!), so he liberally seasoned the fries with Montreal Spicy Steak Seasoning.
For me, the accompaniment did not include Fries and Onion Rings, but rather left-overs from lunch...Grape Tomatoes and Mozzarella Cheese, with a few leaves from my beloved Basil plant.

Glass o' Wine (or two!) on the deck for me, and a big glass of ice cold milk for the teen!

Can't ALWAYS Eat Healthy...

Sometimes you just gotta be bad, ya know?

Pears, poached in a light semi-sweet Red Wine, with Cinnamon. Served with Fat-Free/Sugar-Free Bluebell Vanilla (sprinkled with Cinnamon). Garnished with a grilled Tortilla quarter, sprinkled with Cinnamon and a blend of Sugar & Splenda. Can we START with dessert?

Last night's GrillWorx was a perfect example of that need to stray from healthy eating! I decided that the teenager would enjoy fried catfish after an arduous day of building and programming robots. And so it was. Catfish, fried on the grill. Sprinkled with Cajun seasoning, while still hot from the oil. He was quite thrilled. He LOVES that stuff.


Okay, so it wasn't ALL bad-for-you-food. We had grilled Asparagus spears (my favourite, you know) tossed with about a tablespoon of EVOO, and sprinkled with Sea Salt and fresh ground Pepper (Black, White and Red). And Zucchini medallions, spritzed with EVOO, S&P sprinkled across, and fresh Chopped Garlic... nice big chunks that roasted to a lovely golden brown over the grill. I put the Asparagus directly over the flame, but the Zucchini were on a sheet of foil... just to prevent loss to the hungry grill gods.


And then for dessert... Pears picked from a friend's tree, Poached in a light, semi-sweet Red Wine, with Cinnamon. These, I half or quarter (halved last nite!) and wrap in a foil pouch to keep the Wine and Pear Juices from escaping to become sacrifices to the grill gods! The smell of Pears and Cinnamon poaching on the grill is unmatched as far as I am concerned. Divine.

But that is not all that was on the grill last night... O no!


When you walk out onto my deck and the grill is fired up, the first smell you would typically notice is beef. Rich, decadent beef. Yep. The Canine Companions eat well around my house! Last night, Beef Neckbones, grilled to medium rare perfection for their feasting enjoyment! Yes, I grill for my dogs. But seriously. Look at those faces! How could I NOT grill for them?? ;-}

So what's on the grill for tonight? Stick around and find out! Better yet, stop by! ;-}

Perfect Grill Marks? Maybe NOT! More Wine, Pls!!

Tonite's GrillWorx: Beautiful, thick cut Pork Chops, trimmed of excess fat and marinated in
Ginger People Spicy Ginger Teriyaki Marinade. Fresh white Corn on the Cob, grilled in the husk... so delicious and sweet using butter or salt would be a crime! And Brussels Sprouts, halved, tossed in EVOO and seasoned with S&P and a bit of Garlic!


Behind the scenes at GrillWorx:


Vacation! Yay! Being on vacation in my world usually means being somewhere other than home, but still working. Well, not so much work today, as I decided to start a blog. But it still meant that I was away from home. Yes, I was far, far from home, at least for the better part of the day, in beautiful, exotic Texarkana, Texas. (The teenager had Robotics camp at the University there.) So driving that immense 60 mile distance really wiped me out! Okay... maybe not so much the distance as much as being a captive audience in the car for three hormonal, albeit precocious, teens all trying to best one another with their wit and senses of humour. Consequently tonite’s GrillWorx needed to be something quick and easy!

So little pork chops… thick cut, trimmed of excess fat… and marinated in
Ginger People Spicy Ginger Teriyaki Marinade. Yummy! While the chops were marinating, the veggies went on the grill. Can’t have a meal this time of year without beautiful White Corn on the Cob! Fresh, sweet and delicious, I stripped back the husks and cleaned it of its silk, washed it and wrapped it tenderly back in its husks to stay juicy on the grill! Also, Brussels Sprouts, rinsed and halved, tossed in a tablespoon of EVOO, with a touch of Sea Salt and freshly ground Pepper, and Garlic…just a touch. These were steamed on the grill in a foil pouch. For steaming veggies on the grill, I usually toss a few ice cubes in with them to help them steam perfectly. Why ice cubes? Just to facilitate the packing process! Water does not like to be confined with Brussels Sprouts apparently, and it makes every effort to escape. Ice stays put. At least while your sealing up the foil pouch!

So after the veggies had been on the grill for a while (Corn first… then Brussels Sprouts!) it was time for the Pork Chops! Going for Perfect Grill Marks (PGM), a la Alton Brown! Alton Brown is one of my culinary idols, ranking right up there with Anthony Bourdain. Alton Brown says to make the PGM, the grill should be on medium high. Pork Chops go on the grill, and two or three minutes later they are turned a half turn (not over!)… just to get those beautiful cross-hatch grill marks. Yep. The PGM. Two or three minutes later, the Pork Chops are flipped… and two to three minutes later turned a half turn again. O yeah... and a little bit of Sausage for the teen... left overs will make a nice addition for a quick breakfast in the morning as we are racing out the door to Robotics Camp!! ;-}



SO here's the problem! Sometimes the marinade you use carmelizes... and can even burn. For me, it's tough to get the Pork Chops cooked through and NOT burn the delicate coating of marinade that remains on the meat. Of course, that's probably because I focus more on drinking wine and not so much on monitoring my grill marks! (*blushing!*)

Ah well! Cheers! So much for PGM!


Tonite's wine selection was just like me... cheap and sweet!!! (A light sweet red was a nice complement to the sweet corn and spicy-sweet teriyaki!)

So what'd I cook tonite that I dislike? No Brussels Sprouts for me, thanx! ;-}

Flaming Seafood...

This weekend, I decided that I wanted to try pan searing some things. Yeah, I have been watching too much food network. But dang! They make it look so easy... and SO delicious!

Up to now, when I have had a flame-up on the grill, it's totally by accident, usually after I have grilled soup bones for the canine companions (Jaz and Delilah). Those things are disgusting, and tend to drip fat onto my pristine grilling surface, which, if not cleaned up, catches fire. Not pretty! Yet still, when they do it intentionally on the Food Network... well, it's just so impressive! Must. Try. Now.

So on this day, I chose to flame! Beautiful fresh scallops smuggled into Hooterville by an unsuspecting mule... rinsed and swaddled in paper towels to gently dry the precious treasures from the sea... then seasoned with Sea Salt and freshly ground Pepper (I like a blend of Black Pepper, White Pepper and Red Pepper). A non-stick skillet waiting anxiously... heating on the side burner of the grill... A little EVOO (that's Extra Virgin Olive Oil, y'all!) drizzled into the bottom of the pan... and then... when the oil wass hot enough, in went the Scallops! I gave them a few seconds to really get comfy in the hot oil, and then poured a dash of Chardonnay into the pan. BAH-WHOOOOSH! Impressive, no?

O...You might not wanna try this one if your due for a visit with your aesthetician! ;-}

The Seared Scallops were accompanied by beautiful White Corn on the Cob... grilled in its husk to prevent the escape of deliciousness! Also, of course, tender Asparagus, tossed in EVOO and S&P (yeah, that's just Salt & Pepper). There's just nothing better than Asparagus that's been tossed on the grill!!!

The wine was Naked Chardonnay. Nice!

O...did I mention that I really don't care for seafood?? ;-}