Grilled Cornish Game Hens

I was never a fan of the Cornish Hen.  All the recipes I tried were disasters.  Either the hen was overdone or underdone and it seemed like a lot of work for such a small unsuccessful result.  I had given up on the little hen until (dot. dot. dot.)

I discovered the following recipe!  Easy! Flavor! Success! (enjoy!)

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 1 cup lemon juice (lime juice works well too!) 1/2 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon white wine 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 1 tablespoon pepper 1 teaspoon celery salt 1 teaspoon salt 4 (1 1/2 pound) Cornish game hens (I cut them in half to speed up grilling time.)

Directions:

1.	In a large, non-reactive bowl, mix onion, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, white wine, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, pepper, celery salt, and salt. Place Cornish game hens in the bowl, coating evenly with the marinade mixture. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours.
2.	Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil grate.
3.	Cook hens about 1 hour on the prepared grill, brushing occasionally with remaining marinade, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

Grilled Chicken with Basil Dressing

I love basil! I love going out in my herb garden, picking a basil leaf, rubbing it between my palms and taking in the aroma. Needless to say, every year I get carried away planting basil.  It's growing like crazy...now what do I do?  The following recipe helps with the overflow!

Ingredients:

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus 1/4 cup
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
3 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1 large garlic clove
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Preparation:

Whisk 1/3 cup of oil, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, fennel seeds, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken and seal the bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day, turning the chicken occasionally. 

Meanwhile, blend the basil, garlic, lemon peel, remaining 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a blender until smooth. Gradually blend in the remaining 1/3 cup oil. Season the basil sauce, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.


Prepare the barbecue for medium-high heat or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from the marinade. Discard the marinade. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to serving plates, drizzle with the basil sauce and serve.

 Love my basil!

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp Skewers

A brief cure in salt and sugar not only adds flavor to the shrimp and makes them more tender but also acts as a mild preservative. You can assemble the skewers through step 2 up to 1 day ahead; cover and chill. 

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 to 2 1/2 pounds peeled, deveined shrimp (12 to 15 per lb.), rinsed and drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 or 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper
Lemon wedges

Preparation:
In a bowl, mix salt and sugar. Add shrimp and stir gently to coat. Cover and chill 45 minutes to 1 hour. Rinse shrimp well and drain; also rinse and dry bowl.
 Return shrimp to bowl. Add olive oil, parsley, lemon peel, garlic, and pepper. Mix to coat. Thread shrimp on metal or soaked wooden skewers, running skewer through the body once near the tail and once near the head end of each shrimp so it looks like the letter C.
Lay shrimp skewers on an oiled barbecue grill over hot coals or high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds); close lid on gas grill. Cook, turning once, until shrimp are bright pink and opaque but still moist-looking in center of thickest part (cut to test), 5 to 6 minutes total. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over shrimp.

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Chimichurri Sauce

My youngest son, Jeremy, commented the other day " I do not see anything with chimchurri sauce on your blog.  Remedy this." I love a challenge and immediately started looking for a recipe featuring chimchurri sauce.  The following recipe got a big thumbs up, however, you must LOVE garlic to truly enjoy this dish!

Ingredients:

10 medium garlic cloves, peeled and dark ends removed
1 bunch Italian parsley, stems removed
3/4 cup olive oil, plus
2 teaspoons olive oil (divided)
1/4 cup water or 1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar or 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon crushed hot pepper flakes (to taste)
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 whole boneless chicken breasts, halved and flattened 

Preparation:

To make chimichurri sauce:
In food processor fitted with metal blade, puree garlic.Prepare barbecue for medium-heat grilling.

Add parsley and process until finely chopped.

Add 3/4 cup oil, vinegar, water or chicken broth, and seasonings, and process.

Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. It should be very flavorful and spicy.

For marinade:
In small mixing bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of the chimichurri sauce, with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and mix until smooth; taste for seasoning.

Place chicken breasts in a sealable bag and pour in marinade, making sure marinade is evenly distributed.

Zip bag and refrigerate 1/2 hour to 4 hours.

Remove chicken from marinade and grill about 3 inches from flame, 7 to 10 minutes on each side or until no pink color is showing.Place on platter and serve with sauce on the side.

Advance prep. tip: The sauce can be made up to 6 days ahead, covered and refrigerated. Remove from fridge half an hour before serving.

Planked Salmon with Spice Rub

So easy! So good!


Ingredients:

Rub -
1 TBS. brown sugar
1 tsp. course salt
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Salmon -
4 - 6 ounce salmon filets
1 cedar grilling plank (soaked)
Honey for drizzling

Preparation:

Preheat grill to medium-low, about 350 degrees
In a small mixing bowl, combine rub ingredients.   Rub salmon with desired amount of rub and set aside.  Place soaked plank on preheated grill, close lid and heat for 3 minutes.  Using tongs turn plank over and place salmon on heated side of plank.  Close lid and grill for 12-15 minutes or until desired doneness. Remove planked salmon from grill and drizzle with desired amount of honey.  Serve immediately.

Filet Mignon with a Blue Cheese Cobbler

I have discovered cedar plank grilling! I must be a late bloomer.  When I proudly announced my latest adventure in grilling many friends commented they have done it for years. Obviously I have yet to enter the inner circle of the Grill Masters. If you love the combination of steak and blue cheese this recipe is worth the time and effort!

Ingredients: 
1  pre-soaked, cedar plank    

12  slices of bacon (2 for each filet)
6-8  Filet Mignon steaks, trimmed
2 tbsp. spice rub (recipe below)

¼ C. Bourbon

2 tbsp.  olive oil
¼ C.  chopped fresh herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme)

1 tbsp  black pepper

¼ lbs.  crumbled blue cheese

1  small onion diced

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 C. croutons

Salt and pepper to taste

Spice Rub:
1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic, minced and mashed into a paste with 1 teaspoon salt


Preparation:
Cook the bacon until ½ way cooked, then use a paper towel to dry off excess fat. Let cool. In a small bowl whisk together the BBQ rub, bourbon, olive oil, 2 tbsp. of the herbs and black pepper. Wrap the bacon strips around each filet, securing with a toothpick. Drench each steak with the sauce then seal in a container with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, no more than 4 hours.
To make the cobbler topping, in a bowl combine the crumbled blue cheese, onion, the remaining herbs and the balsamic vinegar. Smash up the croutons lightly and fold them gently together into the blue cheese mixture. Form into patties the same size as your filets, cover and set aside.
Pre-heat grill to high heat, place the plank on the grill, cover and pre-heat the plank for 3-5 minutes, until the plank begins to crackle and smolder. Open the lid carefully and arrange the filets on the plank. Close the lid and cook for approx. 10 min. Turn the steaks and cook for another 5 minutes. Now place one patty of blue cheese topping on each steak and cook for another 5 min., until the topping develops a crust. Use a spray bottle of water to extinguish any flames around the plank during cooking. Take the smoldering plank directly to the table and place on a heat-proof trivet. The plank will add excitement to the meal and keep the filets warm while serving.

Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese Burgers

Red Robin's Bleu Ribbon Burger was inspiration to find a similar recipe.  This one with caramelized onions is fantastic!

Ingredients for caramelized onions:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large red, Spanish or sweet onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced or thinly sliced (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
½ teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste

Ingredients for burgers:

1½ to 1¾ pounds ground chuck
3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled, plus extra for topping
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

To make the caramelized onions:
Place a large skillet over low heat and when it is hot, add the oil. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring only occasionally as necessary, until the onions are deeply browned and slightly gooey, about 40 minutes. If the onions dry out, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. (Yield: ¾ to 1 cup)

To make the burgers:
Place the beef on a work surface and divide into 4 balls of equal size. Divide the blue cheese into 4 portions of equal size. Using your thumb or the back of a tablespoon, make a shallow hole in each portion of beef and fill it with the blue cheese. Shape the burger and carefully seal the opening.
Form each into a patty about ¾ to 1 inch thick. To ensure more even cooking, make a ½-inch indentation with your thumb in the center of the burger. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Prepare a grill to medium-high.  Grill burgers. Serve on bun with caramelized onions.

Fireman's Chicken BBQ Sauce

I love the aroma of a local volunteer fire department having a chicken BBQ!  Collegeville, Pa. (where my husband grew up) had some great ones!  The following recipe comes close.  I don't know if it's missing a "secret ingredient" or if it's due to the fact I don't own a large cement block fire pit to roast several pounds of chicken on all day.  :)

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation:

In a blender or food processor, combine the eggs, oil, vinegar, salt, poultry seasoning and ground black pepper. Blend together and baste on the chicken when grilling, or marinate the chicken in the sauce in the refrigerator for 1 to 1 1/2 hours before grilling (if time allows marinating overnight is even better!). 

Campfire Corn on the Cob

The best part of summer is corn on the cob!  I roasted some ears in our fire pit using the following recipe.  A big thank you to Kristin Rambo who suggests a sprinkle of Old Bay Seasoning.  Yum!

Ingredients:
Corn on the cob, with the husks left on
Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste 

Preparation: 

Soak the corn, with the husks still on, in water making sure they are fully submersed. Remove the corn from the water and place directly over or on hot coals. Allow to cook for about 20-25 minutes, rotating a couple of times, and then remove from the fire. Let cool and remove the husks. The corn will be roasted and it's delicious with some butter and/or salt (or Old Bay Seasoning!)