4th of July Coming Up Next Week

Our great holiday (4th of July) is coming next week.  Unfortunately it is on a Wednesday but that won't stop the grilling and celebrations.  Fireworks and cookouts are par for the day.  So think of what you would like to cook and go for it.

I have a couple of recipes this week that might help you to decide your menu.  The first brings back memories of the first time I had "Grilled Sweet Corn" still in the husks.  My family was invited to a function called "The Corn & Sausage Roast" and it was well worth it.  It was all the corn on the cob, polish sausage and beverage you could eat and drink.  They cooked both the corn and sausage on charcoal grills that were about 18 inches wide and 12 feet long.  The organization had 3 of these grills that were brick and mortar side by side.  What a dream to have just one of them in your backyard.

The corn was soaked overnight in salt water still in the husk.  They would fill 2 of the grills with the corn and 4 guys watched over the corn as it cooked.  When finished they filled big pans and took them to a table.  The crew at the table wore oven mitts and would chop off each end of the cob and strip the husks and silks with their hands in these mutts.  They would then drop the cleaned cobs of corn into a vat of melted butter and place on the buffet line.  It was simple but I'll never forget that experience.

Everyone has memories of events and/or meals that bring them back to a feel good moment.  Remember some of yours and why not try to create some more for you and your family and friends.  Happy Cooking!

The recipe for this "Grilled Sweet Corn" is on Thursday's blog.

For Friday's blog the recipe is for "Grilled BBQ Chicken" and it is easy too.  I do it as half a chicken but you can do it as quarters or even individual pieces.  It uses my brine for turkeys and chickens which is on the recipe page of the blog.  Here is the quick link to it.  Brine for Whole Turkeys (Chickens)

Enjoy both recipes and have a GREAT 4th of July celebration!

I Guess Size Does Matter

I have just moved from a population of around 10,000 people (plus 7,000 plus university students) to a city of around 110,000 inhabitants.  I was in the "Ville" as it is referred to by locals for 23 years.

Now I'm a foodie or I wouldn't be doing this blog.  I have shopped at the Hy-Vee grocery store in Maryville for those 23 years and found it to be a great store for a small community.  They continued to expand and evolve to give the residents a very good variety of food choices.

Yesterday I visited one of the Hy-Vee stores in Rochester.  It is about 50% larger than its counterpart in Maryville.  That means more space to fill.  So this brings on more variety of products to choose from in every area of the store.  Add to this the fact that Rochester is much more diversified in its population too.

As our youngest always says "I'm in my favorite theme park" and I hope to take advantage of it.

Because I'm into cooking I'd take advantage of the big cities around Maryville (Kansas City, Omaha, Des Moines and even Kenosha, WI - favorite Italian store-Tenuta's).  Many people living in smaller communities don't do that and then limit their cooking choices.

I'm going to take advantage and try to expand my recipes for you from my additional sources.  There are 3 or 4 Hy-Vee stores and another being built as I write.  Costco is also coming to Rochester.  Another favorite of mine.

In expanding recipes because of more choice for me, it could be hard for those whose choices are limited.  So I will continue to work with foods that are convenient for those from smaller areas.  When I do use something difficult to obtain, I'll tell you how to find it or give you a good substitute.

More on this tomorrow and a couple of recipes on Thursday and Friday.  Have a great week.

Moved in and internet is back up

We are finally moved into our new place and the internet is back up and running.  Sorry I've been down so long but we had a few moving problems.  In fact, we still don't get any bars on our new cell phones if we are inside our new home.  I will be talking to Sprint again on Monday about the problem and how they will resolve it.

I will start the food blogs again on Tuesday.  They will be four (4) days a week as in the past.  There will be at least one (1) new recipe each week.

Happy cooking until Tuesday.

Grilled Flank Steak

Grilled Flank Steak

(4-6 servings)

Ingredients:

1 ½ to 2 lb. Flank Steak

1 bottle (16 oz.) Italian Salad Dressing (your choice)

1 package Knorr Au Jus Mix

Directions:

Place steak in a sealable container and pour the salad dressing over it, seal and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours.  Remove steak from refrigerator and container and wipe off excess with a paper towel.  Let the steak sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling over hot coals (fire).  Grill steak for 5 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare or to desired doneness.  Remove from heat and let rest 5 to 10 minutes before thinly slicing at an angle across the grain.  Be sure to start slicing at the thin end and work your way to the thick end.  Before grilling be sure to make au jus according to package directions and keep warm.  Serve the sliced steak and pass the au jus for everyone to use if wanted.

Note:               This is a very easy item to do.  You can change the marinade to whatever flavor profile you wish.  This is also very good as a sandwich using French bread.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Planning for Father's Day.

Busy getting things ready for the movers but wanted to remind everyone that Sunday is "Father's Day."  I have an easy tasty recipe for the grill on Thursday.  So please check it out.

Have a great week and "Happy Father's Day" to all the fathers out there.

Thai Noodle Dish

Thai Noodle Dish

(2 servings)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ cup Yellow Onion, thin sliced top to bottom

4 cloves Fresh Garlic, pressed

1Thai Chili, seeded and chopped (Jalapeno or red pepper flakes could be substituted)

1 Large Carrot, shredded

1 tbsp. Hoisin Sauce

2 tbsp. Fish Sauce

½ tsp. Fresh Ginger, grated

½ cup Soy Sauce, low-sodium

½ cup Chicken Broth

½ tbsp. Corn Starch

3 tbsp. Peanut Butter

1 large Zucchini, peeled and sliced lengthwise to look like linguine

 5 oz. Noodles (your choice-see note)

Directions:

In a wok like or sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and sauté until translucent, 5 or 6 minutes.  Next add the garlic, Thai chili and carrot to pan and continue until fragrant, about 1 minute.  In a small bowl combine Hoisin and fish sauce with the soy and chicken broth.  Whisk in the corn starch and then add to the pan.  Cook about another 4 minutes and add the peanut butter.  Lower heat to medium-low and bend mixture until smooth.  Now add the zucchini and noodles to mixture and heat for 2 to 3 minutes and everything is warmed through.  Use a little pasta water if to thick.  Divide into 2 large soup bowls and enjoy.

Note:               You can use Soba noodles for this dish.  But if hard to find in your area, just sub your favorite long pasta.  I like to use linguine or spaghetti.

Note:               This recipe works for vegetarians.  If you are a vegan, omit fish sauce and increase Hoisin sauce to 3 tbsp.  Also switch out the chicken broth with vegetable broth.

Note:               The zucchini is there to replace half the noodles of a normal dish.  This helps a dish to be a little healthier for you.  You might want to try this with other noodle/pasta dishes you eat.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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New Granddaughter is Beautiful

On May 26, my wife and I became grandparents for  the first time.  Our grandchild is a gorgeous baby girl.  Her name is Eleanor Ruth after her two living great-grandmothers.  She will be called "Nora" and again grandpa is giddy over how beautiful and perfectly formed she comes into the world.  Looking at her (and all newborns) just confirms that there must be a god.  She is an amazing creation.

Reminding everyone that my wife and I are moving over the next few weeks.  Because of that I will not be doing the blog four (4) days a week until the first week of July.  I will put a new recipe out on Thursday this week.  Next week I'll have two (2) recipes for "Father's Day" which is coming up June 17.

Have a great week and check out the photo of "Nora" below.  She is in a green environmentally friendly outfit with wind turbines and recycling emblems on it.