Tag Archives: grilling

Sep4

Lookout, Cookout

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Lookout, Cookout

Hello! Every summer Johnny’s job has a company picnic with food trucks and raffle prizes. He has worked there for five years and has never won squat until this year. There were plenty of great prizes to be had and, unfortunately, Johnny got the one thing we can’t use: A mini charcoal grill called the Smokey Joe lol. Any type of grill is grounds for eviction in Timber Top because it is such a huge fire hazard in our wooded community. So, the Smokey Joe found a new home at my in-laws’ house. When Johnny took his winnings home from the picnic, we had no idea when we were ever going to use it. Then, it pulled through in the clutch for a Labor Day cookout with Johnny’s mom and dad:

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Johnny had the brilliant idea of arranging our cookout get together and using the new grill to make my veggie burgers and hot dogs to avoid contamination. He is so thoughtful! After working a little shift on Monday morning, we headed over to chez parents to start the festivities and it was just the best time. Johnny’s mom manned their grill, Johnny’s dad handled the Dutch oven peach cobbler, and Johnny and I worked together on the Smokey Joe as it was my first grilling experience. By the time we were done at our respective stations, we had a delicious meal in store for us. The veggie burgers and hot dogs hit the spot but top marks definitely go to the peach cobbler. I have been asking Johnny’s dad to make it for forever and he deemed our cookout as the perfect occasion. It was as heavenly as I imaged it to be!

After we were beyond full, we retired inside because it was getting kind of chilly out. This was a nice change of pace from the ninety degree days we were having last week but it was still a shock to the system! As we warmed up, we chatted away and got all the doggo snuggles from the precious Odie. It was about all we could muster while being in a full blown food coma lol. Before we left, Johnny’s mom loaded us up with leftovers and an amazing surprise – some gorgeous vintage lamps that belonged to Johnny’s grandma. I can’t wait to show all of you. 😀

This was the first time Johnny and I have actively made Labor Day plans and our cookout was the most wonderful way to spend it. Even though we can’t use the Smokey Joe at our apartment, it proved to be an awesome prize after all!

What do you like to bring to a cookout? How did you spend Labor Day? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan30

The Joys Of Eating And Cooking In Your Backyard

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The Joys Of Eating And Cooking In Your Backyard

One of the best ways to enjoy food these days is to take a seat outside and put something nice on the grill. The smell of grilled food, the warm sunshine hitting your skin, and the relaxing conversations of your friends and family members in the background – these are the types of things you can expect when you start eating and cooking more in your backyard. All that and so much more:

Encourage socializing in your family:

If you want to create a family-friendly backyard that also makes your friends and neighbors feel welcome, then consider cooking and eating outdoors. You don’t need to be in a separate room cooking food while your guests are interacting with each other. Instead, you can cook food in the open and have conversations with people. You won’t feel glued to the burner, watching things closely to ensure they don’t cook. In short, cooking in an open area such as a backyard is often a great way to encourage more socialization because we’re not stuck in the kitchen with our back to our guests and family members all the time.

Fresh air is always a plus:

Enjoying some fresh air is always nice, especially if the climate allows for it. Far too many of us are cooped up inside, working from home, and cooking indoors. Opening the windows and doors doesn’t cut it either – it doesn’t replicate the joy of cooking outside and breathing in the fresh air as we enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal.

Even putting together a backyard bar just to enjoy a refreshing drink outside can be a great idea. People often underestimate just how relaxing and soothing it can be to enjoy some good food outdoors surrounded by nature. It’s something we urge you to try at least once to see what it’s like!

More cooking options:

Most people who try grilling food indoors will quickly realize that the flames rarely get hot enough, and it generates a lot of smoke that fills the kitchen and makes things harder for you. Grilling outside on a more powerful cooking device means you can get to higher temperatures, and you don’t have to worry about the area getting filled with smoke or heat from your cooking.

And that’s not to say you can’t use your kitchen either. You can bake goods or prepare food in your kitchen that is ready to be cooked outside. Combine cooking and preparation methods to open up more cooking options that you can try.

Eating and cooking outside might be different at first, but it’s well worth the try. It can transform your cooking, give your family a new place to socialize, and you’ll be encouraged to invite friends and neighbors over too!

Featured Image By: Unsplash (CC0)

Jun10

Amazing Ways To Cook The Best Steaks

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Amazing Ways To Cook The Best Steaks

If you like steak, it is a given that you have your favorite way to cook them and ask any steak lover, and you may get a different answer. Nevertheless, treating every steak the same would be a foolish disservice. So, let’s look at a few of the ways you can cook steak:

Grill:

Specifically charcoal grilled thin steaks. With meat prices rising, it’s good to know how to cook thin steaks. Grilling steak is quick, simple, and hard to mess up after a short period of learning. All you need is a grill (gas or charcoal), steaks, salt, pepper, and oil.

Start the grill and let it get nice and hot; oil and season the steaks on both sides, and when the grill is good to go, throw the steaks on and leave them alone for 3-5 minutes a side depending on how red you like them. Once the time is up, remove the steaks, leave them to rest covered in foil, and then serve.

Sous Vide:

Sous Vide involves vacuum sealing your steak, cooking it for nearly an hour in temperature-controlled water, then finishing it off with a sear. This may sound like a strange method, but it leads to the most evenly cooked and potentially best tasting steaks out there! There is a very sensory experience with cooking with Sous Vide, you get the aromatic smokey smell of steak getting cooked on high heat, and the end results are exceptional.

Pan Fry:

Pan frying steak is not dissimilar to grilling, except you don’t need to go outside. Like the grill, make sure your pan is hot. A cast-iron pan or a similar heavy-bottomed skillet works best because they hold more heat. You may want to oil your steak, or you may wish to simply salt and pepper the steak and then drop a lump of butter in the pan. A meat splash guard is good for keeping the ventilation going. Otherwise, your kitchen will be covered in grease spots. Not ideal when you want to enjoy your meal!

Sear Roasting:

Sear-roasting involves pre-heating both your oven and a cast-iron skillet at upwards of 500 Fahrenheit. When both the skillet and oven are piping hot, you put an oiled or buttered steak in the skillet, sear it on both sides and then slip it into the oven to finish cooking.

By searing first and then finishing in the oven, sear roasting causes fewer problems than pan-frying and broiling. However, this method is less accurate than grilling or sous vide, where you bring a steak more or less precisely to temperature.

Steak Tartare:

This method is quite overlooked, probably because, at first glance, it does not require any preparation at all, which is a myth. Steak Tartare is a popular dish in France and is overlooked since it is raw. Steak Tartare is not only odd for the lack of heat involved in its preparations, but it is also chopped up before serving!

Its preparation usually involves the assembly of ingredients, but there are also crucial steps to ensure food safety. It is important to locate a fresh cut of good meat as the meat will not be exposed to heat on the outside, where most of the bacteria are. Proper steak tartare starts out life as a decent steak; this recipe suggests eye of round, which is then chilled in the freezer and diced up immediately before serving.

Become the host with the most at your next gathering with the tips above!

Featured Image By: Gonzalo Guzman on Pexels

Mar31

The‌ ‌Keys‌ ‌To‌ ‌Hosting‌ ‌A ‌Perfect‌ â€ŒBBQ‌

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The‌ ‌Keys‌ ‌To‌ ‌Hosting‌ ‌A ‌Perfect‌ â€ŒBBQ‌

It feels like it’s been a long and cold winter. Indeed, it probably feels even longer and colder than it has been because fun and good times have been in short supply thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and other global issues. However, if there’s one thing that we should all remember, it’s that winter doesn’t last forever. In the not too distant future, we’ll all be able to enjoy all of the pleasures that can come from spending time in the sunshine with friends and family.

And what’s the best way to enjoy these moments? By having a BBQ! In this post, we’ll run through some tried and tested tips that will make you the host with the most:

Prepare‌ ‌the‌ ‌Yard‌:

The food will take center stage, but it’s important to remember that the yard will provide the backdrop for the BBQ. As such, it’s worthwhile getting it into shape beforehand. There are numerous ways to do this. A little bit of landscaping will go a long way, so there’s no need to go overboard and create an oasis (unless you want to). The most important aspect will be to have plenty of comfortable seating options and, if possible, to make the yard feel private.

Simple‌ ‌and‌ ‌Delicious‌ ‌Recipes‌:

People are going to judge the quality of the BBQ by the overall atmosphere of the day, but there’s no avoiding the fact that the quality of the food is important, too. The good thing about BBQs is that even the simple classics will do the trick. Hamburgers and hot dogs are the way to go! Just make sure that it’s high-quality meat. Don’t forget dessert, too; there are plenty of easy fruit salad recipes that are perfect for summer afternoons. If you don’t want to be responsible for all the food, then you can ask your guests to bring some with them – if everyone brings something small, then everyone will eat well.

Remember the Drinks:

What’s a BBQ without drinks? All meals should have drinks by their side, but it becomes even more important for BBQs since it’s usually so hot out. While you can provide the basics, such as soda, beer, and wine, it’s also fun to push the boat out a little. Could you make some homemade lemonade or create a cocktail station where people can make their own colorful and delicious drinks?

Bring the Music:

BBQs are all about sinking into all of the good times that summer can bring. So do your best to create a fun and light atmosphere, one that allows people to escape the worries of everyday life. The best ways to do this are to play a killer summer playlist and to provide some games. If you’ve got some reggae or otherwise good-vibe music on the stereo, and people can play twister or other fun yard games, then your BBQ will be a hit.

Enjoy the weather, food, and good company with the tips above to make your BBQ the best on the block!

Featured Image By: Pexels