Sweet n' Spicy Grilled Hens

I love Cornish Game Hens.  They are delicious and affordable.  When prepared properly, they also leave an impression on those lucky enough to share your table.
For years, I followed my mother's example and roasted the birds.  That was before I grilled them.  Now I wouldn't do it any other way.  This recipe is simple but oh so delicicous and the result and light, juicy, and very, very tasty.  A perfect summer supper!

What's In It:

2 Cornish Game Hens
1 bottle of your favorite vinegar-based salad dressing (I use everything from Italian dressing to Ginger Sesame)
1 bottle Fischer & Wieser Mango Ginger Habanero Sauce

How To Make It:

Split game hens in half.  (Discard innards, if packed inside.)
Rinse birds under cold, running water.  Pat dry with paper towels.
Place birds in marinator (You can find these in the plastics section of any department store for less than $10.00.) or shallow baking dish.
Pour salad dressing over hens and cover.  (When using a marinator, I usually flip the dish several times to coat meat.)  Refrigerate 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Place hens on preheated grill, skin side up.  Close lid, venting slightly.
Hens should cook a total of 45 minutes on a slow grill.  About 30 minutes in, begin basting with the Fischer & Weiser sauce, turning at least once to ensure a caramelized coating on both sides.


© Copyright 2009-2011 Stacye Carroll All Rights Reserved

Tastes of Summer: Seafood Quiche and Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Despite the lack of rain, and some hideously warm temperatures, my gardens and my chickens flourish.
Last week, I pickled for two days.  I'll post those recipes later.
Yesterday, I found myself with several pounds of ripe zucchini and four dozen eggs, despite having given away two dozen earlier in the week.  My girls are prolific layers!
I polled my facebook friends for zucchini recipes and received an overwhelming response.  Many suggested frying slices.  Some shared their favorite grilling recipe, and a European friend shared a recipe involving yogurt and dill that can be used as spread on toast. I do plan to try that one later.
I settled on Chocolate Zucchini bread which I served for dessert after a dinner of Seafood Quiche.  I had thought to have salad with the quiche, but decided against it, as the flavors of the pie were meant to be savored.  They really needed no accompianment.  I hope you agree...

Seafood Quiche (adapted from "Emmaline and Hessie's Seafood Quiche as it appeared in the AJC)

This recipe calls for crabmeat and shrimp, but you could add any seafood you like.  Lobster and scallops would make a nice addition.

Serves 8.

Peel and devein 1/2 pound shrimp. Saute, in one tbl. butter and the seasoning of your choice. (I like Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Seasoning.) Remove from heat just as shrimp begin to get some color.


Bake refrigerated pie shell according to package directions.  (I usually bake a few minutes less than suggested to prevent over-browning.  Be sure to bring the shell up and over the rim of the dish as the filling fills the shell completely.)  Upon removing baked shell from oven, reduce temperature to 325 degrees.

What's in it:

1 tbl. butter
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1/4 c. finely chopped bell pepper (I used chili bells as that is what I have in my garden.  The extra spice was nice.)
1/4 c. finely chopped celery
1/2 crab meat (check for shells)
Cooked shrimp
1 c. grated swiss cheese
1 1/4 c. scalded half and half
2 eggs, plus 2 yolks, beaten (Thank you Chloe, Sylvia, Pat, & Lucy!)
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. Old Bay Seafood Seasoning
Pinch chopped basil  (I use fresh, for the flavor and the added color.)

How to make it:
While the crust bakes, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Saute' onion, bell pepper, and celery until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add crabmeat and shrimp.  Pour into baked crust.  Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Combine scalded half and half, eggs, salt, and Old Bay Seasoning.  Pour over cheese.  Sprinkle with basil.
Bake in 325 degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until set. 
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.


Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Double the chocolate, double the fun!  Next time, I'll add 1/2 c. toasted, chopped pecans or coconut to this very moist sweet bread.




What's in it:
2 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate
3 eggs (Thank you Chloe, Sylvia, Pat, & Lucy!)
2 c. white sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
2 c. grated zucchini
1 tsp. vanilla extract (Never imitation!)
2 c. all-purpose, unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips

How to make it:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Generously spray 2 9x5 loaf pans with cooking spray.  Microwave chocolate for 30 seconds.  Stir, and heat for 20 seconds more.  Stir until smooth.
In large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil, grated zucchini, vanilla and chocolate.  Beat well.  Stir in flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Allow to cool before slicing.









© Copyright 2009-2010 Stacye Carroll All Rights Reserved

Macaroni and Cheese, Please...

We seem to get together more as a family during the summer months than at any other time. Of course, the grill is our cook-top of choice. Meats go there. Sometimes I’ll throw on several ears of buttered corn, still in their husks. Skewered peppers, pineapple, and onions bring out the best in most any meat they grill alongside. And the aroma! Mmmmm…I’m getting hungry just thinking about them.


I’ll do a cold pasta salad, and a fruit dish. Sometimes it’s enough to serve a big bowl of plain-old potato chips. But, as much as I’d like, I’m never spared lighting the oven. Because in our family, cookouts aren’t complete without baked beans and macaroni and cheese. The meats are interchangeable, the pasta isn’t necessary, and the fruit, as nice as it is, isn’t the focus of anyone’s meal. I can scrimp on the baked beans. I can save a little time by buying a dressed up version in a can and doctoring it in a saucepan.

Macaroni and cheese, though, is a side of a different color.

I have no one to blame, but myself. When my kids were young and their parents poor, boxed macaroni and cheese was just fine. They ate pounds of the stuff, and loved it. As often happens, our taste-buds matured along with our pocketbooks, and I soon found myself using grated cheddar (sharp, only) instead of packages of powdered facsimile.

I started by using my mother’s recipe. She baked marvelous macaroni and cheese using the recipe from her decades-old Betty Crocker cookbook. My sons fell in love at first bite. It’s a good recipe. I used it for years, with good results. Everyone was very happy. We enjoyed a nice, stable relationship. But, as so often happens, one day I woke up wanting something more, something spicy, something new, more joie de vivre!

Enter Alton Brown who, according to my sons, engineered the penultimate macaroni and cheese recipe. They took one bite, and I never looked back. No family dinner is complete without it.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese (courtesy of Alton Brown)

½ lb. elbow macaroni (I’ve used other kinds, especially when my kids were younger, but elbows really are best.)

3 tbl. butter (Have you read the ingredients in margarine?)

3 tbl. flour (Unbleached and organic if possible)

1 tbl. powdered mustard

3 c. milk (We like “Horizon”)

½ c. onion, finely diced (Vidalias only, when in season)

1 bay leaf (makes such a difference!)

½ tsp. paprika

1 large egg (Thank you Pat, Chloe, Sylvia, and Lucy!)

12 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded (2 things: Yes! It does matter if it’s sharp. And, if you don’t measure and end up using a little more, even better…)

1 tsp. kosher salt

Fresh (of course!) black pepper

Topping:

3 tbl. butter

1 c. panko bread crumbs

(Personally, I can do without the topping, but it does make for a pretty dish.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente. (firm, but not hard)

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a separate pot. Whisk in flour and mustard, and keep it moving for about 5 minutes, making sure it’s free of lumps. Stir in milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for 10 minutes and remove bay leaf.

Temper in the egg.(slowing add a small amount of hot mixture to egg before adding egg to mix) Stir in ¾ of cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold cooked macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole. Top with remaining ¼ of cheese.

Melt butter in sauté pan and toss bread crumbs to coat. Top macaroni with bread crumbs.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

This recipe serves a large family.


© Copyright 2009-2010 Stacye Carroll All Rights Reserved