Prosciutto-wrapped Scallops on a bed of Orzo Pasta with Pesto

Ok, so this weekend was "National Talk Like a Pirate Day," my friend and fraternity brother, Jeff reminded me of this as we were talking food and OU football via Facebook.  So in light of this momentous occasion I talked my wife, Holly into giving seafood another go!  (If you have been following my blog you know she is NOT a seafood lover) 

We settled on one of my favorite dishes that I hadn't made in quite a while, Prosciutto-wrapped Scallops on a bed of Orzo Pasta with Pesto!  (Try and say that 10 times fast!)  I also made a side of asparagus since we had to get our veggies in.

Holly and I hopped into the SUV and went to Central Market to shop for our ingredients.  Once home I started a fire in my trusty Hasty Bake Grill.

The fire was started, so I went in and seasoned the scallops on both sides with potlatch seasoning, olive oil, salt and lemon pepper, to taste. I wrapped each scallop around the smooth outer edges with a piece of prosciutto so that the entire outer circumference of the scallop was covered with prosciutto.  I then threaded them onto bamboo skewers.

I brought a large pot of salted water to a boil and added the Orzo pasta.  I cooked until al dente, approximately 10 minutes.  Drained, and tossed with the pesto sauce, then set aside to keep warm.

Time to check the grill.  The coals were covered in ash and ready to do their job.  I placed the skewers on the grill along with my asparagus and cooked until the scallops were opaque and the prosciutto started to crisp up on the edges.  I removed from the grill and continued cooking the asparagus until they were grilled to my liking.

Time to bring it in and put it all together.  I divided the scallops evenly among the plates, placing them directly on top of the orzo pasta.  Garnished with a sprig of fresh basil leaves from Holly's garden and a few pieces of asparagus. 
 

It looked almost too good to eat.  I did say almost!  It was delicious and even Holly loved every bite.  I hope you enjoyed this posting and if so please start following my blog if you haven't already~  Happy Eating... Until next time!

Grilled Tacos El Pollo with Fresh Guacamole

So this weekend Holly and I were all about watching some football!  Specifically, the OU Sooners and Dallas Cowboy's games!  To go along with our time in front of the tube we decided it would be nice to seve up some fresh guacamole and gilled chicken tacos!

Holly got started by making the guacamole dip.  She used 3 large ripe avocados, halved and peeled, 1/2 medium purple onion, diced, 1/2 cup of roughly cut fresh cilantro, a tablespoon of minced garlic, and 1 seeded beef steak tomato, the juice of 4 limes, 3/4 cup of salsa, and salt and pepper to taste.

In large bowl, she mashed the avocados then added the remaining ingredients; blending well.   We put in the refrigerater for 1 to 2 hours to blend flavors.

Meanwhile, I built a fire in my Hasty Bake grill and began marinating my chicken breast.  I used a  table spoon of minced garlic, chicken fajita seasoning, and a chili lime spice rub.  I rubbed the mixture onto both sides of the chicken breasts and let marinate in the fridge until the fire was white hot and good to go. 

I cracked open a beer for my self and one for Holly to get our pre-game libations started, checked on the fire, and decided it was time to get busy grilling my grub. 

The fire is perfect so I cut up 1/2  purple onion, and grabbed my chicken and placed them on the grill.  I grilled the chicken until just cooked through, about 5 or 6 minutes per side- depending on thickness of breasts.  I cooked the onion slices the same way until they were slightly charred on each side.

I removed my chicken and onion from the grill and brought in to rest for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, I chopped some more tomato and cilantro, and sliced a couple of limes.  Now that the chicken has rested, I sliced the chicken into thick strips, just right to fill a taco!  I heated up some corn tortillas, got the guacamole out of the fridge, grabbed some cheese and salsa, and plated all of our taco ingredients. 

Perfect timing.  Just as I finished plating our taco station it was time to grab another beer (Negra Modelo) and settle down for some football and feasting!  Hope you enjoyed this editition of "Grilling my Grub" as much as Holly and I enjoyed eating it!  Join me next time to see what grub I will be gilling next!

Italian Grilled Steaks & Mozzarella-Stuffed Tomatoes

Happy Labor Day everyone!  This weekend I was in the mood for Italian fare.  I decided to fire up old Hasty Bake once again and grill up some Italian Grilled Steaks and Mozzarella-Stuffed Tomatoes.  Holly was happy to see I wasn't going for seafood this time. 

I took the tops off the tomatoes and, using a spoon, hollowed out the middle. In a bowl, I combined one cup of grated mozzarella, asiago, and parmesean cheese mixture, 1/2 a cup of Italian bread crumbs, a table spoon of basil and oregano, and a 1/4 cup of olive oil, and a teaspoon of minced garlic. I mixed thouroughly then seasoned to taste with sea salt and pepper. I stuffed the tomatoes with the cheese mixture taking care not to pack them too tightly.  I set aside and went out to build a fire in my grill. 

Now it is was time to get the steaks ready.  I decided to use bone in ribeye steaks, but you can use any good cut that you prefer.  I rubbed both sides of each steak with olive oil and a teaspoon of minced garlic gently rubbing it into the meat, making sure it spread evenly. I left the steaks out at room temperature while the fire continued to heat up.  A quick tip I have learned is that you never want to place cold meat on your grill as it will caramelize and burn on the outside quickly but the center will still be cold.

The fire is now white hot so I went to the kitchen and grabbed the steaks sprinkling sea salt and cracked black pepper on each side to taste. 

I placed my tomatoes on a baking sheet and cooked in the oven for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

I  seared my steaks on each side then continued to grill them turning once, until done, about 10 minutes for medium.

Steaks were cooked to perfection so I brought them in to let them "rest" for about 10 minutes allowing the juices to move back into the meat so they don't dry out and stay moist and juicy.

I transfered the stuffed-tomatoes and the steaks to serving plates and immediately squeezed a lemon slice and a drizzle of olive oil over each steak before eating.  I poured a glass of cabernet for Holly and myself as we got ready to sink our teeth into this awesome meal.  YUM!  They came out perfectly.  You gotta try this one for yourselves.  Be sure to click "Follow" on my blog to follow my future culinary adventures.  Happy Eating!

Mediterranean Style Burgers

Ok, so I was in the mood for burgers on Sunday.  However, I was tired of the same old same old if you know what I mean.  So I put on my thinking cap and asked myself what sounded good.  Mediterranean food also sounded like a tasty option but I wasn 't sure what to make.  Sooo, I decided I would go ahead and grill my burgers but make them Mediterranean style. ~  Problem solved!

I went to ask my wife Holly what she thought of the idea but she was sound asleep napping on the couch.

So I did what any good husband would do and I cracked open a beer.  I went out to fire up old Hasty Bake, and got to work on prepping my burgers. 

I took the ground beef and placed in a bowl with feta cheese, garlic, and Herbes de Provence, and mixed thouroughly.  Then I made the individual paddys making an indentation with my thumb in the center of each one to make sure they cooked evenly.

I set the burgers aside and made a greek style salad of chopped heirloom tomatos, feta cheese, cucumber, and red onion.  I drizzled a some Italian salad dressing on top and placed in the fridge. 

By now I had to crack open my second beer and go check on my fire.  The beer was ice cold and the fire was white hot.  Perfect!

I went in and got the burgers, sprinkling salt and cracked black pepper on each side.  I took my poppy seed buns and buttered each side for toasting.  I grilled the burgers until well seared on each side (approximately 5 minutes)

Burgers grilled to medium rare, buns toasted to buttery perfection, ready to bring it in and put it all together.  

Once back in the kitchen I took some fresh spinach from my salad drawer and got the greek salad mixture.  I placed spinach leaves on the bottom bun then added my burger and topped it all off with the greek salad.  We are all plated up, I went into the living room and woke my wife from her slumber and we chose a movie to stream off of netflix and began to enjoy the last part of our weekend with a great burger, beer, and movie.  (The Mediterranean Style Burger came out awesome by the way!) 

Tune in next time for more adventure, and epicurious fun!  Maybe Holly will be awake next time!

Bourbon Teriyaki Tuna Steak & Shrimp

Okay guys, I just have to say it, I absolutely love my Hasty Bake charcoal grill. Love it! I love it sooo much I’m lovin’ her to death. I’ve burned out the ash bin, replaced a couple parts and today I had to get a screw and bolt just to keep the lid on! Through it all, she has served me well and still makes the most awesome food.
That said, tonight Hasty is grilling up seafood. Sooo…grill “fixed” – check, tuna and shrimp ready for seasoning – check, wife on board with seafood for dinner……snag….in addition to loving my grill, I happen to be very fond of seafood, but my wife is not! So while she is “dining” on grilled cheese and pizza rolls (her choice, I offered her a non-seafood alternative…) I will be feasting on grilled bourbon teriyaki tuna steak & shrimp with asparagus and sautéed mushrooms!

But, I digress, to prepare, I marinated the tuna and shrimp in a mixture of Woodford Reserve Bourbon (for those who know me, you know that means equal parts bourbon – for the marinade and for my glass) minced garlic, ginger, cracked black pepper, sea salt, brown sugar, fresh dill, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and olive oil. All that went into the refrigerator for an hour while I made my fire for the grill.
Once the coals were white hot, I put on the tuna steak, seared it on each side while basting it with the marinade, just until I could see the grill marks, keeping it pink on the inside. I gave the shrimp the same treatment, basting and turning them over when I could see grill marks then pulling them off once they turned opaque in color.
My asparagus cooked in a grill basket for the time it took to sear the steak and shrimp. The mushrooms had been sautéed earlier in a bit of olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.
Hasty and I did it again, dinner was awesome, if I do say so myself. Wish you were here to enjoy it with me since my wife sure didn’t!

Thanks for visiting my blog! Please click on the link and become a follower to check out my future grilling adventures….and to find out if I ever get my wife to eat seafood!

8/21/10 - Summer Grilled Nachos

Today I made some delicious grilled nachos.  Step one - I cracked open a nice frosty beer! 
Then placed charcoal in my grill and started a fire.  I soaked some hickory wood chips in water for an hour. 

I went into the kitchen an chopped purple onion, garlic, tomatos, green onions, black olives, lettuce, and cilantro.

I started with sauting the onions, and garlic in a cast iron grill pan.  I added chili beans, beef and taco seasoning and cooked until browned.  Once finished, I transfered to a bed of tortilla chips on a metal grill pan.  I sprinkled on some shredded cheddar cheese and placed on the grill.  I took the soaked wood chips and placed on the bed of charcoal to create that great smokey flavor.  I grilled the nachos until the cheese was nice and melted.

I removed the nachos from the grill I sprinkled on the chopped tomatos, green onions, black olives, lettuce, and cilantro over the top.  The finishing touch was a dollop of sour cream.  I served with side dishes of chopped jalapeno, salsa, and extra toppings.  I grabbed another beer and feasted!  It was awesome!  Can't wait to do this again soon now that football season is kicking off!  SCORE!