Corn Salad

Of course there is not a picture. I made this for Mark's birthday and quite frankly it was a little too hectic for me to stop and take a picture of the food. I'll give you a run down --

Brats

Chicken Sausages

Cheeseburgers

Potato Salad

Corn Salad

Boston Creme Pie

All cooked and served from our camper! While camping!

I thought the star of the show was the corn salad. Got the recipe from http://lacucinadilauren.blogspot.com/2009/05/corn-tomato-and-avocado-salad.html where you can actually see what it looks like. Mine was a little sloppier though, but, it was really good. Don't be stingy with the salt - it really soaks it up.

Just like Mark 'soaks up' getting presents for his birthday!

Easy Week Night Dinner

I love sauteed zucchini. I used a combo of butter and olive oil with the zucchini, onion and a couple of tomatoes that needed to used ASAP (or throw away). Throw in some salt, pepper and garlic - it's just about my favorite veg dish ever.

To go with, I breaded some thin pork chops and did a quick fry in the same skillet until they were golden brown. Probably 3 minutes a side.

With the fat left in the skillet, I made a roux and then poured in some milk, salt and pepper (with a dash of cayenne and garlic powder) to make a cream gravy.

Good dinner. The leftover pork chops were great on a bakery bun with a bit of mayo!

Day of Smoking

We decided that if we were going to fire up the smoker and use all that charcoal and wood, that we would make it worth our while.

We began with a pork roast with a rub. This was on the longest -- about 8 hours and was used for sandwiches. We poured a bit of Sweet Baby Rays on top.

The chicken was the best. It was on for about 4 hours and was coated in a jerk seasoning. I used the leftovers in enchiladas. The breast meat was so juicy it was unbelievable...I've never seen it like that before.

And then some beef. Again we used the chipolte marinade. This was just a cheap piece of some type of roast. Should have taken it off earlier - it was still good but not my favorite.

Meatballs in Gravy over Mashed Potato

The plan was to alter our food again on Monday -- eating low carb at night, concentrating on fresh meats and veg. Monday I didn't feel good, my leg was killing me and I just didn't think I could stand much longer -- so we went to Firehouse Subs. Tuesday we did ok - I made wonderful Chicken Caesar Salads. So tonight I'm going for the potatoes! And gravy!

Meatballs

(I used the basic recipe for The Pioneer Womans BBQ meatballs but made some changes)

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 small onion very finely diced

Lawry's Season Salt

Lots of pepper

Mix together in a large bowl. Mixture will be gooey. Shape into golf ball size balls and place in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

This gravy is awesome. I think I originally got the concept from Rachael Ray but over the years changes have been made here and there so I call it my own at this point.

Brown Gravy

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
garlic powder
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 quart beef broth
salt and black pepper to taste

Melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until the mixture is golden-brown and smells like cooked pie crust. I love that part. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Whisk in a cup of the beef broth, and then add the rest of the ingredients.

Eggplant Rollatini...

....takes bloody forever to put together! Did you know you could only get 5 slices of eggplant on one baking sheet at a time?? Was it worth it? It was good. I probably won't make it again. It's easier to get it from Casa Italiana two blocks down the road and theirs is really better.

I sliced a couple of peeled eggplants lengthwise. Dipped them in egg and breadcrumbs and baked until golden. I basically spread a thin layer of a mixture of ricotta, spinach, garlic, and mozzerella on each slice and rolled up. I used some homemade sauce I made a few weeks ago and topped the rolls with the sauce and some mozzerella.

It made a lot. I ended up with two pans with 8 rolls each. Considering we only ate two each it's really not a practical dish for us.

BBQ Meatballs

I saw this recipe and said, 'so what.' I can make meatballs. I'm like the Queen of Meatballs. What do these meatballs have that mine don't?? Curiousity got the best of me and I made them last night.


I told myself that I was going to follow the recipe (for once) but decided at the last minute to double the sauce. My advice: DON'T DO IT. It's more of a glaze than a sauce (at least mine was) and it was a bit too much.


We liked these. Ok...we liked these a lot. I'll make them again. I would even make them for other people. I liked the consistency of the meatball and in spite of the numerous steps it didn't take that long to throw together.


Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup oats
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons very finely minced onion
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
plenty of ground black pepper


Sauce
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
4 to 6 tablespoons onion
Dash of Tabasco


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes. Remove from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour. Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.

Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

BLT Dip

I made a batch of this to take to work tomorrow....and then....I had to make a batch for Mark because he totally inhales this stuff. Unfortunately I always forget to stir in the tomatoes 'right before serving' and it turns a bit soupy but I'm ok with that!

Sorry no picture -- it was kind of....well....white....and it didn't look that great in a photo. But trust me it tastes good!


BLT Dip


1 pound bacon
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 tomato - peeled, seeded and diced

Directions:

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain on paper towels. In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise and sour cream. Crumble bacon into the sour cream and mayonnaise mixture. Mix in tomatoes just before serving.