Boy, this Sriracha-lime popcorn is some mighty good popcorn. Lime, basil and Sriracha really go great together. I never thought about those flavors in popcorn. I do now. And I taste it in my dreams too. Citrus-flavored popcorn is great by itself. It’s kind of unexpected. Basil, maybe not so different. Sriracha? In popcorn? What kind of sorcery is that? Well, delicious sorcery is what it is!
Don’t Get Soggy With It
Make a double batch of Sriracha-lime popcorn. And pop it using a Stir Crazy Popcorn maker. This stuff doesn’t last! Now, if you’re like me and love Sriracha, you have to resist the temptation to add more to the spice mixture. More is usually better, but more in this case will mean soggy popcorn. No one wants a bowl of soggy sadness.
Boy, this Sriracha-lime popcorn is some mighty good popcorn. Lime, basil and Sriracha really go great together. I never thought about those flavors in popcorn. I do now. In my dreams.
I made this simple dish of grilled honey-rosemary chicken thighs using chicken thighs, but you could of course use any cut of chicken. This would also work great for grilled pork chops. I love firing up my Weber for dishes like this. The chicken is just amazing. So tender, so juicy. And the flavor is just fantastic. A little sweetness with the freshness of rosemary makes for great tasting chicken. This is not boring chicken. The key is to make sure you don’t miss a spot when you baste the chicken as it cooks. Don’t be afraid to make extra of the basting sauce.
I’m a huge fan of rosemary. I put in a little more than this recipe for grilled honey-rosemary chicken thighs calls for. Now that I think back, this would’ve been great served up with some homemade rosemary focaccia bread. I wish I’d thought of that when I made these! But they were fantastic just like they are, with a simple vegetable side dish or two.
Chef Bobby Flay has several Mesa Grill restaurants. We’ve not ever eaten at one, but hopefully someday we will. Fortunately, Bobby has posted some of the recipes from his restaurants. I made this Mesa Grill steak sauce the other day and I fell in love with it. I’ve had it on grilled burgers, a grilled ribeye, and some grilled bacon-wrapped pork loin (not all on the same day!). It’s my go-to steak sauce, and I didn’t used to use steak sauce at all!
Anything off the grill is a good thing, I always say. And these grilled potato wedges are no exception. The nice thing about them is that you can toss in whatever you like. If you want some heat, use more chile flake. Like Cajun? Add some Cajun seasoning. Herbs? Use fresh rosemary or thyme. But then, there’s nothing wrong with the way I made them. They’re easy and come out delicious.
The Keys To Success
We’ve all cut up potatoes, tossed them in oil, and put them on the grill. They aren’t bad. But sometimes they don’t cook evenly. Or they dry out. Or well, they’re kinda bland. These grilled potato wedges solve all those problems.
Pre-cooking the potatoes makes sure they grill up easy and quickly. And evenly. That also keeps them from drying out because they don’t spend as much time over that hot, dry heat.
The flavor on these delicious slices of yumminess comes from simple ingredients. Just garlic and pepper flake for starters. Cooked first in a little oil to not only cook the garlic but to also season the oil.
Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water.
Add in two tablespoons of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are starting to soften, but still hold their shape, about 20 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.
Drain and cut into wedges.
Fire up a grill for direct cooking.
Brush the potatoes with some of the olive oil (about 1/4 cup) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place on grill and grill until lightly charred.
Flip and grill another 2-3 minutes.
Remove to a bowl.
Heat remaining oil in a small skillet.
Once hot, remove from heat and add the garlic, chili flakes, and parsley.
Let set for 1 minute.
Pour oil over potatoes and toss gently.
Serve topped with freshly grated cheese.
Notes
Try and cut your wedges into the same sizes so they cook evenly and consistently.
My wife’s a huge fan of pimento cheese. She makes a pimento cheese salad for sandwiches. When I ran across this recipe for pimento cheeseburger topping from Annie’s Recipes, I snapped it up and made it the next time we grilled burgers.
The pimento cheese stays together. It doesn’t just up and run down your burger and onto your plate or into your lap. Every bite you take you get that wonderful cheesy flavor. And there’s just a little bit of a kick from the hot sauce. It’s much better than just tossing a slice of cheese on your burger, that’s for sure.
The Perfect Topping
Pimento cheese isn’t just for hamburgers, either. It’s great on hot dogs or on baked potatoes (yes!). And crackers. Oh yes. It’s completely fantastic on crackers too!
The pimento cheese stays together. It doesn’t just up and run down your burger and onto your plate or into your lap. Every bite you take you get that wonderful cheesy flavor with just a little bit of a kick from the hot sauce. It’s much better than just tossing a slice of cheese on your burger, that’s for sure.
Who would’ve thought… who would’ve known…. that oven-baked hot dogs could be soooo good? Maybe it was because I was just jonesin’ for a hot dog, but a glance outside made me realize that a grilled dog just wasn’t in my future. These baked ones came out just great! No need to fire up the grill, these dogs satisfied my cravings and then some!
They’re Supposed To Be Messy
Here are they are just before getting cheesed and baked. No point in being shy with the toppings. These are meant to be messy dogs so go all out. And… the money shot! I think these oven-baked hot dogs would be great for a party, kids or not!
Boy, these were good! If you follow this blog at all, you know that I’m a big fan (and user) of Kaw-Cajun Comeback sauce from Chez John. I made another big batch last week, and you know what that means! Po boys! For starters, I made this Cheater popcorn shrimp po boy. I didn’t have the time to deep fry shrimp from scratch so I “cheated” and used frozen pre-cooked shrimp.
Nothing Fancy Here. Just Good.
These cheater popcorn shrimp po boy sandwiches have a great shrimp taste (with a little crunch). The Comeback sauce adds a wonderful kick. Lettuce and tomato and a nice freshness.
When I made this Cheater popcorn shrimp po boy. I didn’t have the time to deep fry shrimp from scratch so I “cheated” and used frozen pre-cooked shrimp.
This avocado with crab-mango salad is a great dish as an appetizer or a side salad. It’s light and refreshing and darned tasty to boot! This is the perfect salad for a warm summer brunch, combining crunchy and creamy textures into each and every bite. And of course there’s decadent crab throughout.
One Fantastic Salad
Use a good quality lump crab. I made these by using a cookie cutter to form them. You can also just use an avocado half, with the pit removed of course, to serve them in like little salad bowls!
Squeeze half a lime into a bowl. Add the oil and cilantro and mix well.
Add the lime zest, mango, bell pepper, onion and jalapeno and mix well.
Add the crab and mix gently.
Drizzle the remaining lime juice over the avocado.
Place 1/4th of the avocado in the bottom of a large round cookie cutter or metal ring. Tamp down slightly with the bottom of a spoon.
Add in 1/4th of the crab salad and tamp down. Slowly remove the cookie cutter. I put a spoon on top of the salad mixture to hold it down while removing the cookie cutter.
Repeat with remaining avocado and crab salad.
Notes
This salad is best when served immediately after preparing.
I was looking for a few sides to go with our tacos the other night. I came across this easy way to make an easy refried beans. The creamy cheese and crunchy jalapeno and onion really kick that ole blah flavor up a few notches.
Beans Need Help
Grab a bowl of Fiesta corn with these easy refried beans and you have the perfect sides for taco night. We use La Preferida refried beans whenever we’re serving canned beans. They have great flavor, but even the best canned beans need a bit of help. No one has to know that your beans came from a can.
I highly recommend that you shred or grate your own cheese at home. Don’t buy the pre-shredded or pre-grated stuff. It has stuff added to it to keep it from sticking together. That ‘stuff’ affects how the cheese melts. Shred it yourself and use the good stuff.
I was looking for a few sides to go with our tacos the other night. I came across this easy way to make a jazzed-up can of refried beans. The creamy cheese and crunchy jalapeno and onion really kick that ole blah flavor up a few notches.
You sure can’t go wrong with mushrooms and cheese on a good ole baked potato! I love having baked potatoes for dinner. Not as a side, but for dinner. Load them up and I’m a happy guy. It reminds me of Hogs Breath, my favorite diner in Fayetteville, Arkansas, when I was in college. For just a few bucks you could get a massive loaded baked potato for lunch. Like these cheesy mushroom baked potatoes. Big taters, loaded with lots of cheese and earthy mushrooms. This ain’t fancy eats, but it’s good eats!
Baked Potatoes Love Toppings!
Also try my cheesy broccoli baked potatoes and my easy chili cheese baked potatoes. Like I said, I absolutely love baked potatoes and I’m more than happy to top them with darned near anything. These cheesy mushroom baked potatoes are just one great example!
