Tag Archives: BBQ

Cabo Beach Burgers.

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Jey| 6 Comments

The Swap theme this time around was another Blogger’s Choice.  I was assigned Sweet Beginnings, which was awesome since I’ve had my eye on a bunch of Jaida’s recipes for a while now.  Sadly though, the Husby has been out of town for the past two weeks (which is our time frame for the swap) so I had to choose something that would be easily adaptable for one.

I typically have a really hard time cooking for just myself when DH is away.  It’s so much easier to just pick up something prepared at the grocery store or place a call for delivery.  But this week was different.  After gorging myself on all the delicious food in Seattle at BlogHer Food this weekend, I was determined to get in the kitchen and take control of what I was eating.

I found some ground beef in the freezer so off I went to search the site for a great recipe.  I loved the sound of this burger, and it turned out that I was only missing one ingredient so I just made an easy substitution!  So while the Fruitaholic dined on some avocado, blueberries and bacon (this child’s eating habits are quite interesting), I happily munched away on my burger.

The creamy avocado provided a nice contrast against the crisp bacon, and the flavor of the patty was out of this world.  I didn’t want to buy a full container of chipotle mayo so I mixed a chopped chipotle pepper and a bit of its sauce into some greek yogurt instead of mayo.  I also mixed some of the chipotle pepper and cilantro into the ground beef as well.  What can I say?  I like things spicy!

And speaking of BlogHer Food, I was lucky to meet the fine folks over at Ziplist.  The Erins were incredibly nice and welcoming and I thank them for allowing me to crash their party!  Ziplist allows you to save a recipe to your recipe box and even create a shopping list to take with you to the grocery store, so make sure to head over and check them out.  They have a database full of thousands of recipes from your favorite bloggers and food sites.  It’s free so what do you have to lose?!

I have much more to tell you about BlogHer Food in the near future but for now, tell me:  What do you think of the new formatting here on TJOC?

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Cabo Beach Burgers

Serving Size: 4 Burgers

Ingredients

  • 1 Lb. Lean Ground Beef
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 Chipotle in Adobo, seeded and chopped + 1 Tbsp. Sauce,
  • 2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 Cup Cilantro, chopped
  • 1/4 Cup Greek Yogurt (or Lite Mayonnaise)
  • 1 Chipotle in Adobo, seeded and chopped + 1 Tbsp. Sauce
  • 4 Slices Bacon, cooked
  • 4 Slices Pepper Jack Cheese (I shredded about a cup)
  • 4 Burger Buns
  • 1 Avocado, sliced
  • 1/2 Cup Cilantro, chopped

Instructions

Heat your grill or a grill pan over medium-high heat.

In a medium bowl, combine the beef, Worcestershire sauce, chipotle and sauce and cilantro. Form the mixture into 4 patties. Cook for 4-6 minutes per side to your desired amount of doneness.

While the burgers are cooking, combine the yogurt/mayo and chipotle and mix well. Set aside.

Toast the buns. Spread the sauce on the bottom bun. Assemble the burgers in the following order: bottom bun, patty, cheese, avocado slices, 2 half strips of bacon, cilantro, top bun.

Source -

Slightly adapted from Sweet Beginnings

http://www.thejeyofcooking.com/cabo-beach-burgers/

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Asian Potato Salad.

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Jey| 1 Comment

It’s that time of year when summer parties are in abundance.  One thing you can be certain of is that some sort of potato salad will be in attendance at the festivities, so it was only fitting that this month’s Daring Cooks challenge was potato salad.

Jami Sorrento was our June Daring Cooks hostess and she chose to challenge us to celebrate the humble spud by making a delicious and healthy potato salad. The Daring Cooks Potato Salad Challenge was sponsored by the nice people at the United States Potato Board, who awarded prizes to the top 3 most creative and healthy potato salads. A medium-size (5.3 ounce) potato has 110 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, no sodium and includes nearly half your daily value of vitamin C and has more potassium than a banana!

Because potato salad is so prevalent at summer picnics and barbeques, I knew that I wanted to make something different from your typical mayo-laden, calorie dense variety.  And different it was.

This potato salad packed an Asian flavored punch directly to my tastebuds and was a welcome addition to our table.  The original recipe calls for sweet potatoes, which I think would make a great salad even better.  So try this unique spin on your average potato salad at your next summer party!  You won’t be disappointed.

Asian Potato Salad – adapted from Food and Wine

*This recipe makes a large bowlful of potato salad.  If you are having/attending a smaller event, I recommend halving the recipe, reducing the soy sauce to 1/4 Cup.

  • 10 Russet Potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 Cup plus 4 Tbsp. Toasted Sesame Oil
  • 2 Tbsp. Garlic, minced
  • 1/3 Cup Soy Sauce (I always use low sodium)
  • 2 Tbsp. Ginger, minced
  • 4 Tbsp. Seasoned Rice Vinegar
  • 1/4 Cup Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
  • 1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
  • 2 8 oz Cans Water Chestnuts, sliced
  • 1 Bunch Green Onions, chopped, green parts only
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, then turn off heat, cover and allow to sit for 6 minutes.  Pierce potatoes with a fork to check for doneness.  They should be soft, yet still remain firm.  Drain potatoes into a colander and rinse with cold water.  Set aside.

Heat 2 Tbsp. of toasted sesame oil in a medium saucepan.  Once hot, add garlic, soy sauce and ginger and cook for 2-3 minutes, until very fragrant.  Remove from heat and whisk in dijon mustard, seasoned rice vinegar and sugar.  Transfer sauce to a bowl, add the water chestnuts and green onion and set aside for 10 minutes.

Add the remaining toasted sesame oil and greek yogurt to the water chestnut mixture, season with salt and pepper and mix well.  Fold in the potatoes.

This salad can be refrigerated overnight, but is best served warm or at room temperature.

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Grilled Chicken Drumettes with Pineapple Pomegranate BBQ Sauce.

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Jey| 1 Comment

A few weeks ago, there was a big food blogger conference in Atlanta.  I thought about going but was supposed to fly to Boston that weekend to see my Cubbies take on the Red Sox (my number 2 team) at Fenway for the first time in many, many years.  By the time we decided that the baseball trip wasn’t going to happen, tickets for the conference were sold out and I was bummed that I would be spending the weekend on my couch instead of making new blogger friends and learning how to improve my blogging skills.

Then, a post on The Nest informed me that the fine folks over at POM Wonderful were giving away a ticket for the conference.  I immediately entered and waited impatiently for them to let me know that I had won.

Well, I didn’t win, but they did send me a package chock full of their awesome products, so I made the most of that weekend on the couch and got to work looking for ways to use it.

This Pineapple Pomegranate BBQ Sauce served as a great glaze for grilled chicken drumettes on a scorcher of a day this summer, and we’ve used the remaining sauce on chicken breasts and even slathered it over burgers topped with pepper jack cheese and pineapple slices.  YUM!

Grilled Chicken Drumettes with Pineapple Pomegranate BBQ Sauce – adapted from About.com

  • 2 Tbsp. Butter
  • 1 Sweet Onion, finely chopped
  • 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
  • 2 Tbsp. Dry Mustard
  • 1 Cup Cider Vinegar
  • 1/2 Cup Ketchup
  • 2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
  • 1 8oz Can Crushed Pineapple, undrained
  • 1 Cup POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice
  • Juice of 1 Lime
  • 2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 Package Chicken Drumettes

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Add onions and saute until soft and translucent.  Add in all other ingredients except for chicken drumettes and mix until well combined.  Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce has reduced and thickened, about 45 minutes.

Preheat grill to medium high heat.

Place chicken drumettes on the grates and grill 20-25 minutes, turning once, and brushing the sauce on during the last 5 minutes of cooking.  Serve with additional sauce on the side.

Certified Yummly Recipes on Yummly.com

http://www.yummly.com/blog/2011/12/super-pomegranate-recipes-to-brighten-up-winter/


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Recipe Swap: Grilled Corn with Garlic Butter, Lime and Parmesan.

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Jey| Leave a comment

The theme for this week’s recipe swap was “something you’d bring to a barbeque.”  Grilled corn is one of my favorite summertime treats so I was super excited when this Bobby Flay recipe showed up in my inbox, courtesy of MRSW1219 of Tyler’s Taste Tests.

After a weekend of torrential rain, we invited our friends, PSquared, over for dinner once the weather cleared.  We were graced with a perfect evening, and the corn was the star of the show.  Even the kiddos gobbled it up, theirs (ok, maybe ours too) with extra cheese, of course.

Since it’s not quite corn season, the corn in the market didn’t look too great so I was forced to buy the pre-cut and de-husked corn and grilled them in foil packets. The original recipe also called for cotija cheese, which the grocery store did not carry.  We really liked it with the parmesan, but I’ll remain on the search for the cotija since I’m sure we’ll be making this all summer long.  I’d also like to try it with chipotle butter.  YUM!

Grilled Corn with Garlic Butter, Lime and Parmesan – slightly adapted from Food Network

  • 8 Ears of Corn, preferably in the husks
  • 1 Stick Unsalted Butter, slightly softened
  • 6 Cloves Garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • Habañero Flavored Tabasco, to your preferred level of spiciness
  • 1/4 Bunch Fresh Chives, chopped, 2 Tbsp reserved
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
  • 2 Limes, cut into quarters
  • 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan

Preheat grill to medium.  Without removing, peel back the husks of the corn, remove the silks, and recover the corn with the husks.  Soak the corn in a large bowl of water for 30 minutes.  Remove corn from the water and grill, covered, 15 to 20 minutes.  If not using corn in the husk, soak as directed above, then wrap each ear in foil before placing on the grill.

In the meantime, combine butter, garlic, habañero Tabasco, chives, salt and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth.  Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Once corn is done, peel back the husks and spread the garlic butter liberally over the the cobs.  Spoon the cheese onto the corn and squeeze the limes over the tops.  Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. chopped chives.



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