Just a little sneak peak...

About a year ago, I discovered that pizzas could be made on the grill! I suggested this novel idea and got vetoed due to its unorthodoxness (is that even a word?). Anyway, a little over a week ago, Briant and Harmony, and little Nathan too, came over to hang out and have dinner and I decided I had waiting long enough. We were going to grill pizzas :o)

This time around, Brad thought it was a great idea, as did our friends, so grill we did. I tried a new recipe but wasn't too impressed (hence why I am not sharing it). It was also our first try so some of the crust got a little burnt on the bottom but hey, it was an overall great experience. We will definitely try it out again very soon and when I find a recipe that works, you bet I will share it with you. However, I did happen to find a new pizza sauce recipe that I am loving (as does everyone else). I have made it twice so far and it has been a hit both times. The only "qualm" I have about the recipe though is that it doesn't make a whole lot, so don't be afraid to double it..or even triple depending on your sauce amount preferences and how many pizzas you are making. I doubled it and we didn't really have enough for all four of our personal pizzas.

California Pizza Kitchen's Marinara Sauce

By Larry Flax and Rick Rosenfield

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 large (1/2 pound) Roma tomatoes

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil, or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

pinch of ground black pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1. Heat the olive oil in a small nonstick frying pan over medium heat.  Do not allow it to smoke.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until it just begins to turn light brown, 1 to 2 minutes.  Do not allow the garlic to burn, as it will make the sauce bitter.

2. Add the remaining sauce ingredients except the tomato paste, and stir well.  Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce until all the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes.  Stir int he tomato paste and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and cool completely before using.  Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Variation: Spicy Marinara Sauce

Double the amount of garlic and add 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes along with it.  roughly chop 2 fresh basil leaves and stir into the sauce after adding the tomato paste.

Now that you have a new pizza sauce recipe, take a look at our pizza grilling adventures.

Briant in the midst of tossing his dough like a pro

Veggies and fresh basil for topping

Saucing it up

I believe this is Harmony's Pizza

Time to eat!

Mmm...Pepperoni..Don't mind the burnt crust

I agree Harmony, your pizza does look better :op

Grilled Corn

Summer and grilling go hand in hand..which includes corn on the cob! I had tried grilling corn last summer and it turned out okay, but nothing extraordinary. But then Cook's Country (America's Test Kitchen's country version) featured a "recipe" or rather method of grilling perfectly sweet and juicy corn. Cook's Country stated, "If your corn isn't as sweet as you'd like, stir 1/2 cup of sugar into the water along with the salt. Avoid soaking the corn for more than 8 hours, or it will become overly salty."

What's the best way to tell if your corn is sweet enough? Well taste it of course (uncooked that is)! This is something that I had always seen my Abuelita do whenever I would go shopping with her. She also "taught" me to always open the corn before buying it to make sure the kernels were still good, plump and not dried out. I have to admit though, since moving to Chicago, it is rare that I see someone open up the cobs to check out the kernels (in fact, the only other time that I have seen someone join me in the good corn hunt was at a Mexican grocery store and it was a "little old lady" as my abuelita to say, someone else's abuelita). But this hasn't stopped me from doing so. I would much rather look "picky" at the grocery store then come home and be greeted with wilted and sickly looking corn.

(now this is some good looking corn if I say so myself)

Anyway, back to the recipe/method. I saw this episode and decided to try it out that week. Without telling Brad what I was doing, I followed the directions and then handed it off to Brad later on that evening to stick it on the grill to compliment our meal for that evening. When it came time to eat, both Brad and Jacob said it was some of the juiciest and sweetest corn they had ever tasted. I then shared with them my little secret and decided that this will now be our go to method for cooking corn when we have the time/foresight.

Grilled Corn on the Cob
from Cook's Country (America's Test Kitchen)

"If your corn isn't as sweet as you'd like, stir 1/2 cup of sugar into the water along with the salt. Avoid soaking the corn for more than 8 hours, or it will become overly salty."

Ingredients

	Salt and pepper
8	ears corn , husks and silks removed
8	tablespoons unsalted butter , softened, or 1 recipe flavored butter (see related recipes)

Instructions

1. In large pot, stir 1/2 cup salt into 4 quarts cold water until dissolved. Add corn and let soak for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.

2. Grill corn over hot fire, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, until kernels are lightly charred all over, 10 to 14 minutes.

Remove corn from grill, brush with softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Hawaiian Chicken Skewers

One day this past summer Brad had a hankerin' for some kabobs. I had wanted to do something different than the chicken sate that I normally revert to and so I hit the internet. Not too far into my search I came across Stacie's recipe for Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs over at Kat's Kitchen. She herself had found it from another blogger who in turn recalls possibly finding it over at all recipes. Gotta make sure you give credit where credit is due right?

Anyway, I went to work putting the marinade together while our skewers were soaking in some water (which helps prevent them from scorching when on the grill). It was all very easy and in the end very tasty. As far as the recipe goes, we didn't have Sherry on hand so I believed I substituted some chicken broth...or perhaps we had some leftovers of another white wine from when we had company. I don't remember but either substitute will do :o) Also, I know that many people will put their meats and veggies on the same skewer however it isn't the suggested/proper way to cook kabobs. By keeping the meats and veggies separate you cut down the chances of cross contamination as well as solves the whole issue of different cooking times between the two. I know it goes against everything that we were taught/shown but hey, how can you argue with Alton Brown, America's Test Kitchen, and other top chefs? And now, to the main event...


Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs
slightly adapted by me :o)

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
  
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp cooking sherry (or any white wine/chicken stock)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger (I actually omitted this and did not miss it)
  
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can chunked pineapple, plus 2 Tbsp reserved juice
• your favorite veggies, cut into chunks

1. In a small bowl combine soy sauce, brown sugar, sherry, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper and pineapple juice. Whisk to incorporate. Pour into a large Ziploc bag or leave in a container and add chicken chunks. Make sure chicken is coated completely. Cover and marinate for at least two hours.
2. At least 30 mins prior to grilling, begin soaking wooden skewers in water to prevent burning.
   
3. Preheat grill to medium heat. Thread chicken onto soaked skewers. Next, alternate pineapple and vegetables onto different skewers .
   
4. Grill for 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is done, turning occasionally

Barbecue Country Style Ribs

Brad absolutely LOVES ribs but we have never bought them because 1) we didn't have a grill and 2) they are a little out of our price range. Well, as I have mentioned before, we are now proud owners of a Weber Smokey Joe thanks to my in-laws and just this past week Dominick's had country style ribs on sale for $.99/lb!
True, they are baby back or spare ribs but they were "ribs" nonetheless...and more importantly, they tasted good. The package and Kraft suggested to boil the ribs first, and then finish them off in the grill while America's Test Kitchen said to skip the grill all together (because they aren't on a rack) and cook them in a slow cooker but I decided to take a different route and just slowly cook them on the grill over indirect heat, after all, Better Homes and Garden said I could ;o)

Since I didn't really measure anything, I wouldn't call the following a "recipe". Just a list of ingredients and directions that I used for future reference or for anyone else who is interested so forgive me for the lack of specificity (that's a word right?). Can you guess what's inside?

Barbecue Country Style Ribs

Ingredients

For the Dry Rub:

• Brown Sugar
• Chili Powder
• Paprika
• Black Pepper
• Kosher Salt
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder

Country Style Ribs (obviously :oP )
BBQ sauce

Directions

1. Prepare dry rub using brown sugar and other spices. Apply to ribs and let marinate for about an hour.
2. Start grill as normal. Once coals are ready, prepare grill for indirect heat by moving coals to the sides of the grill. Place a drip pan in the cleared out portion.
3. Place ribs on rack above drip pan. Allow meat to cook for 1 hr, turning once half way through. (Resist the urge to lift up the lid! It allows the heat to escape and thus slows cooking) Add additional coals half way through as needed.
4. After meat has cooked for an hour, brush bbq sauce on meat and let cook for an additional 30 minutes or until done, turning once.
5. Remove ribs from grill, and brush additional bbq sauce as desired.