Grilled Zucchini

Welcome to the easiest concept known. Since the grill has arrived in my backyard, I've been cooking everything I possibly can on it.

So, when I make an entree on it, I tend to grill the veggies that I'm serving with dinner.

For the Zucchini:

3 large zucchini (or as much to serve your needs); cut lengthwise

good quality olive oil

sea salt, coarse

freshly ground black pepper

pinch of zest from a lemon

Drizzle olive oil over zucchini and liberally apply salt, pepper and zest. Grill over direct heat for about 5 minutes, turning once. Keep an eye on your zucchini and remove as soon as they are fork tender.

Cherry Pie

I love making pies....but I've never made a cherry pie! I found some beautiful fresh cherries at the market and decided to go for it!

Basic Pie Dough:

2 1/2 c all-purpose flour

Fine sea salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus more for greasing

1/3 c ice-cold water

Put the flour and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse a few times until the mixture begins to become mealy and the butter forms plainly visible pea-size nuggets
Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon salt in the water. With the motor running, pour in the water and let mix, just until the dough pulls together. Do not over-mix the dough. If it appears dry and is not holding together, add a few additional tablespoons of water.

Form the dough into a ball, flatten, and wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Lightly flour a board and a rolling pin and unwrap the dough. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and keep the second piece refrigerated. ***Cooks note: the key is to keep it cold!***

Roll out dough into rounds about 1/8 th of an inch thick. Lay first round into the pie plate and make sure it reaches the edges neatly.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375*F.

For the filling:

2 lbs cherries, pitted

1/2 c sugar

2 tbsp cornstarch

Zest of 1/2 lemon

Fill the pie with filling. Remove second round from refrigerator and roll out to a circle larger than the pie plate (about 1 in overhang). Decorate pie top as you see fit. I used little cherry pie crust cutters, but a few slits in the crust will do. (This allows the pie to cook properly and release steam) Lay top crust on top of filling and seam all edges with a pinch pattern. Bake for about 45 minutes or until crust is brown and juices thicken.

"Beer Can" Chicken

I've been hearing about this for years now....the phenomenon of cooking a whole chicken sitting on a can of beer. Until recently (how long can I go on about having a grill!) I haven't had the opportunity to try this new concept....until now.

Our good friends gave us a housewarming gift which was a beer can roaster. (I can't find the exact brand they gave, but that one is close) This little piece of grilling equipment, allows you to pour the beer directly into its own compartment so you can use any beer you might have on hand. If you don't have one of these handy items, a regular old beer can will do!

For the chicken:

1, 3-4lb chicken, cleaned and prepared

1 bunch of fresh rosemary

generous amounts of fresh ground black pepper and coarse salt

Prepare chicken by sliding several rosemary springs underneath skin of chicken (breasts and thighs are good locations for this). Heavily salt and pepper skin and massage to ensure good coverage. Pour 1/2 of a beer into compartment on roaster (or you can just drink/dispose half of a can of beer) and place several springs of rosemary inside. Humiliate the chicken by properly fitting the beer can compartment into the cavity (or onto the beer can) of the bird.

Grill using indirect heat (seen above) for @ 1- 1.5 hours or until the chicken reaches the internal temperature of 180*F.

This recipe/method is not only fail safe and easy, but the chicken was AMAZING! No wonder people swear by it. The amount of moisture and flavor from the beer is unbelievable. Run home right now and throw a bird on a beer!

Burgers

There is no denying a good burger. Now that I am a grill owner, I am delighted to eat a grilled burger made with all the love in my burger loving heart.

I once saw Ina Garten make burgers and she talked about sticking a tiny pat of butter inside all of her burgers before she grilled them. She said it made the burgers super moist, perfectly cooked and full of flavor. Nuff said....

For the burger:

1 lb ground beef (4 burgers)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp each, fresh thyme and tarragon

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

coarse salt and fresh pepper to taste

4 small pats of butter

Mix first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Form into patties, adding the butter into the center and making sure it's covered completely by the beef mixture. Grill for about 4 minutes on the first side and 2-3 minutes on the other, or until done to your liking. Serve any way you like it. Picture with Cheddar cheese, mayo, lettuce and tomato.

Grilled Shrimp with Lemon Herb Orzo

This is a simple and fast recipe that I can't get enough of in the summer. Orzo is a lighter way of fulfilling a pasta craving and its paired best (in my humble opinion) with fresh lemon and light herbs of basil and parsley.

For the shrimp:
1lb peeled and cleaned shrimp (Although I remove the tails before serving I leave them on during grilling for easy handling)

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

1/8 c olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and let marinate for about 20 minutes.

Skewer the shrimp and grill for 3 minutes per side. Set aside and let rest until orzo is complete.

For the orzo:

1 cup orzo

2 qt water

salt for the water

parsley and basil

juice and zest of one lemon

Boil large pot of salted water and add orzo. Cook according to package directions.

Once the orzo is done, drain it and return to pot. Add big handfuls of coarsely chopped parsley and basil, the juice and zest and salt and pepper.

Cook the mixture over very low heat until combined. Continue to season to your tastes.

Remove shrimp from skewers and toss with orzo. Serve immediately.

Grilled Beef and Veggie Kabobs

Not having a real grill within my reach for the last 7 years, I've missed kabobs terribly. I just love the concept of the proportioned pieces and the rainbow of color you can create. The concept of kabobs allows for your own choices and they are great served with a salad or simple side. The fail safe rule here is to go for like sized portions of each ingredient.


For the beef:
1lb good quality tender beef, cubed
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 c Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp each: ground coriander, smoked paprika and black pepper



Place all ingredients in a a sealed container and marinate for at least 2 hours.

***Cooks note: Soak bamboo sticks in water during the time the meat is in the marinade so they don't burn on the grill. ****


Veggies:
1 zucchini
1 red onion
1 red bell pepper
Several small whole tomato's for the ends of each kabob

Drizzle all with olive oil and salt and pepper.

Assembly:
Go wild and crazy....just stack them up and make sure to not crowd to many items on each stick.

Grill kabobs over hot coals using direct heat method, for about 10-15 minutes depending on how hot your grill is.