Baked Pollock, Freezer Pickles & Starting Party Planning

With the move, settling in and renovating in time for our party on August 6, I have been relying on the grill and simpler meals. Yesterday I made a batch of freezer pickles for the party. I'll post more about the party preparations this week as we fine tune the menu. Watch for tomorrow's post as I finally found yellow corn! As taste tester extraordinaire, a few ears will be sampled tonight with beer battered pickerel. The rest are being either canned as corn relish or froze depending on how busy I get. I'm also making a batch of sweet pickle relish so watch for that recipe as well.

In my spare time, I will be: painting, caulking, organizing and killing gigantic spiders and other critters that would rather be indoors ;) Oh, I should tell you about our resident skunk too. That will have to wait as produce is ready to be preserved.

Freezer Pickles

Freezer pickles are my standard, dependable, no fail bread & butter style of pickle. It is as easy as mixing the ingredients together, letting them sit then pack into one or more freezer containers. I keep several of these containers in the freezer. I think it is best to use smaller, fresh grown pickling cucumbers for this recipe.

I made a larger batch and froze them in a 1660 ml (7 cup) freezer container. They will go nicely as an accompaniment for the party menu. I'll thaw them the night before in the refrigerator ready for the following day.


Baked Pollock

Meals as mentioned have been rather on the simple side. Last night I baked pollock for a quick, easy meal.

Ingredients:

680 g thawed pollock fillets
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 lime, thinly sliced
1 tsp lemon pepper (salt free)
1 tsp lime pepper (salt free)
extra light olive oil
1 tbsp melted butter

Place the thawed fillets on a double broiling pan that has been brushed with extra light olive oil. If desired to prevent the juices from burning place a cup of water in the lower pan. Lightly brush olive oil over the fillets. Sprinkle with lemon pepper. Place two lemon slices and one lime slice on each fillet straggling as needed. Sprinkle with lime pepper. Bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes or until fillets feel firm to touch and lightly golden brown. Brush with melted butter.

Dishwasher Installed & Grilled Pork Chops

The kitchen remodel is a little behind but we are still hoping to have it ready by August 6. We have made arrangements for the pig roaster as well as the pig.

Bosch SHE44C02UC

Saturday my husband and son-in-law installed our new dishwasher (1). It is a Bosch! Why we chose this model and details of the installation are on my homemaking blog. After much debate we installed it in the same location as the old dishwasher instead of where the built-in oven was (2). We plan to convert the built-in oven area into either open shelves or drawers. So far the drawer idea is winning.

The only painted wall in the kitchen surrounds the patio above the wood wainscotting. A shadow effect taking advantage of almost one foot thick walls was created using a darker paint (3) for the patio and windowsill. Arrangements have been made for the countertop measurements so hopefully I will be able to report on that soon.


Grilled Pork Chops

Thick-cut boneless pork chops are delightful grilled. The chops should be one inch thick and boneless although the same method will work with bone-in pork chops. The trick to grilling these like all meats is to not overcook. Plan on one pork chop per person then do a couple extra to be sliced for sandwiches or stir fried rice.

We grilled six thick-cut boneless pork chops. It was a toss up as to using a rub or a sauce. Since we had bought Rusty's Ribs Original BBQ Sauce judged to be the World's best sauce at the Sarnia Ribfest the decision was fairly easy. This is a rich, full bodied sauce with a nice balance of sweet, tang and heat. The sauce is available online here or you can email them at sauces@ibm.net

Method: Place the chops on a hot grill. Turn when meat moves if pushed slightly. Use tongs when turning to prevent puncturing the meat. This keeps the juices inside the meat where you want them. We brush on the barbeque sauce after the first turn but only if it is not a high sugar content sauce. The higher the sugar content the greater the chance of charring instead of carmelization. Turn the meat once after brushing with sauce so both sides are evenly coated. Remove from the grill when sauce is lightly carmelized.

Serve with grilled or steamed corn on the cob and grilled potatoes.

Sarnia, Ontario Ribfest

Sarnia, Ontario Ribfest
July 12-15, 2007

We are very fortunate to live in an area where there are many food related summer activities. These range from maple syrup and berry festivals and socials to full fledged food fests. A few years ago we started making the ribfest circuit with Burlington, Ontario being the first. We were hooked! The sights, sounds and food had us wanting more.

We have a game plan when we go to ribfests. We divide ourselves so each is responsible for one item usually with four to five getting a rack of ribs ($20 each), one getting corn on the cob ($3 per cob) and one getting drinks (varies depending on whether alcoholic or not). Remember the focus is on the ribs not the extras but the entertainment, atmosphere and enjoying family together is what really counts. Afterwards we wander stopping to pick-up our favourite barbeque sauces or stopping at other booths for spices more often than not licking a huge ice cream cone.

Sarnia is the Ontario point between Ontario, Canada and Michigan, USA, at the southern point of Lake Huron. It connects to the USA via the Bluewater Bridge. The weather was on the warmish side but since it was evening when we arrived it was rather pleasant with a coolish breeze off the lake. The mouthwatering smells filled the air as we neared the ribfest. This was a smallish ribfest with 8 teams competing.

The ribs we enjoyed the most were from Smokin' Joe's Ribs operated by Sarnian Terry Slowka. These were lip smacking ribs leaving that after "I need more of these" taste! They were awarded people choice awards for this ribfest. It's nice to see a Canadian ribber win this accolade. The Ontario Ribfest schedule follows if you are interested. Perhaps I will see you there!

2007 Ontario Ribfest Schedule

Sarnia July 12-15th
Niagara Falls June 15-17
Timmins June 30-July 1
Markham July 6-8
Toronto (Etobicoke) June 20-July 2
Mississauga July 20-22
London Aug 2-6
St. Catharines Aug 3-6
Scarborough Aug 3-7
Brockville Aug 10-12
Guelph Aug 24-26
Burlington Aug 31-Sept 3
Oshawa Sept 7-9

Enjoy!

Garden Gnome
©2007

Kitchen Update, Grilled Chicken and Camp Style Potatoes

Recipes, pictures and method follow the kitchen update!

It took us little time to choose a complimentary paint colour to match the abundance of wood and our navy blue leather couch set in the family room. We also have a large fieldstone fireplace with gas fireplace insert so the colour had to tie that in as well. The kitchen opens into the family room with a breakfast bar separating the two. The bottom third of both rooms is tongue and groove wood as are both ceilings finished in a medium dark mahogany. The kitchen cabinets and all trim is the same medium dark mahogany. The wood finish is warm so we decided on cool overtones for the paint that would be replacing the wallpaper.

Paint & Countertop Colours

Our daughter helped me choose the colour and I couldn't be happier. She picked several samples to show me as I was shopping in another section of Home Depot. This chip sample appealed to me immediately. The scan is not the best but this will give you an idea. The only painted wall in the kitchen has a patio door and little area. It along with the family room walls have been painted in Country Mist. The kitchen window, patio door and family room window are about one foot deep and framed in wood. I painted the depth with Tide Pools to create a shadow box effect. The kitchen window and patio door have an additional trimming towards the outside. I am going to paint this trim in Marina Isle. The same three colours will be repeated in the guest bathroom off the family room but I haven't decided how yet.

At the same time, my daughter picked out several countertop samples. We have been contemplating these. My son took one look and pulled one sample that works wonderfully with the paint chip and cabinets. The back splash is tentatively to be tiled in a aqua glass tile that is in between Country Mist and Tide Pools. My kitchen will no longer be pink so watch for an updated look for my blog to reflect that once life slows down a bit.

Grilled Chicken Medallions

Chicken medallions are ideal for grilling. They can be bought pre-made or you can make them yourself using boneless, skinless chicken. Form them into a round, wrap with bacon and secure with a toothpick. The bacon adds flavour and keeps the chicken moist so seasoning is not needed. If desired add the seasoning of your choice but do so lightly. My suggestions for seasoning of chicken medallions is Old Bay Seasoning or a simple seasoning salt but herb combinations would work as well so experiment until you get one you like.

Prior to grilling the medallions will be about four inches in diameter. They shrink in diameter but plump up. Don't let the size fool you as these are quite filling. Grill the medallions on a medium hot until the juices from the chicken run clear and the bacon is cooked to medium with crispy spots on the edges.


Camp Style Potatoes

I served camp style potatoes with the chicken medallions. These potatoes are a family favourite from our camping days easily adapted to the home grill. This is more of a method of cooking the potatoes that can easily be adapted for more servings. Use a no salt seasoning for a low sodium side dish.

Camp Style Potatoes

4 - 6 large potatoes
1/2 Spanish or Vidalia onion
dash onion garlic seasoning
dash Montreal Steak seasoning (optional)
extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tsp butter
foil pan (optional)
tin foil

Wash potatoes and cut into bite size pieces. Chop potatoes. Continue in one of the two following methods:
(1) Drizzle olive oil into foil pan. Mix the vegetables and pour into foil pan. Sprinkle with seasoning. Cut butter into 1/4 tsp chunks. Put butter over the vegetables. Seal the foil pan tightly with tin foil. Continue with grilling instructions.
(2) Lay a sheet of tin foil about 18-24 inches long on the counter. Drizzle olive oil in the centre, keeping it away from all edges. Pour the vegetables into the centre, season and add butter. Pull the two short ends of the foil together and fold several times to form a tight seam but not enough to push the vegetables out of the newly formed short ends. Repeat the folds for both of the new short ends forming a tightly sealed foil packet.

To grill: Place the potato packet on the grill on indirect heat. Grill for approximately 35 minutes. Use caution when opening the packet to prevent steam burns.

Grilled Herbed Chicken

Grilled chicken is one of our summer favourites. Instead of marinating the boneless, skinless chicken breasts before grilling I use a mixture of butter and Herbs de Provence to brush on the chicken as it grilled. This reduced the prep time yet resulted in a moist, flavourful piece of chicken. I served the chicken with steamed spinach and Calrose rice cooked in homecanned chicken stock in the rice cooker. Calrose rice is a medium grain rice that cooks up nicely without being sticky. This meal is low sodium and low fat even if you are like me who likes just a little unsalted butter to enhance the flavour of most cooked vegetables and rice. Butter has 3 - 4 grams of fat per teaspoon depending on the brand so stay at one teaspoon or less.