Mothers day special (dessert)

Welcome back for the second part of the mothers day special of MTG (MMmmmmmTheGrease). For an interesting twist, we shall not be grilling something this time. I will take a minute for some of you to run and catch your socks that just blew off. As for the rest of you.. uhmm... stare at this picture of a dog's face:

(Look at it. LOOK AT IT!!)

Right then, what we will be making today is a lemon lime meringue pie from scratch. It is a lot easier than you would think and I will show you what I mean. First off you will need these food items:


Homemade pie crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp white sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp milk

meringue filling:
2 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 lemon
3 limes
2 Tbsp butter
4 egg yolks (see above)

Whipped topping:
4 egg whites (see above)
6 Tbsp white sugar




For the meringue and whipped top, you will need to separate four eggs into yolks and whites. This might be hard for some, but with practice it can be easy. There are two ways to separate.

The easy method:
Crack 4 eggs into a bowl. With each crack you must not break the yolks open. when you crack the fourth into the bowl, take a spoon and carefully transfer the yolks into a separate bowl.

The chef way:
 Whack the egg against a sharp surface to make a crack in the shell. split the egg open over a bowl and let the whites spill into the bowl. Transfer the yolk back and forth between the halves of the egg shell to remove as much of the egg white into the bowl. Gently place the yolk into a second bowl. Rinse and repeat three more times.

First off we will need a pie crust. If you wish to take the easy way out then feel free to skip this part, but I want to show you how simple a pie crust is to make.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt together in a bowl. Add the milk and stir the contents of the bowl. Slowly mix in the vegetable oil. You should have something like this.

 (mmm raw dough)

 Take two sheets of wax paper about a foot and a half long and lay them side by side. Sprinkle a small amount of flour on one of the wax papers and place the dough on it. Sandwich the dough with the second piece of wax paper.

With a rolling pin roll out the dough between the wax papers. You will want to roll it out evenly into a large circle that stretches to the sides of the wax paper that is about a 1/2 centimeter thick. Feel free to use your own judgement on how thick that is.

Lay the stretched out dough over a nine inch pie tray and press it lightly against the sides so it covers the  inner corners of the tray. Use a sharp knife along the outside of the pie tray to cut away the excess dough. Finally, oke a few holes in the bottom of the pie dough with a fork. This will let air escape from the dough while baking it so it does not balloon up. For a nice looking effect, take a fork and press into the dough on the outside  edge. Your work will net you something like this.

 (before baking)

Place a length of tinfoil over your dough and press it lightly into it so it conforms to the shape of the crust. Bake for 14 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove the tinfoil and bake for 3 more minutes at the same temerature. Now set aside and we will start making the filling.

(after baking)

Take the lemon and limes and zest them. How do you do this you ask? Why, with one of these.

(not for facial use)

To "zest" a fruit is essentially to shave the fruit. You remove the majority of the rind leaving a little remaining above the meat of the fruit. Collect the shavings from the lemon and limes and set them aside. Juice the lemons and limes and throw away the pulp remnants while keeping the juice.

Mix together the flour, cornstarch, salt, zest, lemon/lime juice and water in a medium sauce pan. Stir together until you get a cloudy liquid with nothing on the bottom of the pan. Cook at medium heat until the liquid starts to boil stirring occasionally around the edges to make sure no thing sticks to the sides or the bottom of the pan.

(Looks good already)

When the mixture starts to boil, turn down the heat and take half of the mixture and combine it with the butter and egg yolks. Mix thoroughly and pour back into the sauce pan. Turn the heat back up to medium until it starts to boil again

(they call me mellow yellow..)

Once it starts to boil, turn off the heat and pour the tasty concoction into your fresh pie crust. If you used a store bought crust than just pour it into that.

Now, combine the sugar and your stored egg whites into a bowl and mix together with a hand mixer for about two to four minutes. The whipped topping will start to form and thicken. It is ready when you pull the mixer out of the topping and you get stiff peaks that stand up on their own.

(yes, you can lick the beaters afterward) 

Gently cover the pie with the whipped topping to the edge of the crust. Be sure to spread it evenly, but not to press it too hard into the meringue so it does not mix together. We want layers here.

(no you cannot eat it now)

Bake this for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees until the peaks start to golden. You do not need to have the entire top golden, just some of it to show it has hardened; like this.

(almost....almost..)

Finally chill this delicacy for one hour and serve with milk or a drink of choice.

(must... resist.. licking screen)

And there you have it. A divine treat that your mother will love. Since this was published after the day I suggest practicing it until you get it right for mothers day next year.

I thank you for taking the time to read this and HIGHLY suggest attempting this dessert as it is great for a special occasion or an occasional summer weekend.

Mothers day Special (Dinner)

Good day and welcome to another addition of MTG (MomThankingGeneration). For this special it will be two part edition. Parts one will include a simple dinner with, you guessed it, grilling, In the second part will include a delicious dessert.  In this part we will be making grilled citrus chicken with cashew spinach.

First off you will need the following ingredients:

For the Veggies:

2 8 oz bags of fresh spinach
4 oz unsalted cashews
1 Tbsp  sesame oil
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp Cayenne pepper powder
3 Tsp kosher salt (to taste)
3 tsp fresh lemon juice
4 oz water

The grill's virgin sacrifice (meat):
1 lb  chicken breast

The sacred anointing oils (marinade):
2 oz olive oil
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp rosemary
2 Tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp whole pepper corns


Lets start off by prepping things. Combine the marinade together in a medium/large bowl and place the chicken inside to start absorbing the flavors.

Warm the grill to medium heat and place a large pan on the stove to high heat. Pour the sesame oil and 1 oz of the olive oil into the pan on the stove. After the oil has heated up (which you can check by hovering your hand over the pan for heat) add in the cashews and roast them for about two minutes or until they start to emit a good aroma.

Add in one bag of spinach and half of the water and cover lid for 4 minutes. When you uncover the lid you should see that the spinach has wilted, which is what you want. Stir the spinach around a few times, then add the second bag of spinach, the rest of the water and the cayenne pepper. Cover lid and wait for 4 more minutes. When you remove the lid it should look like this.

Turn off the heat and stir the mixture a few more times. Now for the part everyone came to enjoy


Coooking Onnnn the Grillllll!!(kids love it)




Now that your Grill is at a good heat, bathe the chicken in the flames and close the lid. After four minutes open the lid and flip the chicken, and baste the chicken with the marinade. Close the lid and wait for three more minutes. After the time has passed open the lid, flip the chicken again and baste one more time. Cover lid for two minutes and turn off the grill.

Now dish up a good clump of your spinach with a chicken breast. Eat and enjoy.

In the next post you will see how to make a delicious lemon lime meringue pie from scratch.

Nachos (now with shrimp)

Ahoy and welcome to yet one more volume of MTG (MakeThisGrandma). Our Foodventure takes a trip down south for some cajun shrimp nachos.

Ok ok, this might not sound good initially, but it is easy and a lot more delicious than you would think. If you are daring then you will definitely enjoy these nachos. This is also a lazy recipe, so salsa will not be from scratch. Enjoy.



Get these items if you are up for the flavor challenge:

Lg Bag of chips
6 oz lime juice
12 oz chunky salsa
4 oz can crisp corn
4 oz sweet pepper toppings
3 oz sliced jalapenos
1 lb uncooked shrimp
1/2 lb cheddar cheese
1/2 lb white cheddar cheese


Thaw the shrimp under cold water if necessary, then peel and place into a medium bowl.
Mix the salsa together with the corn and lime juice together and set it aside. Grate the two cheeses into a medium bowl, and dice the sweet peppers into smaller chunks.


Now for the grilled shrimp rub, because similar to todays youth believing that everything can be improved with bacon, I believe that everything can be improved by grilling it so here it is:

1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cajun seasoning (easy to buy premade)
1 tbsp crushed red pepper

Mix them together with the shrimp and you should get this:

Now that we have our item to grill it is time to go....

Coooking Onnnn the Grillllll!! (MSG free since 1896)

Bring your favorite pair of  tongs and lets head out to the firelands. First is first, you will want to warm up the grill. Shrimp cook very fast, so you will want to cook them on medium heat and be very time conscious as they will only take about 5 minutes to cook thoroughly. 

(My grill is sooo big... I need farm equipment to haul it around)

Space out the shrimp evenly on the grill and close the lid for 2 minutes. Re-open the lid and take a look at the shrimp. If the tails are a bright red, it is a sign that the shrimp is cooked on one side so flip each shrimp and close the lid for only a minute or so. Just count to 60 to pass the time. Time passed you will want to flip 3 or 4 random shrimp to check their color and density. Cooked shrimp will  feel denser than raw ones. If they look colorful and feel plump it is time to take them out. Turn off the grill and remove the shrimp.

                                                       (Tell me that does not look good)

Now for the lazy part of lazy cooking. Take a large bowl, and fill it with 1/3 of the chips in your large bag. Top this with 1/3 of your white/yellow cheddar cheese. Rinse and repeat until you have evenly layered the cheese through the  chips. 

Now microwave this goodness for 90 seconds. While the microwave is whurring, chop the shrimp into three-piece segments. After the beep,take the melty cheesy chips and cover them with your salsa,  and garnish with the shrimp, jalapenos, and sweet peppers. now find a group of friends and enjoy

Handheld Korean delight

An nyoung and welcome to another edition of MTG (MyThatsGood).

 Today we Move from the coast of australia and shrimp on the barbie to what I call Handheld Korean(afternoon) delight. What am I on about? Today we will be making korean lettuce wraps with succulent beef that you can eat with your hands.

                                   (Hey kid, I said eat WITH your hands, not eat your hands)


The following items are needed to make this manus-friendly meal:
2 cups Sticky rice (sushi rice)
16 oz steak
3 green onions  
head of red-tipped lettuce

Sauce ingredients:
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
3 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp red chile flakes

Got it all? Good. Now to start things off get your butler to pour you a snifter of macallan 25 while a kitchen servant takes the steak out of the fridge to let it warm up to room tempe...what? You do not have a kitchen servant? Then your butler will have to perform double duty... no butler either? ...(sigh)...Ok, then grab a warm Pabst Blue Ribbon  *cough*poor*cough* and set out the steak to warm. 

Next wash and separate 16 to 20 romaine leaves. Now what your kitchen... right right; this is just you cooking...uhm, yes, cut the bottom of the green onions off and cut them lengthwise into thin strips and mince the garlic.  (As the goths say, down the road, not across

the street).

Boil the rice in a medium sauce pan and set it aside. Now we will be preparing the sauce. In a medium bowl mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, pepper flakes, and pepper to taste.

pic of sauce

(Its quite tasty to sip on in a rocks glass)

Preheat your grill to medium temperature. Once it gets up to 350 degrees or so start the fun part...play me off johnny

Coooking Onnnn the Grillllll!! (now with flavor)

Place your meaty steak on the grill and let that bad boy sear on each side for about four minutes until it is cooked rare/medium rare. If you have a geo-fetish and like your meat to be as hard as a rock, you can also let it cook to medium/medium well, but this blog is for sane people (I know I am sane, because the voices in my head tell me so)

                            (Remember, Like this.....)

                                  (...Not like this)

You know it is ready when it looks like this:

                                                 (gentlemen, we have discovered food porn)

Once it is cooked to your desire, place the steak on a plate and cover it with tinfoil for 15 minutes.

At this point we have two routes to take, the lazy/party route, and the correct route. I will assume you are going to choose the correct route since you are still reading this. Most likely the lazy people have already stopped reading this and have called up delivery pizza or somethings. Both options will be included.

The lazy/party way:

Yell to those eating that your bored and there is now something to eat. Leave a knife (dull if you're evil like that), the romaine leaves, sticky rice, and sauce next to the steak for people to mix and match the ingredients as they choose. 

The correct route:

Lay a romaine leaf down, and put 1/4 cup of the sticky rice inside it. slice off a thin piece or two of the steak and place it on the leaf on top of the rice. Garnish with the sauce and a strip of green onion. 

Repeat this as many times as desired for each person who will be consuming them.

And Ta Da! This is another recipe that you can pull out to look more worldly to the opposite sex. Your welcome.

 

Srimp on the barbie

Grilled shrimp shish kabobs 

This eve the warm weather spurred me to make a summer treat, shish kabobs.

I decided to go with a lemon garlic marinade as follows:

3/4 cup Olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 cloves garlic (minced)
3 Tbsp kosher salt (to taste)
1 Tbsp Cracked pepper
2 Tbsp Smoked paprika
1 Tbsp Onion Powder

This all combined in a medium bowl and was set aside. Meanwhile the usual B!tch work had to be done.

20 shrimp thawed in cold water and peeled
2 onions peeled and quartered
8 oz package of  white mushrooms washed with stems removed
2 zucchinis washed and cut into 3/4" chunks

Feel free to pick your path for this next part.

With the built up tranquility/rage gained from peeling 20  F*@%ing shrimp and chopping all the vegetables, it is now time to combine the ingredients onto the skewers/stab every shrimp that refused to peel easily. No hints as to which path I went btw.

Up next was the easy time of marinating the kabobs to give them a delicious flavor. Kabobs are placed grilling tray, spaced evenly, and swathed with the marinate. This is done three or four times with the kabobs rotated each time.

For an added starch, the decision came down to rice noodles.  a 8 oz packaged worked well. The noodles were boiled on high for 6 minutes and drained in a colander while the kabobs are glistening on the barbie which brings us to the fun part of this journey:


Coooking Onnnn the Grillllll!! (innn spaaaace..)

With the kabobs thoroughly covered in the tasty lemon garlic marinate, they are placed on the grill at high heat for a few minutes to char the shrimp and unlock the flavor of the mushrooms and zucchini. Each kabob is turned every two minutes for about 4 minutes. Then the heat is then turned down to medium and the grill cover is closed with the occasional flipping as the sides of the shrimp start to turn red.

After the third revolution, a test kabob comes out and a shrimp is tried for necessary scientific purposes (taste testing to make sure all is well and they are cooked thoroughly). After testing has completed, each kabob comes out of the grill and back onto the tray. Done right they look like this:




Combined with the noodles it looks like this:

(mmmm glistening kabobs....aughhlaughhhjllaughh)


Combined with a little bit of the marinade for the noodle sauce you get this:

Well this is the first of hopefully many entries of MTGrill, so I hope you enjoyed this and aloha to all.