Tag Archives: grilling

Lemon Basil Pork Chops

Did you ever have one of those days where nothing goes right? Yesterday was one of THOSE days. I was all ready to get our grill started to grill pork chops and of course when I went to light it, it only “clicked, clicked, clicked”….GREAT. Now to switch gears and cook them inside. I also was making a box of mac & cheese for my kids and while I was draining it, the bottom of the lid slid out of the pot and all the pasta ended up in the sink. Needless to say, I was about ready to throw in the towel and order pizza. Later I found out that it was National Kitchen Klutzies Day….I think that explains it all!

Anyways, these pork chops were delicious. The lemon flavor was subtle and the marinade made them moist and not dried out. It was definitely a hit with me and my husband – my kids…not so much. Oh well, more for leftovers and to make these again when I get our grill working.

Lemon Basil Pork Chops | Join Us, Pull up a Chair
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Pressure Cooker Ribs

We’re big fans of ribs, but they always take so long on the grill. I think the last time we attempted to make them, we ran out of propane – just our luck! When I saw how you could make ribs using a pressure cooker in 30 minutes, I knew I had to give it a try. They were really good and the best part is they didn’t take all day to make. I’ll definitely be making them again and again this summer!

Pressure Cooker Ribs | Join Us, Pull up a Chair

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Cilantro Lime Steak Bowl

The weather has been getting warmer and that means grill season is upon us!! We grill most of the summer and I can’t wait to try new recipes this summer. Grilled meats, vegetables and fruit – YUM!! I took advantage of the warm weather to whip up a steak bowl. You could always add in a scoop of cilantro rice; I opted to leave it out and pack my bowl with veggies. The steak had a great flavor even with only a short amount of time to marinate. I completely forgot to take it out of the freezer the night before to start thawing. Next time, I plan to marinate it for the full 2 hours to really pack in the cilantro lime flavor. Cilantro Lime Steak Bowl | Join Us, Pull up a Chair Continue reading →

Grilled Chicken Fajita Mushrooms

Well cheer season is in season and my nights are definitely short on time to make dinner. I whipped this recipe up and it was so good!! I love chicken fajitas, but rarely make them since I’m trying to do low-carb. The mushroom cap adds great flavor and grilling it all makes for quick prep and clean-up. You could easily switch out the onions and peppers for other veggies and completely change the flavor. The next combo I want to try is grilled zucchini and chicken with pesto and mozzarella cheese. YUM!

Grilled Chicken Fajita Mushrooms | Join Us, Pull up a Chair

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Teriyaki Pork and Pineapple Kebabs

I can’t believe it’s almost half way through September. This month has been a whirlwind. I took a little time off from work around Labor Day and decided to unplug from things a little bit. It was a nice break and much-needed. I hadn’t planned this much time since my last post, but sometimes life happens.

Work has been really busy and my husband took a new position at his job, so things have been a little crazy…and then throw in coaching cheerleading and Rodan+Fields, it got even more crazy! I’m working on catching back up and through my list of recipes that I need to get posted.

I mentioned these kebabs in my homemade teriyaki sauce and they were so delicious. I mean you can’t go wrong with grilled pineapple and dinner in less than 15 minutes!

Teriyaki Pork & Pineapple Kebabs | Join Us, Pull up a Chair

1 lb boneless pork chops, cut into bite sized pieces
1 small red onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
3/4 lb peeled fresh pineapple, cut into 1 inch pieces
3/4 cup teriyaki sauce

Using wooden or metal skewers, thread the pork, onion and pineapple cubes alternating until each skewer is full. Brush the kebabs with teriyaki sauce and place in a preheated grill. Grill for 12 to 15 minutes, turning the kebabs throughout the cooking process until the pork is fully cooked. Brush more teriyaki sauce over the cooked kebabs and serve with a side of brown rice or quinoa and a vegetable.

Source: Everyday with Rachel Ray magazine, June 2015

BBQ Teriyaki Pork Kabobs

The summer grilling season is here and we’re already taking full advantage of it.  We’ve been grilling chicken legs, burgers and veggies. We rarely use pork when we grill, but I’ll definitely be making these kabobs a couple of times this summer.

The glaze is really good and keeps the pork moist.  Plus you can’t go wrong with grilled pineapple! The kids loved them too!

BBQ Teriyaki Pork Kabobs | Join Us, Pull up a Chair

3 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 lb boneless pork loin,  cut into 1 inch cubes
14.5 oz can reduced sodium need broth
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp ground ginger
4 oz baby bella mushrooms,  halved
1 large sweet onion, cut into 12 wedges
12 cherry tomatoes
12 bite-sized pieces of fresh pineapple

In a gallon bag, combine the 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, olive oil, 1 garlic clove, red pepper flakes,  and salt and pepper. Add in the pork and close the bag.  Toss to coat the pork with the marinade and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

After the pork has marinated, in a small saucepan, mix together the beef broth, cornstarch, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, and ginger over high heat.  Being to a boil and stir constantly. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes until the glaze thickens.

On skewers, alternate the marinated pork, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and pineapple chucks. Place the kabobs on a preheated and oiled outdoor grill and cook for 15 minutes or until the pork is cooked through. Baste the kabobs with the glaze frequently through the cooking process. Enjoy!

Source: Allrecipes.com

Cherry Jalapeno Beef Skewers

We’ve been doing a lot of grilling lately…the weather has been perfect and most of the time my husband mans the grill. But this time, I took over to make these beef skewers. I was offered the opportunity to review a few products from Gourmet Warehouse. I had never heard of the company before, but one of my food blogger friends told me about them and I was excited to learn I could pick a few products to try out. 
They carry a variety marinades, BBQ sauces and spice rubs/seasonings and are based in Hilton Head. I had a hard time narrowing down my selection, but I chose the mild cherry jalapeno BBQ sauce and honey garlic injectable marinade. Both products were something I had never used before and couldn’t wait for them to arrive. 
I immediately knew I was going to inject a roaster with the honey garlic marinade. I don’t have pictures for this recipe, but the chicken was so moist and flavorful! I only had a couple hours to let it marinade before I needed to get it in the oven, but in that short amount of time, it was amazing. 
For the BBQ sauce, I knew I wanted to used it to baste a piece of grilled meat. I was looking at the different cuts of beef at my butcher and saw they had top sirloin on sale. They had a few thin sliced pieces – light bulb moment! I could slice it into thin strips and make skewers out of it. The sauce is AMAZING! The combination of cherry and jalapeno is perfect – the sweetness of the cherries is cut with the mild heat of the jalapeno.My husband said “it was the best meal I’ve had in a long time.” I’m not sure if I should be mad at him or not for that comment.  I loved the sauce so much, that we used it on grilled chicken the next night. 
1 lb thin top sirloin, cut into one inch strips (approximately 1/4 inch thick)
Cherry Jalapeno BBQ sauce 
wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
Skewer the beef and season both sides with salt and pepper. Once your grill is ready, place the skewers on the grill. Allow to cook for 2 minutes and then flip. After you flip, coat the top side with the BBQ sauce. Cook for one minute on the other side and then flip. Coat that side with BBQ sauce and let sit for one minute. Flip two more times so both sides of the beef is basted twice with the sauce. Remove from heat and enjoy! 
If you’ve never tried Gourmet Warehouse products before, check them out.

Easy Grilled Baby Back Ribs

We’ve been grilling several times a week for the last 2 months and I love it! It’s so much easier to let my husband grill, while the kids play outside and I take care of the rest of the dinner. This was the first time we made ribs and they turned out great. I usually don’t buy ribs, but there was a great sale, so it was worth a shot.

I found this recipe from the Deen brothers and thought it was different that they are grilled in aluminum foil instead of just thrown on the girl. This spice mix is perfect and we topped ours with a slather of a spicy molasses barbecue sauce. They were delicious and I can’t wait to make them again!

2 racks of baby back ribs (approximately 2 lbs each)
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp chili pepper
1 Tbsp fresh ground pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp salt
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and spices. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs with a sharp knife. Rub the spice mixture all over the ribs to coat evenly and place into a large resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate overnight, turning the bag occasionally throughout the day. 
When ready to grill, heat the grill to medium heat. Remove the ribs from the bag and place each one on a large piece of aluminum foil. Wrap and place on the grill. Grill covered for 25 minutes and then turn the packets over and grill for another 25 minutes. Test the doneness of the meat by poking a fork between the bones. The meat should be tender and if not done, cook for another 10 to 15 minutes until the meat is fork tender. 
Carefully remove the ribs from the foil and place on the grill to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until the ribs start to become crispy. Remove and place on a serving plate. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before cutting them into individual ribs. 
Source: The Deen Brothers

Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa

Today is my little guy’s second birthday! I can’t believe how quickly the last year went by…really, wasn’t he just born a couple months ago? We’re having a little family party tomorrow night – just grilling burgers and dogs and we’ll do something fun over the weekend.

I know lately I’ve been posting a lot of sweet treats and I was thinking about it and realized it’s because we’ve been grilling several times a week and I haven’t been making new recipes. I’m trying to change that in the next couple of weeks and with our garden doing really well, I’m planning to have new sides and salad recipes to share.

This recipe was super simple and had amazing flavor. I was a little heavy-handed with my limes, they were extra juicy,  but otherwise this avocado salsa was amazing! The spice mix used to marinate the salmon was perfect.

2 lbs wild Alaskan salmon, cut into 4 pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
dash of cayenne pepper

Salsa
2 small avocados, cubed
1/2 small red onion, sliced
juice of 2 limes
1-2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
salt to taste

Mix together the dried spices in a small bowl. Run the salmon with the olive oil and then sprinkle and rub in the spice mix. Place the seasoned salmon in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat your grill. I used a grill pan since we were out of propane. Once the grill is ready, grill the salmon to your desired doneness. While the salmon is being grilled, make the salsa. Combine all the ingredients and refrigerate until ready to be used.

Top the grilled salmon with the salsa and enjoy!

Source: The Cookie Rookie

Grilled Shrimp with Citrus and Quinoa

I bought a bag of organic quiona a couple weeks ago and have been looking for a recipe to use it. I’ve never had it before, but have heard great things about it and it’s really good for you – high in protein. I was looking through the latest issue of Food Network Magazine and came across a recipe for Scallops with Citrus and Quinoa. Scallops were expensive so I figured I would substitute with grilled shrimp. I think the combination worked well, but didn’t care for the quinoa alone. I have some more and am going to try to work it into other recipes.

3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed well
salt
3 oranges (I used 2/3 cup orange juice)
4 tangerines
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed (I used 1/2 tsp crushed coriander)
2 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 lb shrimp
ground pepper
chopped fresh parsley, chives or scallions

Combine the quinoa, 2 cups water and 1/2 tsp salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered until the water is absorbed, 12-14 minutes.

Meanwhile, grate 1 tsp orange zest then juice the 3 oranges and 4 tangerines into a bowl.

Sprinkle the sugar in a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until dark amber, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in vinegar, citrus juices and zest and the coriander. Return to medium heat and whisk in butter; keep warm.

Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Place on a greased heated grill/grill pan and cook until pink.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork and divide among 4 plates. Top with shrimp and sprinkle with the citrus sauce and sprinkle with desired herbs.

Adapted from Food Network Magazine, January/February 2010