Spicy Pork Sandwiches

My experiments with pork continue! This sandwich marks my first attempt at using ground pork. I spotted this recipe on kmay's blog and thought it looked like a nice throwback to summertime. What were supposed to be po'-boys morphed into plain old sandwiches when a yucky snow storm kept me from wanting to go to the store and get a baguette and lettuce. Instead I grilled these babies up and put "naked" the on wheat hamburger rolls. And they were delicious! The variety of seasonings make them nice and spicy, but the heat is nicely balanced by the mayo/mustard spread. I'll definitely make these again when the weather gets warmer - I know they'll be even better on the grill as opposed to on the stove top.

Spicy Pork Po-Boys

1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 medium kosher dill pickles, very finely chopped
1/2 small shallot, minced
Four 8-inch soft baguettes, split
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce (I used green leaf lettuce.)
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
Hot sauce, for serving

Preheat a grill pan. In a large bowl, using your hands, mix the ground pork with the paprika, thyme, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Form the pork into twelve 1/2-inch-thick patties. Grill the pork patties over moderate heat, turning once, until they are cooked through, about 8 minutes total.
Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise with the Dijon mustard, pickles and shallot and season with salt and pepper. Spread the mayonnaise on both sides of the baguettes.
Place 3 pork patties on the bottom of each baguette and top with the lettuce, tomato and a few splashes of hot sauce. Close the sandwiches and serve.

Cajun Grilled Shrimp

I have a confession to make. The whole reason I was so keen on making these shrimp was because I thought the ideal accompaniment for them would be Hawaiian rolls, which I have been dying for an excuse to make again. Seriously, those rolls are heaven. Heaven I tell you. But the shrimp weren't half bad either! I found this recipe on Annie's blog around the same time that frozen shrimp went on sale at the grocery store, so it seemed like I was destined to make them. We even bought skewers especially for this meal. This was the first time we've grilled shrimp and I had Joe a little paranoid about burning them, but they came out cooked just fine. The seasoning was good, although Joe discovered that he doesn't like thyme so I may need to make some modifications next time. But everything just tastes better when it's cooked on the grill and these were perfectly enjoyable! Along with the Hawaiian rolls (drool) I served roasted green beans, which I tossed with cooking spray, salt, pepper and garlic powder and baked in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. This was a nice, light summer meal.

Cajun Grilled Shrimp

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
½ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. garlic powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Thread onto metal skewers. Brush with olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix remaining spices in a small bowl. Sprinkle spice mixture onto shrimp and pat lightly to help it stick.

Grill the skewers, covered, until the shrimp are barely charred and bright pink, about 6 minutes.

Emergency Room Cedar Plank Salmon

A few weeks ago at a cookout Joe and I had cedar plank grilled salmon for the first time - wow is it good. So we naturally wanted to make it ourselves. We went to Bed Bath & Beyond and purchased a pack of cedar planks and also picked up a grill basket for potatoes and veggies and at the farmer's market we bought some nice fresh salmon. I found this recipe on the Food Network website and we were super excited to make our own cedar plank salmon.

I'm happy to say that the salmon was absolutely wonderful. What wasn't wonderful was the trip to the emergency room we ended up taking after dinner. Technically it wasn't the salmon that did poor Joe in but rather the handle of the grill basket. He grabbed the handle with a pot holder, however the pot holder wasn't covering his entire hand and he burned a nice segment of his palm. We debated on whether or not to go the ER long enough to enjoy our dinner, and then did ultimately decide to take the trip. Joe had a second degree burn but was treated relatively quickly and was thankfully pain-free the next day. We will always remember this meal, and we will definitely make it again. But I'm buying bigger pot holders first.

Cedar Plank Salmon

1 cedar plank (6 by 14 inches)
2 salmon fillets (1 1/2 pounds total)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons brown sugar

Soak cedar plank in salted water for 2 hours, then drain. Remove skin from salmon fillet. Remove any remaining bones. Rinse the salmon under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Generously season the salmon with salt and pepper on both sides. Lay the salmon (on what was skin-side down) on the cedar plank and carefully spread the mustard over the top and sides. Place the brown sugar in a bowl and crumble between your fingers, then sprinkle over the mustard.
Set grill for indirect grilling and heat to medium-high. Place the cedar plank in the center of the hot grate, away from the heat. Cover the grill and cook until cooked through, around 20 to 30 minutes. The internal temperature should read 135 degrees F. Transfer the salmon and plank to a platter and serve right off the plank.

Cheddar-Studded Turkey Burgers

I love, love, love our grill! Everything grilled just seems to taste better. So I'm always looking for new recipes that will allow us to fire up the grill. For one reason or another I was browsing Rachael Ray's website this week and came across her arsenal of burger recipes. I printed several off, including this one for Cheddar-Studded Turkey Burgers. I made them up tonight for Joe to grill, and to quote Ms. Ray - yum-o! These were really good! They had some nice heat thanks to the spices and there was melty cheese in every bite. They were simple too, but that probably had something to do with the fact that it was on of her kid's recipes ;) I didn't have a GH ("grown-up helper" in Rachaels' world), but I did okay anyway. I didn't bother making the cilantro cream, since neither Joe or I like cilantro.

Cheddar-Studded Turkey Burgers

1/3 pounds ground turkey breast, the average weight of 1 package
1 medium red onion, half finely chopped, half diced
1/4 pound sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 rounded tablespoon chili powder, a healthy palmful
2 teaspoons cumin (2/3 of a palmful)
1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for drizzling
1/2 cup sour cream
A handful of cilantro leaves, chopped

Chop and dice onion, cheddar cheese, pepper, garlic and cilantro. Pre-heat a large nonstick skillet, indoor grill pan or tabletop grill to medium-high heat. Combine ground turkey, onion, cheddar cheese, chili powder, ground cumin, jalapeño or serrano pepper, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and mix everything together with your hands. Score the meat with the side of your hand to separate into 4 equal amounts. Form mixture into four large patties no more than one inch thick.Wash your hands after handling the raw turkey. Drizzle EVOO on the patties and place patties in a hot skillet or on a hot grill with a spatula and cook 5-6 minutes on each side or until turkey is cooked through. For the cilantro cream, combine the sour cream and chopped cilantro, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Love is...

a man and his steak. Just look how happy this giant, heart-shaped rib eye made Joe! It was a gift from Kara and Audrey, Tucker's doggie daycare "teachers," to thank Joe for helping them master their brand new Wii. I don't eat steak, so Joe shared this with his brother John. It was, as Joe said, "the best steak he's ever had." So thanks Kara and Audrey - you made Joe's week!

Is it summer yet?

Maybe not quite yet, but on Saturday the temperatures neared 60 degrees and I figured it was as good a day as any to pretend it was summer. Joe pulled out the grill and we whipped up a tasty, warm-weather meal in March. Joe grilled up these inside-out cheeseburgers, a summer favorite that I got from Eating Well. Instead of Gruyere and cheddar cheese combo I used cheddar and a mix of parmesan, romano and asiago. I also added about half a cup of breadcrumbs to the meat, because I feel like the burgers needed them to hold together. These were super delicious and curbed my craving for spring...for now.

Inside-Out Cheeseburgers

1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

1 pound 90%-lean ground beef

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat grill to medium-high or preheat the broiler. Combine Cheddar and Gruyere in a small bowl. Gently mix beef, Worcestershire, paprika and pepper in a large bowl, preferably with your hands, without overworking. Shape into 8 thin, 4-inch-wide patties. Mound 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on each of 4 patties, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Cover each with one of the remaining patties. Crimp and seal the edges closed.

To grill: Lightly oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the stuffed patties over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes per side for medium-well. (Be sure not to press the burgers as they cook or they'll split open and the cheese will ooze out.) To broil: Cover a broiler pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Broil the stuffed patties in the upper third of the oven, about 4 minutes per side for medium-well. In either case, let the burgers stand for 5 minutes before serving.

To go with the burgers we prepared Joe's yummy grilled potatoes. They are very easy to make and are a great compliment to anything that comes off the grill. I don't have exact measurements, just use ingredient to taste and quantity.

Grilled Potatoes

small red potatoes

olive oil

burger seasoning

Cut potatoes into uniform chunks and place in a pot. Add water to pot until potatoes are just covered. Bring water and potatoes to a boil and boil 3-5 minutes until potatoes are fork tender; drain. Drizzle potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning, to taste. Cover grill with aluminum foil and place potatoes on foil. Grill 10-15 minutes until cooked through and crisp on the outside.

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers

This is by far my favorite thing that has come off our grill this year. I love these burgers - they are easy to make, healthy and the flavor is fantastic. Plus, they are topped with grilled pineapple, which is beyond tasty. I got this recipe from a little pamphlet of grill recipes I purchased in the Newark airport this spring while waiting for a flight for work. I've changed it quite a bit, so the recipe below is my version. Try these quick before the weather turns too cold - they are worth it!

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers

1 cup bread crumbs

1 can pineapple rings, drained, 1/4 cup of juice reserved

2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1 lb lean ground turkey

Teriyaki sauce for basting

Sesame or whole wheat hamburger rolls

In a bowl combine the breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of juice from canned pineapple and the soy sauce. Crumble turkey into bowl and mix well. Shape turkey into four patties. Grill over medium heat 10-15 minutes, brushing occasionally with teriyaki sauce. Towards the end of grilling, add pineapple rings to grill and grill 1-2 minutes per side. Pineapple can also be brushed with the teriyaki sauce - it's good with and without the sauce! Place burgers on buns and top with a slice of grilled pineapple.

Italian Meatball Burgers

This summer was our first in our "real" house (re: not an apartment or townhouse) so one of our first warm weather purchases was a grill. Since then, I've spent a lot of time hunting down new recipes to try out on our grill. This one, from the August 2007 issue of Cooking Light, is one of my favorites. These burgers are easy to make and very tasty - the sausage really adds a nice bite to the burgers. As this is my first actual food post, I really wanted a nice picture of our meal, but the universe had other plans. Our grill was being uncooperative for some reason, and the "grill for 10 minute" burgers became "sit on the grill for 45+ minutes and hope they cook" burgers. Being that we didn't start grilling until I got home from the gym at 7:15, by the time our food was ready it was dark and we were starving so I didn't get a picture. Still, the burgers were delicious! I made a few changes to the recipe, which I indicated in italics. We served these with a side of pasta and were good to go.

Italian Meatball Burgers

Ingredients
8 ounces sweet turkey Italian sausage

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (I ommit this)

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound ground sirloin (I use lean ground beef)

Cooking spray

2 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

Italian bread rolls, split (I use whole wheat rolls)

3/4 cup fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce (such as Muir Glen)

Preparation

Prepare grill.
Remove casings from sausage. Combine sausage, oregano, basil, salt, fennel seeds, garlic powder, and ground sirloin. Divide beef mixture into 6 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.
Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes. Turn patties over; grill 2 minutes. Divide fresh mozzarella cheese evenly over patties, and grill an additional 5 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°. Remove from grill; let stand 5 minutes.
Place rolls, cut sides down, on grill rack; grill 1 minute or until toasted. Place 1 patty on bottom half of each roll; top each serving with 2 tablespoons sauce and top half of roll.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 burger)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 375(33% from fat); FAT 13.9g (sat 5.3g,mono 4.4g,poly 1.7g); PROTEIN 28.1g; CHOLESTEROL 80mg; CALCIUM 130mg; SODIUM 894mg; FIBER 1.8g; IRON 4.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.7g