My Cousin, the Meat Lady

So my cousin is pretty much amazing. She is absolutely adorable. Gorgeous, funny, and very smart.

The unexpected part, though, is that my cousin is really into meat. In fact, she is a graduate student in the Meat Sciences program at the University of Georgia. It is absolutely hilarious to see this beautiful, sweet girl talk about slaughtering animals, different cuts of meat, and her research projects.

But the best part is that we get to sample some of the fruits of her labor. The school sells their cuts of meat every Friday afternoon - and she brings us some of her projects that are not for sale, as well!

This is an example of the latter. This is a Greek sausage that the graduate students made. We grilled some last week, and they were amazing! For more great meat info and tips, check out my cousin's blog: The Meat Lady.

Greek Turi Loukaniko
from my cousin, The Meat Lady

10 lb ground lamb shoulder
1/2 lb. feta cheese
10 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons dried garlic
2 tablespoons dried oregano
4 teaspoons black pepper
2 tablespoons orange zest
3 teaspoon ground anise seed
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 teaspoons ground coriander
Sheep casings

Combine all ingredients in a very large bowl. Next, grind the meat again with the seasonings. Use casings to make your desired sized sausages. Grill and serve hot!

Taco Burgers

The idea for these awesome burgers came from my friend Hayley. She has a fabulous shopping blog - Deals, Steals & Heels - you should check it out!

Taco Burgers

1 packet of dry taco seasoning
1.5 lbs. ground beef (~85% lean)
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 slices cheddar or cheddar jack cheese
4 buns
Red onion, sliced
Guacamole (make your own! it's easy!)

In a medium bowl, combine taco seasoning, ground beef, and egg lightly until completely combined. Divide the meat into four equal patties.

Grill the patties to desired done-ness, topping with sliced cheese during the last 2 minutes of grilling. Grill the buns, too, if desired.

Place a patty on each bun, and top with sliced onion and guacamole. Enjoy!

Vidalia Victuals Finalist #5: Vidalia Onion on the Grill

Vidalia Onion on the Grill

submitted by Brandette L

1 large Vidalia onion
1 beef bouillon cube
3 tablespoons butter

Take an onion and score the top in an X shape with a paring knife. Pull open the middle slightly. Stick the beef bouillon cube in the middle, then stuff with the butter. Wrap tightly in foil.

Grill the onion until tender to the touch, about 30 minutes. Serve each onion in a bowl for perfect individual portions.

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Corn, on the Cob, on the Grill

This is how my husband likes to make our corn when we're having a cookout. It comes out so sweet and delicious - perfectly steamed with that buttery, salty goodness all over it! ( I'm drooling as I write.) And if you grill it long enough, it gets just a bit of that smoky, charred flavor on the edges. Once you cook corn this way, you can never go back.

Corn on the Cob on the Grill

2 ears of corn
2 tablespoons of butter, softened
Salt to taste

First, heat up your grill to medium or medium-high heat. Next, shuck your ears of corn and be sure to remove all the silk. Next, take one tablespoon of butter per ear and rub the butter all over the corn kernels. Sprinkle on all sides with salt to taste. Then wrap your ears up with tin foil, sealing tightly at the ends (to prevent drippage).

Place your corn directly on the grill and cook, covered, for about 15-20 minutes. The kernels will be tender to the touch when it's ready.

Grilled Yellow Squash

Another veggie that screams "spring is here!" to me is yellow squash. We get all sorts of heirloom varieties of squash from our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)* farm, and it's always an adventure trying to figure out how to cook them. But there's nothing better than keepin' it simple with some salt, pepper, and olive oil - and then letting the grill do its thang. Wonderfully sweet and smoky, these grilled slices of squash are the perfect side for any summer meal.

*No worries if you are not familiar with CSAs, because I will be doing a very detailed post on our very own CSA in May! We get baskets of fresh fruits and veggies from a local farm once a week all through the growing season. Look for a post around Mother's Day - that's when their harvesting season kicks off.

Grilled Yellow Squash

4-6 medium yellow squash, washed and sliced length-wise about 1/2" thick
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. (We used the good ol' George Foreman tonight.)

Toss all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Grill for about 2-4 minutes on each side, until you can see the nice charred grill marks! Serve immediately.

Bell and Boursin Tenderloin

Here is another recipe from our weekend wine-tasting. We served this as the main course, paired with a nice bold Cabernet Sauvignon from Avalon Winery and a fun red blend called Ménage à Trois.

This was probably the favorite dish of the night! The meat was so tender and juicy. The Boursin and roasted red peppers melted in your mouth, just like the tenderloin did! This is a great recipe for an upscale summer cookout with a crowd. One tenderloin easily fed all 10 of us!

Bells and Boursin Beef Tenderloin
Inspired by Molly Jean, the Rookie Chef

2-3 lb. whole beef tenderloin, trimmed (got ours at Trader Joe's - yum)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil
1 10-ounce jar of roasted red bell peppers (or you can make your own)
1 4-ounce package Boursin cheese (recommended: garlic and fine herbs)

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Tie your beef into an even, round roast if necessary so that it will cook evenly. Season the outside of the roast generously with salt and pepper, or a seasoning rub of your choice. You can also spray or brush the meat with olive oil to prevent sticking.

Using metal tongs, apply the meat to the hot grill, browning and caramelizing the surface of the meat, turning until all sides are nicely seared. Turn the grill down to low heat (or move the meat to a lower-heat area of the grill) and continue to cook until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the tenderloin registers between 120-130 degrees (for medium-rare).

Remove the meat from the grill, cover it lightly with foil, and allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes. The temperature of the meat should continue to rise about 10 degrees as it rests. Meanwhile, pour your roasted red peppers into a microwave-safe dish and heat for about 30-45 seconds, until the peppers are fragrant and steaming.

After the meat has rested, cut your tenderloin into 3/4" slices and arrange on a large platter. Top each slice with a generous slathering of Boursin cheese. Then layer a warm roasted red pepper on top. Serve immediately.

Roasted Reds

Here is an easy recipe for making your own roast red bell peppers in the oven or on a grill. We grow loads of bell peppers in our garden during the summer, and I'm already looking forward to this year's crop.

Smokey, caramelized red bells are great on their own, but you will usually find them included in recipes with other ingredients, like this beef tenderloin dish. You can also puree them to make a sauce or a dip. They have a bold, sweet flavor without being spicy or overpowering. I could eat them like candy.

Roasted Red Bell Peppers

4 red bell peppers
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cut your bell peppers into quarters lengthwise, and cut out the stem, vein, and seeds. Place them on a large greased baking sheet with the peels facing upward.

For oven:

Preheat your oven to broil, making sure that your oven rack is on the highest shelf it can go to. Cover a heavy-duty baking sheet with foil and apply cooking spray to the foil. You can also use a broiling pan and simply apply cooking spray directly to the pan.

Broil the peppers about 2 inches from the heat for about 10-12 minutes, or until the peppers' skins turn blackened and charred.

For grill:

Preheat your grill to high heat. Grill the peppers skin-side-down for about 5-7 minutes, or until the peppers' skins turn blacken and charred.

For both:

Remove from the oven or grill and place the peppers in a paper bag, closing it tightly and allowing the peppers to cool.

Peel the skin off the peppers and cut the flesh into strips. Combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt in a glass jar or a Tupperware container and add the peppers.

You can store your peppers in the fridge for several days.

Grilled Salad with Sweet Italian Sausage

Here is the salad that we served during our wine-tasting party. It paired beautifully with the La Crema Pinot Noir. Everyone loved the ginger crostini in this salad - and you will not believe how easy it was to make. This would be a perfect salad to serve at a cook-out - the grilled flavors of the sausage and the onion are complimented so beautifully by the balsamic.

Grilled Salad with Ginger Crostini
Adapted from Rachel Ray

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 teaspoons ground ginger
6-8 slices crusty white bread
1 pound sweet Italian pork sausages
2 medium sweet onions, peeled and quartered
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
8 cups mixed greens
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette (recommended: Newman's Own)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil and the ground ginger. Brush the ginger mixture generously on the bread slices. Place them on a baking sheet, and bake until toasted and crispy, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, using a grill, grill pan, or George Foreman, cook the sausages over medium-high heat, turnning as necessary, until browned and crispy on all side, about 15-20 minutes.

Pour the balsamic vinegar over the onion wedges. Grill on both sides over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes on each side. The wedges should become soft and slightly charred.

In a large bowl, toss the greens with the balsamic vinaigrette until the greens are lightly coated. Divide the salad into 6-8 portions, topping each with a grilled onion wedge and a ginger crostini. Slice the sausages diagonally and divide the pieces among the salads. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Apple-Cheddar Turkey Burgers

Here is another of our favorite turkey burgers that hubby and i love to grill up on a mild spring evening. The idea for the grilled granny smiths was inspired by a Bobby Flay recipe that I came across - but we changed the cheese and added some extra flavor to the burger patties. The ingredients may sound like an odd combination but trust me, dear readers - they come together beautifully!

Apple-Cheddar Turkey Burgers

1 lb. ground turkey breast meat
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup onion, minced and lightly browned in a pan with a bit of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
A pinch of dried thyme or sage or poultry seasoning
1 large Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced cross-wise
4 large slices extra sharp cheddar cheeses
4 buns, toasted
Grilled sliced onions for topping, if desired

In a medium bowl, use a fork to lightly combine the turkey meat, the olive oil, the Worcestershire, the egg, the browned onion, the salt and pepper, the garlic powder, and the poultry seasoning. Divide the meat into 4 equal parts and gently form into patties.

Heat your grill to medium heat. Lightly spray the patties with cooking spray, and put them on the grill. Cook on both sides until the meat is done all the way through - it will take about 4-6 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, spray the apple slices with cooking spray - grill on both sides until slightly caramelized - about 2-3 minutes per side.

Broil the buns with the cheddar cheese for about 2-3 minutes, if desired.

Assemble your burgers, placing the grilled apples on top of the cheese. Top your burger with more onions, if desired. Serve with your favorite sides - enjoy!

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers

Here is one of our favorite dishes to grill when the weather is nice. There have been a few mild evenings this February here in North Georgia - but tonight was not one of them. So we fired up the George Foreman grill instead!

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers

1 lb. ground turkey breast

2 ounces feta cheese, cubed or crumbled

2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, sliced

3 tablespoons onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons Greek seasoning

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 hamburger buns, buttered and toasted/broiled/grilled

In a medium bowl, combine ground turkey, feta crumbles, sun-dried tomato, onion, Greek seasoning, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss lightly with a fork until ingredients are fully combined. Form the mixture into 4 equal patties, shaping lightly with your hands.

Grill using an outdoor grill, a grill pan on the stove, or (as we did tonight), a George Foreman grill. Cut into the burger to make sure that it is completely cooked, all the way through, before removing from the grill and serving. Remember that turkey meat isn't like ground beef - you can't cook it "medium" - you have to cook poultry until it is well-done.

Place one burger in each of your prepared buns, and top with special tangy sauce, and desired veggies, before serving.

Special Tangy Sauce

4 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Greek seasoning

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

Stir ingredients together in a small bowl. Spread generously on your turkey burgers, and enjoy!