Summertime & Salsa

Well I finally feel like I am enjoying summer rather than being stuck inside all day. I almost forgot how nice the hot sun feels and what it feels like to have a day with no schedules. Like I mentioned in a past post, I am spending a few days up north with my parents before my mom and I jet off to Chicago. I haven’t saw my dad for 2 months which is much too long—and who would’ve guessed we’d be dressed alike without even knowing? Ha!

And this guy was mighty happy to see me too..

One of the first things I am going to invest in when I buy a house is a grill so that I can make delicious summer meals like this…thanks again for this Mom!

Marinated flank steak, fingerling potatoes from the Farmer’s Market (cooked in a foil pack on grill), and an onion/bell pepper mixture (cooked in a foil pack as well). Delish!

Then of course when I visit home, I always like to make the drive into Duluth for the day. Lake Superior, downtown, and of course the shopping all make Duluth a fun day trip destination. Upon my request we needed to visit the Lake Superior Zoo as well.

I probably have about 5 pictures just like this from when I was little to now..it’s the ideal picture spot!

Besides the fact that it was 90 smoldering degrees, the animals were quite active and it was fun to go back to a place I grew up going to every summer.

And my second request?! Red Lobster please!

After 10 minutes of debating on what I wanted (I really wanted everything), I settled on the Broiled Seafood Platter, which is bay scallops, garlic shrimp scampi and stuffed flounder. I also got fresh broccoli and a plain baked potato as sides.

Three words: I hated it.

Totally kidding obviously—It was the best seafood I have had in a long time, and a lot of food for just $13.95. The garlic sauce for the shrimp was heavenly, and the stuffed flounder was pure perfection!

And of course I didn’t forget that I promised you more blueberry recipes this week. You’ll definitely want to plan on making this soon!

Chicken Quesadillas with Blueberry Salsa

Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients:

• 1-8 inch tortilla—I used La Tortilla Factory
• 1/2 c shredded chicken breast
• 1/4 c shredded cheese—I used a Mexican blend
• Handful of spinach
• A couple  thinly sliced button mushrooms

Directions:

• In a heavy skillet, heat one flour tortilla. On half of the tortilla, spread shredded cheese, veggies and top with the chicken mixture. Fold tortilla in half.
• When bottom tortilla is lightly brown and cheese has started to melt, flip quesadilla and cook on the opposite side.
• Remove quesadilla from skillet and cut into three pieces.
• Or make life easier and use a Quesadilla Maker like I do.

Blueberry Salsa

-Makes 3 cups-

Ingredients:

2  cups  chopped fresh blueberries

1  cup  whole fresh blueberries

1/4  cup  fresh lemon juice

3  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro

2  seeded and minced jalapeño peppers

1/3  cup  diced red bell pepper

1/4  cup  chopped onion

1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt

Directions:

• Coarsely chop 2 cups fresh blueberries. Stir together chopped fresh blueberries, 1 cup whole blueberries, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, 2 seeded and minced jalapeño peppers, 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper, 1/4 cup chopped onion, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a large bowl.
• Cover and chill until ready to serve.

--Notes: the blueberry salsa was amazing..I am thinking about canning some to have on hand! And it paired superbly with the chicken!--

 

What is your favorite seafood? Or don’t you like it?

 

**See you from the road to Chicago next!**

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?

Twice and Still Nice

**The winner of my Progresso Soup giveaway is….**

True Random Number Generator

Result: 7

Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Congrats to Fresh Local and Best—please email (apinchandadash@live.com) and I will forward it onto Progresso so we can have your soup on the way!

Is it really Saturday already? This week flew by which was surprising—I thought for sure it would drag by due to the fact that it’s the kick-off of spring break! I get 10 days off which is great, and when I go back it’ll be 1/4 of the school year left—time flies! Today won’t be a relaxing Saturday—I need to finish packing and  take care of all the last minute things around the house. I leave for Boston tomorrow morning from the local airport and return on Thursday, so posting may be somewhat scarce! If you have spring break, what are you going to do?

So awhile back, I posted about my first eating encounter with buffalo. I really developed a taste for it and couldn’t wait to try it in some more recipes. Substituting it for beef was my goal since I am not the biggest fan of  beef flavor. And since we’ve finally fired up the grill—helloooo spring fever!---what better meal to make then good ol’ grilled hamburgers? Bison burgers that is! Just a note—bison is a bit drier due to the fact that it is very lean, but it still makes a superb burger. And you know me, I don’t like eating the same meal twice, so I decided to turn the burgers into a whole other dish—I am satisfied with both—try em out!

Grilled Bison Burgers

Makes 6-7 patties

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb ground bison meat
• 1/4 c Italian breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp Lawry’s seasoning
• 6-7 whole wheat buns
• Optional toppings: Caramelized red onions, sliced pickles, skillet fennel apples. (1 thinly sliced braeburn apple, 1/2 tsp oil, 1 tsp fennel seed---sautéed 4 minutes or until soft)

Directions:

• Put ground bison in a bowl, mix with breadcrumbs, and Lawry’s seasoning.
• Warm grill to low heat, place on the grill--cook to desired doneness, flipping once.
• Meanwhile, prepare toppings—toast buns on grill if you want.

Italian Butternut Bison Shepherd’s Pie

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 bison burger—crumbled
• 1/2 c fresh button mushrooms
• 1/4 c roasted red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 c tomato sauce
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 parsnips
• 1/2 c cubed butternut squash
• 2 Tbsp  c milk
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 c crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Spray two 3 cup custard cups with nonstick cooking spray.
• In medium bowl crumble bison burger. Add button mushrooms, tomato sauce, roasted bell pepper, and Italian seasoning.

• Divide evenly among custard cups.

• Slice parsnips into 1 inch slices. Put cubed butternut squash and parsnips in microwave safe bowl—microwave for 4 minutes or until fork tender. Add veggies, Worcestershire sauce, and milk to food processor or Magic Bullet. Pulse until a mashed potato consistency is formed.
• Divide mixture in half, and spread evenly on top of bison mixtures. Top with feta cheese. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until top starts to brown.

 

Have a great weekend!