Burger Bonanza

In a previous blog I shared some traditional picnic recipes, but neglected to add ones that feature spiced up versions of one of the most popular picnic foods around—-hamburgers. Not only are hamburgers portable, but they are also incredibly versatile. A simple ground beef patty can easily become a culinary masterpiece with a few tasty toppings. The following recipes are ones my friends and I served up during a recent backyard BBQ celebrating the birth of our pal’s new baby. They are simple to prepare and offer a kick that you won’t find in traditional hamburgers. SPICY ONION BURGERS Ingredients: … Continue reading →

Three-Course Campfire Meal

I give blogger Valorie credit for heading out to the great outdoors with five young children… and feeding them there. My camping expeditions have been limited to adult-only outings and even then the food was not exactly gourmet. Of course, we were starving college kids at the time so none of our meals (whether in the woods or in our tiny apartments) were exactly five star dining experiences. Then again, when you are “roughing it” you really shouldn’t expect a menu of prime rib and mashed potatoes every night. Rather, you should aim for simple, no mess dishes that are … Continue reading →

Stuffing Summer’s Harvest

I consider myself very fortunate that despite not having a very green thumb my home is rarely without homegrown produce in the summertime. My friend and former colleague has a gigantic garden and generously shares the fruits of her labor every couple of weeks. This week we got to share in her bumper crop of green bell peppers. Consequently, I have been scouring my recipe books looking for pepper recipes. (After all, there’s only so many times I can add fresh bell peppers to salads without getting tired of doing so.) The peak season for green bell peppers falls between … Continue reading →

Cultural Smorgasbord—-Mexican Rib Eye Steaks and German Brats with a Twist

I grew up in Hawaii, which is well known for its cultural diversity and equally varied cuisines. In the Aloha State it’s not unusual to have a breakfast of Japanese rice, Portuguese sausage and Hawaiian sweetbread; lunch of Filipino Chicken Adobo and Chinese noodles; and dinner consisting of Italian pasta and kalbi (Korean short ribs). As we countdown to Independence Day I thought it would be appropriate to salute our nation’s wonderfully rich cuisine with the following ethnic dishes that can be easily grilled up for a classic Fourth of July picnic. The first recipe features an All-American rib eye … Continue reading →

Fourth of July Grill Fest-—Smoking Hot Jalapeno and Mozzarella Cheeseburgers

What’s more American than a barbeque on the Fourth of July? Whether your grilling up hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks or seafood there’s nothing quite like gathering around a picnic table and eating off red, white and blue paper plates to get you into the spirit of Independence Day. This year our country celebrates 232 years of pride and glory. The cheeseburger hasn’t been around quite as long, yet people are constantly trying to update it by adding unique ingredients and tooling with the basic recipe. The following recipes are ones that add a clever twist to the old favorite. The … Continue reading →

Ready, Set, Grill—-Marinated Steaks and Chocolate Burritos

This is it. For the past few days I have been posting some of my family’s all-time favorite grill recipes. Chicken, shrimp, steak… you name it and we’ve probably tried to grill it in years past. But today is the day that I finally reveal what we will be grilling up this Memorial Day. I’m combining two of my favorite ingredients—-balsamic vinegar and rosemary–to make a killer marinade for steaks. It’s so simple and so incredibly delicious I wouldn’t be surprised if you decide to make it a summer staple. I will be topping our steaks with some sautéed mushrooms … Continue reading →

Ready, Set, Grill–STEAK

Subtitle: Leftover steak? What leftover steak? The Memorial Day weekend (and the unofficial kick off to the summer season) is just a few days away—-is your grill ready for some serious action? Whether you fire up the coals (or turn on the gas) and throw on hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken or steak it seems nothing tastes as delicious as char-grilled goodness. Our family has a long-standing tradition of grilling steaks on Memorial Day. Which brings me to the subtitle of this blog and the subsequent recipes. Perhaps, we’re part lion or wolf… whatever the case may be when it comes to … Continue reading →

Get Ready to Grill

May is National BBQ month. It is also the time of year that we honor the special ladies in our lives who have spent countless hours slaving over hot stoves to get dinner on the table. So what better time to say thank you then by firing up the grill and whipping up a simple (yet delicious) meal for M-O-M. For the past few days I have been guest blogging in FOOD with the hopes of inspiring semi-regular cooks to get in the kitchen and let their culinary skills take over. For this grill blog I dug deep into my … Continue reading →

Easy Mother’s Day Meals-—Steak Stir Fry and Berry Parfaits

As I continue my guest blogging countdown to Mother’s Day I would be remiss not to include my sister-in-law’s favorite recipes. After all, she did serve as the inspiration for this series. Her husband (my brother) is not exactly the world’s greatest cook, but as a firefighter he is responsible for preparing at least one dinner a week for the guys at the station. (She jokes that he cooks more for his fellow firefighters than he does for her.) Consequently, his culinary skills are not that shabby. The following recipes are evidence of this fact. The first one is a … Continue reading →

Bacon Double Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Who says you have to go to a fast food drive-thru to get a mouth-watering bacon double cheeseburger? Actually, my 3-year-old can’t stand hamburger buns, which is why this recipe is so popular in my home. As you can tell by the title this is a recipe for meatloaf, not cheeseburgers, but you could easily place a couple slices on a bun and have a burger that would rival the ones sold at Wendy’s. Besides the incredible flavor and untraditional ingredients (you don’t find many meatloaf recipes that call for bacon) this dish is also family-friendly in that it doesn’t … Continue reading →