The Cat Days of Summer??

So we have a cat named Humphrey who thinks he is a dog. He scratches at the deck door to go outside, he is friendly to everyone and will even greet us at the door when we come home. Well on Sunday it was hotter than blazes again but H wanted to go out on the deck. It was toasty but he found himself a nice cool spot - right in the potted plant! While he was hanging out, I was inside relaxing in the AC and watching Bobby Flay on the Food Network grill some tasty food. This was the inspiration for tonight's meal.
We took 2 of the recipes from the show and modified a third to complete our portion of the menu. Johnny offered to make the salad and Rindy said she would make the dessert. We were set for a nice evening and a good way to start the week.

menu

Johnny's spinach pear salad

Santa Maria-Style BBQ Tri-Tip

 -Recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay

Santa Maria Pinquito Bean Relish
 -Recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay
Tomato Fresh Green Bean Relish
Blueberry cobbler - made by Rindy
 - Adapted from Betty Crocker

Johnny's spinach pear salad

ingredients

baby spinach

fresh pears

blueberries

slivered almonds
Gorgonzola cheese
raspberry vinaigrette

directions
mix all ingredients and toss. Note: add dressing just before serving and serve on chilled plates.

Santa Maria-Style BBQ Tri-Tip

ingredients

2 tablespoons granulated garlic
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 beef tri-tip, preferably with some fat on one side (about 2 1/2 pounds)

 - we got our tri-tip from Brothers Meat and Seafood - an excellent place for good quality meat
2 cups red oak chips, soaked in water for at least 2 hours

Directions
In a small bowl, mix the granulated garlic, salt and pepper together and rub all over and into the meat. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature.
Prepare a charcoal grill for direct and indirect medium-high heat. Add the chips about 30 minutes before grilling the beef.
Set the tri-tip over direct heat, fat-side up, and sear until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Flip over and sear other side.
Move the tri-tip over the indirect-heat area, cover and grill until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 130 degrees F, 20 to 30 minutes.
Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let rest at least 15 minutes. Slice the meat across the grain.

Santa Maria Pinquito Bean Relish
ingredients

8 ounces slab bacon, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 poblano chile, finely diced
1 medium Spanish onion, finely diced
2 cans pinquito or pinto beans, drained, rinsed and drained again
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, for garnishing
Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until golden brown and the fat has rendered. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.
Add the poblano and onions to the bacon fat in the pan and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the beans and bacon and cook until warmed through. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put into a serving bowl and top with cilantro or parsley leaves

Tomato Green Bean Relish

ingredients

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 1/2 c fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tablespoons canola oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, mashed to a paste with some salt

1 banana pepper, finely diced

1/2 small red onion, finely diced

directions
Preheat the grill for high direct heat.
Toss the tomatoes and green beans with the canola oil, season with salt and pepper and transfer to a grill basket. Grill, tossing once or twice, until charred on all sides. Remove the tomatoes and green beans to another bowl. Add the cilantro, olive oil, garlic paste, pepper and onions. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Blueberry Cobbler
ingredients

4 cups fresh or frozen (thawed and drained
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Cream or ice cream, if desired
Heat oven to 375. Grease bottom and sides of 8-inch square pan with shortening.Spread blueberries in pan. In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients except cream until well mixed; sprinkle over blueberries.Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm with cream.



Ok, all the cooking is done and it is time to eat. One thing I can tell you is - This was one of the BEST Sunday Suppers EVER!!!! The food was excellent and a good time had by all.

Cheers from the gang!

See you next week.

PS. For more pics click here: Sunday Supper July 31

Boil Me Over

For the past few years we have always celebrated March and November birthdays with our friends. This is mainly do to the fact that the majority of birthdays fall in these 2 months, which of course leaves out the summertime birthday folks. So this year we are having our first annual Summer Birthday Celebration!

The weather was perfect - sunny and 85 - for an outdoor party.

As for the menu we chose to do a Louisiana Crab and Shrimp boil. A great way to feed a hungry crowd and best of all - No Dishes. Just pour the food onto the table and everyone digs in with their bare hands! Warning: This method may not be appropriate for a first date:)

menu

Crab and Shrimp boil

Chocolate birhtday cake (made by Cindy)

ice cream

special equipment
large pot
propane burner
butcher paper



Cover the table with the butcher paper, shiny side up. This will protect the table and make clean up a breeze. When finished eating, just roll the paper up and toss.








Louisiana style crab and shrimp boil
ingredients

7 gallons water
1 cup salt
1 cup boil seasoning
16 red-skinned potatoes
8 ears of corn, shucked and cut in 3rds
2 kielbasa sausages
2 andoullie sausages
5 lemons, cut in half
4 medium-sized yellow onions, peeled and quartered
4 heads garlic, halved horizontally
1 bunch celery, well washed and tops removed
5 pounds raw peel and eat shrimp
5 pounds crab legs

directions
Add water to the pot and set on the burner over high heat, cover and bring to a rolling boil. Add salt and spices, let boil for 15 minutes.
With the pot at full boil add the red potatoes, lemons and garlic. Cover the pot, return to fill boil and cook for 7 minutes
Next add the corn, the kielbasa and the andouille. Cover, return to full boil and cook another 7 minutes
Finally add the shrimp and crab, push the ingredients into the pot and stir. Cover and return to boil. Once shrimp turn pink, turn off heat. About 3 minutes.

Lift basket out of the pot and

pour the goodies directly onto the covered tables.

Now it is time to dig in! Cheers!

With every good boil there is the friendly competition of who creates the largest 'pile' at the end of the meal. I may have won this time, with Aaron running a close 2nd.

Aftermath

No birthday celebration is complete without cake and ice cream.

Time to head inside and dish up the dessert. Thanks Cindy for the delicious cake!!

Happy Birthday to you,

cha cha cha

Happy Birthday to you,

cha cha cha

Happy Birthday dear summertime birthdays

Happy Birthday to you,

cha cha cha

See you next week.

Cheers from the gang!!



Heat Wave

So what do you do when the temp is 90, the dew point is 80 and the heat index is 115?? You grill out, of course! We need to take advantage of these beautiful summer days here in Minnesota. And of course this was the weekend Kz and me got bikes. We have been talking about it for awhile so Saturday we went out, bought 2 bikes and all the gear. Tour De Minneapolis is on. Our inaugural ride was a 4 miler to a park and back. We got a little more aggressive on Sunday, even though the heat was in full force. We found a new trail that led us to Fish lake and was a pretty ride. We ended up going about 8 miles and all was going well up to the last mile. That is when the heat started taking it's toll. We made it OK but will take it easy until the heat breaks.

Now on with the Sunday Supper food. Here was the menu for this evening:

menu
fresh fruit - supplied by Rindy
sweet corn
simple grilled potatoes
smoky grilled asparagus - adapted from Food and Wine
marinated grilled flank steak vs marinated grilled skirt steak
note: I grilled a chunk of each to put to the taste test - more later
strawberry shortcake - supplied by Johnny yoga


simple grilled potatoes

yukon gold potatoes

vidalia onion

salt

pepper

olive oil

directions
Slice potatoes, toss in foil or foil pan. Add sliced onion, sprinkle with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover tightly with foil and grill over moderate heat for 20 -25 minutes



smoky glazed asparagus

1/2 c mayonnaise

1/4 olive oil

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 glove garlic, minced

1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika

2 tsp kosher salt

1 lb thick asparagus

directions

in a shallow dish,, whisk together all the ingredients. add the asparagus and toss: let stand 30 minutes

grill the asparagus over moderately high heat, tuning, until tendered and blistered in spots, about 6 minutes

marinated grilled flank steak vs marinated grilled skirt steak
ingredients
3/4 c red wine

1/4 c yellow mustard
1/2 c shallots, diced
1 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp parsley
salt
pepper
1 lb skirt steak
1 lb flank steak
directions
mix marinade ingredients in shallow baking dish. add meat and turn to coat. refrigerate for up to 8 hours. remove from fridge and let stand at room temp for 30 minutes before grilling. grill over high direct heat, 5-6 minutes a side for medium rare. remove and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Now put everything on a large platter, dish it up and enjoy!!

Another great night of food and fun.Oh by the way the skirt steak won the battle over the flank steak. Everyone agreed the skirt had more flavor and was a bit more tendor. From now on it looks like we will be grilling skirt.

Cheers from the gang!

See you next week.



Back in the USA

This week we have a double feature. I made it back home after 2 weeks in London (on July 1st) and did not have a Sunday supper since Monday was the 4th of July. So what better way to celebrate then a smoke out? We always grill out and have lots of friends over on the 4th and have lots of fun. This year was no exception and brings us to the first installment of our double feature.

The Fourth of July Smokefest

This year we did the meat and had the guests bring all the sides. Here was the menu:

fresh fruit

potato salad

coleslaw

shrimp cocktail

corn on the cob
5 lb beef brisket
7 lb pork shoulder

So why is it called the smokefest? What do you need? How do you do it?

Well you start with plenty of charcoal and wood chunks. You will also need a lot of time as the smokimg process is low and slow. It will take all day to smoke the brisket and pork shoulder.

Fire up the charcoal in the smoker and get things smoking before adding the meat.

For the brisket -

marinate for at least 2 hours using:

soy sauce

12 oz beer

salt

pepper

red wine vinegar

minced garlic

Put beef in large Ziploc. Mix all ingredients and pour over brisket. Remove from Ziploc and let stand at room temp for 30 minutes before grilling.

For the pork shoulder

rub

chili powder

salt

garlic powder

brown sugar

basil

black pepper

mix all ingredients and rub all over pork. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple hours. Remove from fridge and let stand for 30 minutes before grilling.

Once meat and grill are ready, it is time to smoke!!

Maintain a temp of 225 - 250 degrees for the cooking process. Remember this is a long process. The brisket will take about 1 hour per pound and the pork shoulder can take 1 1/2 hours per pound. When the brisket reaches an internal temp of 185 - 200 it is ready. Remove from grill, let rest 30 minutes before slicing. The pork is done when the internal temp reaches 190 - 200. Remove from grill, let rest 30 minutes then pull using 2 forks.

The meat should look something like this when finished. Today this took 6 hours for the brisket and 9 hours for the pork. A long day of smoking put so worth the wait.

Here is the pork after KZ pulled it. I think she may have strained a muscle before she was finished!

It turned out to be a great party and we fed 16 people! Now on to the 2nd half of the double feature:

The Return of Sunday Supper

This week included the usual suspects - Aaron, Rindy, Johnny, KZ and myself. After a 3 week hiatus, it was great to have Sunday Supper back to start the week off right. Johnny made a batch of his signature bloody mary mix and also brought along some shrimp cocktail. A and R brought along the beer chasers! KZ came up with the menu and also made the dessert tonight. I think she is starting to like cooking!!

menu

shrimp cocktail

grilled corn on the cob

farm fresh fruit

cheesy scalloped potatoes

grilled halibut

fruit medley cobbler with homemade whipped cream

recipe courtesy of USA WEEKEND and columnist Pam Anderson

grilled corn on the cob

ingredients
8 ears sweet corn, shucked
4 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp basil
black pepper
1/8 - 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
directions
add all ingredients to butter and mix with fork
spread on corn
grill 12 - 15 minutes over direct moderate heat, turning frequently

cheesy scalloped potatoes

ingredients
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2-1/2 cups milk
8 cups thinly sliced red, white, long white, or yellow potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
directions
For sauce, in a medium saucepan cook onion and garlic in hot butter until tender. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

Place half the sliced potatoes in a greased 3-quart rectangular dish. Top with half the sauce. Repeat layers.

Bake, covered, in a 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 40 to 50 minutes more or until potatoes are tender. Let stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 10 servings

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes: Prepare as above, except gradually add 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar, Gruyère, or Swiss cheese (6 ounces) to the thickened sauce, stirring until cheese melts.

Note: We used individual ramekins to cook the potatoes for individual servings instead of the 3 qt dish

grilled halibut

ingredients

2 1/2 lbs halibut,cut into 5 equal pieces

3/4 dry white wine

2 tbsp light molasses

2 tbsp fresh grated ginger

salt

pepper

2 tbsp canola oil

1 orange, cut into 8 wedges

2 lemons, cut into wedges

directions

whisk together wine, molasses and ginger. Pour into shallow baking dish and add halibut. Turn to coat and let marinate for 20 minutes at room temp. Meanwhile prepare your grill. Remove fish from marinade, pat dry. Reserve marinade. Brush filet's with canola oil, salt and pepper to taste. Grill over direct moderate heat 3-5 minutes on first side. turn using large metal spatula and grill 3-4 minutes more. Add sliced orange and lemon and grill for 2 minutes. Remove from grill to platter and cover with foil to keep warm. In the meantime, boil the marinade for 2 minutes. Pour over fish and serve.

fruit medley cobbler with homemade whipped cream

Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
2 cups of sliced fresh peaches or nectarines, or whole blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or a combination of fruits (or a 12-ounce package of frozen berries)
1 tablespoon sugar
Directions
1.Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position, and heat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Put butter in an 8-inch square or 9-inch round pan; set in oven to melt. When butter has melted, remove pan from oven.
3.Whisk flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Add milk; whisk to form a smooth batter. Pour batter into pan, then scatter fruit over batter. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tb. of sugar.
4.Bake until batter browns and fruit bubbles, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

That concludes this weeks edition of Sunday Supper. Enjoy and we will see you next week!

Cheers from the gang!

London Bridges

Sunday Supper has been in a state of flux for the last week or so. I am in London on business and got here on Sunday June 19th. I arrived at about noon local time after flying all night and checked into the hotel. After a quick shower my colleagues and I went for a walk around London and settled in for supper at Cote, a restaurant along the Thames river. Quite a nice spot! We started with some bread and then here is my meal:


Bread Basket of freshly baked sourdough baguette with butter
Fougasse
Leaf shaped bread with parsley and sea salt

Roast Seabass Roast seabass fillet, braised fennel and a champagne beurre blanc with chives and tomato concasse
Gratin Potato
Crème Caramel Traditional set vanilla pod custard with dark caramel and cream
Meteor beer

BEST Ribs Ever

Nothing says summer like a couple slabs of slow cooked baby back ribs! I found this recipe in a Rachael Ray magazine and have used it a couple times. The ribs always get rave reviews! Now, these are not the easiest ribs to grill, there are a lot a steps and it takes about 4 1/2 hours. Totally worth every step! A few things you will need to pull off these ribs:

• charcoal smoker
• lounge chair
• cooler - to hold beverages of your choice
• bloody mary and a beer make a good choice
• a good book
• a nice lazy summer day

 To accompany the ribs, we recruited some friends to bring along some sides. Rindy and her grandma's potato salad, Johnny and his sesame seed coleslaw and of course kz is adding her own touches to the menu. the dessert comes from Beth in KC (something we had at the graduation party) and is light and tasty.

menu
Johnny's famous bloody mary mix
grandma's potato salad (click to go to this recipe)
best picnic beans (courtesy of my mom)
johnny's sesame coleslaw
best ever baby back ribs (recipe courtesy of chef adam perry lang)
crème anglaise with fruit and madelines


best picnic beans
ingredients:
1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 lb bacon

1/2 C ketchup

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp mustard
1 C chopped onion
2 tsp vinegar
1 can lima beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can pork & beans
directions:
In a large skillet, cook beef, bacon and onions until bacon is crisp and beef is no longer pink. Mix all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low 3-4 hours or until beans are tender.

Note: you can also cook this on the stove top. Just simmer at 210 degrees for 40 - 60 minutes.
johnny's sesame coleslaw
ingredients:

1 bag coleslaw mix

sesame seeds

rudolphs bar b que - famous coleslaw dressing
directions:
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Serve chilled.










best ever baby back ribs
how to:

in a medium bowl combine 1/2 cup water with

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp packed brown sugar

1/2 cup mustard

1/4 cup sweet smoked paprika

 1/4 cup chili powder

2 tbsp salt

2 tbsp peach-flavor gelatin powder

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

spread all over

four 1 1/2 lb racks baby back ribs

cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge until grill is ready

Fire up the grill and get the temperature to 200 - 225 degrees. You will want to maintain this temp throughout the process. I have a smoker with a side box so that is where I place the charcoal. If you do not have a side box be sure to grill the ribs over indirect heat. When the grill ready put on the ribs and grill for 2 1/2 hours. Add 7-10 charcoal briquettes every 30 minutes to maintain the heat.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine
1 cup apple juice
1/2 cup honey
1 stick butter

Cook over medium heat until the butter melts. Cut eight 12-inch long sheets of foil and pour 1/4 of the butter mixture on four of them, then top with a grilled ribs rack, meaty side down, top with other sheet, and crimp to seal. Grill the packets, meaty side down, for 1 hour. Unwrap and grill, meaty side up, 30 minutes more.

Meanwhile, stir together

1/2 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce

1/4 cup apricot preserves

1/4 cup water

brush the ribs with the glaze and grill, meaty side up, 20 minutes longer.

Transfer to cutting board and cut into individual ribs, brush with remaining apricot glaze. Move to a platter and enjoy!

crème anglaise with fruit and madelines
 Ingredients
2 cups half-and-half or whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1/2 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature

Directions
Set a large fine strainer over a medium bowl and set the bowl in a shallow pan of cold water.
In a large saucepan, combine the half-and-half and vanilla bean and cook over moderately low heat just until small bubbles appear around the rim, about 5 minutes.
In another medium bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks just until combined. Whisk in half of the hot half-and-half in a thin stream. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the sauce has thickened slightly, 4 to 5 minutes. Immediately strain the sauce into the bowl in the cold water bath to stop the cooking. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the sauce. Serve right away or refrigerate until chilled.

We serve this over fresh berries and madeline cookies. Excellent!!!!!

Now just set a beautiful table and enjoy good food,

good friends and good conversation.

See you next week, Cheers!

 

Thai One On

This past weekend I had to travel to Iowa for the Hog Wild Classic, an annual golf tournament not to be missed. We finished tied for second but unfortunately they only pay for first place in each flight. So what does any of this have to do with Sunday Supper? Nothing much, other than it meant I traveled back to the cities on Sunday morning. By the time I got my chores done I just did not feel like cooking so the next best thing is to give Johnny a call and have him bring over some Sawatdee - an excellent Thai restaurant in the area.
Johnny was up for it so as soon as he was done with his bike ride, shaved and showered he came over with a tasty feast.

menu
fresh spring rolls
caterpillar roll
cream cheese won tons
chicken red curry
shrimp pad thai
rice

For the dessert kz and I had picked up some lemon cake earlier in the day while having lunch at 3 Squares. It was awesome!

Even though it was not a home cooked meal, it was excellent! See  you next week!