Sunday night

Last night we had grilled pork chops, grilled asparagus, and rice with fresh parsley for dinner.

For whatever reason, I'm not a huge fan of pork chops. They always seem to be a little dry and lacking in flavor.

These, though: Jeffrey injected them with red wine and topped them with a compound butter of unsalted butter and fresh rosemary. The pork chops were wrapped in bacon. Basically, you got your pork, butter, and more pork in the form of bacon.

It's a winner.

Summer Citrust Shrimp with Parmesan Vermicelli and Grilled Green Beans

Saturday in between baking and decorating a cake I marinated shrimp for dinner. I used the recipe Jeffrey came up with last summer.

Jeffrey grilled skewers of shrimp and a grill-pan of green beans tossed with olive oil and Cavender's Greek seasoning.

I cooked vermicelli and tossed it with softened butter, freshly grated Parmesan, cracked black pepper, and a sprinkling of fresh parsley from our garden. It was really tasty. Something about that shrimp went so well with the pasta. I was hoping we'd have some leftover green beans I could put on a salad this week but we ate every last one.

On the grill

- 2 bone-in chicken breasts
- 1 pound marinated shrimp, skewered
- 2 applewood-smoked-bacon-wrapped beef filets
- 1 pork chop
- spinach and mozzarella chicken sausage

We'll have chicken chicken for homemade ravioli tomorrow night, chicken for chicken salad sandwiches this week, shrimp for salads through the week, sausage to snack on with sharp cheddar, and a pork chop because WHY NOT.

(Edited for clarification) Grilled Filet with Pimento Cheese, Asiago Cheese Grits with Caramlized Onion

Last Saturday night we and another couple had a dinner party - it was for friends who are expecting a baby. We're all six friends and the guys practically grew up together - they've been friends for more than 20 years.

This party was kind of a big deal - an excuse to get together with friends, a chance to try out some over the top recipes, and also...a baby to celebrate!

We had filet mignon topped with pimento cheese (seriously), Asiago cheese grits with caramlized onion, salad with feta, walnuts, and dried cranberries, green beans tossed with butter and slivered almonds, and chocolate cobbler with vanilla ice cream.


It was a light dinner, obviously.

We must have spent two hours around the dining room table, talking, laughing, and, you know, eating. Good times.

Asiago Cheese Grits

• 4 cups water
• 4 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 cups stoneground grits
• 1/2 pound asiago (or fontina) cheese, grated


In a large pot, over medium heat, combine the water, milk, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Bring the liquid to a gentle boil.

In the meantime, chop up a yellow onion. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.


Add the onions and let cook until they get a bit soft. At that point salt and pepper the onions, turn the heat to low, cover, and let them cook, stirring occasionally. Smells so good.

Stir in the grits to the big pot with the water and the milk.

Cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring often. (note: do not scrape the bottom of the pan.)

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and cheese.

Stir in the caramlized onions and serve.

We had leftovers and while I didn't try it, I bet you could spread the grits into a small baking sheet, chill thoroughly, cut out pieces and pan fry them for a side dish the next day.


Pimento-Cheese-Topped Steak

I wish I could take the credit for this recipe. It's genuis. I'd love to know who thought of this. We first had it at a restaurant in Charleston last year and it was out of this world.

Mix up pimento cheese the night before or several nights before.

Prepare filets, as in get the butcher to cut some beauties for you, let them come to room temperature, rub them with worcestershire sauce, and sprinkle with Montreal steak seasoning.


Grill! You know, light it, let it burn, get hot, all that.

About three, four minutes before the steaks come off the grill, top with a bit of pimento cheese.



For the green beans, we steamed them in the rice cooker and then put a bit of butter on them while they were good and hot and topped them with some toasted slivered almonds just before serving.

Enjoy!

Summer Citrus Shrimp

That was an extended, unintentional break! We've been cooking lots, it's just... You know how you mean to do something and you keep saying, "I need to do that!" and you keep saying it and then you need to do this, too, and then that, and before you know it all the photos and posts and recipes and funny stories become a towering stack of procrastination at its finest?

That's kind of what happened.

We're back on track now.

Jeffrey came up with this. It is summer on a plate - citrusy and light.

Summer Citrus Shrimp

2 pounds of jumbo shrimp (16-20 count)
2 lemons
1 lime
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1 bunch green onions, with a few inches of green, thinly sliced
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt

Peel and devein shrimp. Squeeze the juice of 2 lemons and 1 lime into a medium bowl - enough to make about 3 tablespoons citrus juice. Add remaining ingredients - all except the shrimp - and mix well. Add shrimp and stir well once more. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.

If you're using wooden skewers, about now would be the time to soak them in water.

Thread shrimp onto skewers.


Grill over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes being careful not to overcook. Serves 4.

Or serves 2 and you can save the leftover shrimp and enjoy over a spinach salad the next day for lunch. Or diced up and folded inside a flour tortilla as a shrimp quesadilla.

Raspberry Chipotle Chicken and Grilled Asparagus

Saturday I brined a few bone-in chicken breasts for several hours. Late that afternoon I brushed them with sauce and Jeffrey grilled them.

During dinner, pretty much every other bite one of us mentioned how good it was. We're looking forward to making chicken salad with the leftovers.

A Girl and Her Grill Part II

You may remember way, way back at the first of this month I posted about a very nice meal that Keetha and I prepared out on the grill. For those of you who might have forgotten, you can read about it here. I promised at that time a new installment of "A Girl and Her Grill". Well, here we go...

This Friday night meal actually began with preparations on Tuesday of the same week. I began by defrosting half of a venison loin. The loin was trimmed of any excess fat that was present and placed inside of a double freezer bag (one bag inside of the other). On top of the loin one whole bottle of Allegro Original Marinade was poured into the double freeze bags. The double bag was to keep any marinade from leaking out if the inner bag happened to be punctured in anyway. Then it was placed into the fridge for the rest of the week. On just a little side note, the best results from this marinade always seem to come when the meat sits in it for 36-72 hours.

So here we are on Friday night getting ready...time to prepare the venison steaks! First off, she and I removed the marinating loin from the fridge and brought them to room temperature. We then sliced the loin into 3" thick steaks, and butterflied them. Now for the good part! The steaks were "stuffed" with goat cheese crumbles and sliced sun-dried tomatos.



Mmmmmmmm....looks tasty already doesn't it?

Next, as I'm almost always prone to do, they were wrapped with pepper bacon on both axis. That sounds a little too much like geometry...Keetha won't like that! ;-) Sadly, I don't have a photo of the finished product ready for the grill. Anyhoo, we progressed outside and got the grill lit and ready for cooking.

Anyone remeber Keetha's prowress in building a fire? No? Well, let me paint you the picture, or should I say, let her have her moment in the sun once more...



Just kidding Kiddo! You did a wonderful job! (HA, HA!)

And of course, as all well versed Southern couples do, we had drinks "on the veranda" while waiting for the fire to "get right" as we say down here. Now, please understand "on the veranda" can mean anything from an actual veranda as described to let's just say whatever you want it to be!

Of course, I don't have to tell you what our accompanyments were for this meal...or do you need a reminder. Oh well, you twisted my arm just enough, so it was proscuitto wrapped asparagus and The Salad. It was as good as EVAH!

The meal and conversation were impeccable! Medium rare venison steaks, stuffed with goat cheese and sun-dried tomatos wrapped in pepper bacon with proscuitto wrapped asparagus and The Salad with a nice Pinot Noir...mmmmm, sounds like heaven to us!!!!

And as usual, there wasn't any room for dessert yet AGAIN! Maybe someday soon, we'll be able to lessen the main course and try our hands at a Crème brûlée ...like I really had to link to that one!

Untill next time, keep the charcoal stocked and ice buckets handy!

Y'all come back now, ya hear!!

Pretty Much the Best Meal Evah

We had a happy yet long weekend that involved good friends and travel and dress up clothes.

Come Sunday night, jeans and ratty t-shirts felt really good. We sat outside and we grilled our favorites. Before we cooked dinner last night, we mixed up pimento cheese, chicken salad, and made a pasta salad. All before we figured out the ceiling fan in kitchen was turning the wrong way, making it even more of an inferno than it already was. So that was fun.

We had filets, proscuitto-wrapped asparagus, honey garlic bread, and red wine.

Jeffrey sprinkled the filets with Worcestershire sauce and Montreal steak seasoning and wrapped them in pepper bacon.

I don't know if it was the food or the company or a combination of the two, but it was an incredibly enjoyable meal.

Long overdue!

Well to say I have been procrastinating just a bit would be an understatement... Last Friday night, Keetha and I made a trip to our glorious grocery located in beautiful Cleveland, MS. That would be the place that she likes to visit everytime she comes here (Ha! Don't try to deny it girl!). We picked up some shrimp, asparagus, proscuitto, grape tomatos, and a sweet yellow onion. Beginning to get any ideas yet?

Yep. You're exactly right, kabobs on the grill!

We began by placing the deveined and peeled shrimp on bamboo skewers alternating shrimp, onion chunks (we need to find a better way. The onion didn't stay on the skewers very well), and grape tomatos. We then marinated with Lea & Perrins and Cavender's Greek seasoning. What else could we have to compliment this lovely meal, but the now infamous proscuitto wrapped asparagus aslo marinated with Lea & Perrins and Greek seasoning.




Yeah, it was every bit as good as it looks!!

And least I forget, we also had our mainstay of bread, a multigrain take and bake loaf drizzled with honey garlic butter.

Stay tuned people...we have a fantastic meal planned for this Friday night as well.

Yes, back out to the grill again!

Y'all come back now, ya here!

Back to the Grill

For the second time in as many days, we cooked on the grill. One time with my very own grill that I removed the cover from. ALL BY MYSELF.

That meal was great - grilled chicken and grilled asparagus, which we made like we did last time. I could eat it approximately every single day.

Or so I thought until Saturday night when we grilled.

We made happy hamburgers, hamburgers that were made happy by the addition of pepper jack cheese smack dab in the middle of the hamburger patty. Man alive, as the burgers cooked, the cheese melted and was it ever good.
This is the bottom layer of the hamburger patty with the cheese. This was topped with a thin patty and the edges crimped together to keep all that preshus cheese in there. The end result was very moist and really tasty.

That spawned a lively discussion of any number of variations on stuffed burgers. It's going to be pretty great.

Before that, we snacked on cheddar and edam cheese, dusted with a homemade Cajun seasoning blend and crackers. It made me think of the Rendevzous.

This was late in the afternoon, after a day spent outdoors. My son played in the backyard with a disabled lawnmower deck. Something about the belt or chain or something interested him. He asked me where the fan went that turned the belt.

THEN.

There is the aspragus, wrapped in proscuitto, sprinkled with Cavender's Greek seasoning, drizzled with olive oil; it was all kinds of good.
Seriously good.

If I needed an excuse to fire up the grill, which I didn't, but if I did, that would be it.

A Girl and Her Grill...Part I - Stuffed Pork Chops with Grilled Asparagus

Hi all! Jeffrey here. I thought I'd try my hand at this blogging thing, so please be patient with me as I work on my first ever post! As you may have read, Keetha decided that she (we, I should say) needed a place to share the things that we cook in the kitchen as well as outside on the grill, so here we are.

Friday night we christened her brand new charcoal grill with a dish that has been a frequent visitor to my grill over the years...with a twist that I hadn't thought of trying before.

We began by deciding on a mutually agreeable stuffing for the pork chops. I've routinely used sausage (various types ranging from smoked venison, beef, or pork to Andouille), boudin, crawfish tails, and rice dressing, all of which tasted wonderful! On this occasion, the stuffing of choice was a spinach and shrimp dip (sort of) placed inside a small slit cut into the heart of a boneless pork loin chop. And if that weren't enough pork fat, we wrapped the entire chop with bacon to keep everything nice and moist!! (I know, I know...all I can say in my defense is that when it comes to pork fat, the more the merrier!)

Spinach and Shrimp Dip Stuffing

10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
1 envelope Knorr vegetable recipe mix
1/4 pound cooked peeled shrimp (20 to 25/lb count)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (I'm sure you could use reduced- or no-fat. Um, we didn't.)
couple of tablespoons of sour cream
1/4 cup or thereabouts freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Beat the cream cheese in a bowl of a mixer, adding some sour cream to thin it out a bit. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Most likely better made the night before, although we didn't. You'll have leftovers, which go perfectly with crackers.

Stuffed Pork Chops

2-1 1/2" thick boneless pork loin chops

worcestershire to taste

Montreal Steak Seasoning to taste

Approximately 1/4 cup of freshly chopped parsley

2 sprigs of freshly chopped rosemary

6 slices of bacon (we used Wright's Pepper Bacon)

Cut a small slit in the chop side oppisite of the fat layer. Cut deeply, but be careful not to cut all the way through to the other side. You just want to create a pocket similar to pita bread. Stuff as much stuffing as will fit inside the slit and press firmly.

Wrap the stuffed side with 2 slices of bacon so that the entire chop is circled with bacon, and if that weren't enough...wrap 1 more slice of bacon across the chop in the opposite direction.


Add worcestershire sauce (we prefer Lea & Perrins) & Montreal Steak seasoning to taste on both sides of the chop. Finally, add the chopped parsley and rosemary to both sides of the chop, and this my friends, is what I would consider to be a beautiful sight!

After preparing the above "ingredients", we progressed outside to prepare the grill for cooking! Now, I must digress just a moment to say that The Lady had been told by well-meaning family and friends to not purchase a charcoal grill...it would be "too much trouble" and "too hard" to get just right for cooking. Well...

BEHOLD THE FIRE THAT KEETHA BUILT!!!!! (with just a tiny bit of coaching I might add) :-)

Then it was just a matter of reclining in our favorite lawn chairs (honestly, I just don't know any more Southern a term for chairs out on the lawn, or yard as we lovingly refer to them down here!) with beverage of choice and waiting for the coals to burn themselves down to a nice ashy white color for cooking. But wait, it's not quite time for those chops to be tenderly placed on the grill just yet. No true Southern grilling would be complete without first seasoning the grill with a nice appetizer. We decided on grilled boudin complete with a nice selection of Edam and cheddar cheeses.

Yes, my dear reader, it's FINALLY time! Once the boudin was removed from the grill and plated for enjoying in front of the grill with another beverage of choice, we placed the stuffed pork chops on the grill, slightly off center for a nice indirect cooking.

After the boudin and cheese were casually consumed (actually they were ravenously devoured...we were getting rather hungry by this point!), we moved back into the kitchen to prepare the asparagus.

We simply used these ingredients... a nice olive oil fortified with rosemary, thyme, garlic, and other tasty treats, worcestershire, and Montreal Steak seasoning (anyone picking up a pattern here?)

When the chops were getting close to being done, we placed the asparagus on the grill atop a grilling pan. This would be a small foil pan similar to a cookie sheet, but had perforations in the bottom to allow the charcoal to add a nice smokey flavor to them. The asparagus only needed roughly 5-7 minutes and they were done. Nice and tender with just a hint of crunch...al dente` if you will.

And this is what we ended up with after fixing a small accompanying Salad (Keetha & I chose wine & cheese dressing this time for a different take on The Salad). This was paired with a very nice Pinot noir (hey, give us a break! We're new to this wine thing so we just drink what we like! Ha!). Oh, I almost forgot about the bread. You may have remembered reading about it here.



After time spent enjoying our creation while engaged in great conversation, we retired back to the aforementioned lawn chairs around the grill to enjoy a civilized nightcap...(who could stand dessert after all that food we just scarfed down!) The dishes could wait for later!!!

So that, in a nutshell, was Keetha's and my evening. Stay tuned for the next installment of "A Girl and Her Grill" where we'll be enjoying....... (now you don't think I'd let the cat out of the bag that easily do you?!?)

Y'ALL COME BACK NOW, YA HEAR!!!

PS... I'd be rather wrong if I didn't acknowledge Keetha's assistance with this post.... THANKS KIDDO!!!!

I Eat Raw Fish *

One of my best friends has long, long tried to tempt me with stories of delicious, fresh fish, like tuna, thrown in a hot pan and then just as quickly taken out. I can't help it; I look at it and I see RAW FISH.

I don't care what grade it is, blah, blah, blah. That is an animal and it's being consumed uncooked. That can't be healthy, and also, ewwwwww.

Then, you know what? I actually tried it and guess what? It is incredible!

I'm a convert now.

So much so that last night that's what we had for dinner.


Jeffrey coated the steaks with Cavender's Greek Seasoning and Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish seasoning, then heated a skillet and added butter and olive oil. He cooked the steaks for about three minutes on each side. We had linguine with a pesto sauce, The Salad, and bread, which we'll talk about more in a minute.

Doesn't that look fabulous?

We had this wine with dinner.




The bread comes from our beloved Kroger bakery. It's a multi grain take-and-bake loaf, meaning it's partially cooked. We bake it at about 400 degrees for a few minutes until it feels firm to the touch but isn't browned.

Then you take it from the oven and slice it. Wait - earlier, like when you first start cooking, melt about two tablespoons of butter over low heat. Add two coarsely chopped cloves of garlic and let it steep on nice and low.

Right there? Is usually where we stop with the butter. You take the sliced bread and brush on the garlic butter mixture and slide the slices back in the oven until they're good and crisp and golden. (Actually, you could brush the stuff on top of the loaf without slicing it if you wanted to.)

HOWEVAH. Last night, we went one better and added about two tablespoons of honey to the butter and garlic.

Well.

I cannot tell you how good it was. The honey set off the goodness of the whole grain and played off the savory garlic and the butter made it all better.


Clearly, after a meal like this, no dessert was called for. What could have topped this?

Wait. Don't tell me.

Creme brulee!

Hmmmm. Stay tuned.....








* Seared isn't cooked. No, it's not.