All of this politics gets crazy Round and Round and Round spinning our wheels and digging our heels. I think we need a diversion from time to time. I am suggesting we start a food and drink thread. So much to talk about. We have folks on the North West Coast Lucky you get wild salmon cooked on alder wood planks. Those planks are expensive on the East Coast. Grilling Charcoal vs. gas. Micro beers vs. European vs. I dontl know Bud (not my choice the head tastes like Styrofoam. Wine: Whats your choice. Believe it not one of the best buys is Three Thieves Zinfindel. Goes great with grilled (charcoal) foods skirt steak with red peppers.
"a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason."
Posts: 1944 | Location: Beautiful New Paltz, NY | Registered: 04 July 2006
Salmon: (one of my favorite slabs.) Alder plank cooked over open flame is killer. King salmon or sockeye is always good.
Beer: I'm not a big beer critic. Amstel light is fine on most days. As long as it's ice cold. Hell, Coors light works on a hot day. I can't stomach dark road tar beer though.
Wine: Dunham Cellers Syrah is one of the best NW (Walla Walla) wines I've had recently. There are many California, Oregon, and Washington wines that are as good as any I've had. With filet mignon, life is good.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."
Theodore Roosevelt, 1913
Posts: 2404 | Location: Redmond WA | Registered: 04 September 2006
When I think of "lounge" I think of Louis Prima "Tiny Bubbles"- whats that Hawaiian Singer Don Ho and Martinis. of course they found a way to corrupt that drink - Apple chocolate, pomegranate what happened to dry gin and dry vermouth shaken over ice with an olive or two. (Charles Mingus is playing in the background)
"a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason."
Posts: 1944 | Location: Beautiful New Paltz, NY | Registered: 04 July 2006
"a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason."
Posts: 1944 | Location: Beautiful New Paltz, NY | Registered: 04 July 2006
I fought the wife over this for years, I did not want to go gas, I was told the taste was bad. Well last summer I bought a gas grill and I think it was the smartest purchase I have made in 2 years. I now grill about 4 nights a week, all year long. The convenience is the best thing, turn it on and in 7 minutes your ready to cook, turn it off and forget about it. I don’t even notice the taste being different. A meat thermometer is a good investment. Steaks? Montreal seasoning!
The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries. Winston Churchill
Posts: 623 | Location: lefortovo | Registered: 09 February 2006
Sorry, I have my Weber Kettle and I love it. I use a chimney and it takes 20 -25 minutes for the Charcoal to burn white. I season it with mesquite chips and the flavor is incredible! I use alder wood planks for salmon. I love the grill. 20-25 minutes open some wine or beer and stir a martini (whatever your pleasure)
"a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason."
Posts: 1944 | Location: Beautiful New Paltz, NY | Registered: 04 July 2006
Hmm...I still love my Charbroil Quickset grill (gas). With some smoking pellets and a good steak, you can't beat it. It even has a sideburner for cooking bratwurst in a beer bath with some onions and peppers (preferably peppers out of my garden). I've thought about going back to charcoal, but I just can't.
Beer, I am a big fan of D.G. Yuengling and their fine brews. The lager is terrific, but recently several stores in NC have started carrying their Lord Chesterfield Ale and Porter, both of which are fantastic (though the Porter is not a true Porter, being cold-filtered and all). If you don't like dark beer, though, don't try the Porter. When you first open it and take a swig, the bitterness will overwhelm. The Ale is a very mild IPA and is great for a bratwurst beer bath if you have nothing else on hand (I've tried brats in an Ale bath and I've tried them in a Porter bath, and the Ale is a lot better, not having that really powerful taste). For imports, I have to admit Guiness Draft is really good (that sweet, bitter taste is unmatched in the US).
Wine, I'm not a big connoisseur at all. Burgundy is terrific, but a Riesling or Pinot is good, too.
If you've never grilled eggplant, it is terrific dipped in oil and a combination of Italian seasoning with a dash of cayenne pepper, then grilled until soft.
Posts: 10 | Location: North Carolina | Registered: 26 June 2006
Well, my outdoor grill went kapooey and I haven't replaced it yet. I know, sacrilege! I've been using my George Foreman grill, and I love that thing. Salmon, with a little lemon pepper, yum.
That grilled eggplant sounds wonderful! I guess I ought to try some of that Guiness, as this is about the 10th time I've heard how good it is. I'm not much of a drinker, except for water, tea and coffee. Good coffee beans, freshly ground in the morning.
I'm glad it cooled off in my area this week so that I could turn my oven on. I made some banana nut bread, I can't stand the stuff but I had some overripe bananas and my husband seems to like it. I baked some enchiladas and a pot of pinto beans too. I always make too much, but the leftovers are good too.
------------------------------------ We cannot control the evil tongues of others; but a good life enables us to disregard them.
Posts: 1855 | Location: here and now | Registered: 22 September 2005
Beer: Any Belgian Abby style ale. I don't remember if Delirium Tremens is an abby ale, but it's a favorite.
Cheese grits. My wife is from Pennsylvania and loves scrapple but hated grits until I went into the kitchen of a local restaurant and borrowed their recipe for cheese grits. I asked her to make them and it opened up a whole new world of food for her. Now if she sees low country shrimp and grits on a menu she can't avoid them. I have the recipe if anyone wants it.
A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.
Posts: 8264 | Location: Fl | Registered: 05 July 2001
As for grilling vegetables, its simple slice eggplants (Italian or Japanese are good varieties) red and green peppers, zucchini and yellow squash in equal sizes. Mix in a bowl with olive oil (not extra virgin it will burn!) balsamic vinegar or lemon juice, coarse salt, pepper and rosemary) Heat up the grill and when its hot (350 F) grill on both sides until done. Remove and drizzle with extra vigrin) Even the most extreme carnivores will enjoy it. For extra texture toss in some portobella mushrooms.
"a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason."
Posts: 1944 | Location: Beautiful New Paltz, NY | Registered: 04 July 2006
Great idea James! No need to "suggest" the thread be created, you created one. And we're in the Lounge section, so there you are.
Who was that that has the Charbroil quickset? I do too. Very easy to use. I appreciate the subtlies of using charcoal, but gas is just more realistic given my and many others' time constraints. Until I adopt that slow lifestyle one day, gas it is.
I'm not a food, beer, or wine connoisseur either....it's like art. I know what I like, and that's all that matters. Food/beer/wine/cocktails are good in that respect, apolitical! A rare thing on these boards!
Beer- love Guinness draft, doesn't get much better to me. But on a hot day nothing satisfies like a cold, crisp lager. Don't like Yuengling though. Have a lot of that in my area, yuck. I'm partial to Natty Bo (National Bohemian), a Baltimore institution, generally considered swill but I like it.
Wine- fell in love with South African wines a while back. Nederburg is good. I like Mondavi and Beringer U.S. wines too, and good German Rieslings or Gewurtztraminers.
Food- it's all good. Brent you mentioned grilling eggplant- I do zuchinis and squashes frequently, and portabellas. They go great with steaks and chicken and salmon. We grill our corn on the cob too. Keep it in the husk (you can peel off a layer or two but leave enough). When the silk at the end is burned off and the husks are a pretty uniform light brown char it's usually done. They're very hot, and when you shuck them most of the silk comes off too.
We're in blue crab country, so we eat a lot of steamed crabs. Now if I can only find a way to grill them......ha.
Brent you mentioned brats and beer. Love it. I agree, lighter suds like lagers or the paler end of ales work better. They add to, without overpowering, the sausage flavors. Brats are good, kielbasa even better. I make a mean kielbasa/potato/sauerkraut/apple bake in a dutch oven, need to see if that could be done on the grill!
sawdust, I'd like your recipe! I just discovered grits recently when I was trying a gluten free diet. Well, I'd heard of them but because of the name I thought they must be icky gross, but they're not! They are pretty darn good. I made a cheesey grits casserole that was pretty tasty, served with a soft boiled egg on top. But my favorite way to eat them is plain old boiled grits with a dash of butter and real maple syrup. **drool**
------------------------------------ We cannot control the evil tongues of others; but a good life enables us to disregard them.
Posts: 1855 | Location: here and now | Registered: 22 September 2005
Stark: Yep, I've done corn that way, too, but it's harder to find good corn that's still in a full husk around here than it is eggplant, so that's often my choice. Still, that corn grilling method you describe is the easiest way to do corn and have it come out perfect, and the kernels don't char that way.
I'm the one with the Quickset. Inexpensive and very versatile (plus, that sideburner is great for the aforementioned bratwurst). I love kielbasa (I am part Polish, so that's probably why). Not wild about sauerkraut, though.
Yuengling is probably the best we have down here in NC, but I can understand why some don't like it. I've actually been to the brewery up in Pottsville (did NOT like the Black & Tan, I admit) and have tried to support them as they introduce their flavors down here.
LisaP: It really depends on what kind of grits you use. If you use quick or regular grits (preferably the latter), two cups of cheese in four cups of cooked grits rules. Add curry powder or cayenne and it's even better.
Whatever you do, don't use instant grits, and don't overcook any type. Instant grits are ground down so fine they have no texture and taste like cardboard. I made that mistake once. Never again.
Blue crabs rule, by the way. I was sorry not to spend more time in Maryland when I was up that way at the start of the month, but I was kind of pushed for time.
Posts: 10 | Location: North Carolina | Registered: 26 June 2006
Lisa, Brent is right about the grits. Stone slow cooking grits, never quick grit, they just aren't worth it.
I have to make a disclaimer here. We've used every kind of cheese from the blues, to the cheddars but nothing works better in this recipe than Velveta which is what the restaurant used and it's not even really cheese.
In a pot mix chicken stock, water and cheese. We use a whole block of cheese if we are cooking for a group. Create enough liquid to cook whatever grits you intend to make.
Add grits, and onions to cooking liquid and then add tobacco to taste. (The recipe came from Tabasco's corporate chef originally.)
When the grits are about done, stir in the crumbled bacon.
We like them with a couple poached eggs on top.
They are guaranteed to immediately clog your arteries and I wouldn't eat them every day, but they are a real treat on a cold Sunday morning at the cabin.
A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.
Posts: 8264 | Location: Fl | Registered: 05 July 2001
Great with chilled seafood and cocktail sauces (spicier the better) Indian and Thia food.
"a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason."
Posts: 1944 | Location: Beautiful New Paltz, NY | Registered: 04 July 2006
You may or may no believe this, but my son in law makes this marinade for steaks and roasts using red wine and Dr. Pepper. It's not bad. I know, it sounds odd, I was afraid to try it but it was pretty good.
He also makes stuffed pork chops, stuffing them with mango salsa, securing them with a toothpick or skewer. Then he rubs the outside of the chop down with some sweet-hot sauce before grilling. Pretty good stuff. Serve with a little rice, maybe some grilled pineapple wedges and a green salsd.
My mother swore by red wine marinades. She didn't really have a recipe, just used whatever suited her mood at the time... so long as the main ingredient was wine. She'd soak it for a minimum of 12 hours in the marinade before putting it on the grill.
------------------------------------ We cannot control the evil tongues of others; but a good life enables us to disregard them.
Posts: 1855 | Location: here and now | Registered: 22 September 2005
Doesn't sound that weird at all, Lisa. That's the great thing about marinades- you can include all kinds of crazy things because you're pulling flavor (and to some degree smell), not texture, appearance, or anything else. A simple way to make an expedient bbq sauce is to mix grape jelly and ketchup.
I personally red wine in almost every marinade for red meats. Actually I like to use sweet vermouth, as it has even more flavors and aromas. Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and oil are also staples. Recently I did one with Maker's Mark and soy as the bases, then added a few things. Kind of came off like a whisky teriyaki, was pretty good. I use white wine, or usually dry vermouth, with chicken and some fish.
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