Get Grillin' - Grilled Bratwurst, Onions and Potatoes!

Howdy folks! How’s your summer going? It is officially summer, right? The sun actually came out for a long while yesterday. Today’s sky is rather gray, but at least it’s not raining! Yippee!

Today’s post is about cooking entire meals on the grill. Now when I say grill, you should know that to me grilling means stepping onto my patio, flipping on the gas, and pressing the igniter button.(I give credit to Pam at Sidewalk Shoes for a similar grill description!) Grilling to my neighbor involves heavy bags of charcoal and lighter fluid. Nothing wrong with charcoal, I’m not knocking it. Just sayin’ that I’m sticking with my igniter button method.

Anywhooo (I’m saying that a lot lately), I can prepare an entire meal on my grill, and I don’t have the mammoth sized grills that grace the pages of home décor magazines. Cooking on the grill enables you to keep your kitchen cool, and for those of us without central air-conditioning, keeping cool in the summer is a big plus. To accomplish this task, all I need is some heavy duty aluminum foil and some high-sided aluminum foil pans. I should note that I have used my regular bake ware (heavy duty glass, ceramic, and metal) and heavy duty pots/pans on the grill with great success. I have found, however, that the aluminum pans are the perfect size for my grill dimensions, and I don’t have to deal with pot handles. I snag the aluminum foil baking pans at the dollar store, and can typically get 3 uses out of each one before recycling them.

To turn your grill into a stove/oven, all you have to do is a) determine how to layout your pans, b) line the top of your grill grate with aluminum foil, c) fire up the grill, and d) get cooking!

For the meal represented in this photo, I needed to divide my grill into 4 cooking areas. I needed one open space for grilling the bratwurst, one covered space for the onions, one covered space for the potatoes, and one covered space for grilling delicate veggies or even rolls (for you gluten eaters). I lined ¾ of the grill with foil, leaving an open space for grilling the wursts. Then I fired up the grill on the high setting.

The grill only takes about 6 minutes to be fully heated, so I immediately started prepping the rest of the meal. For the potatoes, I washed up a colander full of pretty little golds,sliced them less than ½ inch thick, tossed with some olive oil, lemon juice, and seasoned salt, and threw in a couple sprigs of oregano.I then dumped them into one of the high sided aluminum pans and covered them with foil. Next came the onions. Two large onions were sliced, tossed with olive oil, seasoned with salt, and dumped into a second pan.I didn’t cover these as I didn’t want them to steam. The brats were slashed at 1 inch intervals.All these items were then placed on the grill as shown. My grill heats up to a full 500 degrees, so I turned the heat down to medium, which is about 375-400 on my grill. Proceed cooking just as you would if you were preparing them inside.The brats finished grilling before the veggies, so I put them right on the onions to keep them warm as well as help flavor the onions. The potatoes took about 30 minutes, and I uncovered them the last 5 minutes or so. You can warm buns up on the space left open, or as in our gluten free house, spear your lovely brats with a stick, you know, like used for lollypops, and eat them ala stick.That’s all it takes! So if you find that you can’t take the heat of the kitchen, go on outdoors and fire up your grill. You can prepare meals “family style” such as this one, or you could make individual packets for each eater. That’s loads of fun, too, since each person can individualize their packet. Just be sure to remember whose is whose! I make different shaped packets to keep it all straight!

Anywhooo (there’s that word again!) be creative, experiment! You’ll be thrilled with the results. What’s your favorite meal to grill?

Super Stuffed Peppers ... On The Grill!!!

Happy Saturday greetings to you all! Guess what? Guess what? That magnificent solar orb in the sky is blazing bright today over the Pacific Northwest. Not only that, it’s hot, hot, hot!

As such, today’s weather called for an equally dazzling meal. Check out these gluten free babies. I made stuffed peppers on the grill. Not just any ole stuffed peppers ... these babies are overstuffed with all sorts of Mexican style goodies. I’ve actually made gluten free stuffed peppers twice in the past couple of weeks. The first time I made them using ground chicken for the meat portion and I cooked them in the oven. They were terrific. Today, however, I used ground beef and made them on the grill. Grill trumps oven, hands down. One of the secrets that makes this so yummilicious is the cubed cheese in the filling. It makes the most delicious pockets of gooey yumminess! Mmm, mmm, good. Let's begin!These super stuffed peppers are so easy to assembly. I used up bits of this and that that I had handy, and my oh my did hubbyman love these.

Super stuffed peppers on the grill

1 lb ground beef
4 peppers halved and seeded (I used red, green, yellow, and orange peppers)
1 cup or so of leftover cooked rice, cold
¾ cup black beans, rinsed
¾ cup corn
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 cup cubed mont. jack cheese or mozzarella cheese
1 egg beaten with a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons green salsa
2 tablespoons red salsa (can substitute tomato sauce)
Salt
Seasoned Salt
Black Pepper
Mexican Oregano
Chili powder

Preheat your grill to 400 degrees. Partially fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil. Remove from the burner, drop in your pepper halves, and let sit in the hot water for about 3-5 minutes. Remove and drain.

Meanwhile, combine all the other ingredients. Place peppers in a tall sided aluminum pan. I used two pans placing 4 halves in each pan. Over stuff each pepper making sure to fill the pepper cavity completely. The filling shrinks during cooking.

Place a double sheet of aluminum foil on the grill, and put your pan(s) on top of the foil. Pour about ½ cup of hot water into each pan. Close the lid and grill for 50 minutes.

Couple of notes: Placing the peppers in the boiling water for just a couple of minutes prior to stuffing really makes a difference. You know how sometimes the pepper remains too crunchy? Well, this precooking bath really eliminates that. Be careful, though, not to let them sit too long or they’ll be too soft.See what I mean by overstuffed? Yeeowza! Serve with additional salsa, shredded cheese (I used cotija), and avocado. Prepare to hear yummy noises. Oh, and like most recipes here at It's All Gouda, this is gluten free, all the way, baby!

My only regret with these is that Marjie is allergic to peppers. I wonder what other veggies take well to stuffings like this? Any ideas? What’s your favorite stuffed pepper recipe?

Perfecto Pita Panini!

Peter might have picked a peck of pickled peppers, but Paula will please your palate with a perfecto pita panini! How’s that for a lip loosener? Today’s recipe originally started out to be a pizzazzzy pita pizza, which satisfied my son’s lunch craving, but I just was in the mood for something different. Enter Perfecto Pita Panini ... mmmm, yummy. I used the thick flatbread style pita rounds that you fold in half instead of splitting into a pocket.These are so easy to make, and you can use whatever your little tummy cries out for as the filling. I wanted to use up some odds and ends, so mine is a lovely combo of leftover pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, crisped pepperoni, shaved roast turkey, and roasted red pepper strips. It was sooooo good. I made this on my new little George, which I find myself using quite a bit these days.Significantly more affordable than a panini press, this little powerhouse of a counter-top grill has made everything from grilled cheese to sausage to lamb chops to shrimp to French toast in my house. The non-stick surface makes clean-up a snap. I’m really pleased with it. ANYWAY ....

Here’s all you need:

Flatbread style pita rounds (these are the thick ones that you fold in half instead of split in half)
1 tablespoon of pizza sauce (you could use a nice ranch dressing or cream cheese instead)
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (shred yourself – it melts and tastes better)
5 thin strips of roasted red peppers (you could leave out or substitute with something else like tomatoes or pickles or spinach, etc.)
1 teaspoon chopped fine red onion
1 serving of thinly sliced roast turkey (use whatever you like ... chicken, roast beef, etc.)
4-6 slices of pepperoni – crisped up in the microwave (gets rid of the grease that way)

Warm up your George or oven or grill pan. Lay out your flatbread, and assemble the ingredients.Spread the sauce over the entire surface of the bread. Sprinkle with just a couple tablespoons of cheese. The rest of the ingredients will only be placed on half of the pita. Layer the pepperoni, onion, red peppers, and turkey. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.Fold over and place on hot grill. Close the lid and cook for about 3 ½ minutes or until heated through.This happens pretty fast when using George. I suspect it would take about 10 minutes in the oven, or 3-5 minutes per side in a grill pan.Serve immediately. Yummilicious! I loved this sandwich served with a lovely green salad on the side.Can you hear the crunch of the crust? You know, those flatbread style pita breads are so versatile. They make great open face pizzas, wonderful wraps for breakfast sandwiches, hold meatball sandwiches beautifully, and are wonderful cut into triangles and toasted for dippers! And, of course, they are awesome with gyros and falafel!Do you have a favorite flatbread recipe?

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Garden Update #1

Spring is here ... I think! Living in the Pacific Northwest, Mother Nature likes to tease us with glimpses of Spring and Sunshine, but I think we may have turned a corner. I hope so, anyway. I was riding in an elevator earlier this week and was engaged in small talk with another woman on board. (Folks in Oregon are very friendly and often make small talk such as this.) This woman started the conversation with the usual safe subject ... the weather. She inquired of me if I knew if it was going to be hot and sunny as it was the previous day. I cheerfully replied that the forecast called for warm temperatures and bright sunshine. My elevator mate was truly dismayed. She said she missed the rain already; she doesn’t tolerate heat well. I gave her a look of sympathy, but confided to her that I was so happy to see the sun that I was suppressing doing a happy dance. Oh well, she gets to enjoy the clouds for most of the year here ... I’ll gladly take the sun for the couple of months that it toasts us.

I haven’t started my garden yet this year, but I’ve finished my plans for it. As a novice gardener, I did an experiment last year, leaving some of the herbs and plants in place to see what would survive the soggy wet and slushy snow. I spied closely all winter long, and thought that some of them were toast. To my utter surprise, Mother Nature has come through in spades.The parsley, sage, and rosemary that I thought were goners for sure, are now vibrant and healthy.The Greek Oregano is downright abundant and needs harvesting.I had cut the chives down to earth level, and, um, forgot about them. I can’t forget them now, though, as they are absolutely thriving and doubled in bounty.And, the best surprise is that the strawberry plants not only survived, they spread out and are already loaded with flowers. Thank you, Mother Nature, for your glorious gifts! How's your garden?

“Don’t Bug Me I’m Eating” Chicken Wings

I need a moment. Something strange just occurred under my roof. There are clean plates ready to be loaded into the dishwasher. While that’s happened before, tonight’s dinner consisted of food not sampled before. Food that would require them to *gasp* use their fingers. Food that I almost didn’t prepare because I figured those picky peeps of mine would poke at it much like one would push aside a deceased bug. Who would have guessed that my little clucks would devour these wings? What mischief is this that they set their teeth upon said wings with calculating efficiency? My Picky Eaters Club Charter Members tried something new and (shhhh) liked it! Oh lordy, I feel faint.

These wings are really easy to make. I found the recipe on Rasa Malaysia . I altered the recipe and cooking method slightly. These are mild wings and would make a great alternative to serve to guests who don’t dig hot wings. They have a unique flavor. The honey provides a very faint sweetness, the turmeric provides the lovely color, and the soy sauce provides that yummy background. The ginger juice, although quite pungent, does not overpower the other flavors, and the chili powder I used was mild and just faintly made a taste appearance. That’s it in so far as seasonings. No garlic or onion here (except for what's in the chili powder). I actually missed those flavors; however, I think that the absence of them is what appealed to my kids. When I asked my oldest girl peep if she liked the chicken, she wiggled her eye brows, pulled her mouth away from the wing, and with a smile and jovial tone responded, “don’t bug me, I’m eating!”. All the kids said that this goes on 'the repeat list'. My boy peep told me that I could challenge Bobby Flay to a throwdown with these. Oh yeah, there’s a thought … me and Bobby. Alrighty-O.

Here’s the recipe and some prep and finished product photos.

Malaysian Turmeric and Honey Wings
aka: “Don’t Bug Me I’m Eating” Chicken Wings

Ingredients: (I multiplied these measurements times 4.5)

1 lb chicken wings – middle section (I used the entire wing and made 4.5 lbs of them)
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon soy sauce (I used Tamari – wheat free/low sodium which made this recipe gluten free!)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
2 inches ginger (skin peeled)

Prepare the ginger by peeling it and pounding with a mortar and pestle or grinding with small food processor (I used the processor). Extract the juice by squeezing with your hand and discard the ginger pulp. I wrapped the ground pulp in cheese cloth first. Sssqqquuueeezzzeee! (Man, I really need some sun.)

I prepped the wings simply by cutting off the little flappy thing. What is that thing called? I think next time, I’ll take the extra five minutes to separate the wings into drumette type pieces. For hubby man, I’ll prepare boneless breast pieces. He needed LOTS of wings. He's a big guy. He likes big food. He doesn't like to have bones of any kind on his plate. *sigh* You won't hear him complain though. That fact alone propels me to next time make him food without bones. That and the fact that he ate all the green beans on his plate to set an example for his kids. Well done, my man. And yes, each sprout ate the solitary green bean I placed on their plates. Back to the wings ...

Now you see the flappy thing.

In comes the kitchen shears. Do you love your kitchen shears? I love my shears.

No more flappy thing.

Marinate the chicken wings with the ginger juice and all the seasonings above for 1 – 2 hours (I did 2.5 hours). Grill or bake them in an oven (at 375 degrees F) for 20-25 minutes until cooked or golden brown.Note: I added 2 Tablespoons of oil to the marinade. I also baked mine on two sheet pans, and switched pan positions 1/2 way through. Here are the flapless wings heading into the oven.

After baking, I transferred them to a hot grill for just a couple minutes, fattier side down, to get a crispier, more flame charred surface. See the lovely color ... that's the turmeric.

Yuuuummmm!

People Pleasin' Pork -- Chops that is!

I had originally purchased these choppers with grand plans of a BBQ feast. As I placed them in my grocery cart, I envisioned roasting them on the grill with a healthy slathering of yummy sauce. However, the next day when it came time to make them, my taste for BBQ had waned, and I wanted just a good ol' plain grilled chop. It was hot and I was tired and those piglets of mine wanted to do stuff, so I changed menus. They were so easy to make. Here's what you need:

6 bone in chops (these are just regular cut supermarket chops)
A couple shakes of Spike seasoning or your favorite season salt
A couple grinds of pepper
A couple minced garlic cloves
About a tablespoon of chopped chives
A couple fresh sage leaves
A couple splashes of canola oil.

1. Prep your chops by slicing the fat that rims the edge opposite the bone. I usually make just one perpendicular cut all the way through the fat right to the meat. This will keep your chop from curling when it hits the heat. See how flat my chops are? (Hmm, seems like there should be a boring joke inserted here.)

2. Combine the remaining ingredients in your favorite marinade container. I started off using a Ziploc bag, but the bone on one of the chops speared a hole in it, so I transferred everything to a foil covered baking dish. Put back in the fridge for at least an hour; a couple of hours would be better.

Note: I use canola oil for chops because it seems to take the heat of the grill better than olive oil. Also, I used very little of it ... just enough to produce a sheen on the chops and then there's no need to drain the marinade. Using this method, I've yet to have a chop stick to the grill, and it turns out perfect every time.

Also, my family doesn't like stuff on their food (see my eye roll here). So, I leave my chives and sage leaves whole so I can pick them off before grilling. Man, the things I do for love ...

3. About 20 minutes before grilling, take the meat out of the fridge to let it lose some of it's chill. Fire up the gas grill on high, and when it reaches about 500 degrees, place the chops on, close the lid, and immediately turn the grill down to med-low. Let them cook for 5 minutes, then turn them over and let them go for another 6 minutes. Then, remove them from the grill to a platter and cover with foil. Let them sit for another five minutes before serving. They are perfect. I wanted to take a photo of them sliced so you could see how juicy they are, but the wild boars at my table were hungry. I don't mess with hungry wild boars.



Accompanying these lovely chops was a simple fruit salad that my children and husband made. Insert applause here. Like I mentioned earlier, I was tired and enlisted their services. I set out a bunch of fruit, a huge bowl, and told them to have at it. They did outstanding work, don't you think? Gorgeous kiwi, ripe strawberries (that actually made it into the serving bowl), juicy nectarines, sweet green grapes, fresh pineapple, and these darling miniscule grapes called Zante Currant Munchkin Grapes. See how little they are (strawberry lover #2's modeling hand). Compare them to the green grapes shown in the bowl.



I've found that sometimes when it comes to serving kids, simple straightforward meals are best. Plain grilled chops, fruit salad, and rice made up our meal. Oh, and homemade real sweet iced tea. That's it. And absolutely nothing was left. They ate every bite. People pleasin' pork! Bust those chops, baby!