Summer Time BBQ and other Tips

Happy 4th of July to those of you in the U.S.!

I love the 4th of July. I love fireworks, grilling, and displaying my patriotism! I thought I would share with you my favorite grilling recipes and some tips on displaying your American Flags!

The photo above I took at the fireworks display near my house over the weekend. It was my first time photographing fireworks and I learned a lot! Next time the photos will be even better!

Grilled Corn:

Ears of Corn, shucked and cleaned
Aluminum Foil

Shuck and clean the corn, having a small vegetable brush makes it easier to get the silk off the corn. Wash it, but don't dry too much of the water off of it, otherwise it will burn. Wrap ears in foil. Sir likes me to twist the ends into points and bend them in opposite directions so that when he grills he can keep track of how often he has turned them, also it helps keep the corn from rolling around.

Grill over direct heat for 30-50 minutes depending on the amount of charring you want. Also, if you are grilling chicken at the same time, and have a small grill, you may have to move the corn to indirect heat for about 15 minutes. If you don't want any charring at all, then grill entirely over indirect heat.

These times are for a charcoal grill. Times for gas are going different!!


BBQ Cola Chicken

I LOVE LOVE LOVE mixing BBQ Sauce and Cola!

1 Cup Cola (I prefer Pepsi)
1/2 Cup BBQ Sauce (I like sweeter BBQ sauces with this, like Jack Daniel's Hickory Brown Sugar or Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory Brown Sugar or if you can get it Montgomery Inn Barbeque Sauce).
1 1/2 chicken legs or thighs or hindquarters (I find dark meat grills better and moister)

Mix Cola and BBQ sauce in a small saucepan and heat over low heat until heated through. Reserve a small amount to serve with the chicken (1/2-3/4 cup).

Heat grill. Place chicken over direct heat for 15 minutes, turn about halfway through. If it's starting to char to much, adjust the time accordingly. When we have a really hot grill, it only takes about 12 minutes.

Remove to indirect heat for 25-30 minutes, turning occasionally and basting with BBQ sauce the last 15 minutes.


Flag Etiquette

* Fly only clean flags in good condition
* Fly the flag only during the day unless you have your flag pole lit for nighttime use
* Do not fly your flag in the rain
* Do not use your flag for anything but a flag
* Do not let your flag touch the ground

Friday Favorites

I totally spaced out that today was Friday. I've been on Thursday time all day!

With Memorial weekend upon us, I'd compiled a few links that I plan on using over the weekend. Because my dad is an ex-Marine and a veteran, this holiday has always been a time when the family would gather, we'd have a cookout, sit around and visit, and at some point in time, give thanks to those who served.

Here are my Memorial Day Friday Favorites!


1. Here are a couple of links with tell you where you can find the best Memorial Weekend sales around. Shopping Guru and Dealio.

2. These links, though geared toward women being behind the grill, are great for men, too. They just offer terrific "beginners" hints, along with recipes. There's Girls at the Grill, Girl on Grill Action, and Girls on a Grill.

3. Fabulous Living gives you a short but neat article on how to have a successful picnic. And for the vegetarians among us, some vegetarian barbecue recipes.

4. Some links to Memorial Day activities: Activities for the whole family and Memorial Day Weekend Party

5. Two desserts to make that are Memorial Day themed: Brownie Flag and cute Flag Fudge

Friday Favorites

60 Summer Side Dish Recipes - some really yummy easy looking sides. Side for me are always something I am trying to figure out and never know what to cook or just do the same ones over and over.

Making a Table Cloth - I have at times not found the color or size I wanted so this is something I think would be easy to do

Bar Planning 101 - has questions with fix it solutions for when setting up a bar for a party

Table Settings with Pictures - It has from traditional to themes (such as Asian table decorations). I think it might be a good place when throwing a party and needing to set and decorate the table.

Hostess with the Mostess - Totally what the name implies. Party ideas, recipes, entertaining help and finds to help you make your party better.

Outdoor Cooking

If you're anything like me, when warm weather arrives, the last thing you want to do is stand over a stove. Solution? Fire up the grill!

While my husband is indeed The Grill Master (lest he read this and have to go outside and pound his chest because I'm challenging his manhood *grin*), I have a terrific chicken marinade recipe to share.

This makes about 4 cups of marinade:

1 1/2 cups vegetable or olive oil
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup red wine vinegar (cider vinegar works as a substitute)
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced fresh parsley

Mix all ingredients together, and let your meat soak. The longer the better but I've had as little as 30 minutes and still had terrific results.



Tips for grilling boneless chicken breasts:

Trim or pound chicken to equal thickness (if you trim it, you can save the pieces to make chicken stock)

Lightly score the chicken before marinading.

Heat your grill to medium-high. We have a gas grill so if you have charcoal, you're on your own. I'm clueless about charcoal.

Put your chicken on and sear it for 2 or 3 minutes per side. Lower heat or move chicken away from high heat and cook until done (Total cooking time depends on the thickness of the meat.)

Don't poke it while it cooks. That lets the juices out. I know it's done by how it feels when I touch it. It's springy but not soft. Firm but not hard. Or, use a meat thermometer to 165F.

Remove from grill and let sit for 5 minutes before cutting. This lets the juices redistribute.

That same marinade is awesome for steak, too.

Can you grill a complete meal? Why yes! Yes you can!

Vegetables:

To grill corn on the cob- Carefully pull back, but don't remove, the corn husks and pick off the silk. Roll the husks back up and secure with twine. Soak in water for an hour or two. Toss on the grill, turning every 5 minutes. (If desired, after soaking, peel back husks again and flavor the corn with butter and seasonings, replace husks, tie and grill.) Grilled corn on the cob always gets rave reviews.



I also like to make a vegetable packet out of aluminoil foil, toss in whatever veggies I have on hand (squash, zuchinni, peppers, asparagus work great), add a little olive oil, some seasoning and let the packet steam away while the meat cooks.

Dessert:

Grilled Pineapple Sundae-

1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch slices
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
vanilla ice cream

Mix together brown sugar, butter, lemon juice and cinnamon. Brush over pineapple slices. Grill slices over high heat for one minute per side. Put on a plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and eat warm.



Noms.