Category Archives: BBQ & PICNIC RECIPES

DEVILED EGGS

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Please bear with me, but I am going to take a giant step back from the sophisticated recipes I usually present (like Pea Salad and Refrigerator Mashed Potatoes) and briefly journey back to the good old days. (I used to hate hearing my parents and grandparents make reference to the “good old days”. And now, in black and white for all to witness, I am saying the same thing. Yikes!) But, when I was a child (another annoying phrase I find myself using) in the mid 40s and 50s, life was simpler, less frantic, and a mouse was a critter you found in your attic happily building a nest in an old dresser drawer.  Some of you too may remember those days (hopefully without the mouse in the attic part). And if you were any kind of a benign rascal like I was in my youth, your worst discretion would have been something like mine. I loved to listen in on my neighbor’s party line conversations. (If you don’t know what a “party line” is, ask a grandparent or someone over the age of 65.) But truthfully, I’m quite sure those of you who don’t even know how to use a dial telephone, can’t begin to imagine how exciting it was to be a 6 or 7 year old listening, unbeknownst, to old Mrs. Taylor discuss her best recipe for deviled eggs or the state of her varicose veins with her good friend Ethel! Pure heaven, I’m tellin’ you! But by now you’re probably asking yourself, what in the name of all things Bell Telephone has any of this ancient history to do with deviled eggs? Well my dear friends, it has everything to do with deviled eggs. Deviled eggs, one of the best taste treats ever invented, are fast becoming as yesterday as cathode ray tube televisions! And I simply can’t allow that to happen. I have to tell you, when I serve deviled eggs to guests as one of several appetizers, they are the first to go. People love them. They practically start purring. And the best part, eggs are cheap. So next time you throw a cocktail party or are asked to bring an appetizer, consider deviled eggs. People may look at you funny at first, but after they bite into one of these babies, their skepticism will melt away as fast as cold butter on a hot biscuit!

  • 8 hard boiled eggs
  • 4 tsp. minced dehydrated onion
  • 4 tsp. white wine vinegar
  • 4 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 to ½ c. light mayonnaise
  • parsley or paprika for garnish, opt.

Peel and cut hard-boiled eggs in half. Gently scoop the yolks into a small bowl. Add onion, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Mash together with fork until ingredients are well blended and paste like. Stir in just enough mayonnaise to make a creamy consistency that holds its shape when scooped or spooned into egg white. (I use a tiny ice cream scoop for a size consistency.) Place eggs on platter and sprinkle with chopped parsley or paprika. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

GUACAMOLE

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OK, I know everyone knows how to make guacamole. But, in the name of all things wonderful in Mexican cuisine, I felt duty bound to offer my take on this classic, along with my humble justification for including said recipe on my blog. Like many home cooks and restaurant chefs, I too (and I’m not proud of my ignorance), failed to realize that guacamole is all about the avocado. Duh, where was my head? (Don’t answer that!) And to this day there are still many who don’t understand that concept. How many times have you yourself tasted guacamole, that had the contents of the guacamole been posted anywhere, the lovely alligator pear would only be listed as the first ingredient by a very small margin.  That some other food item, such as chopped tomato, would be trying to work its way up to take over that coveted position! Unacceptable! So, in deference to one of the most glorious tasting fruits I have ever had the pleasure to eat, that also just happens to be good for me, I present my guacamole recipe. (And yes, since avocados grow on a tree and are part of the reproductive organ of the plant, thus the seed, they are technically a fruit. However, we do tend to think of them more as vegetables because of the way they are generally served.) In conclusion, I would like to offer a small apology. I’m sure you would have noticed on your own without me pointing out the obvious, but my recipe for guacamole isn’t as inexpensive to prepare as some. That’s because there aren’t any filler ingredients (tomato, sour cream, etc.). Just a few tiny additions to enhance the flavor of the avocado. Like I said, you would have figured this out on your own, but I still retain the hideous habit of stating the obvious. Too many years working in human resources for a large corporation where even the obvious (you applied for work when you came here) had to be stated to some staff members more regularly than you could ever imagine!

  • 2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded and peeled
  • 1 small garlic clove, very finely minced
  • 1 tsp. very finely chopped onion
  • 4-5 slices pickled jalapeño, very finely minced
  • 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt

Mash (don’t pulverize) all ingredients together and serve with your favorite tortilla chips. (I think guacamole is best when there are still some tiny chunks of avocado left to provide a bit of texture.)

 

BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES

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There are few foods as evocative of my childhood as bread and butter pickles. When I was young every holiday meal had to include “the relish tray”. And said relish tray had to offer at the very least black olives, carrot and celery sticks, and pickles. Sometimes the pickles were homemade dill pickles, but more often they were bread and butter pickles, because they were my dad’s favorite. It was always my job to assemble the “tray” which I gladly did with nary a “mom, do I have to?”  It was simply the best chore ever! I got to cut the carrot and celery sticks, open the can of olives and drain the pickles.  And, I was allowed to arrange the tray any way I wanted! Of course arranging the tray was really the fun part, well that and eating most of the olives and a considerable portion of the pickles before they ever hit the tray! So when I found this simple recipe years later and it didn’t even involve the “C” word (canning), I was very excited.  (And yes, I would gladly give credit to the awesome author of this recipe if I had any recollection. But I’m certain that when I saw bread and butter pickles, easy, and 24 hours all in the same sentence, the recipe could have been handed down from Moses for all I would have noticed.) So if you too love a good bread and butter pickle, give this recipe a try. I have actually observed grown men hover over a bowl of these pickles mumbling mine, mine, mine! I could easier accept such behavior from a flock of seagulls, for example, than grown men. But truth be told, I do understand. These lovely pickles are just that good.

  • 2 English cucumbers, partially peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 ½ T. kosher salt
  • 1 c. thinly sliced yellow onion
  • 1 c. granulated sugar
  • ¼ c. packed brown sugar
  • 1 c. white vinegar
  • ½ c. cider vinegar
  • 1 ½ tsp. mustard seed
  • ½ tsp. celery seed
  • 1/8 tsp. turmeric

Combine cucumber slices and salt in a large non-reactive bowl (glass works best); cover and chill for 90 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again and return cucumbers to bowl. Add onion. Combine sugars, vinegars, mustard seed, celery seed, and turmeric in a medium sized saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugars dissolve. Pour hot mixture over cucumbers and onion; let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. At this point the pickles can be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. (Good luck on that! They have yet to last that long in our refrigerator.)

 

PICNIC BUNS

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There are just some recipes that bring back memories that make you feel good. This recipe and this way of shaping dinner rolls (my grandmother always called them picnic buns) take me back to my childhood. I grew up on 2 ½ acres in Kenmore, Washington. There were two homes on this parcel of land. One home was occupied by my dad, mom, two younger brothers and me; the second residence belonged to my maternal grandfather and grandmother. We had fruit trees, various types of berries, a couple of cows, a lot of chickens (my grandfather sold eggs for a living), a creek, a copse of trees, and the biggest vegetable garden you could ever imagine. My mom, the dear woman, could not find her way out of a recipe if her life depended on it (in other words, she was not a good cook). And my grandmother, who on a regular basis could not make jello, did make two types of food that were sensational. She made the best bread and pies imaginable. Why she could bake a pie that tasted like heaven and cookies that were almost unpalatable will forever remain a mystery? But her Banana Split Pie and Mince Meat Pie were heaven sent. Also, any kind of bread she baked was perfect in every respect. So in memory of my grandmother, who was patient, loving, taught me to appreciate art, kittens, clouds, and how to bake bread, I offer you her signature rolls.  I hope this recipe brings back good memories of special food you too once shared with loved ones.

 

  • ¼ c. warm water
  • 1 T. or 1 pkg. active dry yeast
  • ¾c. warm, scalded milk (not too warm or your yeasty beasties won’t be happy)
  • ¼ c. sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • ¼ c. Crisco (sometimes I use butter – sorry grandma)
  • 3 ½ c. or more flour
  • Vegetable oil

In a large mixing bowl, (I use the bowl of my Kitchen Aid mixer), combine the water, yeast, milk, sugar, salt, egg, and Crisco. Let proof for about 10 minutes. Add 2 cups of the flour and mix thoroughly. Add enough remaining flour to form a medium stiff dough. Pour about a teaspoon of oil over the dough and roll into a ball. When dough ball is completely greased, cover the mixer bowl with a tea towel, let rise for about 90 minutes or until doubled. Punch down and let rise again until doubled, about 30 minutes. Butter a 9×13-inch pan. Punch down dough again and divide into 18 pieces. (I just squeeze off small balls of dough as I place them into the prepared pan.) Cover with a tea towel again, and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until a nice golden brown. Serve warm.

 

 

 

BROCCOLI SALAD

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Broccoli has never been and will never be Mr. C’s favorite vegetable. I serve it to him quite often however because it’s one of my favorite veggies. (It’s really all about me, remember?) So try as I may to find new and fabulous ways to serve the lowly Brassica oleracea Botrytis cymosa, about 90% of the time my tries are less than amazing. (That’s putting it nicely!) But this salad (slightly modified from a recipe that came from a friend of a friend), is just so delicious that Mr. C. will actually go back for seconds! I do realize that he might only like this salad because of the bacon, but I’m choosing to think not. I’m going to live in my own little “world of denial” on this one and give him the benefit of the doubt. Ain’t love grand!

  • 5-6 c. bite sized pieces of fresh broccoli
    ½ lb. bacon cooked and chopped
    1 small red onion, diced
    ½ c. golden raisins
    1 c. light mayonnaise
    1 T. sugar
    2 T. white wine vinegar
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 c. sunflower seeds

Combine broccoli, bacon, onion, and raisins in a salad bowl. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, and pepper. When ready to serve, toss broccoli with dressing and sunflower seeds. Serve immediately.

MARINATED GOAT CHEESE

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Whenever I want to make certain that I have prepared an appetizer that almost everyone will adore, it’s off to the mighty goat cheese isle at my grocery store that I go. (Actually, that’s not the whole truth!) Oh, my local grocery store does carry goat cheese logs (now), but they are lovingly enclosed in the tiniest packages you have ever seen; barely visible to the naked eye. So in fact, when I want to serve this appetizer, I have to go off island, drive for many miles to my “local” Costco or Trader Joe’s, to find enough goat cheese (at a reasonable price) to make preparing this dish worthwhile. Because I am here to tell you, no matter how much of this marinated yumminess (my word, don’t bother looking it up) you serve, it will be gone. But, if by some miracle of miracles there is a wee bit left at the end of the evening, you or your spouse (I use the term generically to represent any one else with whom you live) will be happy campers having this available on command in your refrigerator. Nothing makes Mr. C. as happy as a little snack here and there throughout the day. And this cheese spread on a cracker is one of his favorites. I just know there are hobbit genes somewhere in his DNA!

  • 4 T. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced
  • 1 T. chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 T. chopped fresh basil or oregano
  • 1 T. chopped fresh chives (opt.)
  • 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 (6 oz.) log goat cheese, sliced into 1/3-inch thick slices (dental floss works great!)
  • lightly toasted baguette slices

In a flat covered container, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, parsley, basil or oregano, chives, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Add cheese slices to oil. Gently turn cheese a couple of times to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days. Serve at room temperature with crackers or baguette slices.

 

CREAMY CURRY DIP

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Almost everyone loves this dip. It not only possesses inner warmth and character, it is beautiful on the outside. (If only people would refer to me the same way!) So when you want to serve a veggie plate that looks like a million dollars, spoon this dip into a “bowl” made from the bottom half of a red pepper. Place the “bowl” in the middle of a good sized plate surrounded by your favorite crudités (fancy French word for raw veggies) and sprinkle everybody with chopped fresh parsley or a sprinkle of paprika.

  • 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • ½ c. low fat sour cream
  • ¼ c. low fat mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. curry powder
  • ½ tsp. ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp. turmeric
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 tsp. chopped onion

Combine all ingredients in a food processor; whirl until onion all but disappears. Refrigerate at least a day before serving with your favorite veggies.

GRILLED MARINATED PRAWNS

I got this basic recipe from a girl I worked with back in 1974 or 1975.  I was about 4 years her senior and held the misguided belief that I was quite savvy about food. (I was young – cut me some slack!) Anyway, she shared this recipe with me. As I read through the recipe she proceeded to verbally elaborate on the merits of using this white wine over that white wine. (Up till that point I had only purchased wine in a box, that is if you don’t count Ripple, Annie Green Springs, and Cold Duck (and please for goodness sake, don’t count them). This younger woman was actually talking about wine that came in a bottle with a fancy French name! Then there was this olive oil that I had never heard of either. And prawns?  Who was this girl? Suffice it to say, my ego took a big hit that day. I still think of her when I find myself getting overly verbose about my cooking expertise. You just never know when you are in the presence of a true kitchen genius.

  • ¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ c. dry white wine
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2-3 lbs. uncooked prawns (I use frozen, uncooked, unshelled with tail on, 18-25 per lb.)

Combine olive oil, white wine, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a one gallon zip lock bag.  Add prawns and marinate for 1-2 hours depending on size of the prawns. (The larger the prawns, the longer the marinating time.) Refrigerate while prawns are marinating. Drain and barbeque over medium heat, or sauté quickly in a large fry pan, for a couple of minutes per side. DO NOT OVERCOOK. Prawns are done when they have just turned pink. Serve immediately or cool completely and refrigerate. When ready to serve, warm gently or serve at room temperature. No dip or sauce required.

 

PEA SALAD

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I usually try to be lighthearted when I post a recipe, but reading or preparing this recipe always brings back memories. In the days before life became so complicated and our local health department became so rigid, I used to join a group of women (including my dear friend Linda) with whom I worked who prepared special holiday meals for the homeless women’s shelter at our local YWCA. We would all prepare homemade food and serve it to the ladies. The main thing these women liked was the variety of food offered. (They so rarely were given choices outside of what we brought in for these holiday luncheons.) After a few meals, I learned that there were two dishes the ladies really liked. One was this pea salad, the other was deviled eggs. For whatever reason these two foods must have reminded them of better days. So you can bet your bottom dollar, we tried our best to give them what they wanted. This recipe never ceases to remind me how blessed and fortunate I am.

  • ½ c. light mayonnaise
  • 1 T. Dijon mustard
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp. dill weed
  • ½ tsp. seasoned salt
  • ½ c. finely chopped celery
  • 1 lg. shallot, finely minced
  • ½ c. thinly sliced green onion
  • 1 lb. frozen petite peas, uncooked
  • ½ c. chopped bacon, fried crisp, opt.
  • ½ c. grated sharp cheddar cheese, opt.
  • 1 c. salad shrimp, opt.

Whisk the mayonnaise, mustard, pepper, dill weed, and seasoned salt together in a salad bowl. Add the celery, shallot, and green onions. Pour the package of frozen peas into a colander*. Run enough water over the peas to melt the ice crystals that may have formed around the peas. Let sit a couple of minutes to drain. Gently fold peas in with other salad ingredients. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. For variety, add bacon, cheese, or shrimp to the basic recipe.

*or if you are taking this salad to a potluck, for example, and won’t be eating it for several hours, just add the peas straight out of the freezer and they will thaw as you travel. Lovely way to make sure the salad is as fresh and crisp as possible.

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CUCUMBER AND RED ONION SALAD

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There are just those evenings when the last thing I want to do is make a salad. Salads are perhaps my least favorite food to prepare. It’s not the salads fault. Lettuce is boring to wash and cut. Then there are all the other veggies that have to be cleaned and chopped. Again – yawn. But I like salads, so this combination of ingredients is a nice change from the ones that require a salad spinner. It’s also very easy to prepare, and can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.  But the best reason to make this salad is because it is really good. It’s tangy and crunchy and creamy all at the same time. And what it does for your breath! Absolutely nothing can do as good a job at warding off vampires. Yea red onion and garlic!

  • ½ c. plain Greek or regular yogurt or sour cream
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 T. fresh or 1 tsp. dried dill weed
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. white wine vinegar
  • 1/3 c. thinly sliced red onion
  • 1 English cucumber

Combine yogurt, garlic, dill, salt, pepper, and vinegar in a small salad bowl. Add red onion and cucumber which has been partially peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, then sliced into ¼-inch thick half-moons. Adjust seasoning and serve cold.