Quote worth repeating

"You have to eat to cook. You can't be a good cook and be a non-eater. I think eating is the secret to good cooking." -Julia Child

Spot tails on the half shell

Amazing fish recipe that is a MUST!  This fish was swimming this morning!

2 fillets of spot tail, skin on, scales on
light dusting of Cajun or blackening season- not too much, you don't want to overpower the fish
a pinch of salt
pat of clarified butter
lemon zest
lemon juice- squeeze on the fish right before you bring it off the grill

Cook fish over charcoal, skin and scale side down.  About 8 minutes.  Depends on the size of the fillets.  Fish should be white when done.  Do not overcook!!!!  And do not flip to grill on the flesh side.  No need!
ENJOY!

Fresh Herbs

So, the end of the gardening season is coming to an end.  Have any fresh herbs left in the garden or in pots or containers that are going like wild weeds?

Snip a bunch of rosemary, thyme, or oregano, or all three, and throw them on top of any meat you have in the fridge as an easy way to "marinate" the meat and then cover and keep refrigerated.  Or add the herbs to a Ziploc bag along with steak, chicken, pork, etc.  The fresh herbs will add flavor to the meat and what a piece of cake!

Just remember to remove the herbs prior to cooking, as fresh herbs will burn before your protein is cooked through!

Great picnic presentation for a crowd

I cook whole hogs for pig pickin's many times throughout the year.  And summertime is perfect for cooking whole hogs and entertaining.  But I always have leftover BBQ.  So I turn leftover BBQ into BBQ sundaes.  And then invite friends and family over for a BBQ picnic the next day!  It's all the picnic fixin's in one jar!

To assemble the sundaes:
You will need pint size mason jars, BBQ, coleslaw, baked beans, BBQ sauce, diced red onions.  And something cold to drink, like an ice cold frosty beer!

Layer the mason jars like so; baked beans on the bottom, next comes the BBQ, top with coleslaw and red onions.  Finish the sundaes with a drizzle of BBQ sauce. And enjoy!!



  

Watermelon Granita

Easiest dessert ever! Watermelon is at its peak right now. Very ripe and sweet. Turn it into a yummy frozen treat! Super healthy too!!!

6 cups seedless watermelon, diced
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
Handful of fresh mint leaves

Purée watermelon in blender. You may have to work in batches. Add the lime juice and mint. Blend until mixed.

Pour mixture into a 9x9 inch metal pan, cover and freeze. Stir mixture every hour with a fork. The granita is ready to serve when the mixture is frozen and resembles ice crystals, about 5 hours. Use a fork to scrape granita into large ice crystals. Serve in a chilled martini glass and garnish with a mint sprig.

New toy!!

New toy added to the kitchen. Meat grinder. Just made fresh ground hamburgers from chuck roast and a few strips of bacon. Grinding your own meat DOES make a difference! HUGE difference!!!!!! Simply amazing burgers! Give it a try and then YOU can influence what ingredients go in to your ground meat!

Turn "overgrown" veggies in to something yummy

Been away on vacation to come home to an overgrown garden? Take those large zucchini and squash and slice them to 1/4 inch, toss in to some buttermilk and then in to some seasoned cornmeal and fry until golden brown. Yes, I said fry. Remember to salt when they come out of the oil!