Lemon Oregano Chicken and Grilled Brussel Sprouts

This was the first time grilling Brussel sprouts and I know it won't be the last.  Doug has found several recipes to try and this was the first one, not a recipe actually.  He brushed them with olive oil and garlic powder.

Thread them on a skewer - they look pretty.

 

Then pop them on the grill.

These were paired with Lemon Oregano Chicken (a recipe from taste of Home and Velva) and mashed potatoes.  Easy meal, big return on taste and we also had leftovers.

 

The outside leaves of the sprouts charred a little but they pulled off easily.  Taste wise they had a good smokey grilled blend.  I'd have them this way again but Doug has two other recipes to try soon.  One has honey and smoked paprika, that sounds very good.  Stay tuned.

Sharing with Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking event. 

Grilling Chicken and Asparagus

This new Weber grill has taken the heat out of the kitchen and outside on the porch. Perfect when the temperatures are reaching the upper 90's already. Honestly I thought we'd have more time before being plunged into the high summer heat.

We aren't missing charcoal, especially with the quick set up and no mess of the charcoal dust. Yes, I know there is a fierce debate whether charcoal or gas is better but after decades of the charcoal, Doug and I are loving this gas grill.

This was our first time trying grilled asparagus.  I rolled the stalks in a bit of olive oil and salt.

Doug brushed the grill with more olive oil, grilled those for about 10 minutes and turning them at the 4 minute mark.

Nothing like a platter of grilled chicken.  The aroma always gets my tummy rumbling.




This was an excellent meal and we plan grilling more veggies soon.  Doug has found a recipe for grilled Brussels sprouts with Dijon and honey that sounds amazing.




I never thought getting this grill would open us up to trying so many new things.  I mean things grilled.  He's going to try a pizza soon too, as soon as we buy a pizza peel.  We are inspired by this post at Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking Series.

Coming up will be our trip to Kolomoki Mounds State Park in Georgia.

Sharing with Beth Fish Reads for the Weekend Cooking event

St George Island State Park - RV Camping

This post is heavily laden with photos. It was our first time back to St George Island State Park since Hurricane Michael. It devastated the dunes near the gulf waters but eventually they will come back.

Me and Aja waiting for Doug to get us checked in at the ranger's station.

This was snapped from inside the moving camper so you can barely see the water.  If you've ever been before you'll remember the dunes were so high you couldn't see to the beach.

This is the opposite side of the road, the dunes will come back!

The queen of the campsite

        

Cooking outside, love grilled food.

 

Wings, homemade coleslaw (Nigella's recipe), baked beans.

This is the kitchen inside the camper but I haven't cooked inside at all. We have a Coleman camp stove that is set up outside.

 

There were beautiful birds all over the campground.  This fellow checked out our table and grill, hopped along the palms and watched us.  Doug saw a towhee a few times too but I don't have a photo.




This water moccasin was determined to get under trucks and into campsites.  He was chased away but ultimately run over when he returned.

   

Next time we are going in January and the temperatures won't be so awfully high.  Hopefully the insects will be dormant then.   I have to say, the mosquitoes and no-see-ums/midges were unbelievably fierce this trip.  They attacked me like it was their job and I actually looked like I had measles by the time we came home. Doug brought his night vision scope but we never ventured far from the thermacell to see the night sky.

If we sat outside too long Aja would just go to bed.  Nice of her to warm up Doug's side.

Headed home along the coastal road 98. 

Someone was needy and had to sit on me.  She is 16 so, she needs babying sometimes.

We will be at Kolomoki in Georgia next week and we're looking forward to that trip.  Coming up will be more grilling posts, hoping for kebabs....love those. 

Mid May and what's up {Reading, Camping, Cataracts and Grilling!}

This year I set some goals to get back to my monthly update.  Recently  I fell off the Wordless Wednesday goal but still plan to participate now and then.  The end of last month we were camping so I didn't get my April roundup posted.

 Here's the April Breakdown.......

Reading

Stone Mothers by Erin Kelly

A Lily in the Light by Kristin Fields

Fragments by Toni Jordan

Cape May by Chip Cheek (awful)

Wunderland by Jennifer Cody Epstein

I will certainly read more by Erin Kelly and and Kristin Fields. A+ in my opinion.

Cataracts 

Ugh.  My cataracts have now progressed enough that I will be having surgery.  After a visit to the ophthalmologist last week it's confirmed that I need it.  Alas, my eyes are not round shaped like most, rather football shaped as I am near sighted.  I don't mean the physical appearance of my eyes, rather the inside part.

This means I have to go to a specialist at the Southern Vitreoretinal practice to ensure I don't have a tear in the retinal area.  It's all kinda ooey gooey stuff to me and while I need to know whats happening, I don't like hearing about it.  The upside is I will be able to see clearly (supposedly) once this is all over with.  Maybe it will all be over and done with before the second week of June.  Here's hoping. 

Something new - Doug has a beautiful Weber Genesis II E-310 gas grill. It's a beauty and after using charcoal for so long, what a time saver this is.  No mess of charcoal dust or waiting 30 or more minutes for the charcoal to be ready.  It's a pretty mocha colored grill.

He's enjoying it very much and of course I get the benefit of him grilling/cooking.  Nothing like grilled food.  We've been able to eat outside a few times recently and this grill cools down quicker than the charcoal grill so, no radiating heat to run us off.

Camping Plans: We have a camping trip planned at Kolomoki Mounds State Park in Georgia. It's almost 1,300 acres with two lakes and eight Indian mounds.  Our site is near a lake, we'll have to keep an eye on Aja as there are alligators.

Last month we went to St George Island state park.  It finally opened after the devastation of Hurricane Michael.  The weird part is not seeing dunes between the road the and gulf waters.  I will post photos from that trip coming up.

That's most of April.

Indian Cucumber and Tomato Salad for I ♥ Cooking Club

The theme for May's spotlight dish at I Heart Cooking Clubs is Indian cuisine.  My first thought was Tandoori chicken or a curry dish but I went with a simple salad.  Diana Henry's recipe and column is posted at The Telegraph so I grabbed it there. 

She says this looks like an ordinary salad but it's fresh and punchy.  Must be the chilli and cumin.  Certainly smells good when you are heating the cumin.

We had plenty of lime on hand for the G & T hour.   Really need to cut back on those but it's a refreshing hot weather, patio kinda drink :-)

Indian cucumber and tomato salad 

6 red tomatoes, chopped into small pieces

   1 cucumber, peeled and diced

  4 radishes, cut into matchsticks

     ¼ red onion, very finely chopped

      torn leaves from 8 sprigs mint

    15g (½oz) coriander leaves, very roughly chopped

    2 tbsp lime juice

     1½ tbsp olive oil

       1 small green chilli, halved, deseeded and very finely chopped

      1½ tsp cumin seeds

  plain natural yogurt for drizzling

Easy Toss Together

Put everything except the cumin seeds and yogurt into a bowl. Toast the cumin seeds in a dry frying-pan for about a minute – you should be able to really smell their aroma – and throw these in. Mix everything and season. Drizzle with a little plain yogurt and serve.

This is a Diana Henry recipe printed in The Telegraph.  I wanted to get this linked with Deb in time for next week's Souper Sunday as I will be camping and probably unable to post!

Sharing with I Heart Cooking Clubs and Deb at Kahakai for Souper Sunday.

In My Kitchen - the May edition

This month's In My Kitchen allows me to highlight some of the good quality vegetables I  can shop for at an Asian market in Tallahassee.  I didn't bring all of these home but we tried quite a variety of beans, sweet potatoes, scallions, tomatoes and Chinese eggplant.

This produce is usually better than what I find at the local market.

We'd never had the Chinese eggplant but I surely do love it on the buffets so, we gave it a whirl.



These oils and condiments were already in the pantry and we put them to use.

Here is the end result and it tasted very similar to the offerings at Chinese buffets.  I'd make it again. It looked good in this glass bowl (I think I got the bowl from a thrift shop).  Trying to be greener with using glass more.

The recipe I adapted may be found HERE, but I tweaked it quite a bit.



This salad is from scavenging in the fridge.  Best soups and salads come out from those forages.  Here I used butter lettuce, some baby spinach, cucumber, chopped yellow bell pepper, grape tomatoes and a bit of rotisserie chicken.  This was hauled off to lunch as I am still dragging myself in for a bit longer.  While I enjoy lunch I prop up my Kindle and read.

The life of a Government Drone.

Sharing with:

Beth Fish Reads for the Weekend Cooking event

Deb at Kahakai Kitchen (check out her Taco Soup)

Sherry's Pickings for her In My Kitchen series.