The BEST Onion Rings

I kid you not.  These are the best onion rings I have ever tasted.  My husband always orders onion rings if it's an option instead of fries.  The fact that he told me these were the best he has ever had solidifies my opinion.  If you even slightly like onion rings, you MUST try this recipe.

I sliced one large onion and separated the rings.

I put the flour mixture in a storage container and added onion slices.  Put the lid on and shook to coat the onions evenly.  You could also use a sealed plastic bag to do this.

Then dipped each ring in to the batter, then dipped in to the crunchy chip-panko mix and placed on an oiled cookie sheet and baked.

The end result were crunchy onion rings.  No slimy onion on the inside, no gobs of grease.  Just extra satisfying rings!

Oven Fried Onion Rings
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)

1 c. mayo
2 eggs
1/2 c. flour

3 c. crushed potato chips
2 c. panko bread crumbs (don't use regular bread crumbs)
1/2 tsp salt

1 large onion
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
salt

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  In a resealable container or plastic bag combine flour, salt, pepper and cayenne.

In a bowl combine the may, eggs and 1/2 c flour. Whisk until a smooth batter is formed.
Crush all the chips finely and place in bowl with the panko and 1/2 tsp salt.

Peel the onions and cut them into 1/2 inch rings.

Cover a baking sheet with a piece of parchment. Drizzle with 3 tbsp vegetable oil, then put in to oven for 5 minutes or until the oil starts to smoke.

In the meantime, toss the onion rings in the flour mixture.  Dip each ring into the batter. Tap off the excess batter.  Then coat the rings with the crushed potato chips and panko.

Place the rings on the hot baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes, then flip each ring over and bake for additional 6-8 minutes. You may need to do this in two batches depending on the size of the rings and how many you can fit on sheet.  Do leave a little space between rings!

Remove rings from oven and sprinkle with a little salt and serve with your favorite dip.  We used ketchup and my husband added a few drops of tabasco to give his dip a kick.

Southern Comfort

Today we were feeling like some southern comfort.  Tony smoked a pork shoulder for 12 hours yesterday.  Today we celebrate the end result with pulled pork sandwiches and a spicy vinegar sauce (plus, everything tastes better from a Mason jar).

A little homemade coleslaw salad... (mix together a bag of shredded cabbage, dried cranberries, toasted slivered almonds, a bunch of green onions sliced, and some poppyseed dressing)

And homemade pickles...

Add a few buns and some Shiner beer, and dinner is set. 

Baking Powder Biscuits - on the grill!

I was flipping through our Traeger (smoker/bbq) cookbook and saw some tasty looking baking powder biscuits.  I had all the ingredients so gave them a shot.  Someone clearly didn't proof the recipe, because I think there was at least one cup of flour missing.  The dough was like soup, and there was NO way anyone could knead it, let alone stop it from running all over the counter on to the floor.  I added just over a cup of flour to get a better consistancy, and we were back on track.

I couldn't find my round cookie cutter, so instead I just shaped the finished dough in to a rectangle and cut in to eight squares. 

If you have similar issues with the dough being too runny, just gradually add more flour to the dough until it holds together.

Better Buttermilk Biscuits, Traeger Grill Recipes

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp lard
2 Tbsp baking powder
2 Tbsp shortening
½ tsp baking soda
1 c. chilled buttermilk

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into mixing bowl. Sift mixture 3 times. Add lard and shortening to flour mixture; blend in with pastry blender or large fork until mixture has texture of corn meal. Add buttermilk and stir until a sticky dough forms. Pour dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead 6 to 7 times.

Roll dough out to ½-inch thickness; cut into 3-inch biscuits with cookie cutter. Place biscuits on cookie sheet. Start Traeger grill on Smoke with lid open until fire is established (about 5 minutes) allow grill to pre-heat for 10 minutes; switch to High (450ºF on thermostat). Place cookie sheet on grill’ close lid and cook 10 to 12 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown in color. Serve hot.

Makes: 8 (3-inch) biscuits.

Pizza on the BBQ

While scouring the Sunday newspaper for my usual coupons I came across a recipe for pizza dough and how to cook the pizza on the BBQ.  I have always wanted to try pizza on the grill, but never went to the effort to find a recipe.  I'm glad the recipe found me! 

I know I say 'easy' a lot, but this was truely an easy recipe and the best part is that you can freeze any extra dough for future use.  The only un-easy part is having to let the dough rise, but you could do this the day before or in the afternoon if you're around the house.

My dough, tripled in size after almost four hours of resting/rising.

Some of the toppings... leftover BBQ'd chicken, sauteed red onions, green bell peppers.  I also had some pineapple chunks for my Hawaiian pizza lover and Isernio ground sausage.  Other topping ideas: roasted potato slices, green apple slices, crumbled goat cheese, cooked bacon chunks...

The first step of the baking process, cooking one side of the dough for 3-5 minutes. Our grill is indirect heat, so it took a bit longer.  And if any huge bubbles start to grow in the dough during cooking, just poke with a knife to pop.

Remove the one-side-cooked pizza dough from grill and put toppings on the cooked side.  Now return pizza to grill and cook other side as well as heat up toppings.  Ours took about 5-7 minutes with indirect heat at a temp of 450 degrees.

This pizza dough was a HUGE hit.  I talk'n repeated comments on how good it tasted and how it wasn't soggy.  We already have plans to make this again for my step-brother and family next week.  That good!  And the kids thought it was a blast getting to stretch out their own dough.  Win, Win!

Pizza Dough for the BBQ

1/2c warm water and 1 1/4c room temp water.

1 envelope active dry yeast

2 Tbsp olive oil

4c bread flour

2 tsp table salt

Mix 1/2c warm water and yeast in bowl. Whisk together and let sit until yeast dissolves and expands, about 5 min. Measure in remaining water and oil to yeast mixture.

Meanwhile, pulse flour/salt in food processor with steel blade. Pour liquid mix over flour; mix till dough forms rough soft ball. Continue to process till dough is smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds.

Put dough on floured surface and knead for few seconds to form smooth ball. Place in large bowl spritzed with vegetable cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise to double in size, approximately 3 hours.  I suggest placing bowl in a warm area of kitchen or in an oven or microwave (just don't turn either of these on with dough inside!).

Without punching down, dump dough on floured surface and use chef knife or metal dough scraper to halve dough. Punch down remaining half and wrap and refrigerate or freeze. (Total dough Makes enough for 8 mini pizzas.)

Cut the half of dough in to 4 pieces and then stretch to rectangle shape (about 12x4ish) on cornmeal lined baking sheet. I found that ours needed to be a little smaller as to avoid ripping holes in the dough.

Put on grill for a few minutes to brown then remove and place grilled side up on cornmeal lined baking sheet. Put toppings on grilled side of dough and return to grill to cook other side and to heat up toppings, cheese. Anywhere from 3-8minutes.

Greek Turkey Burgers

Today I was craving a burger, but with a kick.  I used bits and pieces from a few different recipes and came up with a really great end result.  Highly recommend!  Serve with some fries or boiled or bbq'd corn on the cob and you've got a flavor packed meal.

1/2 c. greek yogurt

1/2 english cucumber, peeled, seeded, and grated

2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c. chopped mint

1.5 lbs ground turkey (or lamb)

2/3 c. crumbled feta cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

red onion, sliced in to rings

tomato, sliced (optional... I'm not a tomato fan)

Mix yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, 2 Tbsp mint, with dash of salt and pepper in bowl and set aside.

Mix turkey, cheese, 1 clove garlic, remaining mint, salt, pepper in another bowl.  Divide in to four patties.

Grill patties until done and transfer on to hamburger buns.  Top burgers with sauce and onion and/or tomato slices.

*Make Ahead - you can make the sauce and patties the night before serving.  I think the sauce gets more flavorful the longer it sits.  Just stir it well before serving.

Tuscan Lemon Chicken and Grilled Panzanella

The husband got home today from his business trip so I planned a nice dinner for the family.  After seeing a few great menu ideas on my friends blog last week I knew exactly what to make.  Tuscan Lemon Chicken and Grilled Panzanella, both Ina Garten recipes, and both very highly rated on the Food Network's website.  Not surprising since most of the Barefoot Contessa's foods get rave reviews.

I highly recommend giving both these dishes a shot.  I also highly recommend you let the chicken sit in the marinade for a solid 24 hours.  The flavor is amazing!  In addition, using a flattened chicken may look pretty cool (and a butcher will do for free at your grocer), but it would be much easier to use an already cut up chicken. Makes serving much faster and less messy.  If you do opt for pieces of chicken instead of a whole flattened chicken, I'd opt for bone-in with skin on so the marinade has some extra stuff to soak in to versus using boneless skinless breasts.  But... the flattened chicken is an attention getter so give it a shot.

Regarding the panzanella (basically veggies and bread salad with dressing), the flavor has a kick and both my kids ended up eating a few pieces.  The recipe calls for a ficelle, which is basically a really skinny baguette.  The ficelle I bought wasn't as skinny as I hoped, so I had to slice the loaf lengthwise and then slice as directed in recipe.  Otherwise the bread pieces would have been much too large.  My friend Michele also likes to add crumbled feta to the salad

Much to my surprise, the panzanella kept well and I was able to eat some of the leftovers for lunch today. And the leftover chicken's flavor tasted even better the second day. This is a must try for your next nice family meal or dinner with friends.

Flattened chicken ready for seasoning.

Sitting in the marinade and covered with plastic wrap.  I flipped the chicken 2-3 times over the 24 hour marinating time. 

I placed the chicken on our grill and used the pan to help press it down.  Its better to use a heavy brick wrapped in foil though.  The veggies were put on the grill with about 10-15 minutes remaining on the chicken. 

Chicken ready for eating!  It looks a little beat up due to the skin tearing, but tasted fantastic.

The finished panzanella salad served warm.

Blueberry Crumble

Nothing goes better with ribs slow cooked for 8+ hours on the grill, than a dessert cooked on the grill too!   

This crumble was fairly basic to make.  Biggest pain is that it requires some lemon zest and fresh lemon juice.  I call this a 'pain' because I hate having to wash the zester, but thats just me being super lazy.  The zesting and juicing (I squeezed with my hands) are well  worth the trouble for this yummy dish. 

The recipe is courtesy of grill/BBQ guru Steven Raichlen who hosts two different cooking shows: Barbecue U and Primal Grill.  This dude can cook on basically anything, and has a lot of great recipes.  This particular recipe calls for an odd-sized foil pan.  If you can't find the 8x10" pan, go for 9x9" or even 8x8", if necessary.  If you switch the pan size I suggest you check on the crumble 5-10 minutes before the suggested end cooking time although you may need to add additional time at the end.

This is the perfect dessert to make on a hot summer day when the last thing you want to do is turn on your oven.  Serve with vanilla bean ice cream!

Click here to go to the recipe.  Enjoy!

Roasted Chicken

Nothing is more tasty than a whole chicken, roasted.  You can stuff a chicken the day or night before with flavorings of your choice.  I prefer onion, salt, pepper, lemon, and occasionally an orange wedge.  Liberally season the outer skin, all over the bird, with salt and pepper. 

When you're ready to bake (or bbq on the Traeger!), put it in a hot oven.  350 or 375 for 45 min to 1 hour depending on size.  Use an instant read thermometer stuck in a thick part of the meat.  Chicken is done when it reaches at least 165 degrees (many websites use different temperatures for doneness, so use what you're comfortable with).

Let rest for a few minutes, and then carve and serve with a simple in-season veggie.  Broccoli, roast asparagus, roast or bbq'd small potatoes, corn...

Tonight I made two roasted chickens.  One for dinner tonight, and the other to be used for a couple dinners this week (chicken tostadas, chicken salad, etc). 

The twins, ready for eating!

Margs and Ribs

Today I surprised Tony with homemade margaritas and slow cooked ribs.  It turned out he was having a rough day, so this was the perfect pick-me-up.

What I like to call margarita eggs...

Ribs.  Oh heaven.  Just rub your favorite bbq spices (I'd have to kill you if I shared my secret recipe) on the ribs the night prior.  Start up the bbq (and yes, you can use gas, charcoal, or smoker) on low so the meat will have indirect heat. No direct heat please!  Slowly cook until the ribs are tender - depending on your cooking method it can take anywhere from 4-8 hours.  I mop the ribs every 30-45min with a apple cider/apple vinegar/water mix to help keep them moist and add a slight 'crust' to the spices. When meat starts shrinking back from end of the bone you know they're getting close to done.

Serve with your favorite bbq sauce and sides.  I prefer my ribs 'dry' with only the rub.  But, if using sauce I prefer using B-Man's BBQ or Pete's BBQ (both are local and available at QFC). Oh, and a fresh margarita of course!

Smoked Ribs

Who says you need a Traeger grill to cook amazing, meat falling from the bone ribs?  At the cabin all we have is a well used Weber charcoal grill.

After 3 1/2 hours, and torturing all the neighboring cabins with our smoking rib smell, we dug in!  Gotta love a good old fashioned Weber charcoal grill. 

Beer and Chicken

Now that is one good look'n beer can chicken!  We smoked this bad boy for dinner with the Howards tonight.  We haven't made this chicken for quite a while and I think it tasted especially good because we used a purple and gold Bud Light can! :)

Beer Can Chicken

Tonight Tony made beer can chicken on our smoker. After two hours of slowly cooking and making us hungry from the fantastic smells, the chicken was done. What an amazing meal! The chicken was so moist and smokey, some Parmesan and zucchini risotto on the side and a dessert of home made peach cobbler. Heaven.

While you don't need the 'fancy' (I put that in quotations since our 'fancy' beer holder cost $5), it does help to keep the chicken upright.  Sometimes a can of beer alone isn't enough weight for a big bird.  We have the Bayou Classic ChickCan holder.  These can be found at hardware stores and outdoor recreation stores.

As a side, you don't have to use beer. You can use wine or chicken broth with seasonings.  You also don't need to use a can.  A good 'ole traditional Mason jar works just as well.

Here is my mom's recipe for Zesty Zucchini:

Zesty Zucchini

Rice:
1 ¼ c. rice
1 tsp salt
2 ½ c. water
Cook rice until done, according to instructions on the package.

2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
3 tomatoes, sliced
18 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
Grease 13x9 baking pan. Spread rice over the bottom. Layer on top, zucchini, half the cheese, then tomatoes.

In a separate bowl mix:
2 c. sour cream
1 Tbsp parsley flakes
2 Tbsp green pepper, diced
2 Tbsp green onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Pour over the casserole, and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.