Hello!  Welcome to My Country Kitchen’s June newsletter.  Summer is in full swing.  We’ve already enjoyed a picnic with friends.  Grilled hamburgers never tasted so good.!  I love the summer fruits and vegetables.  In our area we have wonderful Noonday onions.  They are so sweet and delicious on hamburgers or in salads.  Tomatoes are another favorite of mine.  I could eat a plate of tomatoes and be a happy camper.  Nothing says summer better than Strawberry shortcake!  Strawberries are my favorite fruit!

I would like to welcome all the new subscribers.  If you need a recipe, please let me know and I will do my best to find it for you.

In this issue of Breaking News from My Country Kitchen, I’m sharing with you an article on grilling.  Tips and Recipes that you will want to try this summer.

For more recipes from My Country Kitchen, visit our blog at http://bettylynch.blogspot.com
Please feel free to email me at [email protected]. I would love to hear from you.

Until next time, Happy Cooking!

Blessings,

Betty

 

New at My Country Kitchen:

We’re so excited about My Country Kitchen’s new logo wear and home products featured with our logo, the old country stove.  Visit http://www.cafepress.com/blynch for t-shirts, golf shirt, aprons, coffee mugs, mouse pads, tote bags, baseball hat, journal for your favorite recipes, clock, and even a special t-shirt for your furry four legged friends.  We appreciate everyone who purchases our logo and home products. 

Thank you!

 

SUMMER IDEAS

During the summer, life can be so hectic with work, kids out of school for the summer, trying to fit everything and everyone into June, July and August.  If you feel a little together time with the one you love is necessary, why not plan a romantic picnic for you and your sweetie.

Your menu can be something light as a chilled bottle of wine, your favorite cheese and crackers, two wine glasses, and a pretty quilt.  Don’t forget the wine bottle opener.  Just throw the quilt under the stars, and enjoy your wine and cheese with that someone special in your life.

Another great get away is to pack a picnic lunch and head to the beach.  If you are like me and it would be an all day trip just to reach the beach, try your local lake or favorite pond in a secluded area.  Ham and Cheese sandwiches taste so wonderful by the water.  Toss in a bag of chips, favorite drink and a small personal cake for dessert.  I purchase these little cakes that are just right for two people at the Wal-Mart bakery department.

Your traditional cook out picnics are great when you go to your local campground or state parks.  Hot dogs taste like they are fit for a King when grilled over an open fire on a stick.  Don’t forget those yummy S’mores that we use to make in Girl Scouts as a kid.  They still taste wonderful as an adult.

Put some thought into planning your romantic get away.  Keep your menu simple, focus on relaxing and enjoying the one you love.

Top

Sirloin Kabobs

1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper seasoning
4 fluid ounces lemon‑lime flavored carbonated beverage
2 pounds beef sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
2 green bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces skewers
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, stems removed
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 fresh pineapple ‑ peeled, cored and cubed
 
In a medium bowl, mix soy sauce, light brown sugar, distilled white vinegar, garlic powder, seasoned salt, garlic pepper seasoning, and lemon‑lime flavored carbonated beverage. Reserve about 1/2 cup of this marinade for basting. Place steak in a large resealable plastic bag. Cover with the remaining marinade, and seal. Refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight.
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add green peppers, and cook for 1 minute, just to blanch. Drain, and set aside.

Preheat grill for high heat. Thread steak, green peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, and pineapple onto skewers in an alternating fashion. Discard marinade and the bag.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Cook kabobs on the prepared grill for 10 minutes, or to desired doneness. Baste frequently with reserved marinade during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

 

Garlic Marinated Steaks

1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
2 pinches cayenne pepper
4 (1/2 pound) rib‑eye steaks

In a medium bowl, mix the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, honey, olive oil, ground black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, salt, liquid smoke, and cayenne pepper.

Place steaks in a shallow glass dish with the marinade, and turn to coat. For optimum flavor, rub the liquid into the meat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.

Preheat grill for medium‑high to high heat.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill steaks 7 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. Discard leftover marinade.

Grilled Baked Potatoes

4 large baking potatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
salt to taste

Place the potatoes into a large pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook over medium‑high heat for about 10 minutes, or until tender.

Preheat the grill to medium‑high heat. Drain potatoes and toss with olive oil, black pepper, rosemary and salt to taste.

Place the potatoes skin‑side down over indirect heat on the grill and reserve liquid. Grill for about 15 minutes. Remove potatoes to a serving plate and sprinkle with the reserved olive oil mixture      
     

Grilled Cabbage

1 large head cabbage
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat grill for medium heat.

Cut the cabbage into 8 wedges, and remove the core. Place all the wedges on a piece of aluminum foil large enough to wrap the cabbage. Season to taste with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Seal cabbage in the foil.

Grill for 30 to 40 minutes on the preheated grill, until tender.

 

Top

Tips for Successful Grilling
By:   Sydny Carter

Everything tastes better off the grill. And nothing could be simpler, right?

Useful Tools
In the good old days the only tools required for cooking over an open flame were the fire and some good, long sticks. You could do it that way, or you could experiment with the innovations made during the intervening years. It seems as if everyone with a grill has a different list of necessary equipment. Over time you will discover which ones make it onto your "essentials' list, and which ones languish in a kitchen cupboard. This is our list.

Timer
Useful for following those minute by minute instructions.

Skewers
Wooden or metal skewers are essential for kabobs. Some prefer flattened skewers, which tend to inhibit the partially cooked food rolling as you turn and make it possible to cook all sides of the food.

Disposable Drip Pans
These are placed under food cooked using the indirect method. A drip pan catches drippings from fatty foods, preventing flare ups. It can also be filled with water, wine, or marinade to flavor the food and provide wet heat.

Long Handled Tongs and Spatulas
Used for turning foods on the grill, the long handles allow you to work from a distance.

Oven Mitts
Heat resistant mitts prevent burns from working with a hot grill.

Basting Brushes
Frequent basting is key to all forms of barbeque. Brushes are also useful for oiling the grate prior to placing the food on the grill.

Meat Thermometer
Not strictly necessary for grilling thin cuts of meat or vegetables, a good thermometer is essential for determining the doneness of thick roasts.

Fire Chimney
Especially useful if grilling over a long period, when the fire will need refreshing regularly.

Grill Baskets
These are wire baskets with long handles. A basket shaped like a fish makes turning whole fish quick and easy. Grill baskets are also used to hold small items, preventing them from falling into fire.

Wire Brush
Look for one with a metal grill scraper on the front edge. This will make gleaning the grate a matter of minutes.

Whisk Broom
Handy for cleaning away ash from charcoal grills.

Squirt Gun
For a little Wild West action, put out those pesky flare ups with one of these. Also handy for anyone caught poaching off the grill.

A Word From The Manufacturer
Read the instructions that come with your grill. This can not be stressed too much. There are many, many types of grills on the market today. While some things holds true for all grills, you will find many helpful hints about everything from how to preheat the grill for the cooking method you are using to what sort of regular maintenance is required to extend the life of your grill.

Preheating the Grill
The right temperature is always important. Many gas grills come equipped with thermometers, and reliable grill thermometers are widely available. A thermometer will tell you exactly what heat you are working with. That being said, the standard is still the caveman method. This consists of holding your hand approximately 6 inches above the coals or heat source, about the spot where the food will be cooking, and counting how many seconds you can keep your hand in this position. Count 'one‑barbeque, two‑barbeque...'

High Heat: 3 seconds or 500 F (260 C)

Medium High Heat:  5 seconds or 400 F (205 C)

Medium Heat:  7 seconds or 350 F (175 C)

Medium Low Heat: 10 seconds or 325 deg F (165 deg C)

Low Heat: 12 seconds or 300 deg F (150 deg C)

Direct Heat vs. Indirect Heat
There are primarily two methods of using a grill. Cooking directly over the heat source is known as grilling over direct heat. The food is cooked for mere minutes on a hot grill, and the lid is rarely if ever closed. Thin cuts of meat, fillets, kabobs, sates, and vegetables are good candidates for this method. Indirect heat is used for larger pieces of meat, such as thick steaks, roasts, and whole fish. In this method, the food is cooked just off the heat at about 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). The lid is closed, and the cooking times are somewhat longer. On a gas grill this generally means firing up the two outside burners, and cooking the meat over the middle, unlit burner. When using charcoals, the coals are pushed to the sides of the grill, leaving a place in the middle to cook. Traditional barbeque is a form of indirect heat using very low temperatures over long periods of time.

Timing Is Everything
A table of grilling times is of necessity only approximate. There are a lot a variables, such as the difference between the 7 seconds Uncle Frank can keep his asbestos hands over the live flames and the 3 seconds your absolutely normal hand measures the same grill at the same time. Of course, a thermometer can measure the heat exactly, but where's the fun in that? There are other variables, less easily tested, that can make two seemingly identical cuts of meat cook at different times ‑ exact thickness, texture, age, and temperature of the raw meat.

That being said, timing is everything. There might be only a minute or two between a moist and tender chop and dry, tough shoe leather. So, check for doneness at the approximate time given in the recipe. An instant read thermometer is a good tool. Insert it into the thickest part of the meat, away from the bone, to measure the internal temperature of the food. The most popular method of ascertaining the doneness of the meal is, again, the caveman method. Slice the meat, and observe the color of the juices. If the juices are red, the meat is rare. Pink juices indicate medium rare, and well done meat will have clear juices.

Food Handling
Prepare all ingredients before you begin grilling. Not only is it unsafe to leave a hot grill unattended, but it can be very stressful to run back and forth between your kitchen and the grill.
Do not allow raw meat and fish to come into contact with other foods. Use separate cutting boards, or thoroughly sanitize the one you are using. Wash with hot soapy water, spray with a 5% solution of chlorine bleach, and air dry. Plastic cutting boards can also be sanitized in the dishwasher.

Do not carve cooked meat on the board used to hold or cut raw meat.
Cut the fatty edge of steaks and chops to prevent curling. Slice through the fat at 2 to 3 inch intervals, cutting just to the meat.

Most basting sauces can be brushed on throughout the cooking process, the exception is sugar based sauces. Many commercial barbecue sauce preparations fall in this category. These tend to burn if applied too early, so apply during the last few minutes of cooking.
Marinades should be boiled if they are to be used as basting sauce as well.

Poking and stabbing the meat will cause the loss of juices that keep your meat moist and tender. Do not attempt to turn the meat with a carving fork. Instead use long handled tongs or spatulas to turn the meat.

 

Top

Classy Chefs in the Kitchen:

Join us on RYZE at Classy Chefs in the Kitchen for more tips and recipes. Meet new people who will inspire you to cook more. http://classychefs network.ryze.com/

 

“Back to the Table with My Country Kitchen”

My Country Kitchen’s first cookbook, “Back to the Table with My Country Kitchen” is available for purchase.  This cookbook is loaded full of cooking charts that will help you put a family meal together.  Bring some Flavor to Your Family Meals!  My Country Kitchen wants to help you get a grip on family mealtimes with:

Great tasting food.
Variations on old family favorites.
Healthy well-balanced menus.
Wholesome, good-for-you selections that taste great.
Easy and quick to prepare recipes.

Family dinners should be stress free!

Betty creates an array of luscious options that make any mealtime a pleasure, and totally stress free. Along with her great recipes, Betty provides cooking details, tables, and charts that simplify meal preparation and presentation. You can learn new tricks for your meal preparation, such as:

• Time your meal to arrive at the table all at one time.
  
• Herbs that enhance the flavor of foods and how to use them.
  
• Temperatures for optimal cooking of a variety of foods.
  
• Presentation suggestions and menu enhancing choices.
  
• Delicious substitutions for recipe selections.

Your cookbook is waiting for you at: http://www.bettylynch.biz

 

Top