Summer BBQ Ideas!!!!
 

Ok it's almost summer and here at the farm we have lots of cook outs. I wanted to start a thread about drinks and food that is great for a get together.

I'll start...

I got these Popsicle makers. I've been putting juice in them but wouldn't it be fun to make frozen party pops with tequila and rum, fruit and???

I once had an Indiana Jones Party where we all had to dress like the movie but i had a basket of little water guns with 151 rum in them. You squirt it in to your mouth or others.

But this is not limited to booze. Fun food, drinks, games. Let's plan some parties!

Warning this is not diet food! Heart stopping Turtle Burgers! Cute

http://thechive.com/2010/02/15/bacon...rtle-burger-2/

Fruit-kebabs!

Fancy flavored water: sprigs of fresh rosemary & lime or strawberry & fresh mint.

I like spicy peanut Thai wraps. Rachel Ray has a great recipe for them. Super easy to make and yummy!

Chicken Satay skewers

...

while its alive.

Oh yum! Love beer can chicken! I bought a grilling basket from sam's club and i just love it! I throw all kinds of veggies and herbs then toss them around and serve with crumbled goat cheese. I have goats now and plan on making my own.

One of the things i love doing when my garden is in full bloom is plugging my rice pot outside, making rice and then having everyone go pick their own veggies. Then I put my big iron wok on a hot fire, it almost turns red! and stir frying right there. I also have breading and a drench with a big pot of oil for frying. This i have to put on a gas grill tho to keep the temp steady for frying

It's amazing to go hunt and pick what you want to eat and cooking it

I love chopped salads. All kinds of veggies chopped up small with herbs, balsamic and EVVO and some feta.

LOVE GRILLING/BBQ'ING!! gonna share my secret recipe with ya!!

I absolutely love pork that is cooked on the grill. I have tried many recipes from both cook books and different web sites. After looking at a TON of recipes, I came up with this one by taking a little from one and a little from another. It took about 8 times but I finally came up with a combination that gets "Rave Reviews" every time I serve it.


SKEETER'S GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN
serves 4-6 people

MIX TOGETHER:
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup lite soy sauce
7 oz bottle oyster sauce (available at Krogers in the "Asian" section)
4 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 ancho chili cut up in to small strips (or more or less to personal taste)
1 teaspoon of good quality cinnamon
the juice of two fresh limes
the zest of one of the limes

*see note at bottom*

Wash tenderloin off and pat it dry. Arrange in a large zip lock bag. In a bowl whisk together all remaining ingredients and pour marinade over pork. Turn pork to coat well. Chill pork, covered, turning it once or twice, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.

Prepare grill. I prefer to use coals vs. gas. I just like the taste better. But if using gas, I used the grill set at medium.

Remove pork from marinade, reserving marinade, and arrange on a lightly oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals. (about med. hot coals). Grill pork turning it every 3 minutes, until a thermometer diagonally inserted 2 inches into center of tenderloin registers 155°-160°F. This takes 20-30 minutes.

Let pork stand 10 minutes (covered loosely in foil) before thinly slicing.

Serve with dipping sauce (below)


*note*. Add about 1 1/2 cup of apple juice or water to marinade, reduce for a dipping sauce. I put the sauce on the stove at low-medium heat, letting it go to a slow boil for the whole time the tenderloin is grilling. Sometimes, I finish it off with 1-2 tablespoons of cold butter.

Basted & Grilled Corn on the Cob
 

Some tasty chicken dishes..
 

Margarita chicken~a light dish flavored w/limes, chile, and a splash of tequila (cooks off).


Tuscan-style grilled chicken kebobs~w/lemon, rosemary, garlic and oregano. Served w/brown rice studded w/sun-dried tomatoes.

Hawaiian huli huli chicken~Soy sauce, ketchup, d. brown sugar, milk, pineapple puree, garlic cloves, minced ginger root, and rice wine vinegar.

My summer barbeques always include LOTS of alcohol. Although, I really don't like beer, I always have at least one beer cocktail on hand. The one that I personally enjoy is called a snake bite...black and tan (guiness) and some other sort of beer mixed with hard cider..which is delicious, another favorite being hard cider with a bit of fire ball whiskey in it...tastes like apple pie!

Last summer however we discovered our new tasty drink that is super easy and yummy..

Strawberry Beer Lemonade

2 cups strawberries, hulled and chopped

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup fresh squeeszed lemon juice

1 large bottle blonde or pale ale (1 pint, 6 oz)

Ice
Add the berries, sugar and lemon juice to a pitcher. Allow to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes for the sugar to dissolve and the berries to begin to break down. Add the beer and ice and stir to combine. Adjust the lemon and sugar to your taste.

SERIOUSLY delicious, try it!

I'll have one of those, please. Anything wrapped in bacon *drool*

This is CRAZY good on chicken! :) Come to think of it, it would probably be good on pork too! :)

LIME GLAZE FOR GRILLED CHICKEN

1 can of limeaide
1/4 c. of lite soy sauce
1/4 c. of worstershire
1 stick of butter
1/4 onion sliced
couple dashes hot sauce

Place everything into a pot, bring to a boil. Continue to boil until the sauce reduces by about half, brush grilling chicken when it's almost done. Use on both sides of the chicken.

**(do NOT put the chicken in the pot!!).

skeet

Try this... sounds strange but its out of bounds..

put mayo on corn on the cob, salt, pepper, paprika, Parmesan cheese. Wrap in foil and cook on grill. Some people like a little lime.

There are a lot of people of Ukrainian descent in my neck of the woods (including me) so for one barbecue I made Uke-kabobs:

Piece of garlic sausage
Piece of green pepper
Perogy
Piece of green pepper
Repeat over entire skewer

I pre-cooked everything so it just warmed up on the grill... they were more of a joke than anything, but delicious, too!

It's not strange to me. It's how the street vendors in Chicago sell it...yum :)

next purchase
https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/im...1d4t6yezSmxFXc

works great
http://uncrate.com/p/2009/04/grill-d...rill-brush.jpg

ThIs all is making me so hungry! I definitely love me some grilled veggies...squash, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower. All wrapped in a foil pouch with minced garlic and butter. Salt and pepper to taste! Yummy!!

The best grilling IMO is on a cast iron grill. They tend to be smaller so not good for big groups. I prefer charcoal over gas any day and not that soaked fumed charcoal but just regular and light it myself. I also use real wood with the charcoal. Steaks taste better.

Do you use gas or charcoal for grilling?

You can also grill a fresh dough directly on the grill at a controlled temp... yum! Love the newer grill gadgets! I have always used a chestnut roasting pan for veggies on the grill, because until just recently you couldn't find a well designed pan... I guess there are some good things about progress!

You Grill Girl!!

I can and have used both. Depends on setting and quantity I am preparing. I have always saved and chipped wood from fruit and nut trees as well as hickory ( mesquite isn't common here), for smoking or just to toss into the coals. Cooking fish on cedar planks also lends a wonderful flavor!

One of my future projects ( I do at least one major one every summer) will be a wood burning oven/ grill to accompany the gas grill. Should be fun :)

I keep telling myself that this year I will build a clay outdoor oven but its never a project that is a priority. This year things are backing up pretty good BUT cookouts are just something that needs to happen. In fact we're due one soon. Or as soon as I get my house in order. This ankle is keeping me from doing everything I need and June is mega online work and deadlines. But you'll get a text soon. I'm thinking of a big cook out and inviting all the people and their families from the farm group we're on.

Hot dogs, burgers, maybe chicken, everyone bring some sides but I want to come up with something really fun for adults and kids.

Make the mayo chipotle and you have real winner.

Ingredients

4 tilapia fillets
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
pepper to taste

Wrap in foil packs an grill for 8 mins each side.

We have the grill basket and use it every time we grill.

Today's menu includes rotisserie barbecue chicken on the Weber gas grill.

Yum.

http://bbq.about.com/od/chicken/ss/aa100408a.htm

Or try them with Poppy Seed Dressing drizzled over them.

I love shark on the grill! Sooo good. Also Chad showed me how to make awesome mushrooms on the grill. I don't even like mushrooms that much. But its so simple and they are very good. Just squirt some butter on them salt and pepper and stick them on the grill.

If you want to add a very unique flavor to any grilled fruit sprinkle some Chilito En Polvo on the fruit. You'll be amazed how tasty it is.

I love whipping out the big fryer and making fried catfish and fried green tomatoes. I have this secret sauce I make that has a hot pepper kick or a nice fluffy lemon tarter thingy. But I need to wait until I have a lot more green maters out there!

What your favorite cold salad recipes? macaroni, potato, slaw?

I make a killer cold potato salad that can be a meal in itself.

3 lbs small red potatoes washed with skins on
1 lb of bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
1 medium red onion diced
1 bunch green onions diced
1 bag (2Cups) of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 hard boiled eggs diced
1 cup of mayo with 2 tbs of stone ground mustard mixed in.

Cook potatoes till medium soft, throw all the other stuff in mix, chill and enjoy.

Just some info..
 

The difference between BBQ and Grilling?

It has nothing to do with sauce. It is a matter of time and heat.

BBQ is cooking long, low and slow. Grilling is cooking fast and hot.

BBQ - ribs, pork, brisket. These foods soak up the smoke and rub.

Grilling - seafood, veggies, burgers, brats, chicken, steak, fruit.

Barbecue vs cookout.

Does it matter what area you are from if you will say, "Come over for a BBQ or cookout?" Typically when you hear, "Ya'll come over for a bbq." form southerners It means ribs, pulled pork, coleslaw, banana pudding, sweet tea. And northerners will say bbq to refer to cookout or grilling burgers and dogs.

Which term do you use? I tend to use both for any kind of bbq or grilling! LOL