Mexican Chicken Lasagna

The last time we had chicken fajitas (unfortunately, not cooked on the grill), we had enough leftovers to do something else with the ingredients. This recipe is one thing you can do with leftovers from the Sizzlin’ Chicken Fajitas ( http://wp.me/p1ExcU-3 ).

You’ll need about 2-3 cups of shredded chicken and about the same amount of sauteed onions and peppers. Additional ingredients:
6 8″-10″ flour tortillas
2 16 ounce cans of refried beans
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3 cups of salsa
4 cups of shredded cheese (I like the mexican blend of Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine well the refried beans, sour cream and 2 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese. In a greased 9×13 baking dish, lay 2 tortillas side by side on the bottom. Spread 1/3 of the refried bean mixture over the tortillas. Sprinkle 1/3 of the chicken and peppers over the mixture. Finally, spread 1 cup of salsa over all. Repeat layers 2 more times. You will have 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese left. Set this aside for later. Once all layers have been assembled, cover the lasagna with foil. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the lasagna is bubbling. Take out, remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over all. Bake, uncovered for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Until next time, Grill, Baby, Grill!

(Cheater) Grilled Pork Tenderloin

I know you are wondering about (Cheater).  That’s what I call it when I buy “pre-” food.  You know, pre-cooked, pre-packaged, pre-marinated.  When I am in the mood for something really good, but I either don’t have the time, meat is still frozen, it’s last minute or I just don’t feel like doing all of the work, I put together what I call a Cheater menu.  I fell as if I am cheating when I buy “pre-” anything.  This particular time, it was mostly last minute as the weather was pretty good and we had not had anything grilled in several weeks.  It was a Sunday, so that also meant I had a bit more time to grill something before it became too dark. 

A pre-marinated Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin and a container of mashed sweet potatoes rounded out with a salad kit made our meal for that Sunday.  It was really nice to do some outdoor cooking. 

I prepared the grill with a split fire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When it was hot (high heat), the tenderloin went on.  It was seared on ALL sides to lock in it’s own juices. 

 

 

Once it was seared, I moved the tenderloin to the center of the grill.

 

 

 

 

The lid went on and I left it alone for about 40 minutes.

The end result:

 

 

 

While the tenderloin was cooking, I lined a pan with foil.  The pork was wrapped in the foil as soon as I took it off of the grill. 

 

 

 

 

 

Creating a tent with the foil (overlapping the folds), I allowed the tenderloin to “rest”.  This lets the meat relax and all of the juices flow back to the center of the meat, making a nice moist piece of meat.  Cutting it too soon will dry it out.  10 minutes is plenty of rest time.

 

 

Slice the pork and serve. 

 

 

 

 

Teriyaki is sweet and sour; sweet potatoes are sweet.  We opened a bottle of Rosato to sip as we dined.  It went pretty well with this meal.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until next time, Grill, Baby, Grill!

Finally….

….a fire in the fireplace!  On January 4th, we finally had our first indoor fire of the season.  Usually, by November, we have already had a couple of fires.  To celebrate, we roasted hot dogs and (pre-cooked) sausages.  For dessert, my daughter made a banana boat.  We are looking forward to many more evenings by the fireside.  But the way the weather has been, I’m wondering just how many we will have….Until next time, Grill, Baby, Grill!

Grilled Pizza

The weather and time have not been conducive to outdoor cooking.  It’s cool and rainy.  Not that the cool or cold will keep me from grilling.  Rain does put a damper on things, though.  And I hate this time of year-it gets dark way too early.  I’m ready to move closer to the equator so I can have more hours of daylight (and warmer weather sounds enticing-I’d rather be soaked in sweat than freezing my toes off!).  You will see in the pictures that the daylight faded quickly on this one!

This is not the first time I have grilled pizza.  I tried a different method than usual.  I put the pizza directly on the grill and tried cooking it as one would do in a fire-brick oven:  start out with a lot of heat and continue cooking until the heat is gone, resulting in longer cooking times as one goes a long.  Usually, I heat up my skillet over the fire and put the pizza on the skillet.  Similar, but different enough to affect the crust doneness.  And I think, a better method.  I won’t say that this was an utter failure, but it was not the best.  This blog isn’t just about posting new recipes; it’s about sharing my ideas for outdoor cooking.  Some of those ideas are going to be great, some are learning opportunities-learn from my mistakes so you don’t have to make them!

The pizzas are relatively straightforward.  I used thawed frozen bread dough, cut into 3 or 4  even hunks.  I rolled them into balls (with a bit of flour), let them rest until doubled, then rolled out with a rolling-pin into round pizza crusts.  Everyone makes their own pizzas at our house.  I opened a jar of tomato sauce, set out some spices and everyone’s favorite toppings and cheese. 

While my family prepped their pizzas, I started the fire.  I used some small pieces of oak and leftover charcoal.  I was going for a wood smoke flavor. 

 The first pizzas went on.  The fire was very hot-450 F to 500 F.  I put on the lid, suppressing the flames and creating an oven for the pizzas.  This is where I admit failure.  The pizza was very smoky, to the point where it was almost inedible.  Since it was dinner, I ate it anyway. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Subsequent pizzas were cooked with the lid off.  I did try this, in order to have some heat surrounding the top of the pizza: 

Some of the pizzas were a bit doughy in the middle.  The first pizzas I put on (with the lid covering the grill) were on for about 5 minutes.  They were completely cooked and looked great.  As I stated above, they were just too smoky.  These pictured above were on around 10 minutes.  With the lid off, the heat dissipated quickly.  The pizzas toward the end of my fire’s heat were put directly over the heat and moved alongside the fire as the bottoms browned.  Those turned out to be the best.  They took a lot longer, though.  Closer to 15 minutes.

Next time, I’ll go back to using my skillet.  It was easier to control the heat that was applied to the pizza.  I will let you know how it turns out!

Until next time, Grill, Baby, Grill!

Snow, Snow, Snow

I wasn’t singing “Let it Snow” but someone must have. October 29 is yet another date in 2011 that will be remembered by those of us in the eastern part of the U.S. What a year for weather events! A tornado at the end of April, an earthquake in August, Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee led to major flooding in September and now over 7″ of snow. And we still have 2 months of 2011 to go!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The heavy, wet snow left us with some downed limbs and a couple of trees that we will have to come down. Thanks to God, we did not have any limbs come down on our house. Most of the mess is in the woods behind the house. It will be a while before we can use our campfire pit. Some small trees and big limbs came down along the trail and at the pit. At least this gives us more wood to burn next year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a first for us-a snow pumpkin!

Although no recipe today, until next time, Grill, Baby, Grill!

Heaven and Earth/Himmel und Erde

I have been searching the web regarding this recipe.  There are many different versions of this out there, but this recipe comes from the recipe collection for the Foxfire House in Camp Furnace Hills (near Denver, PA).  Foxfire House was built-in  the very late 1700′s or early 1800′s.  The Girl Scouts now own the house (which is on the National Register of Historic Places).  Girl Scout troops may stay a day, a weekend, or, during the summer, girls from all over the nation and world can spend a week living in the house.  One of the experiences for the girls is to prepare and eat period recipes.  Both times my daughters’ troop have stayed at Foxfire House, we ate this version of Heaven and Earth.

It is German in origin.  Heaven is apples, Earth is potatoes.  It is typically a side dish rather than a one-pot meal.  The story I have been told is that the Hessian soldiers in the area made this recipe.  It’s  a great meal for fall.   The version made at Foxfire House uses butternut squash rather than potatoes.  I’ve never had it with potatoes, but I imagine potatoes would not be as interesting in this recipe. 

I made this over an open fire in my “backyard” (this can easily be cooked indoors as well-it would take around 45 minutes to cook on the stove).  We are blessed to have woods behind our house.  One of the first projects I took on was to find a space for a fire circle-our own little “campground.”  I found the perfect spot and forged a trail from the yard to the spot.  We have already had several perfect evenings to spend around the fire roasting hot dogs and marshmallows.  Last Sunday, I spent the afternoon preparing and cooking Heaven and Earth for dinner.  An excellent excuse to spend the afternoon outdoors, “relaxing” by the fire. 

A few years ago, I asked for and received my favorite cast-iron cooking vessel-a Dutch Oven with a flanged lid.  It is a versatile pot to have in one’s supply.  It is an oven, a stew pot, a skillet and a griddle.  It is easy to care for and clean.  I have used it over an open fire and in my grill and oven.  With the lid on, heat can be applied not only from below, but also from above.

I also have a tripod for the Dutch Oven.  The chain has plenty of links, allowing me to adjust the height of the oven as  needed.  I don’t have to worry about the heat of the fire since I can raise or lower the oven depending on how much heat I need.  The tripod comes in handy for hanging a lantern, too!

For this recipe, you need:

1 pound pork sausage links

1 pound bacon

One medium butternut squash, peeled and diced

2 large onions, cut into wedges

3 tbsp packed brown sugar

1 tbsp parsley,

1 to 2 tsp each, sweet marjoram, ground sage and thyme

5 medium apples, peeled, cored and diced

If you are going to cook over an open fire, start the fire a good half hour or so before you are ready to begin cooking.  That should be a sufficient amount of time for the wood to burn down into nice, hot coals.  You don’t need a blazing fire in order to properly cook over one.  In this case, a few small pieces of wood added now and then will do just fine.

 

Once the fire is ready and the oven is over the fire and preheated, start frying the bacon and the sausage.  I fry the meat one at a time.  The sausage and the bacon will be sliced into small, bite-size pieces.  Set the sliced meats aside to be added to the dish towards the end.

While the bacon and the sausage are cooking, peel and dice the squash.  The inside of butternut squash is similar to a neck pumpkin if you have ever cooked one of those (diced and sautéed with butter and brown sugar.  Mmm!). 

 

 

 

Cut the onion. 

 

Once the meat is off the fire (do not drain the grease), dump in the squash and onions.  If you want a lower fat version, go ahead and drain the grease-I recommend a lightly flavored vegetable oil. 

 

 

Cook, stirring often to prevent sticking and to allow for even cooking.  I used the lid for part of the cooking time to speed things up.  It will take close to 25 or 30 minutes to cook down.

 

 

 

Prepare the apples right before you are ready to add them.  Otherwise, treat them with FruitFresh to prevent browning. 

 

 

Add the apples and seasonings and mix well. 

 

 

 

Add the sausage and bacon and heat until hot and bubbly. 

We had only enough leftovers for a couple of family members to enjoy again the next day.  This is really a yummy meal!  Until next time, Grill, Baby, Grill!

Smoked Boneless Pork Ribs

Tender, juicy, flavorful, delicious to the eye.  A perfectly smoked piece of pork.  I have to say, the best I have ever done.  I usually finish off my smoked meat in a slow cooker since I don’t have a real smoker.  Because I would have to refuel the fire periodically for a larger piece of meat, that means lifting the lid off the grill and releasing the heat.  It would take much longer and one could end up with dry, tough meat.  Generally, I  build up a fire large enough to last about one hour for a good, smoked flavor.  If I am going to serve the same day, it goes into the slow cooker to make it fall off the bone tender.  On this day, however, I had a small amount of meat and I did something right with my fire.  It lasted a good couple of hours and resulted in the above. 

A smoker has a firebox separate from the cooking area.  There are smokers with the firebox to the side and the vent or chimney on the opposite end (here is this style: http://www.grillsdirect.com/charcoal-grills/grills-with-carts/chargrillersmokinprocharcoalsmokergrill.cfm)   Another smoker style layers the fire, liquid and cooking area in that order with the fire on the bottom (here is this style:  http://www.weber.com/explore/grills/smokers-series/smokey-mountain-cooker-18 )  Both styles allow for access to the fire to replenish without losing heat.  The links do not indicate an endorsement by me.  My dream smoker is custom-made, insulated and has heatproof paint.  And it is in Texas and hasn’t even been started yet, because I haven’t ordered it.  The shipping alone will be 1/4 the cost of the smoker!  Someday!

At least a charcoal grill is an acceptable substitute for the real thing.  One may get excellent results smoking meat on a regular grill.  It just hasn’t happened for me every time.  I’ll find out next time if this time was a fluke.  Weather will play a role when smoking on a grill.  Outdoor temperature and humidity are a factor.  So maybe all factors were ideal on this day.  The only variable I changed was the amount of charcoal.  I started with a larger pile than usual and had a smaller pile (6 to 8 briquets) next to it for adding right before I covered the grill (I did not light the smaller pile.  The heat from the larger pile took care of that).  I used briquets and hardwood charcoal.  The hardwood burns hotter, but not longer, making it ideal for searing the meat prior to the rest of the cooking time.  The briquets burn longer, ideal for slow cooking.

This recipe begins the day before with a dry rub on the pork.  I will give you all but one of the spices I used; I am leaving out my secret ingredient.  I am not going to give you measurements on this one either.  This is one you can experiment with on your own.  It all depends on what you like.  If you like it hot, you will add more cayenne pepper.  Or perhaps you don’t like garlic, so you wouldn’t add it at all.  Whatever you like will work. 

Start with plastic wrap on your counter, two long sheets, perpendicular to each other.  Place the meat on top.  You will be wrapping the meat tightly when finished with the rub.  I sprinkle the spice directly on the meat as I go, either sparingly or liberally.  Another option is to use a bowl (measure out and keep track for next time) and then put it on the meat.  Here are the spices I used:  Garlic powder and chili powder (sparingly), onion powder, mustard powder, ginger powder, basil, coriander (all liberally).  For some heat, I recommend cayenne pepper.  In addition, I add a pinch of salt (I rarely use salt on anything, but as the meat will be covered for a long period of time, salt is actually an aid in keeping the meat juicy and fresh).  The meat is seasoned on both sides.  You will rub in the seasonings as you go.  Below left is the meat seasoned and rubbed on both sides.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wrap the meat tightly and place in the refrigerator.  I left the meat for about 24 hours.  As with all of the meat recipes found on this blog, I removed the meat from the refrigerator about 1/2 hour prior to cooking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soak the wood you will be using.  I have oak and wild cherry on my property and use pieces that splinter off when my husband splits wood.  I also purchase wood chips when I want a different flavor.  Start soaking the wood before you start your fire.  Otherwise the wood will burn and not really smoke. 

Prepare your charcoal fire on one side of the grate.  Be sure the vents on the underside of the grill are fully open.  Spread out the coals when gray and ashy.  Before placing the cooking grate, add something to hold your liquid ( I use disposable foil pie or cake pans.  I stock up when they are on sale).  This time, I used apple juice for my liquid.  It complemented the applewood chips I used for the smoke.

 The pork will be seared over direct high heat (see Method Cooking post for determining high heat.  High heat is pretty much as soon as the coals are ashy).  Sear both sides.  Each side should take about 3 minutes.  Move to the opposite side, placing directly over the liquid.  Now you are ready to add the wood chips.  I added a handful and a half.

 The coals that started off to the side of the main fire can now be distributed over the main fire.  They should already be on the way to getting ashy.  Put the lid on the grill and the smoke will start pouring out.  Make sure the vent in the lid is directly over the meat.  This way, you don’t vent the heat right out of the grill and lose the heat and smoke you want for the meat.  The smoke will lessen as the moisture is dried out of the wood chips.

Check your temperature occasionally.  Ideally, you want a slow cooking temperature if you are going to keep the meat on the grill for quite some time.  250F to 300F is the temperature to shoot for.  This can be accomplished by partially closing the underside vents, cutting off some of the oxygen fueling the fire.  I use a probe thermometer stuck in through the top vent.  If the temperature drops too far, just open the vents back up.  I failed to remember to check the temperature until the pork had been on a good 45 minutes or so.  When I did, it was nearly 400 degrees!  I had a really hot oven (I’m going to test that again sometime-maybe that’s why the pork turned out so well)!  I did adjust the vents and brought the temperature down to below 350F.  Because the heat lasted, I left the pork on for close to 2 hours. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Properly smoked meat will have a pink ring on the outer edges.  You can achieve more smoke flavor by adding more wood.  But, if you are smoking on your grill, remember that every time you open your grill, you are releasing the heat.  I recommend doing what you need to do before you put the lid on the grill and just leave it until you are ready to take the meat off.  So if you want more smoke, add more wood at the beginning.  Good luck and enjoy! 

Until next time, Grill, Baby, Grill!

Shrimp Soft Tacos with Mango Salsa

This combines two of my favorite culinary delights:  shrimp and tacos!  I love, love, love, to eat shrimp.  I usually eat too much.  And I love tacos.  What other type of food is there where you can take just about any kind of meat, top it with cheese, sour cream, guacamole, onions, peppers or whatever else your heart desires, put it all in a tortilla or fried tortilla shell and eat it with your hands?  Everyone starts with the same basic ingredients and tops it with whatever they like.  A taco can be a complete meal all on its own.  In this recipe, the Mango Salsa goes so well with the shrimp.  It is full of fruits that are sweet and flavorful with a zing from the onion.  The crunch of the fresh salsa combines with the softness of the tortilla and shrimp to give your mouth a little extra excitement.  Delicioso!

Mango Salsa
1/2 each, large green pepper, large red pepper, diced (you can add another color if you like)
1 large tomato, diced                                                                                                                                                                                                        1/4 red onion, diced
1 mango, diced
1/2 medium cucumber, diced
2 tbsp minced cilantro
1/2 cup Lime juice
Mix all together. Let sit for a couple of hours or more before serving to allow flavors to meld.  Really good with lime tortilla chips, too.

Marinate 1-2 pounds of peeled, deveined shrimp in lime juice (one cup will be more than enough) and a minced or pressed large garlic clove.  Prepare a fire for direct cooking.  While you are waiting on the coals, put the shrimp on skewers.  The skewers will make it easier to grill the shrimp over the grate and not leave you with a grill pan to clean.  Grill the shrimp over direct medium heat. 

Shrimp cooks quickly, so keep an eye on it.  Total cooking time for my shrimp was about 5 minutes.  Move the shrimp to the side and warm up your tortillas over the fire, less than a minute each side.  Or, you may wrap the tortillas in foil and warm directly over the fire while the shrimp is cooking.  Slide shrimp off of skewers for easier serving.

After removing the shrimp for serving, you can leave the tortillas on the grill to keep warm, opposite the fire and with the lid on the grill.  If they dry out, spritz them with a small amount of water.  Serve with the usual taco toppings along with the Mango Salsa:  lettuce, sour cream, cheese (cheddar or asiago is best.  Basically, something a little sharp), guacamole, etc. 

Until next time, Grill, Baby, Grill!

Berry Delicious Muffins

I know this is a grilling blog, but I just love to cook and bake. Every now and then, when I come up with something that I just have to share, I will. This is one of those times. I wanted to use up some blueberries and strawberries before they became fodder for my compost bin. I looked through my recipe books and found a muffin recipe that sounded good. However, I didn’t have a couple of key ingredients, so I did my usual and made it my own. The muffins turned out fabulously! Not only do they taste great, but the presentation is delicious to the eyes. I ate one warm, only a few minutes out of the oven. I know you will enjoy these muffins!

The first ingredient the recipe calls for is biscuit/baking mix.  I do not keep that on hand.  I did find a substitute here:    http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1741,154172-230202,00.html.  The recipe also calls for sour cream.  I had a tablespoon if I was lucky.  Instead, I used cream cheese.  I had less regular cream cheese than needed, so I also used strawberry cream cheese.  And, this was a recipe for blueberry muffins.  I added the strawberries, too.  Additionally, I doubled the recipe.  The original recipe makes only a dozen.  Those would be gone in a day in my house!

Recipe:

  In a large bowl, combine 4 cups biscuit/baking mix and 1 1/4 cups sugar.  In another bowl, mix together 4 eggs and 2 cups of softened cream cheese.  Mix until smooth.  Add the cream cheese mixture to the dry mix, combining just until the dry mix is wet.  This will be a thick batter.  Fold in 1 cup fresh blueberries and 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries.  Fill muffin cups to 3/4 full.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in a preheated 375 F oven.  Check for doneness.  I set my oven for 22 minutes.  As you can see from the pictures, they turned out perfectly. 

Enjoy!! 

 

 

 

 

 

Until next time, Grill, Baby, Grill!

Asian Inspired Chicken

Delicious!  That is how I  describe this chicken.  A moist, tender, melts in your mouth, sweet and salty all at once, taste bud happy piece of meat.

You will marinate the chicken overnight or 6 to 8 hours before grilling.  The longer meat marinates, the juicier it will remain through the grilling process.  The recipe makes enough to marinate about 2 pounds of chicken. 

Ingredients: 

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground mustard

1/2 tsp coriander

1/8 tsp ground pepper

1 1/2  tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup each:  cooking sherry, soy sauce, vegetable oil (I used safflower)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix very well.  Place chicken in a resealable plastic storage bag and pour marinade over.  Seal tightly, removing as much air as possible.  Turn the bag until all of the chicken is coated.  Refrigerate until about 1/2 hour before grilling, turning once to be sure all parts of the chicken spend time in the marinade.

To grill:  Prepare coals for indirect cooking (see http://wp.me/p1ExcU-1B).  Make a small pile of charcoal near main fire, close enough for the main fire to heat the coals without lighting them.  These will be added to main fire before putting the lid on the grill.  When coals are ready, spread and put the cooking grate on the grill.  Drain the chicken, discarding the marinade (if you would like to save some of the marinade for basting, you will have to bring it to boil and boil for 2 or 3 minutes before using.   Marinades may contain bacteria that must be removed before using as a baste.  You should follow this rule as a safety precaution, no matter what you are cooking).  Place chicken directly over the high heat coals to sear, turning after 5 minutes to sear the other side.  The second side should take less than 5 minutes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When all visible pink is gone, move to chicken to opposite side of the cooking grate, with the thicker section of the chicken closest to the fire. 

 

Place reserved coals over main fire (those would be the mostly black coals in the picture above) and put the lid on the grill.  The vent cover will be directly over the chicken.  This allows the heat to spread out over the chicken before venting.  If the vent cover is directly over the coals, the heat will escape.  The chicken should be ready in about 25 or 30 minutes with the lid on the entire cooking time.  I served the chicken with foil potatoes and Fresh Express Pear Gorgonzola salad.  Delicious!

Until next time, Grill, Baby, Grill!