Tales from the Grill

A big plus of my new suburban life is having a grill. On my day off, I basically throw every meat (chicken, various sausages, pork) and veggie (mainly zucchini, squash, eggplant, peppers, onions) in my fridge on the grill and (voila!) I have lunch and/or dinner for the week.

One dish that is quickly becoming a staple in my grilling repertoire is swordfish kabobs. After burning quite a few wood skewers, I've moved on to metal ones but the basis of the dish has remained the same. I alternate swordfish cubes, red onion (for color) and red and green peppers. A generous coating of olive oil spray, kosher salt and a lemon pepper spice mixture I purchased at Penzey's rounds out the dish. In minutes, it is done. Plain, simple, delicious!

A great accompaniment to the kabobs is grilled corn on the cob. I parboil the corn on the stove then spray liberally with butter spray and let the cobs caramelize on the grill. For a side salad the next day, I've removed the kernels from the cob and added to greens, black beans, tomatoes and avocados. A Southwest inspired delight!

Another fish I've tried to grill is tilapia with mixed results. I figured I'd give myself mercury poisoning if all I'm eating is swordfish, so I branched out. Since tilapia's not quite firm enough to stand up to grilling it can be a bit of a challenge. Again Pensey's Sunny Spain seasoning really saved the day and added a subtle fresh flavor to the fish.

The key to meats that you are planning on reheating is to ever so slightly under cook them so they do not dry out upon reheating. Pork chops and pork tenderloin grilled in a pineapple sake marinade became something extra special when I grilled some fresh pineapple along side it. Chicken in a teriayki glaze caramelized beautifully on the grill and I met equally outstanding results with a sesame ginger marinade. I must admit the marinades come out of a bottle, but hey, this is mostly low maintenance grilling.

It's pretty safe to say that I will be "that weirdo neighbor" that you see outside working the grill in a parka in the dead of winter and it's also pretty safe to say I'll be "that weirdo neighbor" taking pictures of her grill too!