Brats and Potatoes on the Grill (A perfect meal in the heat)

It is finally summer in Seattle.  I have waited for months to have nice weather on a kind-of consistent basis.  The only downside to all of this nice weather is the heat and humidity that comes with it.  Unfortunately our little house does not have air conditioning.  The heat makes me want to have it installed just to have for the couple weeks a year we actually need it. 

Since it has been so hot I have been avoiding turning on the stove or the oven.  Tonight, we decided to grill some brats.  I didn't want to turn on any part of the stove or oven so I also made potatoes on the grill and cooked some frozen corn in the microwave. 

When you buy brats make sure to look at the labels carefully.  Just like hot dogs, they can contain gluten.  A good place to start the search for a good gluten-free brat is online.  Most companies post allergy information.  I did not do anything special to the brats, I just put them on the grill to cook until they were nice and brown and hot all the way through.

 For the Potatoes:

Ingredients:

3-4 potatoes (I used red)
salt and pepper
butter
onion (small)

1.  Peel the potatoes and slice
2.  Place the cut potatoes in equal parts on one or two large pieces of tinfoil
3.  Dice the onion
4.  Add the onion and salt and pepper (to taste) to each of the foil packets
5.  Add a couple Tablespoons of butter to each packet
6.  Fold the foil to create a sealed packet
7. Place on the grill for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through (My dad likes to cook them a little longer so they get crispy)
8.  Remove from foil and serve (Spoon the potatoes out of the packet leaving the excess butter behind)

*Depending on taste you can used more or less butter.  I like my potatoes buttery but my husband likes a little less.

**Be creative you can add a variety of spices and flavors to make these potatoes your own.  Sometimes I add a little rosemary or garlic.  It is an easy dish that you can make your own.

Snyder's Gluten-free Pretzels

I love to share information on products that I find, try, and love.  This is one of those products.  I was in my local gluten-free market not too long ago and I spotted these pretzels.  They are made by Snyder's which also makes regular pretzels.  I use to love the regular Snyder's pretzels so I decided to try their gluten-free version.  I don't think they have been on the shelves very long but it is still exciting that such a large company is creating gluten-free alternatives.  They came in a couple of varieties, a large bag or 100 calorie snack size.  I bought the 100 calorie snack size because I sometimes can't eat a whole bag of something before they go stale.  The snack size is perfect because I can put it in my purse and take it with me or just grab a quick snack out of the cabinet. 

These are delicious pretzels that live up to their brand name.  They have a perfect texture and taste.  I recommend these to any pretzel lover.

American as Apple Pie

I am one of those people who believe it is not truly dessert unless it is chocolate.  I would much rather have a chocolaty dessert, and I mean chocolaty, than any other kind.  That being said, my husband and friends do not always share the same perspective.  For the 4th of July I made an apple pie.  What could be more American?  I also thought it was fitting for the month of June because of the start of the Olympics.  Go Team USA!  The apple pie was hit at our party.

Ingredients:

Filling:

3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
6 cups peeled and sliced apples

Crust:

1/2 cup white rice flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca flour, and soy flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
6 Tablespoons cold water.

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees
2.  In a large mixing bowl combine, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg
3.  Add the peeled and sliced apples and toss to coat the fruit with the mixture
4.  To make the crust use a separate bowl
5.  Whisk together the flours and salt
6.  Using a fork cut in the shortening until the dough consists of tiny pea-sized balls
7.  Add the cold water gradually, continuing to mix the dough
8.  Separate the dough into equal pieces (one for the top crust and one for the bottom)
9.  Roll the dough out (on a floured surface, I used tinfoil for easy transfer) to be thin enough to cover the top of the pie and the pie plate
10.  Place half of the dough in the pie plate, smoothing as needed
11.  Add the apple mixture to the pie plate
12.  Cover with remaining dough
13.  Bake for 30-35 minutes

*You can brush melted butter on the top of the crust if desired.

If You Give a Moose a Blueberry Muffin...

I love blueberries and we have had fresh blueberries in our local store for weeks.  I finally bought some berries and I decided, the half I didn't eat right out of the container, I would use to make muffins.  They turned out very delicious.  This is an easy recipe that you can make during the weekend and enjoy all week for breakfast or for as a snack. 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup and 3 Tablespoons of sweet rice flour, white rice flour, soy flour, and tapicoa flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 beaten egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Blueberries (about 3/4 cup)
Brown Sugar

1.  Pre-heat the over to 400 degrees
2.  Lightly grease the muffin pan (or use paper cups)
3.  In a bowl whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, and salt
4.  In a medium bowl whisk togethter the egg, milk, and cooking oil
5.  Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix well (the batter should still be a little lumpy)
6.  Add the blueberries and stir until combined
7.  Pour the batter into the muffin cups filling about 2/3 of the way
8.  Sprinkle your desired amout of brown sugar ontop of the batter just before you put the muffins in the oven
9.  Bake the muffins between 15 and 20 minutes or until they are a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 
10.  Let the muffins cool on a rack for a short time aften they come out of the oven and out of the tin

You can reheat these muffins or grab them on the go during busy mornings.  It is worth the time to make them before the busy work week starts. 

BBQ Ribs

Have you ever felt like you make the same recipe every time friends come over for dinner?  I do.  At times it feels like all we eat with our friends are burgers or hot dogs.  We knew we were going to have friends over for dinner this weekend and I wracked my brain trying to think of something different and I finally came up with bbq ribs.  It was brilliant!

This is a recipe I would recommend when you have a little more time.  The secret was the fantastic rub.  The ingredients I list seem like a lot but the rub goes a long way.  I saved the extra for next time.

Ingredients:

Rub:

3 Tablespoons salt
6 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons chili powder
3 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 Tablespoons paprika
3 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
3 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

Ribs:
Pork ribs
Gluten-free bbq sauce (I used Kraft brand but check their website and the label since ingredients often change)

1.  Pre-heat oven to 225 degrees (a low temperature)
2.  Rinse and pat ribs dry with paper towels
3.  Mix ingredients for the rub in a medium bowl (I used a whisk to make sure it was well blended)
4.  Rub the ribs with the rub mix on all the sides (Don't feel like you have to use all the rub)
5.  Place ribs in a roasting pan and cover tightly with foil
6.  Bake in the oven for 3 to 4 hours or until cooked through
7.  Remove from the oven but DO NOT remove the foil, let the meat rest on the counter covered for at least 30 minutes
8.  After waiting at least 30 minutes uncover the ribs and cover with sauce and place on a hot grill to reheat and caramelize the bbq sauce (Make sure the grill is not too hot and that there are not flames that burn the meat)
9.  Place both sides on the covered grill for 5-7 minutes

We served these ribs with potato chips and steamed corn on the cob.  They were delicious!

Steak and Spinach Pinwheels

I have made these Steak and Spinach Pinwheels for large gatherings and for just me and my husband.  They are tasty, quick, and go great with baked potatoes or twice baked potatoes.  I forgot to take a finished picture but they still look great not grilled. 

Ingredients:

8 slices bacon

1 1/2 lbs round steak
1 bag frozen spinach (thaw before use)
1/2 cup - 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper

1.  Cook the bacon over medium heat in a large skillet
2.  Drain bacon on paper towel
3.  Pound steak with a meat mallet until 1/4 inch -1/2 inch thick (start from the middle and work outwards)
4.  Salt and pepper the steak to taste then lay the bacon lengthwise on the steak
5. Cover the bacon with the spinach
6.  Cover the spinach with the Parmesan cheese
7.  Roll the whole thing up from the short side (the bacon should be laying the same direction you roll)
8.  Secure the meat with toothpick
9.  Cut between the toothpick (about 1 inch intervals I use the thickness of the bacon as a guide)
10.  Grill with the steak side down turning frequently until thoroughly cooked. 

This recipe is a huge crowd pleaser.  It looks more complicated and fancy than it is.  If the directions are not clear please let me know because I don't want you to miss out on this recipe!

Biscuits, Birthdays, and Giant Aspargus Oh My!

The month of May in our household is always a month of birthdays and just plain craziness.  Since my last posting almost a month ago I have been experimenting with a couple of recipes with some success. 

My latest experiment involved making biscuits.  I made a couple of batches and they came out decent but not very fluffy.  I am going to tweak the recipe a little and try again.  Bread is my biggest challenge.  I was never a big bread eater but it is nice to have with some meals.  There are good mixes and frozen breads available but they can be extremely expensive.  I hope to have a successful batch of biscuits this weekend.

May was also a month of discoveries.  With the nice weather my husband and I started doing some serious work to our yard.  We discovered giant asparagus growing up against our house.  Don't ask how we never noticed before because I am talking giant. 

Now, I have a couple ideas for cooking asparagus since it is good and healthy.  I usually like to grill it.

Obviously, it wont work for our giant asparagus but you should try it.  It is delicious!