26 Things to Grill This Summer

It's that time of year again.  Grilling time. Summer is meant for grilling with friends.  Currently, living in Italy

Grilling time!

means no grilling for me. I don't have a grill (I do have my trusty grill pan which kind of works) and it's not as popular here.
I love grilling with friends. It's the laughter, the camaraderie and then of course there's the food.  The char marks, the smoky flavor. I don't love smoke in my eyes, but everything else about barbecues and grilling is amazing.
As soon as I get back to the states I would love to have a bunch of barbecues with family and friends. And I would absolutely love to try grilling some new and fun recipes.  I don't want to do the traditional hot dogs and hamburgers. No as per usual I want to experiment.

Burgers and Hot dogs grilled on my grill pan

Last year I started my experimentation with Stuffed Burgers. Cheeseburgers inside out.  I'll have to repeat my favorites and post up the recipes too.  Jack Daniels burgers stuffed with spicy jack cheese (did I mention that I often make alcoholic burgers to grill?). Lime Tequila Burgers stuffed with swiss cheese (although I will be modifying these and making them with ground turkey instead because I think it'll match the lime and tequila better).
But there are so many things that I want to grill. Therefore I'm keeping a list, to see how many exciting things I can grill. I definitely won't be limiting myself to burgers alone!

THE LIST

1. Stuffed Jack Daniels Burgers
2. Stuffed Lime Tequila Turkey Burgers
3. Grilled Romaine for a beautiful Caesar salad
4. Portabello mushroom Steaks
5. Grilled Asparagus with a balsamic reduction
6. Chile Lime Shrimp Skewers
7. Grilled Sweet Potatoes with garlic butter (instead of plain old white potatoes) 
8. Grilled Lobster with Sriracha butter
9. Grilled Whole Carrots
10. Grilled Polenta with Grilled Italian Sausage and Grapes 
11. Grilled Apples stuffed with Sausage and Sage (found this idea on Buzzfeed, and it looks AMAZING!)
12. Bacon wrapped Eggplant bites
13. Grilled Savory French Toast
14. Grilled Avocado
15. Grilled Blueberry Steak
16. Mexican Grilled Cheese (Refried beans, cheddar, salsa, avocado)  
17. Apricot Salsa Grilled Quesadillas
18. Chicken and Red Pepper Skewers
19. Beer Can Chicken
20. Basil, Bacon and Peach Grilled Brie
21. Grilled Peaches and Cream
22. Grilled Apple Pie
23. Grilled Blueberry Muffins with basil butter (or ice cream!)
24. Strawberry S'mores
25. Grilled limes for Tequilla shots
26. Grilled Strawberries for Daiquiris 

Ok... So that's my list for now. I could keep going, but I'm going to resist at the moment.  I have the entirety of August and some of September to make all of my grilling dreams come true.  For now, I'll use my grill pan to see what I can make!

Recipe: Savory French Toast Sandwich

I love french toast and I especially love making sandwiches with French Toast.  It's easy to make and fun to get creative with.

Savory French Toast

4 pieces of thick sliced bread (challah or whole wheat)
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cayenne (even a little more if you like spicy)
1 tbs white white (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Whip the eggs with the spices and white wine. Soak the slices of bread in the egg mixture.  Heat a small amount of oil or butter (if you want to go healthy, you can also use cooking spray) and then place the slices down on the hot surface. If you're using cooking spray, it will heat faster and possibly begin to smoke. I prefer to use butter because I like the taste best, but oil gets a great golden color as well. Let cook for about a minute on each side or until golden brown.

At this point you can either serve the french toast with syrup and bacon or you can do what I often do and make a sandwich.

Tonight I decided to make a vegetarian french toast sandwich using fresh spinach, cheddar cheese, cream cheese and cranberries. I spread the cream cheese while the french toast was still warm and then sprinkled with shredded cheddar (it starts to melt right away). You can slice the spinach leaves or place them whole on the bread if you prefer and then add as many cranberries as you like. It adds a nice sweet kick that isn't too jarring.  It was utterly delicious and I highly recommend trying it.  And it paired really well
with my Once Upon a Vine Chardonnay.

Recipe: Turkey sandwich with caramellized onion

 A turkey sandwich is probably one of the easiest dishes to make, but to make it with flair? That could be a challenge.  How does one transform a standard turkey sandwich into something fun and delicious.
I was in the mood for a turkey sandwich that would have been the envy of every lunch box and brown paper bag in high school! (Granted, my lunches were pretty envied anyway thanks to my mothers famous italian sandwiches of all of my friends)
I decided to take the simple turkey sandwich up a notch.



Best Turkey Sandwich
1 piece of frozen turkey breast (a thinly sliced cutlet is perfect)
2 tablespoon butter
1/4 of a onion diced
1 clove of garlic (if you would like a stronger taste of garlic, finely dice the clove)
2 slices of american cheese or mozzarella
1 tsp mayonnaise
salt and pepper
arugula
cherry tomatoes (sliced or quartered)

In a flat skillet saute the onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter. As the onion begins to become transparent add the turkey and cover. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn when slightly golden on one side.
Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on each piece of bread and cover with a slice of cheese. When you flip the turkey, check on the onion, if it has started to brown remove it from the pan so it does not burn and place the mixture onto the slices of bread. (If you have not finely diced your garlic, you can discard the clove at this point). Add the other tablespoon of butter to the pan and then place the bread on top.Let the cheese melt as the turkey finishes cooking. When the turkey has browned remove and cut into slices. Place the turkey on the bread with lettuce and tomato.
Serve with a side salad and balsamic vinegar.

 

~Raspberry Truffle

Beer Can Chicken

Okay I kind of want to make this for the barbeque! It caught my eye on foodnetwork. It's called beer can chicken, and it's sitting on top of a 3/4 full can of beer!! It seriously amuses me, and i kind of really want to try it on Sunday so I may buy a chicken tomorrow!! It looks pretty simple (Beer Can Chicken Recipe)
Sooo we'll just see!! Yummy, yummy, yummy!!

~Raspberry Truffle