Smokey Grilled Corn

Grilling season is in full swing, as are the warm temperatures.  It was 93° here today.  Way to hot for this early in June, and way to hot to be cooking indoors.  The air conditioning is barely adequate in our 100 year old house, so we try to keep things cool at all costs.  Once the house heats up it takes hours to cool down.  Whoever said old homes were "charming" never lived in one.  No really, I love my old house, even with all the challenges it has presented in the last 20 years.

I'm getting just a little off subject here.  Where was I?  Oh yes, grilling.  I've really gotten into finding unique recipes to try on the grill.  We normally just cook the old stand bys like everyone else, burgers, steak, hot dogs and chicken, but lately I"ve been experimenting with veggies and mushrooms.  Its been a lot of fun!

The idea for this recipe came from the caterers at one of my hubby's work parties.  They served this great grilled corn that was seasoned with paprika and parsley.  It was great but we all thought it was missing something so I took the idea and ran with it.  Over the course of last summer I messed around with the recipe and I've come up with something I think is a real winner.

One of the best things about it is that it cooks on the grill right along with the meat.  In fact the smokiness of the grill is what makes this corn taste so good.  This would be a great side at your Father's Day BBQ this weekend.

Smokey Grilled Corn

Serves 6-8

4Tbs. Butter

½ tsp. Smoked Paprika

½ tsp. Salt

1/8 tsp. Pepper

½ tsp. Chili powder

3 tsp. Parsley

Juice of ½ a lime

1 clove minced garlic

1 16 oz. Bag frozen corn (you can also use 2 ½ cups of fresh corn cut off the cob)

Tear off 2 large sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil and place one on top of the other. Fold up the edges to form a foil pan about 8-10 inches across. You could also use a small disposable foil pan for this.

Next to your steaks or burgers, place the foil pan on the grill over medium high heat. Add the butter and allow to melt and get nice and bubbly. Add the corn and the remaining ingredients to the foil pan. Stir to coat the corn with the spices.

Close the lid on the grill and allow the corn to cook right along with your meat. It will soak up the smokey flavor of the grill and be fantastic! Stir it occasionally so it heats evenly and the spices are distributed nicely. Once the corn is heated through, remove from the grill and enjoy!!

**You can also make this on your stove top in a frying pan.**

Source:  A Mommy's Original Recipe

Grilled Teriyaki Pineapple

The picture just doesn't do this justice.  Not even close.  Its too bad you can't see the lovely caramelized sugars and juicy sweetness that is this pineapple.  I've had grilled pineapple before, but the teriyaki glaze was a new twist for me, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I never expected to let out a little moan of pleasure at its sweet, juicy deliciousness.  It was so yummy it almost counted as a dessert. And I'm thinking it would be great over ice cream, teriyaki sauce and all.  Call me crazy!  I served this with some grilled burgers and fresh melon and it was awesome!

Even though I really know nothing about this, I'll tell you what I do know about picking a good pineapple.  First, look at the color.  Green-bad.  Yellow/gold-good.  Get a pineapple with as much yellow/gold as possible.  Second, squeeze.  You want a nice firm pineapple.  If its squishy then its over ripe and won't grill well.  Not to mention it won't taste very good.  Finally, smell.  I smell all my produce before I buy it, even potatoes.  Your nose can tell when something is over-ripe before your eyes can.  So if there is any musty odor, move on.

Grilled Teriyaki Pineapple
Serves 6-8 or just me :)


1 ripe fresh pineapple
1/2 cup of your favorite teriyaki sauce (I use this homemade version from Our Best Bites)

Cut off the prickly outer peel of the pineapple.  Be careful to get all of it, it hurts to bite into.  Then core and slice into 1/2 inch slices.  A pineapple corer works great for this, but I just used a sharp knife and it was easy. Place the pineapple slices on a clean, preheated grill.  I cooked mine over medium high heat.  Cook until you have some nice grill marks and the pineapple is getting soft, then flip over.  Baste the grilled side with teriyaki sauce, it doesn't take much.  Remember, we're just adding a little flavor, not drowning it.  When the bottom side is done grilling, flip the pineapple slice again and cook just long enough for the sugars in the teriyaki sauce to caramelize, about 1-2 minutes.  Baste the other side with teriyaki sauce and flip to cook that side another 1-2 minutes.  Serve hot as a side dish or put on a grilled burger--YUM!

Source:  A Mommy's Original recipe

Asian Chicken Kebabs

Here's another great grilling option for Labor Day weekend.  These have a nice mild Asian flavor and even my kiddos loved these (But that could have just been the skewers, they love food on skewers).  I served these with grilled veggies, fresh melon and Won Ton Chicken Salad. (I'll be sharing that one tomorrow, its a family favorite!)  It was a yummy meal and perfect for a hot evening.

Asian Grilled Chicken

Serves about 5

Marinade:
2 t garlic
1/2 C rice vinegar
1/2 C soy sauce
2 t Hoisin sauce  (available in the Asian section of most grocery stores)
3/4 C brown sugar
2 t sesame oil
1 T sesame seeds
1/2 t ginger
pinch red pepper flakes
1 T peanut butter 
1/3 C hot water
5 chicken breasts cut into long strips
12 shish kabob skewers


Place the peanut butter and 1/3 C water in the microwave and heat for 1 minutes. Stir it until it's smooth and combined well.

Place all ingredients but the chicken and skewers into a 9x13 pan. Stir them around to incorporate. Slide the chicken strips onto the skewers. Set them in the marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.


Grill the chicken skewers for about 7 minutes over medium heat. Turn and cook until chicken is cooked through. 


Source:  Jamie Cooks It Up

BBQ Chicken Kebabs

This weekend is the last big BBQ weekend of the summer, so I thought I'd share my favorite BBQ chicken recipe from this summer.  I originally started out to make this recipe, until I opened up my cupboards and realized I had almost none of the ingredients.  So I pulled out every spice I had that would even remotely taste good on BBQ chicken and made up my own version.  And it was fabulous!  It was so good that I made it twice in one week.  My kiddos loved having their own skewers and the whole meal was a huge success!

For this recipe, you'll use bacon in a way you would have never imagined.  I'm talking bacon paste.  Sounds disgusting, tastes delicious!  I've been seriously pondering other ways to use it.  Its magical!  It adds a subtle, smokey flavor to these kebabs.  I'm drooling just thinking about it!

BBQ Chicken Kebabs
Serves 4-6


2 lbs. chicken, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
2 Tbs. BBQ seasoning (I used McCormick)
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
dash red pepper flakes
2 Tbs. sugar
BBQ sauce
Skewers (if you are using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes)

Toss the chicken and salt together.  Cover and chill 1 hour.  Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

In a small  bowl, combine the paprika, BBQ seasoning, chili powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and sugar.

Process the bacon in a food processor until a smooth paste forms, about 30-45 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Add the bacon and spice mix to the chicken and blend until the chicken is completely coated with the bacon paste.  Thread the chicken loosely onto skewers.  Don't waste any of the bacon mixture, just press any remaining onto the skewered chicken.

Grill, turning every 2-3 minutes until browned and slightly charred, about 8-10 minutes total.  Brush with BBQ sauce and flip and cook until sauce is brown in spots, about 1 minute.  Brush the second side with BBQ sauce and flip to grill 1 minute.  Serve immediately.

Inspired by:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe