Family Chow Hall

It’s the middle of the summer and I like to remain cocooned in the comfort of my air-conditioned home. Think about it a moment — shall I go outside and break a sweat walking to the mailbox? Shall I pull weeds, lose a pint of blood to the thirsty mosquitoes? Let the hot Texas sun beat down on me?

NOT.

Folks, I would much prefer staying inside. I am not a hot weather person, and to make it worse, I seem to be a giant mosquito magnet. My flowerbeds are a mess, my lawn is too tall, and I am sitting inside, where it is cool, not caring enough to go out and do anything! (If I lived a few degrees latitude north, it might be a different story.)

The one thing that is worth going out for is to cook on my grill. I mean, hey, if I cook inside, it is going to heat up my kitchen and make the AC work even harder. Besides, grilled food is just plain GOOD. Other than grilling, summer is always a good time to serve cold sandwiches and salads. I’ve compiled some summertime no-heating-of-the-kitchen recipes and offer them to you below. To view any of the actual recipes, just slide your cursor over the name and click - they are links:

Cold Salads:

Grilled Bologna

Since this list is getting rather long, look for a continuation tomorrow or the next day… I will add cool dips, fruit salads, and main dish salads.

A crockpot is one of the most useful tools in your kitchen. Mine gets put away and taken out again at least a couple of times each week. A crockpot is great for days when you are extra-busy, out of the house, or just don’t feel like heating up the oven. (A good idea in the heat of the summer.)

Soups, casseroles, stews, roasts, and beans are all ideal foods to cook in your crock. Two days ago, I made a Southwest-flavored pork and bean dish in my crockpot and baked corn bread to go with it. My family devoured it and I plan on making that again the next time I have leftover pork.

Today I am putting a boneless beef roast in the crockpot, along with potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery. I might throw in a packet of onion soup mix and then make some last-minute gravy to go with all of it.

If you’re a faithful reader of my blog, you will know that I have cooked whole chickens in my crockpot, and have made all sorts of soups, potato casseroles, pork loins, etc. — all slow-cooked and tender after a day on low heat.

I guess my point today is that you should never forget the value of this fine kitchen invention and you should employ it often. An intelligent woman can turn suppertime (which can feel like a crazy, harried, aggravating time of the day) into a pleasant, easy-going, laid-back time with the use of a crockpot. You can come home from a busy day at work or play to have your meal ready and waiting for you.

Also, if you have a family that comes and goes a lot and you have a difficult time getting everybody in the house simultaneously to eat, you can have dinner hot and ready for each member as they come and go.

Just so you have something specific to try in your crockpot, I will add my “recipe” for:

Southwest Pork and Beans

Leftover Pork - this was fajita-seasoned pork that I’d bought on sale, made fajitas, and froze the leftovers
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of Ranch-style beans (these are seasoned pintos, with a chili flavor)
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of chicken broth
1 teaspoon Pinto bean seasoning

Dump all into the crockpot. Stir. About once an hour or so, lift the lid and sniff, pretending like it needs to be stirred.

This recipe is so versatile! Consider this:

Leftover meat - ground beef, shredded beef, turkey, chicken, pork, anything
a favorite veggie - beans, corn, peas, carrots, whatever
another veggie
(as many veggies as you want)
a can of tomatoes or tomato juice
a can of broth
seasoning - anywhere from spicy to salt and pepper

Cook all day.

I love using my grill, even though it is not a big, shiny block of stainless steel that is built into my deck and has a side burner, a mini-fridge, and a serving bar attached to it. In fact, my outdoor grill is several years old, was the smallest and cheapest model I could get, has been repaired by me several times, and looks a little like something most people would not let their food get near.

What is so great about my outdoor grill? First of all, it is outdoors. Secondly, it is a grill. Meat cooked over flames is my husband’s favorite meal. Cooking vegetables over flames is pretty popular at our house, too. (The peas keep falling through the grate, though!)

Seriously, though – a grill is wonderful for several reasons:

First, meat really does taste better when grilled over a fire. Some meats should be grilled slowly over low heat, others are better if you sear them quickly over a hot fire. Once you get used to it, you will know the difference and realize you can cook almost any meat on your grill.

Also, there are fewer dishes when you grill outdoors. No frying pans, roasting pans, etc. to scrub. After my grill has cooled down, I give it a quick scrub and scrape with a stiff grill brush. This usually happens right before I light it for the next meal.

In the summertime, you can use your grill and avoid heating up your kitchen and raising your electric (if you have air conditioning) bill. This is a big bonus if you live in the South.

When grilling, you have a better chance of passing this chore onto your husband. There is some masculine satisfaction that men get from grilling food. It does not have the feminine image that cooking indoors has. It’s acceptable and even fun for them to be in charge of the grill.

Of course, your meat is lower in fat when you grill it as compared to frying in a pan or cooking it in the oven. The fat drips down on the coals, completely irretrievable, instead of into the pan and being soaked back up by the food.

Here are some foods I often grill:

Thick sliced bologna
Ham steaks
Pork Tenderloin
Chicken breast, tenderloins, or even whole chicken
Boneless Turkey
Burgers – of course
Smoked sausage
Bratwurst
Hot dogs or Knockwurst
Skewers with onions, peppers, and mushrooms
Asparagus, carefully
pineapple

So, I guess what I’m saying here is – Fire up that grill!