Category Archives: Grilling

If you follow my blog, you are probably aware that I recently wrote a post about Grilled Jalapeno Poppers.  They are a great appetizer, a fun dish for a BBQ or cookout, and are full of flavor and spice!  I recently made a vegan version of the same grilled jalapeno popper recipe and want to share it with you today. The recipe can be found here. Jalapeno Poppers are essentially hollowed out jalapenos that are stuffed with cheese (non-dairy cheese in this case) and spices, are frequently breaded (we are skipping this step), and either fried, baked, or grilled to perfection.  They are a guaranteed crowd pleaser! To make my Vegan Grilled Jalapeno Poppers, you must first make Vegan Cream Cheese. You can buy plain vegan cream cheese from your local grocery store or make your own.  I prefer to make homemade vegan cream cheese.  For the most part, it … Continue reading

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Chicken Souvlaki is a classic Greek dish consisting of marinated grilled meat that is served with vegetables, creamy Tzatziki sauce, and pita bread.  It is a low carb, low in fat and very fresh.  So, for a very good reason, it’s a popular street food in Greece! Souvlaki means “meat on a skewer”.  Pork is the most common type of meat used but chicken, beef, and lamb are other options.  The recipe I am going to share with you today uses chicken.  It’s packed with flavor and will bring a taste of Greece to your kitchen! The recipe can be found here. This is a 3-part recipe.  You must prepare the chicken souvlaki (aka skewers), the yogurt sauce (tzatziki), and tomato cucumber salad.  Each has a vibrant, fresh taste.  You will feel satisfied without feeling full after this meal.  Let’s start with the chicken. Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, … Continue reading

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The Minnesota State Fair is in full swing.  Do you plan on going?  I know a lot of people that plan on attending the fair and a lot of people that don’t, for various reasons.  I sure love the fair and missed not being able to attend last year.  Unfortunately, this year, it’s also not in the cards for me.  However, that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy some delicious fair food at home, and you can do the same! First off, I want to share with you a link to a blog I wrote last year.  The blog is called Your Favorite MN State Fair Food…at Home, because that’s what the blog is about – creating and enjoying all the classic state fair foods in the comfort of your own home.  I wrote this blog because the fair was cancelled last year and wanted to give everyone the option of … Continue reading

Posted in 4th of July, Breakfast, Dessert, Grilling, Holidays, Labor Day Weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, Party, Pizza, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on State Fair Home Edition

If you are searching for the perfect appetizer or side for your next cookout, look no further!  Grilled Jalapeno Poppers are the way to go!  They are stuffed with an addictive mixture of bacon, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese.  The rich and creamy combination of the stuffing contrasts the spicy jalapeno peppers leaving you wanting more. This is a great alternative to the breaded and fried version because they are fresh, cook up nicely on the grill, and are quite addicting 🙂 You can even skip the bacon for a vegetarian option if you prefer. The recipe can be found here. We own a Jalapeno Grill Rack that we use for this recipe, which I find quite wonderful to use.  If you don’t have one, I highly recommend getting one! Start by preheating the grill to 325 degrees F.  It can be tricky to keep the grill temperature consistent once … Continue reading

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Beer Can Whole Grilled Chicken is a fun way to cook chicken.  You need a beer can chicken stand to do this.  The stand along with the can of beer and chicken legs helps support the chicken on the grill, and the beer helps keep the chicken moist while grilling.  I don’t taste a lot of beer flavor in the chicken but if this is a concern of yours, you could easily swap out the beer for a can of pop – any cola flavor will work well.  Coca Cola or Dr Pepper seem to be the most popular, but I bet you could get a hint of citrus flavor if you used Mountain Dew. The recipe can be found here. Preheat the grill to 350 – 375 degrees F.  If you have an upper rack in your grill, remove it before preheating because the chicken will not fit with … Continue reading

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If you are looking for a quick and easy weeknight meal that is customizable to individual tastes and will get you outdoors and grilling so you can enjoy the beautiful weather while you cook, I have just the thing!  Grilled Naan Flatbread is the answer to your prayers.  We’ve made this meal multiple times over the past few weeks because it’s so easy! The recipe can be found here. When I say recipe, I really mean grilling instructions.  You don’t need much of a recipe for the flatbreads because it’s just assembly – pick and choose your own toppings.  It’s essentially pizza, and you can’t go wrong with pizza, so add the toppings you like! Start by preheating the grill to 450 degrees F. Turn a baking sheet over and place a piece of aluminum foil on top.  This will come in handy later in the recipe when you transfer … Continue reading

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Himalayan Salt Blocks are a simple and fairly inexpensive way to cook your food.  The non-stick surface sears meat perfectly, the heat is distributed evenly throughout the entire cooking surface, the seasoning is built-in (because it’s a block of salt), and you can chill it to serve chilled food (think charcuterie board, etc.). We like to use our Himalayan Salt Block for grilling.  The thought process here is low and slow, but it’s worth it!  The fun to watch a block of salt cook your food but it also tastes amazing.  The meat absorbs some of the salt while cooking but don’t worry, it’s not saturated with salt…just a subtle hint. You want to add the Himalayan Salt Block to the grill over the lowest heat setting and gradually increase the temperature until the desired temperature is reached.  This will take time!  If you heat too fast, you risk damaging … Continue reading

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We’re kicking off the new year with a brand new burger blog! Burgers can be quite versatile so we decided to test out a handful of recipes for you to up your burger game in the new year. For this blog we included both beef and chicken options to give you even more variety. Here are the recipes we made: • Breakfast Burger • Mac and Cheese Burger • French Onion Burger • Taco Burger • Bloody Mary Burger Follow links above to skip right to the recipe page. Without further ado, let’s get started!  Let’s start in the morning with our breakfast burger. Breakfast Burger For our breakfast burger, we used store bought beef patties from the Chef’s Counter at Festival, both seasoned and unseasoned options are available in-store. For the chicken version of this burger, we used chicken breasts. We topped our burgers with a slice of cheddar … Continue reading

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I’ve been on a chicken wing kick lately.  There’s just something about them that I can’t get enough of.  Sure, they are messy to eat, but picking every juicy morsel off the bone is pretty satisfying 🙂 There are a lot of words I would use to describe chicken wings…oven baked, grilled, crispy, sticky, sweet, spicy, saucy, tender, juicy, etc.…but it all depends on the recipe.  There is also the debate of boneless vs. bone-in chicken.  Is it really a chicken wing if it’s boneless?  I used to only eat boneless wings because I didn’t want to do the work but now, I usually prefer bone-in wings because they a bit more succulent.  I think a lot of people would agree. I started experimenting with different sauce flavors and came up with some fun Asian inspired recipes that I want to share with you today: General Tso’s Chicken Wings Kung … Continue reading

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Have you ever used a wooden board to grill?  These so called “planks” are wooden board that are soaked in water and set over direct heat on a grill and used as a means of cooking food.  It’s known as plank grilling or planking. Planking is a fun way to grill!  The planks get a slight char to them that creates just a hint of smokey flavor that enhances the food.  I typically buy the cedar plank because I like the taste the plank gives off, and also enjoy the smell.  Cedar planks are the most common, but you can also buy cherry, hickory, maple, and more. You can grill fish, protein, or vegetables on planks.  Fish tends to be the most common and is a great form of grilling fish because it doesn’t stick to the grates.  Salmon is my favorite fish to cook on a cedar plank.  If … Continue reading

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