Innie or Outie

Although I’ve been trying to include videos with meals, this dish was just too quick and simple to have time to take footage, Grilled Beef on a Stick Dinner:

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The meal consisted of grilled thinly-sliced skewered beef with a whole grain mustard, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, and minced garlic paste dipping sauce; red chili beans and sauce mixed with leftover precooked rice and chopped scallions; melted cheddar cheese and fresh homegrown basil leaves tortilla wraps; and a simple salad of iceberg lettuce, chopped cherry tomatoes and scallions, and bacon bits drizzled with a creamy sesame seed dressing.

Finally a chance to do some outside cooking, This-n-That BBQ Dinner:

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This meal consisted of grilled ginger-chili sauce pork roast, grilled shikwasa-garlic chicken, grilled foil-wrapped chili beans and onions, grilled foil-wrapped parsley sweet corn cob, and ochazuke onigiri. View brief video with further details.

One of my favorite aspects of home cooking is taking whatever can be found in the pantry and creating a dinner with the items. This is one such meal, Grilled Mini-Meatball Kabob Dinner:

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What I found readily available in the pantry to use for this meal was:

2 medium potatoes
1 slice bacon (diced)
1 slice large onion (thinly diced)
1 small carrot (sliced)
1 teaspoon-size chunk baby cheese (diced)
1/2 cup heavy cream
7 medium frozen shrimp without shells (coarsely chopped)
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon powdered nutmeg
1 teaspoon powdered paprika
1 package 10 frozen cocktail mini-meatballs in sauce (defrosted)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 small bell pepper (chunk-style diced)
1/8 large onion (chunk-style diced)
5 small cherry tomatoes
5 bamboo skewers (soaked in water to prevent charring – something I forgot to do, ugh…)

When I first envisioned this meal, I wanted a version of twice-baked stuffed potatoes. Unfortunately, the pantry potatoes were the wrong type. Instead, I created Baked Creamy Shrimp-Potatoes:

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Microwave potatoes until tender (about 8 minutes); remove skin; coarsely mash with baby cheese, cream, shrimp, parsley, white pepper, and nutmeg; put mixture into a baking dish and sprinkle with paprika; place in preheated oven at 200 Centigrade for 15 – 20 minutes (until lightly browned).

To accompany the potatoes, a side dish with a twist, Baked Glazed Carrots:

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While potatoes are in the microwave, sauté bacon and thinly-diced onion until browned; place bacon mixture with fat on top of carrot slices and, after the potatoes are finished microwaving, microwave for 3 minutes; place microwaved carrot mixture in an aluminum foil packet and top with cocktail sauce gently scraped from defrosted mini-meatballs; seal and bake in oven at the same time as the potatoes.

For the entré, something a little different, Grilled Mini-Meatball Kabobs:

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As the potatoes and carrots bake in the oven, sauté bell pepper and chunky-diced onions in sesame oil until onions are slightly translucent; alternate sautéed bell pepper and onion, cherry tomatoes, and meatballs on skewers (use a salad fork’s prongs to slide the bell pepper and onion into place if too hot to handle); grill until lightly charred (about 5 minutes each side on low heat in a gas pair-broiler).

The kabobs, potatoes, and carrots should be done at about the same time. Simply plate and serve.

(NOTE: Although this meal sounds difficult, it really was quite uncomplicated because of the timing and rhythm of the preparation and cooking of the individual dishes.)

Sometimes we get caught up in various activities in life, limiting preparation time for meals. This is one solution hubby came up with for an impromptu outdoor barbecue, Papa’s Grilled Chicken Thigh Dinner:

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Hubby began by preparing a simple marinade of fresh rosemary leaves, dried thyme flakes, tsuyu somen sauce, seasme oil, and white wine vinegar. He placed the ingredients in a zip-lock plastic bag, added chicken thighs, and let marinade in the refrigerator for about one hour until the BBQ charcoals were ready.

Meanwhile, he placed potatoes in the microwave and half-baked for about five minutes. After removing the potatoes from the microwave, he cut in half and wrapped in a foil packet.

As the potatoes were baking in the microwave, hubby took some frozen mixed veggies out of the freezer, placed in a foil packet, adding some dried garlic slices, white pepper, sea salt, and olive oil.

Once the charcoals were at the right temperature, hubby placed Papa’s Grilled Chicken Thighs, Papa’s Simple Grilled Foil-Wrapped Veggies, and Papa’s Grilled Foil-Wrapped Half-Baked Potatoes on the grill and cooked until done (about 30 – 40 minutes).

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This is a tasty outdoor meal hubby prepared, Papa’s Grilled Baby-Back Pork Ribs Dinner:

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For the ribs, hubby used honey, minced red chili peppers, rosemary, white wine vinegar, white pepper, soy sauce, and Mirin allowing for several hours to marinade prior to placin on the grill.

Accompaning the entrée was Papa’s Basic Grilled Sweet Corn on the Cob:

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Hubby simply sliced the cob in half and grilled as is and added a serving of Papa’s Grilled Foil-Wrapped Mushrooms and Bell Peppers as the finishing side dish of the meal.

When hubby and I threw this meal together we didn’t consult as to what ingredients were being used in each other’s recipes. It seems we were both in the mood for some garlic and bell peppers to differing degrees. The result was a very flavorful outdoor meal, Grilled Steak and Mushrooms with Bell Peppers Dinner:

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Early in the day, at least three hours prior to serving, prepare the Summertime Penne Salad:

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The salad consisted of 2 tablespoons regular classic mustard, 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard, 1/4 cup dill pickle juice, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 finely diced hard-boiled eggs, 1 diced red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons chopped chives, 1 tablespoon white pepper, 1 teaspoon minced garlic paste, 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes, and cooked penne thoroughly mixed then refrigerated.

Accompanying the pasta for the outdoor meal was Papa’s Grilled Foil-Wrapped Mushrooms and Bell Peppers:

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For the veggie packet, hubby used butter, fresh mushrooms, sliced bell peppers, minced garlic paste, minced ginger paste, soy sauce, chopped chives, white pepper, and sesame oil grilled on medium heat for 20 – 25 minutes.

Completing the meal was the meat entrée, Papa’s Basic Grilled Steak:

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This was a real “no frills” recipe with nothing added to the steak. Simply grill as is. When ready, mix a little soy sauce with the juices from the grilled mushrooms and bell peppers (above) and use as a dipping sauce.

The weather’s giving us a break and allowing for outdoor cooking fun. Here’s another simple meal I came-up with for the BBQ pit, Grilled Foil-Wrapped Pork and Potato Dinner:

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The meal consisted of Grilled Foil-Wrapped Garlic-Mustard Pork with Onions:

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Pork roast strips, whole grain mustard, red wine vinegar, minced garlic paste, fresh parsley, white pepper, sesame oil, and white onion slices wrapped in foil and grilled on medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes.

Also included in the meal was Grilled Foil-Wrapped Ginger-Basil Potatoes with Red Bell Pepper:

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Potato slices, chopped fresh basil, minced ginger paste, lemon juice, diced red bell pepper, black pepper, olive oil, and grated parmesan cheese wrapped in foil and grilled on medium heat for 30 to 40 minutes. (Please make sure the heat is not too high or you end up with a bit of charring as a result.)

To finish the meal, I added a fresh salad of homegrown arugula, iceberg lettuce, sliced cherry tomatoes, and bacon bits with a creamy cheese dressing sprinkled with dried oregano flakes.

When we grill, I usually help with the food prep. Hubby decided to give me a day off and did all the prep and cooking on this dish, Papa’s Grilled Foil-Wrapped Sausage-Liver Penne:

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The pasta was precooked on the stove. Then topped with spicy sausage, smoked liver, mushrooms, and rosemary that had been grilled in a foil wrap on the BBQ pit. He added a simple salad made with homegrown greens from his first patio garden boxes. The greens were mixed with iceberg lettuce and cherry tomatoes and dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette.

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We finally had a few good days of weather and a break in our schedules. So we decided to give a try to a new outdoor dish, Papa’s Grilled Almost-Seafoodless Paella:

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For this version Hubby used rice, olive oil, Italian sausage, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, clams, onion, chicken, garlic slices, oregano, parsley, white pepper, saffron, chicken broth, thyme, bay leaves, and lemon slices.