Grilling—The Good, Bad, and Ugly

Happy Thursday all—the week is rolling to an end!

The temps here have still been on the up and up which means it’s time to pull out the grill! We’ve actually been grilling for a good three weeks or so now—nothing better than a that tantalizing grilled flavor you just can’t get any other way! However, grilling is not all about just firing it up, closing the lid, and getting a good meal when you open it…there is a lot more it ensues, and safety is a big one.  Normally you don’t think about the downside of cooking—burnt food, fires, anything gone awry, but this past week our town experienced one of the biggest fires they have had since the 60’s and low and behold it started due to a grill out on a patio.

Thankfully no one was hurt, but the whole apartment building is no longer livable. So just let it serve as a reminder to brush up on your grilling safety tips…

Gas grill safety tips
When cooking outdoors with a gas grill, check the air tubes that lead into the burner for any blockage from insects, spiders or food grease, and follow these tips to reduce the risk of fire or explosion:

• Check grill hoses for cracking, brittleness, holes and leaks. Make sure there are no sharp bends in the hose or tubing.
• Move gas hoses as far away as possible from hot surfaces and dripping hot grease.
• Always keep propane gas containers upright.
• Never store a spare gas container under or near the grill or indoors.
• Never store or use flammable liquids, like gasoline, near the grill.
• Never keep a filled container in a hot car or car trunk. Heat will cause the gas pressure to increase, which may open the relief valve and allow gas to escape.
  Charcoal grill safety tips
  Charcoal produces carbon monoxide (CO) when it is burned. CO is a colorless, odorless gas that can accumulate to toxic levels in closed environments. To reduce the risk of CO poisoning:
• Never burn charcoal inside of homes, vehicles, tents or campers.
• Charcoal should never be used indoors, even if ventilation is provided.
• Since charcoal produces CO fumes until the charcoal is completely extinguished, do not store the grill indoors with freshly used coals.

Now onto the good side of grilling..the food!

((Steaks))

((Boneless Pork Chops))

We wanted to test two new sauces for marinating the pork..

The lovely people at Tribal Moose sent their unique Cranberry BBQ Sauce to accompany our grilling escapades. We didn’t know how well a cranberry flavor would meld with a BBQ sauce, but it was surprisingly a great combo!  We both agreed the sauce is on the spicy side, so you just need a little to achieve a great flavor punch. It also held up really well when used as a marinade and stays on once grilled.

And the next sauce was one I picked up when I was out in Boston a few weeks ago..The Iron Chef Thai Sweet Pepper and Garlic sauce. You could smell this through the top of the bottle before you even open it, so you know it’s not going to be lacking in the flavor department. It’s more like a jelly consistency, so perfect for spreading on as a marinade, however it didn’t stay on too well during the grilling stage and we had a hard time finding the flavor on the one pork chop we used it on. I am sure I can find other uses for it, so no biggie!

 

*Back left is marinated with Sweet Pepper sauce, front left is Cranberry BBQ sauce and two on the right are just plain*

((Apples and Onions))

When grilling, you can still fit in your 5-a-day!

• 1 apple
• 1/2 red onion, sliced,
• few sprays of cooking spray
• tinfoil
• dash of pepper

Simple steps: Make a tinfoil pack and spray the inside. Add in apples, onions and pepper. Fold up leaving a vent for steam on the top. Place on low on grill and keep checking for doneness every few minutes..apples will be fork tender.

I tried some new springtime frozen steam veggies from Target..

Thumbs up—you get a lot in a package for the price and the citrus sauce complements grilled meats very well!

What are your favorite grilled meals to make/eat?

♫Taking Care of Business♫

♫ “Taking care of business every day
Taking care of business every way
I've been taking care of business, it's all mine
Taking care of business and working overtime
Work out!” ♫

Okay, not really! Technically I am currently not employed besides my small beading business and selling stuff on EBay! (Hey a college girl has to get by somehow!) The kind of business I am talking about is a baking business! I have been receiving a lot of emails/comments asking if I sell(or would consider selling) and shipping my baked goods. Well I make them a lot for friends, family, etc. that ask for occasions and what not, but I had never thought of selling them. I think it sounds like a great idea though—I have one whole recipe book that I put together of all my tried and true recipes I have collected in the past couple years since I have become a “Mini Rachael” as my dad likes to call me (although Rachael isn’t big on baking). I would definitely provide ingredients and nutrition info and would be able to customize according to your likes. Just thought I would shoot the idea at you guys—if you could click the poll below and tell me if you’d be interested? If I get enough good feedback I will put together a list of things I would sell. I am also known for making really cute “Cakes in a Pot” for gifts and layered gift jars with mixes for soups, dips, cakes, cookies, trail mix etc. (btw, I could do the cheapest shipping techniques/rates possible—my mom works at the Post Office, so she knows the ropes!)

Would you be interested if I opened an online blogger bakery?
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On another note, I got an apartment in my college town finally! It’s a two bedroom so I will have plenty of extra room! I am so happy, because originally there wasn’t any openings until August, but now I get to move in the beginning of July! I will def take pics tomorrow to show you guys! I am overly excited! So I will be packing, moving, etc. once again—does it ever end?! =) I’m putting together a post now for tomorrow since I will be leaving quite early for the drive. Heads up: You don’t want to miss tomorrow’s post—it to die for!

p.s. Check out my new features on the side bar—Cassie’s Cookbook and Cookbook of the Month which features a new cookbook I’ve recently got that I am lovin’!

I’ll leave you with a yummy dinner I had:

Simply but Savory Shrimp Kebabs

For all of you that have access to fresh from the sea seafood—I am extremely jealous—I have to resort to frozen shrimp which can be a bit of a drag in the taste department. So I need to jazz em’ up with a marinade. Marinades can add a lot of flavor but also a lot of calories too which is why I used my *special* low-cal marinade to baste these babies!

Marinade:

*Desired amount of honey mustard

*Dash of apple cider vinegar

*Squeeze of lemon juice

*Pinch of desired seasonings

Mix em’ all together and slather the kebabs prior to baking. I like kebabs not only for their taste, but because of the customization they allow. For mine I used bell peppers, shrimp, onions, zucchinis, and mushrooms. So put together your fav meat/veggie combo and give my marinade a shot!

What’s you favorite kebab combo?