Gathering Around The Grill

We so often write about our kids and feeding a crowd…., but over again, we find ourselves in unexpected situations where we have to do exactly that.  How does this happen?  Well, we have both raised large families.  Luckily, our children have thrived,  eventually grown up, developed their own interests, and moved away to university, where they have followed their passions and become strong, independent  young people.  This has made us very happy, but nonetheless, we miss them, and look forward to them coming home for visits.  We especially enjoy when they bring friends home on those visits- these are joyous, boisterous times and the celebrations always include sharing stories around the dinner table.

Such it was last weekend, when a couple of sons arrived home with a gang for the weekend.  It was a surprise visit, but fortunately, we have the ability to access menu ideas and some easy recipes on our barbecue Blog. We prepared a roasted leg of lamb  one night. The next night, we made a classic dinner of grilled steak,baked potatoes and roasted vegetables. The day after that, we prepared the smoker and created a feast fit for hungry artists and art-lovers, featuring smoked duck legs and baby back ribs. The young people pitched in to create an eclectic vegetable stir fry.   The meal was a smashing success!!  The next morning, the friends began to pack up and head for home. Wanting to enjoy the last evening with the remaining son who was to leave for New York the next morning,  we still needed to plan a meal which was simple, yet fun, since there were to be a few more guests that evening. After considering  some options with a food loving brother-in-law, we came up with an idea for some tasty  beef and lamb burgers, sweet potato fries and salad – with guacamole and nachos for appetizers. Eureka!  It was the end to a perfect weekend. Here is the recipe for those flavourful, juicy

Beef and Lamb Burgers with caramelized onions    

2 lbs lean gound beef

1 lb ground lamb

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

1 medium onion, minced

2 tbsp worchestershire sauce

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Combine ground beef, lamb, chopped parsley, onions and seasonings gently in a large bowl, and form into 12patties. Preheat barbecue on MEDIUM-HIGH, then brush or spray grids with vegetable oil.  Place patties on the grids and sear for 2 minutes per side. Reduce heat to LOW and continue cooking for another 2-4 minutes per side(depending on the thickness of the patties) until juicy, but cooked through.  Lightly toast the buns during the last 2 minutes of grilling.

Serve with Caramelized onions .

Guacamole

2 ripe avocados

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

½ red onion, finely minced

juice of 1 lime

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

dash of Tabasco sauce

salt & pepper

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Mash avocado in a medium size mixing bowl. Add chopped tomato, red onion, lime juice and Tabasco sauce. Season with  cumin, cayenne, salt & pepper.  Top with chopped cilantro. Cover with plastic wrap, pressed directly against the guacamole, to prevent browning, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

During the week, we settled back into the business of our lives, which while being extremely exciting, included such mundane tasks as changing all of the beds and doing the laundry from the weekend .  As usual, we talked during our Monday meeting about how proud we both are of our children and how we always look forward to their next visit.  But, as they say, be careful what you wish for!   Circumstances soon came together so that once again, that same house was filled with young people and their friends for several more days !  The stars aligned differently that week however.  Luckily, we had just received a box of samples of some new barbecue products that we had just developed. (More about this next week.) THE PERFECT SMOKIN’ SOUTHWEST BARBECUE SAUCE was just the thing needed to pull together some great barbecue feasts that were suitable for feeding a crowd, with very minimal effort. The Barbecue sauce went on ribs, chicken breasts and sausages. Add to this 2-3 salads, including tossed green salad, 3-Potato Salad and a Greek Pasta salad and everyone was happy. We also cooked some bacon on the side burner to pair with the leftover chicken in the Clubhouse sandwiches that we enjoyed the next day. Here is a recipe for the classic potato salad that everyone enjoyed.

3- Potato Salad

2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, diced into ½ -in cubes

1 lb red potatoes, diced into ½ -in cubes

1 lb purple potatoes,  diced into ½ -in cubes

3 baby dill pickles, diced

3 green onions, chopped

2 stalks of celery, diced

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup mayonnaise

2 tsp Dijon mustard

¼ tsp paprika

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Scrub and dice potatoes, and cook in a large pot of boiling salted water for 15 minutes, until tender. Drain the potatoes. While still hot, add apple cider vinegar. Toss and refrigerate for 15 minutes.  When slightly cooled, remove from refrigerator and combine potatoes with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.  Adjust seasoning and garnish with paprika. Cover and return to refrigerator until ready to serve.

 

It was a busy weekend, but truth be told,  as soon as we are finished here, we will be on our way to Costco to get a large bottle of laundry detergent – because, as you know, our motto is to always be ready for anything! You never know who will drop in next weekend.