Fresh Trout with Lemon and Herbs

Gone fresh water fishin’? Make sure you bring back some trout.

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons fresh minced parsley
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
Dash of black pepper
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
2 fresh pan-dressed trout (12 ounces each — or 4 smaller trouts, if you’re not quite so lucky)
Vegetable oil or substitute Extra Virgin Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS:
In a mixing bowl combine bread crumbs, parsley, lemon rind, basil, tarragon, thyme, and pepper. In small bowl or cup combine lemon juice and margarine or butter and mix well. Drizzle two tablespoons lemon butter mixture over bread crumb mixture and toss with a fork. Lightly stuff each trout with the bread crumb mixture.

Bring grill to medium to high heat. Grease the grate with the cooking oil. Place fish on center of grate and grill for 14 to 18 minutes or until fish flakes when tested with a fork. Turn once halfway through, brush the top with the remaining lemon and butter mixture. Yank them from the grill and serve hot!

Attributed to: Kay Holzinger, Illinois, USA

Cornbread with Broccoli Goodness

You don’t have to be from the South to love cornbread. This recipe witch includes broccoli and onion results in a delicious surprise.

INGREDIENTS:
4 eggs
1 stick butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 package of frozen broccoli
Substitute fresh broccoli of about 1 – 1/2 cup, cooked
1 cup cottage cheese
1 box Jiffy Cornbread Mix
1/8 to about 1/4 teaspoon of Your favorite extra hot hot sauce
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and in it melt butter in a 9 by 13 inch oven proofed baking pan.

Beat the eggs and add the remaining ingredients. Blend the Jiffy Cornbread Mix until smooth.

Pour on top of melted butter in baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Roasted Hazelnut Butter

This sweet custom butter recipe creates a fine balance of country style nuttiness and spreadable goodness. It’s like Nutella without the look and consistency of auto yard mud.

INGREDIENTS:
4 ounces of fresh hazelnuts
1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon of lemon zest

DIRECTIONS:
Bring the butter just to the softening point.

Roast the hazelnuts in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove the skin after they cool down a bit. Chop them into small pieces or blend half chopped with half crushed.

In a storage crock or bowl that can be covered tightly, mix the hazelnuts with the butter. Add the lemon zest and store in the fridge.

Goes well with any bread or breakfast style rolls or muffins. Excellent for waiting around a noon time grill.

Carrot Soup Smooth and Creamy

Carrot soup might not get you all excited as far as side dishes go. This recipe however, delivers a creamy and slightly silky blend that goes well with any meat dish typically served with mashed potatoes.

INGREDIENTS:
4 and 1/2 cups of sliced carrots
1 cup of chopped onion
1/4 cup of butter, cut into pats
1 large white potato, peeled and cut into cubes
Two 14-1/2 ounce cans of chicken broth
1 teaspoon freshly ground ginger
1 teaspoon dried rosemary crushed fine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups of whipping cream

DIRECTIONS:
Grab your Dutch oven and saute the onion and the butter until glassy and just tender. Add the sliced carrots, the potato cubes, the broth and the ginger. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 30 minutes. Set off of the heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Carefully pour the soup in small amounts to a food processor or a blender. Process or blend until silky smooth. Pour the blended mixture back into the Dutch oven. Return the heat to low. Stir in cream. Add rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 – 20 minutes until well heated.

Serve bowls of this tasty soup on those winter and fall grilling nights instead of mashed potatoes. You will be well rewarded by the happiness of friends and family.

Fondue of Butterscotch

Set the Fondue pot out with a huge platter of pear, plum and apple slices. Small biscuits and fudge brownies that can survive a fork skewering are great candidates for this sweet after dinner treat.

INGREDIENTS:
2 ounces of butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 Tablespoons of Lyle’s Golden Syrup
No Lyle’s? Try 3 Tabs light corn syrup to 1 Tabs molasses
14 oz can of evaporated milk
6 teaspoons of cornflour
4 tablespoons of lightly crushed unsalted peanuts
Sliced and cut into bite sizes – apples, pears, plums

DIRECTIONS:
Place the butter, the golden syrup and the sugar into a saucepan. Heat on low to medium until mixture begins to bubble. Keep an eye on it stirring a few times. Slowly bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.

Add the evaporated milk and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the crushed peanuts.

In a mixing bowl place two Tablespoons of cold water. Add the cornflour and blend until smooth. Add this mixture to the sauce pan. Heat for a few minutes until mixture begins to thicken, stirring constantly.

When mixture is starts to thicken use a spatula to add it to the fondue pot. Serve with hard cubed or sliced fruit pieces. Sit back and enjoy your friends and family enjoying your fondue.

Filet Mignon Quick Grilled with Balsamic Vinegar Sauce

Break out your favorite grillin’ skillet or sauce pan to make a fragrent sauce that is a perfect companion to a done-rare bite of Filet Mignon.

INGREDIENTS:
Four (4 – 6 ounce) Filet Mignon
3 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary chopped fine
1/2 cup of chopped shallots
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Bring grill to a medium to high heat. Salt and pepper the steaks to your liking. Cook the steaks turning when browned until your favorite doneness (rare is of course best for FM). Place the steaks on a platter to rest.

After five minutes, add the juice from the steak platter to your grilling skillet or sauce pan. Add oil and bring to a popping heat. Quickly add the rosemary and the shallots and cook until shallots become glassy (about 2 minutes).

Add the Balsamic vinegar cook until the sauce begins to thicken. Add any extra juice from the resting steaks on the serving platter. Cook for one or two more minutes. Do not burn or reduce too much. Spoon over the steaks and serve immediately.

Mixed Veggies with that Wood Smoked flavor

I cannot believe how much I love food cooked in a smoker bag. Chop and toss a medley of veggies in your smoker bag and have one unique flavor for veggies separate from the meat on the grill.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of mushrooms
1/2 to 1 cup cup minced onions or leave in chop into ring edges
1 cup sliced zucchini. Slice diagonally for greater surface exposure
1 cup of sliced red or bell peppers. Chopped into 1/2 or 2 inch pieces
1 cup of small potato pieces. Grill for 20 minutes or boil until halfway cooked through
2 Tablespoons garlic salt

DIRECTIONS:
Toss all of the chopped vegetables in a bowl with to evenly coat each piece with a bit of garlic salt.

Place the medley in a smoker bag and seal. Cook on a hot grill for about 15 minutes until all vegetables are tender. If potatoes are added without pre-cooking add about 5 more minutes.

Jennifer Honeycutt sells smoker bags direct in the U.S. from her company found at Hot Diggity Cajun. Google it!

Smoke Bag recipe for Corn on the Cob

One cannot complain about the addition of a tasty corn on the cob when added to a plate heaping with grilled chops. Especially if that corn on the cob wafts up with a distinct flavorful aroma of smoked wood.

INGREDIENTS:
4 ears of corn
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Prep ears of corn by dehusking and washing. Soak the ears for 20 minutes in cold water. Remove from water and pat dry.

Rub the butter or margarine over the corn. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place the corn in a Smoker Bag, seal it and cook on a hot grill for about 40 minutes.

My Favorite Cinnamon Biscuits

Toss out a platter of these sweet little cinnamon infused biscuits for a special dessert.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar (granulated)
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 stick butter, room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix up flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Combine ingredients until they are blended. Stir in 1/4 cup vegetable oil. Add buttermilk and stir until blended.

Knead the biscuit dough on a flour coated counter-top until smooth. Roll the dough into a 13 inch by 9 inch rectangle. Grease a nine inch round pie pan.

Spread butter on the top of the dough. Blend the sugar, the cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle on top of the butter topping. Roll up the rectangle like a jelly roll. Pinch the seam into the roll to seal off the end.

Cut the roll into 1 – 1/2 inch long slices. Arrange the slices with the cut side up in the greased pie pan. Bake about 15 to 20 minutes (at 400) until lightly browned. Sprinkle milk over the top of the biscuits and server while still hot.