Memorial Bridge Nostalgia

My Aunt sent me this link. Oh, Memorial Bridge. It was so awesome when it had just the grates on the bottom and you could see the river below. The link has a view from the bridge and a video from the last day you could drive across.

Grilled Fruit on Waffles

I grilled fruit the other day for waffles. The picture is actually the second day (because I forgot to take pictures the first day), so the colors of the fruit are a bit muted. I grilled peaches, plums, bananas, and pineapple. I whipped cream the night before and drained it. Click here to find out how. It lasted several days. I grilled the drained, canned pineapple tidbits in a grill pan. These were surprisingly good on the waffles. I sliced the peaches and plums in half and removed the pits. I grilled them cut side up and then finished them cut side down. I didn't time anything, but I have a cookbook that says peaches take 8-10 minutes total. I sliced the bananas lengthwise with the skin on. My cookbook says to cook them 5-8 minutes skin side down and then two more minutes banana side down. I can't say too much about the bananas because 1) I don't like cooked bananas and 2) I'm no expert, but believe my bananas would have cooked better if I had turned on both grill burners, including the burner under the bananas. I put a table outside and plugged in my waffle iron in an outdoor outlet. I kept a timer (for the waffles), the waffle batter with measuring cup, and the waffle iron on the table. Grilling fruit is not just a gimmick. It actually improves the flavor of the fruit. Try it sometime. You can add cinnamon, brown sugar,or maple syrup. Or go savory with balsamic vinegar and/or red pepper. If you are adding one of these to peaches or plums, start cut side down, flip and add the maple or balsamic vinegar or whatever. Serve savory fruit with grilled pork or chicken and grilled onions. My cookbook also says you can grill pound cake. Sounds good for the end of a barbecue. Grilled pound cake with grilled fruit.

Zucchini Recipes

It's August and I suspect someone has snuck a bag of zucchini into the back seat of your car when you weren't looking. On Martha Stewart's website she has several easy recipes for zucchini (many from Every Day Foods).

Grilled Pork Loin

I think this recipe is really good. But, other people think it's fantastic. It's received raves from lots of people. When choosing a pork loin, look for one that has the same circumference for the whole roast. In other words, not one with a wide end and a skinny end. I usually get a roast that is twice the size of the roast the recipe calls for. They sell them at Dan's Supermarket and they are relatively cheap. It's also important to note that this is not a pork tender loin, but a pork loin. It's about 3 inches in diameter and two feet long for a whole pork loin. They also sell half pork loins (although I can't tell you where). If yours is much smaller, you have a pork tender loin. The recipe says you should tie the roast. I never bother with tying the pork loin. The pork loin won't stay perfectly cylindrical without tying, but I don't care. Be sure to have a spray bottle ready and check the grill often in the beginning of the cooking process in case you see a suspicious orange glow. You might have to spay the wood chips if some ignite. I just use plain ole pepper for the seasoning the roast. I grill my roast to a higher temperature then called for in the recipe. I haven't figured out what temperature I would prefer yet. 165 degrees is too high. This recipe takes an absolute minimum of 5 hours and as much as 6 hours 15 minutes(without prep time). This is another recipe from America's Test Kitchen.

GRILL-ROASTED PORK LOIN

With only minor recipe adjustments, a roast larger than the one called for can b cooked using the same method. For each additional pound of meat over 3 pounds (do not use a roast larger then 6 pounds), increase the salt in the brine by 1/4 cup and the water by 1 quart; also increase the oil and pepper by 1 tsp each (if using a spice rub, increase the recipe by 1/3). Because the cooking time depends more on the diameter of the loin than the length, the cooking time for a larger roast will not increase significantly. After roasting the roast in step 5, begin checking the internal temperature after 30 minutes of cooking.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 C table salt

1 boneless blade end pork loin roast, 2 1/2 to 3 lbs, tied with kitchen twine at 1 1/2 inch intervals.

2 T olive oil

1 T coarsely ground black pepper or 1 recipe spice rub (recipe follows)

1. Dissolve salt in 3 quarts water in a large container, submerge roast, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until fully seasoned, 3 to 4 hours. I put the salt, water and pork in an extra large Ziploc (2 1/2 quart I believe) and place that in a cooler. Add extra ice around the Ziploc to make sure it stays cold. (I added ice after I took the picture.) Sanitize the cooler after you are done using it, in case the Ziploc bag leaked. Rinse roast under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. You may as well start soaking the wood in step 3 now. It doesn't matter if wood soaks longer.

2. Rub roast with oil; sprinkle with pepper or the spice rub (NOT SALT, it doesn't need salt because of the brine) and press into meat. Let roast stand at room temperature 1 hour. (You'll need to put the wood on the grill in step 3 before your hour is up)

3. Meanwhile, soak two 3-inch wood chunks in water to cover for 1 hour; drain. About 25 minutes before grilling , open bottom grill vents. Using large chimney starter, ignite about 5 quarts charcoal, or about 90 briquettes, and burn until fully ignited, about 15 minutes. Empty coals into grill; build modified two level fire by arranging coals to cover one-half grill, piling them around 3 briquettes high. Place soaked wood chunks on coals. Position grill grate over coals, cover grill, and heat until hot, about 5 minutes; scrape grill grate clean with grill brush.

4. Grill pork directly over fire until browned, about 2 minutes; using thongs, rotate one-quarter turn and repeat until all sides are well browned, about 8 minutes total. Move loin to cool side of grill, positioning roast parallel with and as close as possible to fire. Open grill lid vents halfway; cover grill so vents are opposite fire and draw smoke through grill. (Internal grill Temperature should be about 425 degrees.) Cook 20 minutes.

5. Remove cover; using tongs, rotate roast 180 degrees so side facing fire now faces away. Replace cover and continue until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of roast registers 140 degrees, 10 to 30 minutes longer, depending on thickness.

6. Transfer roast to cutting board; tent loosely with foil and let rest 15 minutes. Internal temperature should rise to 150 degrees. Remove twine; cut roast into 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve.

GRILL ROASTED PORK LOIN FOR A GAS GRILL

1 & 2. Follow recipe for Grill-roasted pork loin for a charcoal grill through step 2.

3. Soak 2 cups wood chips in water to cover for 30 minutes; drain. Place chips in a small disposable aluminum pan. About 20 minutes before grilling, place wood-chip pan on primary burner( burner that will remain on during cooking); position cooking grate. Ignite grill, turn all burners to high, cover, and heat until very hot, about 15 minutes. (If chips ignite, use water-filled spray bottle to extinguish.) Scrape grate clean with grill brush.

4. -6. Continue with recipe from step 4, keeping lid down except as needed to check progress of pork.

CHILI-MUSTARD SPICE RUB

makes about 2 T

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp powdered mustard

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne

SWEET AND SAVORY SPICE RUB

makes about 2 T

INGREDIENTS

1 T cumin seeds

1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp ground allspice

Combine cumin, coriander, and fennel in small skillet; toast over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes, shaking skillet occasionally. Cool to room temperature; grind coarse. Transfer to small bowl; stir in cinnamon and allspice.

Herb butter (several variations)

This isn't rocket science folks. You can just guess on amounts and tinker. It's very forgiving. In fact if you can tell by the amounts in my herb butter recipes. Why the strange amounts? I just eyeballed the amount of herbs I thought I should cut from my herb garden and brought them into the house. Then I wrote down how much I actually put in for a general guideline. I use half butter and half olive oil. This does two things. First it makes it mostly spreadable strait from the fridge and second it cuts the saturated fat almost in half. Herb butters are good on fish or under the skin of chicken to be grilled. If you like butter on your steak, this would be good. It's good on potatoes or on french bread to make garlic bread. Best of all it can add some zing to your veggies. I mostly use it for veggies. I'll add more variations as I go along. I'll add a basic herb butter with basil.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS Process in the food processor until it is evenly mixed. The mixture may be a bit too "soupy" at this point to work with. If it is, put in the refrigerator until it solidifies enough to work with. When you have a semi-solid butter, put the mixture into the center of a sheet of waxed paper. Fold the waxed paper in half and hold the edges of the paper together. While holding the paper press the flat edge of a spatula against the table. Move the spatula toward the fold of the waxed paper until the butter is a uniform width and as long as you want. (Look at the dill butter picture. That should help explain what the heck I'm talking about.) When the butter is shorter then the width of a gallon freezer bag, fold in the sides of the waxed paper, and roll the butter in the excess waxed paper. Then place in a freezer bag. If you keep the herb butter in the refrigerator it will be (mostly) spreadable right out of the fridge. If you keep it in the freezer, it will keep for months

Lemon Dill Butter
INGREDIENTS
1 T dill
2 1/2 tsp lemon juice
zest from 1/2 a lemon
1 1/2 tsp parsley
2 tsp chives
1/2 clove garlic
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c butter

Lemon herb butter is good on fish or beets.

Sage Butter
INGREDIENTS
1/2 T thyme
3/8 tsp rosemary
1 T parsley
1 T + 1 tsp chives
2 T sage
1/2 tsp mustard
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c butter

Good on turkey, chicken, or potatoes.

Chipotle Lime Butter
INGREDIENTS
1/4 c butter
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c cilantro, loosely packed
1/8 c chives
1/2 lime, zest and juice
1 clove garlic
1 chipotle pepper + 1 tsp adobo sauce (the sauce in the can)

Chipotle lime butter is good on corn. You can also saute corn, chopped green pepper, and chopped onion as a side dish. I've seen is used on broccoli, but have never tried it. Good on chicken. Chicken pieces could be sauteed in this for a taco filling. I'm guessing this would be good on fish as well for fish tacos. I used this in place of the butter in a boxed mac and cheese. It's pretty good for a twist on boxed mac and cheese.

Basic Herb Butter
1/2 c butter
1/2 c olive oil
2 1/4 tsp parsley
1 tsp rosemary
1 1/2 tsp thyme
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 T chives
2 T basil

Good on pretty much any veggie. Add fresh garlic and some grated Parmesan and salt. Spread on slice french bread and grill or broil for garlic bread.

Teriyaki Marinade

This is so much better then the stuff you buy from the store. Also, this way you can just mix up what you want. I don't eat teriyaki often enough to keep a bottle around, but I always have the ingredients on hand to mix some up. I don't know what is the best way to marinade with this. I marinated the chicken a half hour and then brushed them with the marinade as they were grilling. I made chicken thighs, but I think smaller pieces of meat would work better. In the recipe in the cookbook they used this marinade on steak for kebabs. I made a stir fry on the grill to go with my chicken. After I grilled them in a grill pan, I put the warm vegetables in a bowl with the teriyaki marinade rather then trying to marinade the vegetables first. My method for cooking the stir fry still needs a lot of work. Next time I plan on adding almost all of the veggies at once. I added the broccoli and carrots first this time and they were burning before i started adding other veggies. It ended up good though. If you want to give it a shot I used broccoli, carrots, celery, onion, pineapple, water chestnuts, pea pods, zucchini, peanuts, and cilantro.

Teriyaki Marinade

INGREDIENTS

½ cup soy sauce

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp grated ginger

2 tsp lime juice

2 tsp honey

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

¼ tsp sesame oil

Mix ingredients.

Pineapple Yogurt Smoothie

I've added a pineapple smoothie recipe to my smoothie post.