Pizza On The Grill

The grill is good for almost everything. You can cook the old standards such as dogs and burgers on them, get experimental with any kind if fish or kabobs, and even cook fruit. However you can use your grill as an outdoor pizzeria. You can create delicious pies right out in the open air.

How do you bake pizza on a grill? There are two ways.One is to mix the dough and roll it out on a cookie sheet.Then slide it onto the grill for two minutes and then flip so that the other bakes. The other way is placing the dough on a pizza stone. This is a round, thick plate that's usually made from ceramic or earthenware. After the dough starts to rise,brush with olive oil and then tomato sauce. Add cheese and toppings and then cover for two to three minutes more. If your grill doesn't have a cover you can tent aluminum foil over the pie as a kind of out door oven.

Toppings for outdoor pizza can be as varied as an inside one. For a garden fresh one, sub in fresh picked beefsteak tomatoes and freshly picked basil instead of sauce and the dried herb. Barbecued steak or chicken also make great additions,especially the steak, Cook the meat rare and let the juices mix in with the sauce. You can also try a seafood one by adding some chopped clams mussels and oysters along with shrimp. Another fun outdoor pizza topping is crumbled hamburger on top.

There's nothing like pizza on the grill. You can make a fantastic tasting outdoors one in just seconds.It's a perfect alternative to traditional dogs and burgers.

Steaked

There's nothing like a juicy cut of steak. What foodie hasn't enjoyed sinking his or her teeth into tender meat, seared on the top and tender on the inside.It's the carnivore in us. Yet a wonderful cut of meat can be rendered inedible with the wrong cooking methods. Another result of meat gone bad is buying the wrong cut. What's the best cut of steak ? That depneds on what you buy and howyou cook with it.

The first aspect to look for in buying steak are the grades. There are prime, choice and select. Most prime grade beef ends up in restaurants. What's left for the groceries and private butchers are choice and select. The best bet for your money is choice. The second facet of a good steak is marbling . The more fat it has, the tastier the cut will be. Yes, this is unhealthy so you can try for a leaner steak (but you won't have the rich flavor) A happy balance is one with a few veins of fat running through it. The cut of be f is also important as to what you want to do . There are the ribs, the short loin and the sirloin. The rib gives you the rib roast,the rib steak and the rib eye steak along with back ribs. This is the toughest of all the cuts and can be quite chewy if not cooked well. The short loin produces the T-bone, top loin steak, tenderloin and the Porterhouse. The sirloin gives us the sirloin steak, and the top sirloin. Other steaks like the chuck, round and flank steak come from those respective areas and tend to be tough cuts of meat. Strip steaks, like the New York cut is derived from the T-bone portion. Most people prefer this last for dinner because it is easy to pan fry and serve .

What's the best way of cooking steak? Everyone has their own ideas. Some love it seared over the grill with a charred exterior and juicy pink inside. Other, like myself, enjoy a pan fried steak. I usually fry mine in a combination of olive oil with a dab of butter along with some very small pieces of chopped garlic. This last is done to give the meat a more robust flavor. I also sprinkled fresh ground sea salt and cracked pepper over the meat as it's cooking too.

Steak is a wonderful treat. You just have to know what you're buying. This helps in creating the best lunch or dinner ever. A good steak done well is the perfect meal.

A Bite Out of Applebee's

Last night I rediscovered Applebee's. It's very rare that i get to eat at this American chain restuarant beacause there ar e none in my neighborhood. It just felt good to go there and enjoy some of their dishes. There's so many diverse dishes that it's hard to choose.

Applebee's started in the 1980's in Altanta, Georgia when Bill and TJ Palmer opened ther first Applebbe's Rx for Edibles and Elixers. it wss then takne nationwide when the giant W.R. Grace bought it. I t was then franchised and in the 1990's went overseas to Germany and The Netherlands. They also introduced their Rio Grande chain at this time too. By the millennium the chain was now seen in the Mid East and Latin American. Everyone loves Applebees and why not? The steaks are phenomenal, cooked like you did it yourself and the sides are wonderful. I had steamed veggies and a nutty rice pilaf that I could have ask for seconds. The restaurant also has a wide range of chicken , fish and ribs too. Unfortunately I didn't have any of their decadent desserts I would have liked to tried their dessert shooter s where you can get strawberry cheescake, chocolate mouuse or an ice cream sundae in tiny, little shooter glasses. There's also an ice cream pie and a blondie sundae that look pretty wicked too.

Another aspect is that Applebee's serves good food at good prices. You can get a filling steak dinner like I did for only $15.49. There are also lunches that start at only $5.99 featuring chicken Ceasar salad or French dip roast beef. Another is the big 2 for 20 value meals where diners can choose one appetizer and two meals for just twenty bucks. There's also the kids' 99 cents meal and half price appetizers on certain nights

Do what I did last night .Take a huge bite out of Applebee's . If you haven't been in a while , revisit it to taste their wonderful dinners and save on their great deals. You'll be glad you did.