Grilling and Chilling, 35 Recipes

 

We're well into optimal grilling season. I say optimal because I tend to grill year round. I've been known to have Hubs shovel a path of snow off the deck from the slider to the grill. But in this part of the country, there truly is a grilling season. There's nothing I love more at the end of a hot day than for us to grab a cold cocktail, throw dinner on the grill, and wind down. Grilling and Chilling.

For the most part, dinner prep is pretty easy, often just a matter of marinading the main course in the morning and sticking it in the fridge. Added bonuses are not heating the house by turning the oven on, and easy clean up, since Hubs cleans the grill.

Oh, and to make things even easier, I'll often prepare cold sides ahead of time and have them in the fridge. Check out my Apple Cider Chive Potato Salad, my Blueberry Bagel Salad, my Greek Pasta Salad, my Pasta Salad Bites, my Summer Orzo Salad, my SW Ranch Picnic Salad, my Vegetable Ranch Tortellini Salad, and/or my Smoky Slaw, for some make ahead chilled side dishes.

Because there are plenty of hot days still ahead, I thought I'd put together some of the grilling recipes I've developed over the years. 35 of them. They're pictured below in groupings, with the recipe links for you to click on just below the pictures:

 

Chicken, Chicken, Chicken

Caprese Chicken Kabobs

Marinted, grilled chicken meets caprese salad in this easy, flavorful dinner.

Jamaican Ranch Chicken

Mix up this simple 3 ingredient marinade in the morning, grill for about 20 minutes at night. Doesn't get much easier than that.

White Wine Mustard Chicken

Whisk together this 5 ingredient marinade, refrigerate with the chicken, then just grill when you're ready. Couldn't be easier.

Monte Cristo Skewers

Inspired by the Monte Cristo sandwich, marinated chicken and ham are threaded onto skewers and grilled.

Orange Teriyaki Chicken

This teriyaki marinade with the added hint of orange is a crowd pleaser

Onion Poppy Grilled Chicken

Just 3 marinade ingredients add so much flavor to a grilled chicken meal.

Seafood

Thai Shrimp Skewers

A warm weather lunch or dinner, Thai Shrimp Skewers is a marinated and skewered shrimp dish with red pepper and pineapple. A flavorful meal that grills up in minutes.

Grilled Scallops in Garlic Wine Sauce

Grilled sea scallops are served over rotini, tossed in a light sauce of wine and broth with garlic and green onions.

Glazed Salmon

A simple, light, flavorful dish. This glaze is everything!

Easy Grilled Halibut

A flavorful marinade and under 15 minutes on the grill is all you need for a quick healthy dinner.

Grilled Maple Balsamic Shrimp

Quick and simple, just marinate, skewer, and grill.

Orange Balsamic Salmon over Broccoli Slaw

Salmon is marinated, grilled and served over broccoli slaw dressed with the same marinade.

Pork: chops, tenderloin, medallions, and riblets

Creamy Horseradish Pork Medallions

Sliced pork tenderloin, marinated in a creamy sauce with a little bit of a kick, and grilled. Leftovers make great sandwiches, too!

Grilled Apricot Mustard Pork

Bold flavors are the key to these marinated, grilled pork tenderloin medallions. Slice and marinate in the morning, grill for about 15 minutes at dinner time.

Honey Peanut Pork Medallions

Pork tenderloin is sliced, refrigerated in a flavorful marinade, and grilled.

Beer BBQ Pork Chops

This sauce is so simple, and the grilled pineapple and red pepper are the perfect addition.

Tomato Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin, marinated in a tomato and wine sauce, then grilled.

Grilled Blackberry Pork Medallions

Marinated in and basted with a blackberry barbecue sauce, these pork medallions grill up in minutes for a delicious summer meal.

Whiskey Grilled Riblets

These riblets take some time but they are SO worth it. They start with a dry rub, are baked in the sauce, then grilled when ready. 

Grilled Dry-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

Wrapping the tenderloin tightly with the dry rub imparts so much flavor. Refrigerate, then grill.

Here's the Beef

Grilled Skirt Steak

Packed with flavor, but another easy recipe. Marinate for up to 36 hours in the fridge, then grll in under 20 minutes, rest adn slice. Great for cookouts and parties too!

Grilled Steak and Pepper Pizza

Grilling adds so much flavor to your pizza. And they're fun to make!

Grilled Steak Roll-Ups

Thin slices of beef are stuffed with vetetables, rolled and grilled. Easy enough for everyday, fancy enough for company.

Grilled Asian Flank Steak

This flank steak is bursting with flavor. Marinate up to 48 hours, grill, and slice. A cookout favorite.

Sandwiches

Sweet Chili Turkey Burgers

Lower in fat, bursting with fresh flavors. A great addition to any cookout.

Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches

Grilled eggplant is topped with cheese and vegetables, and served on a toasted Ciabatta roll.

Grilled Marinated Portobello Sandwiches

You won't miss the meat in this hearty vegetable version of a burger.

Pepperoni Pizza Burgers

Burgers and pizza, a perfect match.

Glazed Kielbasa Sandwich

Glazed kielbasa and vegetables are skewered and grilled. Tastes just as good over rice or mashed potatoes as it does in a sandwich.

Sides, Sauce and Seasoning

Italian Style Grilled Zucchini

Zucchini proves that grilling isn't just for the main dish. And this side dish comes together in minutes.

Simple Grilled Squash Packets

Only 4 ingredients go into this side dish. Chop, mix, and grill for a delicious main dish accompaniment.

Grilled Spiced Cabbage

Cabbage is drizzled with a marinade and grilled. Cabbage never tasted so good!

Grilled Mini Naan Poppers

A fun interpretation of Jalapeno Poppers that only takes a few minutes to cook on the grill. Perfect for an appetizer or side dish.

Jamaican Jerk Seasoning Blend

This blend can be used as a dry rub on pork or fish, Mix it with vegetable oil to marinate chicken, or add to soups and stews.

Tangy Horseradish Steak Sauce

A bit of tang, a bit of a bite, a delicious enhancement to your grilled steak

Happy grilling. And chilling.

An Accidental Sitcom: Secret Subject Swap

 

Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. This month 2 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. Read through mine and at the bottom you’ll find links to all of today’s other Secret Subject participants.

My subject is: Do you think the dynamic of most sitcom families has had an affect on how we view families and gender roles? How so, or why not?

It was submitted by: Jenniy of Climaxed.

I'm finding this a little difficult to address, mainly because I really don't watch mainstream sitcoms. There just aren't any on right now that appeal to me. I watched quite a few of them growing up, enjoyed many, even found some of them humorous which, I thought, was supposed to be the point. Now, I'll watch Young Sheldon every now and then but, really, that's pretty much it. 

The current crop of sitcom offerings are neither relatable situations nor comedic. Yeah, they come up with a premise for the show, but for the most part they are so contrived, they're absurd. And comedic? I haven't laughed at a sitcom since the 80s.

I know, I'm not answering the question.

For me, it's kind of a chicken and egg kind of thing. Which came first, the pervasive perception of what a family is and the roles within that societal microcosm, which was then mirrored in sitcoms? Or televised perception of family dynamics put up as a model of perfection for us to watch, idolize, and hope to achieve? 

There was a time in both sitcoms and in our society, when men went to work and women spent their days in a dress and nylons, often in the kitchen cooking and baking and doing all things wholesome and domestic.

Triple Onion Roast (crockpot or not)

Slowly, our view of families broadened, and as we as a society became more open and aware, it was reflected in some shows, snuck in the back door where you had to look for it in others. But it did start to infiltrate.

Men had the overt power, but women had power too, they just had to be cunning about it, it was a more covert, at times passive/aggressive use of power. Men made decisions openly, women sort of had to play them, make it seem as though her decision was his idea. If you look for it, it was reflected in sitcoms. Edith Bunker comes to mind.

Now, I think that our society is so compartmentalized, we are all so entrenched in our tribes and staunch in our beliefs, that we no longer view shows as an idealized view of the family and gender roles.

Our forward movement into freedom of expression and acceptance of familial fluidity has been stopped cold by a trip in Mr. Peabody's WayBack Machine, seized by the republican party. Destination: 1960s. 

Maybe we'll start seeing Leave It to Beaver, Dick Van Dyke, and The Brady Bunch (unless a divorced couple with a blended family is just too avant-garde) revisited. Sorry, The Jeffersons, you're probably out.

Currently, I see a few types of sitcoms in the mainstream:

First: those that try (too hard) to reflect societal trends. These are the shows that try to be current, but by the time they identify the trend, write a script, get the episode made . . . it just comes off as lame, boring, yesterday's news. They are neither reflective nor progressive. They're kind of the white noise of sitcoms.

Second are shows that do try to push the envelope, are written with at least a passing nod to a social conscience. For the most part, if you look into the financing, the producers are successful, independent, and due to their previous successes, have a built in audience. But although these shows make a statement, I don't think they have the power to mold how we view families or roles within them. Just like in politics, those who have an open mind already get it, and those who don't will reject it.

On the flip side are the shows that pander to the opposite audience. Last Man Standing comes to mind. It specifically has a conservative viewpoint, conservative actor portraying the main character, and ended up on a conservative channel. Again, they attract those who concur with the views portrayed, and don't change the minds of those with a more inclusive view of families and gender roles.

But in the end, it's not about reflecting society, molding familial structure, making a statement, or reinforcing audience beliefs. Make no mistake, it's all about the money. 

Ask Fox (supposedly but not really) News, which, if you think about it, could be reclassified as a sitcom. They create their own absurd situations and, if so many people didn't think they're an actual newscast (or maybe televangelism), they have the capacity to be pretty damn funny. 

With their skewed family values and archaic gender roles, the Fox propaganda station could be considered an accidental sitcom, if you will. Or even if you won't. They don't really care. 

I know, I know, tell you what I really think . . .

 

 

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

Climaxed 

Triple Onion Roast (crockpot or not)

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 packet dry onion soup mix

1 can (10.5 oz) French onion condensed soup

1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth

1 cup canned beef gravy

1 cup red wine

2 cups frozen chopped onion

8 oz fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

2 1/2# beef chuck roast

salt, pepper, garlic powder

3 medium sized red potatoes

1/2# baby carrots

Directions (crockpot):

*Lightly grease the crockpot bowl. Whisk together the dry onion soup mix, condensed soup, broth, gravy, red wine, onion, and mushrooms. Turn the crockpot on to low.

*Season the roast on all sides with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In a very hot skillet, sear all sides of the roast and add to the crockpot. 

*Cook for 5 hours, turning the meat now and then.

*Cut each potato into about 6 chunks. Add to the crockpot with the baby carrots. Cook for another hour. Remove the meat, slice, and return to the crockpot for 1/2 hour.

Directions (Dutch oven):
*Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

*Heat the Dutch oven on the stove top until very hot. Season all sides of the roast with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Sear all sides of the roast. Remove. 

*Whisk the dry onion soup mix, condensed soup, broth, gravy, 1 cup of water, and red wine into the Dutch oven, scraping the bottom to get up the caramelized bits. Add the onions, mushrooms, and meat.

*Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Turn the roast over, add water if the sauce has started to dry out. Add the potatoes, each cut into about 6 chunks, and the carrots. Cook for another hour.

*Remove and slice the roast. Return to the pan, cook for another 30 minutes.

Nursery Rhymes Crimes

 

 

 I fell down a rabbit hole today. Turns out some rabbit holes can ruin your childhood.

You know what I'm talking about, an article catches your eye, which leads you to another article, which leads you to a thought, which leads you to a different article and the next thing you know, it's an hour later and your somewhere in a completely different rabbit hole. Like some weird game of single player telephone.

Where I started was with (yet another) article about whether or not video games beget violence. I read that they do. Then I read that they don't. I read that they could and I read that they couldn't. Nothing I read changed my point of view, that what each child should or shouldn't be exposed to (and when) needs to be based on that particular child's emotional make up and maturity level.

But what sent me down that second rabbit hole was one little line in one of the articles about the way we grew up before video games. About how we wreaked havoc on the neighborhood with games of War and Cowboys and Indians. Not exactly peaceful play, yet we didn't all grow up to be serial killers.

But wait, we were also raised on nursery rhymes, right? Those fun little ditties read to and taught to the youngest of the young. Lovely, sweet, harmless nursery rhymes. That's their reputation. And they stick with us, too. I remember my mom pointedly reciting to me (quite often, I'm afraid): 

There was a little girl, 

had a little curl, 

right in the middle of her forehead.

When she was good, 

she was very good indeed,

but when she was bad, she was horrid.

Well, maybe not exactly sweet. In fact, in retrospect, this curly haired girl thinks it may have been a tad passive aggressive. So down that nursery rhyme rabbit hole I went, and ended up somewhere I never expected. Violence.

 

Violence? You want to talk violence? Do any of us have any idea what we were running around saying? Passing on as innocent to our children? Some of those nursery rhymes will curl your hair. And not just violence, those verses are a veritable cesspool of insults and abuse.

Now I can't do anything about video games, coding is way above my pay grade, but I sure as hell have some major editing makeover suggestions for those nursery rhymes.

 

Like this one. Violence is bad enough in general, but against the disabled? How's that for a lesson to children?

 

Three blind mice, three blind mice. 

See how they run. See how they run.

They all ran after the farmer's wife,

who cut off their tails with a carving knife.

Did you ever see such a sight in your life,

as three blind mice?

 

When it could easily have been:

 

Three vision impaired mice, three vision impaired mice.

See how they compensate. See how they compensate.

They all ran after the farmer's wife,

who gave them the cheese to lessen their strife.

Kindness we all should have in our life,

like three vision impaired mice.

 

And spousal abuse? Kidnapping? What were they thinking?

 

Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater,

had a wife but couldn't keep her,

he put her in a pumpkin shell,

and there he kept her very well.

 

When they could have easily taught a lesson to men about marriage, and to women about self-worth:

Peter, Peter, vegetarian eater,

had a wife but was a cheater.

Started treating her with respect,

and she chose to stay, completely unchecked.

 

 

Then there's body shaming, face breaking and poor sportsmanship. Not to mention, although I suck at poetry, even I could do better than rhyming race with pillowcase. This

 

Fat and skinny had a race, 

up and down the pillowcase.

Fat fell down and broke his face,

and skinny won the race.

could be a lesson in kindness and friendship:

Stout and angular had a race,

round the diamond towards third base.

Stout fell, and angular stayed in place,

so they could tie the race. 

This one not only features ageism, but what the hell, why not add in a little child abuse: 

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.

Had so many children, she didn't know what to do.

She gave them some broth without any bread.

Then whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.

 

Which could easily be a tale of love conquering economic challenges:

 

There was a mature woman of quite limited means,

had lots of children, from toddler to teens. 

Dinnertime was difficult, just soup, no bread.

Kissed them and hugged them and put them to bed.

 

Not all nursery rhymes are actively offensive. But there are a few that could use a little tweaking to bring them up to date, accentuate an obvious moral to the story. Like:

Jack Sprat could eat no fat.

His wife could eat no lean.

But, together both,

they licked the platter clean.

highlighting the symbiotic nature of a good marriage: 

Sprat's gallbladder could stand no fats,

his wife had different taste.

But complimenting each other perfectly,

achieved optimal lack of food waste.

 

 

Tangy Beef and Vegetables (Crockpot or Not)

 

 

 

This one too, silly and nonsensical but fun and funny, isn't offensive, but its point is, if nothing else, confounding. It could impart an important message about loving each other:

 

Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle.

the cow jumped over the moon.

The little dog laughed to see such a sport,

and the dish ran away with the spoon.

 

For instance:

 

Hey diddle diddle, beautiful cat playing fiddle,

in love, the cow was over the moon.

Little dog smiled at such inclusiveness,

and dish, emboldened, proposed to the spoon.

 

Oh, and as long as we're making adjustments to childhood expressions, let me just say this:

 

Sticks and stones may break our bones, 

but insults are psychologically scarring, so don't do that either.

 

Tangy Beef and Vegetables (Crockpot or Not)        

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients: 

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

2/3 cup spicy pepper jelly (can use the mild version if preferred)

1/3 cup orange juice

1 TBSP canola oil

2 1/2 # lean stew beef

1 tsp garlic powder 

1 bag (10 oz) frozen chopped onions

 

1 cup baby carrots

3 new potatoes, quartered 

4 oz snap peas

Directions:

*For the sauce, whisk together the tomato sauce, pepper jelly, orange juice, and 1/2 cup of water (for slow cooker) or 1 cup water (for oven cooking).

*Heat the canola oil in a large skillet. Add the beef and sprinkle with the garlic powder. Cook until browned, drain the fat.
*FOR SLOW COOKER: Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray, turn on to low heat. Mix in the cooked beef, onion, and sauce. Cover and cook for 4 hours. Raise the heat level to high, add the carrots and potatoes, cook for 1 1/2 hours, mix in the snap peas and cook for another 1/2 hour.

*FOR OVEN: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the cooked beef, onion, and sauce in a dutch oven. Cook for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from oven but leave the oven on. Uncover carefully, mix in the carrots and potatoes, recover, and return to the oven for 1/2 hour. Mix in the snap peas, cover and cook another 1/2 hour.

Chores Galore, Poetry Monday

 

Slight (OK, major) change to the Monday line-up around here. The second Monday of the month I usually publish a Blog With Friends group projects-based post in keeping with an agree upon theme. In fact, I've been doing that for 76 months. Yes, that's over 6 years!

 

Although some of us were willing to continue, the commitment was becoming more sporadic, so I've decided to shelve that group for now. Hmmm, that leaves a little hole in my posting schedule. What to do? What to do? I checked in with my friend Diane, she and Mimi (and some other of their friends) do a weekly poetry post that publishes on Mondays. Since I still administer and run 5 other monthly group writing challenges, and I don't have to do anything logistically for Poetry Monday, just sit back, wait to be told what the theme is and . . . well . . . write, I'm giving it a trial run in my monthly publishing rotation. I'll still do my Monthly Poetry Group post on the last Friday of the month, so if I continue to participate in Poetry Monday, I'll be gifting you all, my dear readers, with two poetry posts in a month. Yes, I can see you rolling your eyes and if I knew any better, I'd be highly insulted (but I read my own poetry so I'm not).

Now that I've made a short story long (as you know I always do) today marks the end of the Blog With Friends projects, but hopefully the beginning of my once a month collaboration (or more when I can work it in) with this new (to me) group. For me, these posts will have the addition of a recipe, which I will continue to share in all of my blog posts.

BTW: For information on the 5 monthly multi-blogger challenges that I run, you can PM me on my Baking In A Tornado Facebook page or email me.

For information on Poetry Monday, contact Diane of On the Border.

Diane tells me that today's topic is Least Favourite (forgive her for the spelling, she's Canadian) Chore.

Chores Galore

 

Sweep and vacuum, 

wash the floor.

Surely that's my

least favorite chore.

 

But dusting always

makes me sneeze.

Least favorite thing if

I have to wheeze.

 

Wait, the bathrooms,

I've got four.

With boys . . . way worse

than washing a floor. 

Liked food shopping,

Covid ruined my fun. 

Now I fill out a form,

and another chore's done.

Beef Vegetable Soup (Crockpot or Not)

 

Cooking dinner is the

never ending chore.

you cook, they eat, 

then you do it some more.

But if you're wondering,

here's the score,

if you like to do it,

it's not a chore.

 

Yet cooking brings

dirty dishes galore.

Definitely in the running

for my least favorite chore.

 

 

Wait!

Read more poetry, 

you're not through.

Some talented writers

are in this crew:

 

On the Border

Messymimi's Meanderings 

Mother Owl 

Beef Vegetable Soup (Crockpot or Not)

                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes

2 cups beef broth

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3 cloves minced garlic, divided

1 1/4# lean stew beef

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup frozen pearl onions

1 can (14 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

4 oz mushrooms, quartered

1 zucchini, trimmed, cut lengthwise, sliced

1/2 cup fresh green beans, trimmed, cut into bite sized pieces

Directions:
*Cook the rice and refrigerate.
FOR SLOW COOKER:
*Spray  the slow cooker with cooking spray. Add the diced tomatoes, beef broth, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and 1 clove of minced garlic. Stir and turn on to low.

*Spray a saute pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the stew beef, onion, and remaining garlic. Sprinkle with the garlic powder, cook and stir until the meat is completely cooked. Drain well, add to the slow cooker, and cook for 5 hours on low (or 3 hours on high).

*Stir in the frozen peas, pearl onions, and garbanzo beans. Cook another 2 hours on low (or 1 hour on high).

*If cooking on high, reduce heat to low at this point. Add the mushrooms, zucchini,and green beans. Cook 1/2 hour. Stir in the rice and cook for another 1/2 hour.

FOR STOVE TOP

*Spray a large pot with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the stew beef, onion, and 2 cloves of the garlic. Sprinkle with the garlic powder, cook and stir until the meat is completely cooked. Drain well.

*Add the diced tomatoes, beef broth, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and remaining clove of garlic to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours.

*Stir in the frozen peas, pearl onions, and garbanzo beans, cover and simmer for another half hour.

*Stir in the mushrooms, zucchini, and green beans. Cover an simmer another half hour. Stir in the brow rice and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.