Summed ends with grilled potatoes and broccolini

Not being one to just follow a recipe correctly, I decided to modify Stephen's roasted potato recipe by throwing the lubed-up potatoes on the grill. Bryan was sure they would take forever to cook, but over a medium-low flame, it only took about 20 minutes to cook the potatoes, which is actually how long they've been taking me in the oven despite Stephen's assurance they take only 15 minutes.

Similar to his recipe, I tossed about 1 lb. of potatoes cut in 1/4-inch slices in about 2 T. olive oil, 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. Mrs. Dash Garlic Seasoning, then placed the potatoes inside of a burger grilling grate — I don't know if we've ever used that thing to grill burgers, but it works wonders for vegetables that too easily fall through the regular grill racks!

I cooked them for about 8 minutes on one side, flipped the grilling grate over and cooked the other side for about 8 more minutes. I gave each side another 4 minutes each, moving the grate around to more evenly distribute the charring, and each piece turned out perfectly cooked.

And also being one to not waste anything, I used the olive oil and seasonings that remained in the bowl to coat a package of broccolini that we also threw on the grill for about 10 minutes. As Bryan put it, "I don't think I've ever had a bad grilled vegetable," but these ones were among the best I've tasted the summer.

I'd walk 5 miles for this feast any day

When Mom, Stephen and I get together, it's always all about food. Even if all we do is a short, five-mile hike, in the end we'll feast like we hiked 20 miles.

 

This weekend was no exception, especially since it was the celebration of Mom's birthday. Pictured, clockwise from the grilled fish: sauteed baby bok choy and curly kale, grilled beets, grilled pasilla peppers, grilled oysters, roasted rosemary potatoes and grilled asparagus.

It was a group effort that only took us about a half-hour to make, and yes, even though it was Mom's birthday, she did the majority of the cooking.

She grilled the tilapia, which she'd sprinkled with salt the night before to tenderize it a bit, and also squirted a bit of lime juice on top before throwing it on the grill for about 20 minutes. Mom also brought the oysters, which were wrapped in foil and seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil, then quickly grilled for no more than five minutes. And she grilled the peppers (watch out for spicy bites!), which were simply rubbed with olive oil before being placed over the flames.

Stephen and I were in charge of the rest. I grilled the asparagus, tossed in olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper, then cooked until tender but still crisp, about 8-10 minutes. And Stephen made the roasted potatoes, which were tossed with olive oil, fresh rosemary and "lots of salt," he said. Although he usually uses red potatoes, this time he used Yukon Golds with much success.

He says the key is to preheat the broiler for at least 10 minutes before placing the potatoes in the oven. Toss them every five minutes, and they should be done in 15 minutes.

As a rosemary hater, I was skeptical of this dish, but it turns out I only hate dried rosemary because the subdued flavor of this freshly snipped rosemary was simply one of freshness rather than pine needles!

Stephen also made mojitos with fresh mint from his garden, and he prepped the beets and greens that he bought the previous day at the Olympia Farmers Market. We simply wrapped the beets in foil with olive oil, and left them on the grill while we were cooking everything else, about 30 minutes. Delicious! And Mom quickly stir-fried the greens with olive oil and garlic, then added a smidge of oyster sauce at the end.

I can't think of a better way to end our weekend!

Brined pork chops stay moist on the grill

Bryan lucked out last night. Instead of just making the same old, I invited over Tara and Dan so I could make Lemon and Thyme Grilled Pork Chops from Sunset magazine.

After Greg's Pork Loin turned out so successful on Christmas Eve, I've been meaning to try my own hand at brining pork but didn't quite have the opportunity until now. Since the recipe calls for six bone-in pork chops, it was a bit much for just Bryan and me, but for four of us it made the perfect amount (plus leftovers!).

Bryan was sure he would dry out the pork chops or that they would be undercooked, but we followed the directions and cooked them for about 6-8 minutes per side, and they turned out moist and delicious. I brined them for the maximum time recommended, 12 hours, and they were a bit on the salty side, so I think next time I'll try to cut the brining to six hours tops.

We served the pork chops with cantaloupe and mangoes that Tara cut up for us; roasted fingerling potatoes; and broccoli roasted at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes with olive oil, salt and Mrs. Dash Garlic Seasoning.

Thanks for sharing the good grub with us!

An anniversary of debauchery

Four years ago, Bryan and I were celebrating our wedding/honeymoon on the beach in sunny Kauai. This year we embraced the opposite extreme on our anniversary by hiking through the snow at Mount Rainier.

But first, we celebrated with a Happy Hour at our home for the weekend, Coho Cabin, that featured triple-cream brie, crusty bread, chile-fennel almonds from Bastyr, strawberries from Full Circle and Cupcake red wine, all topped with an unbeatable Salted Caramel and Pear Jam we got as a wedding favor at Tonya and Seth's wedding.

It was a delicious treat we seriously didn't need after lunch at the Copper Creek Inn. But as soon as we realized how delicious that homemade jam tasted with brie on a slab of bread, there was no turning back.

Somehow, we even found room for a steak dinner. The baked potatoes with sour cream, butter and green onions were a must, but the fava beans I just had to try because I'd never tasted them.

It certainly didn't hurt that the fava beans (made famous by Hannibal Lector) were paired with always delectable pancetta:

Fava Beans with Pancetta
1 lb. fava beans
2 T. olive oil
1/4 c. onion, minced
2 oz. pancetta, thinly sliced
1/4 to 1 c. water

Boil the fava beans for about 2 minutes, rinse under cool water, then extract the beans.

Heat olive oil in a small skillet. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes, then add pancetta and continue stirring until pancetta begins to crisp, about 4-5 minutes. Add fava beans and 1/4 c. water, then cover.

The fava beans should take between 8 and 15 minutes to cook; check for tenderness after 8 minutes and stir occasionally. Add water if needed, but make sure most of the water is evaporated before serving.

But that wasn't the last of our debauchery. After a hike on Rampart Ridge Loop that was so snowy we had to turn around well after the halfway point because we could no longer follow the trail, we went back to the cabin for a dip in the hot tub. As we sat in the glorious warmth, cold rain started to fall, which is about as good as it gets for this Pacific Northwesterner.

And after Round 2 of Happy Hour, we still managed to find more room in our bellies for the above meal: Stovetop Mac and Cheese with Cheese Crisps (Cheese Crisps not shown out of embarrassment) with ham and a spinach salad with strawberries, goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette.

Not even a sunny beach could have topped this anniversary!

Montreal Steak brings out the BBQ

If barbecuing when the barometer tops 70 in Seattle is obligatory, when it's over 90, it's a necessity.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining that the sun finally came out in Seattle (although I am glad it is supposed to rain and get rid of all this smog next weekend!), but without the air-conditioning that the rest of America has, we have to be a little more creative about how to keep our house cool. And that means no indoor cooking unless it's in the early morning or late at night when we can finally open the windows and let in the cool air.

So I've been a barbecuing machine all weekend, getting creative in the kitchen with just how I can barbecue absolutely everything.

And my new spice of choice for this culinary adventure? Montreal Steak Seasoning, which I started using on Nate's recommendation to replace my prior oft-used combination of salt and Mrs. Dash Garlic Seasoning, which I recently ran out of. And since the steak seasoning is basically made of salt and other spices that I frequently use, including garlic, black pepper and red pepper, it just kind of makes my work easier.

I used it on everything last night. First I sprinkled it on a couple of nice T-Bone steaks before marinating them in this sauce for 6 hours. I also sprinkled it on the corn, which I first coated with olive oil before wrapping it with foil. And I added it to cut-up potatoes tossed with olive oil and green onions, also wrapped in foil.

And here it all is on the grill before it ended up in our bellies.

Leftover Harissa Chicken still made with love

OK, I lied. I didn't really make anything for dinner last night, but we were having leftovers from our fabulous Father's Day Feast.

After I found this recipe for Goat Cheese Pudding, I just had to host even though I knew Mom probably would hate everything that crossed her plate. Which is why she cooks on Mother's Day. Trust me, it's really the best gift we could give her.

Actually, I think she might have liked the Harissa Chicken with Green-Chile-and-Tomato Salad that is shown above, even though the weather was too crappy for me to grill the chicken, and we all know how much Mom prefers a little charcoal on her meat.

I made this the right way a couple of weeks ago when we had some friends over, and although it was more flavorful on the grill, cooking it in the oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes definitely kept it more moist. I suppose it's always good to have options!