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How Much More All American Can You Get Than Pasta Salad?

If you pass over the potato salad at a cookout, chances are it's in favor of the pasta salad - always my top choice. I love to make all different kinds of pasta salad, but I have to say my favorites have a lot of cheese and a lot of vinaigrette-type dressings, rather than heavy mayonnaise.  

Rachael Ray has a great Mac and Jack salad that's just spicy enough to not be typical. I like to use elbow macaroni or rotini for my pasta salads, but really any pasta is fine. This recipe calls for defrosted frozen corn, a red pepper, red onion, celery, pepper jack cheese (great for that extra kick), red wine vinegar, olive oil, salsa, and parsley. Try this one to give your Memorial Day celebration some extra spice. 

If that's too non-traditional for you, try the American Macaroni Salad, courtesy of Food Network Kitchens. This one is basic - celery, onion, parsley, dried or ground mustard, a tomato, mayonnaise. This one is interesting because it also calls for sour cream, which gives it a creamier texture. You could also ad-lib and use Italian dressing (low-fat if you're watching calories), or a simple oil and vinegar mixture and leave out the mayo and sour cream.  

Macaroni salad is a versatile dish, perfect for cookouts and pot luck parties, so experiment with different recipes and find your favorite. And don't boil your pasta too long - if it's too soft it gets mushy, and who likes a mushy pasta salad? Not at this cookout! 

Perfect Potato Salad

Part of the fun of grilling is coordinating the side dishes. Salads are always a big favorite. Potato and pasta salads go perfectly with any grilled meal, from hamburgers on a bun to a nice piece of grilled fish. 

While I love traditional potato salad, I also like to make a version without mayonnaise. A Dijon salad like this one from Real Simple is ideal - it's a lighter dish, and the mustard gives it a nice flavor. 

Red potatoes work best for this salad. Boil in a pot, then toss with a half cup chopped watercress or parsley, one-quarter cup coleslaw dressing, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, and 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish. 

Or, if you prefer a white potato (Yukon golds are wonderful), try the potato salad with grainy mustard vinaigrette. Toss potatoes with salt, grain mustard, tarragon, pepper and vinaigrette. I like this version if I'm having burgers and hotdogs -- the Dijon is perfect for shrimp kabobs, grilled salmon, or chicken dishes. Pick out a great summer-time serving bowl, serve with a green salad, and enjoy!

Grill Better With the 10 Right Tools

Any good soldier knows when you set out for battle you need the right weapons in your arsenal. So it is with grilling - you can't expect to do the job (or cook the food, in this case) without the right tools.
 
Grilling has definitely taken on a life of its own over the years, largely due to the status symbols grills have become. You know when you have a barbecue that your hardcore grilling guests are noting whether your grill has four side burners or two, if it's a charcoal/gas combo, or if there are stainless steel accents. 

Luckily, the tools themselves have remained pretty standard despite the fact that there are a lot more brand and color choices. Just to make sure I had everything I needed in my grilling drawer, I checked in with TLC Cooking for their top 10 list of grilling tools. Lo and behold, I found I've earned my status as a grilling expert - I have everything they listed.
You can read in more detail about each tool here, but this is the list:

Tongs
Brushes for sauce/marinades
Griddle
Skewers
Wire brush for cleaning
Grilling gloves
Propane gauge
Spatula
Thermometer
And most importantly, the grill itself. 

I'll leave it up to you how big and fancy of a unit you'll need to impress your neighbors. But at the end of the barbecue, it's not about how big, but how well cooked. Stock up on these items and your burgers will shine at the next party.  

Don't Let the Grill Cool Off! Grilling Desserts

For a healthy dessert after a marathon grilling session, skip the ice cream stand and try putting some fruit on the grill. From bananas to plums to pineapples, you can make some really cool desserts with those really hot coals.

 

I have to admit, I never would have thought to try grilling fruit until I started watching cooking shows. The Food Network has some great tips on this phenomenon, one of the best being, put the fruit on, turn it once, take it off. Once you get the hang of it, it’s simple, it tastes great, and it’s healthy! 

 

Melons are a good choice, because you can cut larger pieces. A slight brushing of Canola oil will help the fruit not stick. And make sure you pick the side of the grill you didn’t cook burgers on.

 

Bobby Flay’s video below offers a yogurt topping for the fruit, but you can do a Chai syrup, melt chocolate and peanut butter in a skilleton the grill for a sweeter topping, or simply eat the fruit as is. Ice cream on the side is always a good choice. 

 

It’s one stop cooking for your summer meal - just wheel the grill onto the deck and cook your appetizer, your main course, side dishes and desserts all in one place. How can it get any better? 

Grills Aren't Just for Burgers Anymore

In my opinion, the best part about the grill is the ability to cook just about anything on it. I love grilling the traditional items, steaks and hot dogs and burgers, but I also love to grill vegetables, fish, even corn on the cob.

Salmon is one of those versatile fish that tastes great no matter what you do with it. Fresh or frozen, it works perfectly on the grill, in pieces about 1-inch thick. Allow the grill to get extra hot and you can cook the fish right on it, no aluminum foil necessary. Season or marinade as you want before cooking (I love teriyaki salmon). 

The best piece of advice I found when researching how to grill fish - or anything for that matter - correctly was to leave it alone. Don’t keep turning it over, because it will break. Sear the fillet on one side before you turn it, and this will also prevent sticking and give you those fancy grill marks. Bobby Flay demonstrates here.

And if it’s not perfect, so what? It’s fun to try, and summer meals are the perfect time to experiment. Add some grilled vegetables as a side dish and no one will notice your grill marks aren’t even. Slice up some zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, onions, garlic and toss with olive oil. Pour into aluminum foil and place on the grill, or place your aluminum foil bundle into a grill pan. Cook until the vegetables are tender, and serve as a side dish to your fish. Enjoy on the deck or patio with a glass of white wine, and buy some extra charcoal. We’ll grill up some desserts later this week!

Fire It Up - It's Grilling Season.

 It’s about that time again, when the scent of grilled food permeates every neighborhood and friends and family gather to barbecue for just about any occasion. I love the grill - I would use it every night during the summer if I had my way. But I had to get over the fear of lighting the silly thing first, especially my little charcoal grill. Once I realized my choices were to light the grill or order a pizza, I ponied up and mastered the task.

I learned to form my little pile of charcoal, put lighter fluid on them, then light a long match and wait for them to turn gray, the signal that I could finally cook. This method seemed to take forever, though.

Then I learned there were better ways, thanks to Real Simple's grilling tips. They recommend using hardwood charcoal, which lights faster and burns hotter and cleaner than briquettes. There’s also the chimney starter, a notion I had never heard of. It’s a can open at both the top and bottom, with newspapers packed on the bottom. Charcoal goes on top, light the paper, and wait 15 minutes, then you can cook. I haven’t tried this yet, but I plan on buying one this year.

If you're not an outdoorsy person, you can even buy an indoor grill. They have some fancy ones now, and they taste almost as good as if you cooked your food in the great outdoors.

In my world, the vegetable and shrimp kabobs marinated in sesame ginger sauce will be waiting for that flame to rise. Cooking healthy is just as easy on a grill as it is in the oven -- vegetables, fish, potatoes. Grilling is a summer tradition, and it’s getting better every year.

Spice it up With Three Bean and Beef Chili

There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned chili on a cooler evening, and we're getting them up North this week.

A traditional three bean and beef chili tastes wonderful after simmering in the crock pot all day. The Food Network offers a variety of recipes for beef, chicken and turkey chili, as well as vegetarian style. Ellie Krieger’s is pretty standard if you’re looking for a traditional pot of chili.

Hook up your crock pot with some olive oil and add your veggies - typically onions, peppers, garlic, and this recipe suggests adding carrots. Once they’ve softened, add your cumin. I like to add chili powder here for some added zip. Crumble your ground beef into the crock pot and add crushed tomatoes, water, a chipotle chili if you choose, and oregano, salt and pepper.

I like to add some crushed red pepper flakes to take the heat up a notch. Simmer this mixture, and then add in beans as you choose; this recipe recommends black beans, kidney beans and pinto beans. Simmer in the crock pot - the longer the better -- and serve with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and sliced jalapenos on top, with tortilla chips on the side. Spicy! Keep that theme going a little longer and have a margarita to cool it off. 

Spice Up Your Cinco Fest - Salsa and Guacamole

 

So we covered the margaritas, and we’ve had a drink or two to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. We’ll be getting hungry soon, so let’s make sure the food is covered! You need appetizers to accompany the margaritas, and chips and salsa seems like a natural for this particular celebration. Salsa is one of the healthiest appetizers you can serve, and it’s simple to make. 

 

I like Alton Brown’s recipe on the Food Network. It’s a little bit spicy, which works for me. If you like a milder salsa, skip the chili powder and/or the dry chiles or jalapenos.

 

You’ll need tomatoes, garlic, a red pepper, red onion, olive oil, lime juice (fresh from a juicer if you have one), and fresh scallions. The scallions can be substituted with cilantro or parsley. Add your hots and mix it up, then let it chill in the refrigerator for 12 hours. 

 

I thought I’d try my hand at guacamole to complement my salsa, something I’d never made before. It’s also simple, and tastes amazingly better than anything store bought.

 

Serve with tortilla chips, rye crisps or your favorite cracker. If you’re doing real nachos, grab some shredded mozzarella cheese and bake on the tortilla chips in the oven until it melts, then serve with your salsa and guacamole. It’s a popular dish on ordinary days, so it can’t help but be a hit for your Cinco party!

Get Your Fiesta On! It's Margarita Time!

It’s Fiesta Week and I'm late so I'm celebrating Friday..

Cinco de Mayo is the best holiday, in my opinion -- gifts aren’t required, there’s always a party, and you get to eat as much Mexican food as you want without having to justify it. This week, we’ll plan a meal fit for any Cinco party. So let’s start with a Margarita!

Nowadays, Margaritas can take on many colors and flavors, but some diehards prefer the traditional, which on the Food Network is simply tequila, lime juice, simple syrup (sugar and water dissolved in a saucepan), orange liqueur, and some yummy lime-salt-sugar, (lime zest, salt and sugar blended).

If you prefer a fruitier, sweeter taste, I tried this blueberry-lime margarita for a get-together, and it was a huge hit. Simply blend frozen blueberries, blueberry syrup (the recipe calls for nectar but I didn’t have any on hand, and the syrup added some extra sweet), seltzer, frozen limeade, lime juice and tequila. Blend and serve with salt and a lime wedge. 

Another favorite is watermelon. This Emeril Lagasse recipe uses fresh watermelon in the blender -- exceptional! Orange flavored liqueur (Emeril recommends Grand Marnier or triple sec) also adds a distinct flavoring. 

And of course, you can substitute your favorite fruit in this recipe to make a strawberry, mango, pineapple, or pretty much any flavor margarita to add some fun to your gathering. So let’s get the party started!

 

Mom's Apple Pie

I debated about making a fancy dessert to go with Mother’s Day dinner, but when I really thought about it, my earliest and happiest memories with my mom were all about baking apples pies. We would clean off the kitchen table, line all the ingredients up, and I would watch my mom chop all the apples. She would wear her apron, and I would wear my little matching one, and wait anxiously for when I would get to toss the apples with all the ingredients and pat them gently into the pie crust. We would snack on the extra apples she would always cut as we worked. 

 

Once the pie was safely in the oven, the house would smell like cinnamon and vanilla and everything home. And that first piece? Amazing, with ice cream or whipped cream.

 

So I think I’ll make Mom an apple pie. Nothing fancy, just the way I remember it, with Cortland apples from my favorite orchard. The only difference is I’ll use organic sugar so it’s healthier for both of us.

Click on the video to see a chef from www.foodwishes.com demonstrate the best way to do apple pie filling. 

What’s your favorite memory with your mom? Give it back to her on Mother’s Day. She’ll be thrilled that you remembered.