Awesome-Tasting Food!! // grilled peaches?

Last week I grilled peaches for the first time and it actually worked!! You see, we sell peaches at our local farmers market and customers have told me about grilling them. I've always wondered if it really works or not, so I decided to try my hand at it. The result? It turned out AWESOME! You're going to find out just how fast and easy it is to grill peaches...

source

Grilled Peaches

Start with peaches that are firm but give a little when you squeeze them. I'd also use a freestone peach.
Cut each peaches in half and remove the pit. You can either grill the entire half or cut the halves into wedges.
Brush the cut side of the peaches with oil (I used olive oil and it tasted great.)
Cook the peaches over a medium fire on all cut side until grill marks show and the peach is tender. (I also grilled a little bit on the other side just to make sure it cooked all the way through. )

You can either eat the grilled peaches plain, in a salad, or with a scoop of home-made ice cream. We ate ours plain, but if you're going to do that eat them hot off the grill. They taste best that way.

source

There you have it, grilled peaches in under 10 minutes!

I thought grilling really brought out the flavor of the peach, meanwhile it made the peach look beautifully red. That might be because I used Canadian Harmony peaches. They're known for their red flesh.

Well, I hope you try this and tell me what you think.

Want another recipe on grilled peaches? Then try this one.

~Susanna

Awesome-Tasting Food!! // chipotle chicken

I haven't done one of these in awhile so I decided to make up for it by posting a super awesome recipe!

Have you ever been to Chipotles? Of course you have and you love it right? Or do I even need to  ask... :)  I love Chipotles not just because it tastes really good, but also because it's healthy for you. They raise chickens the way you should.

The other day I made "mock" Chipotle grilled chicken. I don't think it tastes a lot like the real thing, but it was really, really good. It is also a ton of fun to make.


"Mock" Chipotle Chicken Marinade

1 (2 ounce) package dried ancho chiles  -I just used ancho chile powder because it was faster!
1 (7 ounce) can chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (discard chipotle pepper, skim out seeds)
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
6 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 red onion, quartered
1/4 cup oil (canola/vegetable/olive)
1 whole boneless, skinless naturally raised chicken (about 3 lbs, thighs work well too)

Soak dry chilies overnight in water, until soft. Remove seeds. Add chilies and rest of the ingredients in blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Stab chicken with fork to let the marinade soak in. If you're marinating overnight, you won't need to stab it too much. If you're marinating for an hour, stab it all over!

Spread marinade over chicken, refrigerate for one hour or up to overnight. After marinating, grill on medium high on an indoor grill where the chicken can be pressed flat.

If using a skillet, heat oil to medium high. Place a foil-wrapped brick on top of chicken to press it flat. If using an outdoor grill, use charcoal to make it ultra delicious. Place foil wrapped bricks to press chicken flat. You can also make this on a Panini grill on medium high heat. Place something heavy on top to weigh it down.

*If you want, you can throw all the ingredients into a crockpot (bones included), cook on low for 10-12 hours or high for 4-6. You will have meat that falls off the bone because it's so tender and the consistency is similar to a stew! You can add 2 cups water or a low sodium stock to keep it from drying out.

Once chicken is cooked let it cool for a little bit and then slice into bite size pieces. Serve with tortillas, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, and Chipotle Lime Rice. (That recipe is coming next week!!!)

I was telling somebody about this recipe and they were wondering what the chipotle peppers in a can looks like. So in case you're wondering the same thing this /\ /\ is what it looks like.

... and if you're too lazy to cook you can just go to Chipotles and let them serve you. :) 

If you try this recipe tell me what you think. WARNING: this recipe makes you drink water!

~Susanna

rain....

 

Yesterday it rained. 

I wish it was still raining. 

The Kansas ground needed it so much and could still use some more.

If it was still raining I'd be out running in it like Marianne. 

You know, running in the rain feels very good.

Or perhaps, I'd go for a horse ride.

But.......

...instead I went outside and grilled hamburgers.  They turned out very good.

So, what do you do when it rains?

~Susanna

shrimp

I don't know about, but I used to hate shrimp. And that was before I even tasted it! Tells you how silly I was. Still, I'm not so sure about fresh shrimp.

Last year I tried shrimp at Panada Express. Yeah, I know that's cheating, but I really liked it. I've been wanting to find a grilled shrimp recipe for some time, when taste of home gave me one.  It was very good, but I was hoping it would be hotter than it really was.

You're gonna need a grill for this one. :)

Cajun Shrimp Skewers Recipe
8 servings  Prep: 20 min. + marinating Grill 5min.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon onion powder

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first nine ingredients. Add the shrimp; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
On eight metal or soaked wooden appetizer skewers, thread shrimp and lemon wedges. Grill, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 5-8 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, turning once. Yield: 8 skewers.
I'd cooked them just a little longer than what they say.


O.K. I want your opinion. What would you all think if I started posting recipes on Wednesdays or at least one day a week?

~Susanna
20 5 2Ingredien2 tablespoons oli

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pound uncooked jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 medium lemon, cut into wedges

3rd of July (with pictures)

Yeah, I know it isn't the 4th. But who said that it had to be?

Ok, in the afternoon we had my Dad's side of the family over. We had the usual hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, potato salad, watermelon, cookies, ice cream, and my Grandma's pie that is usually gone before supper. :) 

I'm kidding, no one is allow to cut into it until after supper and then it is gone in ten seconds. Thankfully, I don't like pie so I don't have to worry about it.

After supper you either went out to fish in our pond, played v-ball, or sat inside and talked.

Our international friend was the only person who caught anything that night.

My cousin, Anna, found our dog, Shyann, and seemed to like her.

I think they're both cute.

The colors are pretty at this time of day.

Once it out dark we started blowing things up, or at least we tried.

After the second fountain I'm tired of them, but everyone else likes it.

 

And who doesn't want to do sparklers?

 Yes, I used them to write people's names in the sky...

Well, after all the artillery shells, roman candles, fountains, etc. were cleaned up my cousins Josh and Sarah, my brother Titus, and I went for a raft ride in our pond. Now that I think about it, it probably wasn't the best idea since it was dark and you couldn't see very well. Anyway, we had a lot of fun trying to find the glow sticks we had thrown into the water.

 It was almost 11 o'clock when everybody left. I guess you could say it was bedtime...

~Susanna

Grilling...

One of my favorite things to do is grill food. I think I would grill about anything......maybe.

Yesterday Mom decided to have hamburgers for supper, which was great because I had been wanting to grill something all day.

This is my nice 4-burner grill. Let me rephrase that, it is my Dad's grill but I'm the only one who uses it.

The grill works great, except every time I've tried to start it this year it has taken me awhile. Don't know why.

 Hope raw meat doesn't gross you out. 

The only seasoning I put on hamburgers are Season Salt and Garlic Powder. By the time you get ketchup on it you can hardly taste it though.

They're still kinda pink.

I don't have a picture of the finished product (hamburger, bun, ketchup, mustard, curry pickles, lettuce, onions, etc.) because my brother took me out for supper at Redrock Canyon Grill.

In the end I didn't get to eat my cooking, but who cares when you get a supper like I got.

~Susanna