Barbecue On A Budget

 Happiness is a barbecue yet it can get expensive? What to do ? You can cut corners and still have a tasty spread. It's just knowing how to budget and create flavorful dishes.

A barbecue and garden produce go hand in hand. You can easily take those early ripened beefsteaks and use those to top burgers. They also are great for all sorts of salad too.One of my favorites, panzanella requires just sliced tomatoes - any kind, fresh basil chiffonaded and olive oil. Garlic from the garden can flavor the salad and any salad for that matter.If you;re luckily enough to have corn in your garden take advantage of it. Grilled corn is a great side but it can also be used in corn salads for a different take on barbecue dishes. Add onions tomatoes and cucumber for a tasty colorful dish. A simple vinaigrette is perfect here so it can let all the different flavors shine.Shiny, purple eggplant are gracing garden patches right now and it's time to enjoy their creamy textured and earthy flavor. These are a great meat sub for any barbecue and they can be barbecued in a variety of ways.Brush slices with an herbal oil and grill both sides for a few minutes. A homemade bruschetta is also a great topping for eggplant along with Parmesan cheese too.

Of course there are great stores like Lidl that can help you with a budget barbecue. Try their onion burgers which taste like the burgers your mom and Gran made. These have bits of sweet onion in them. Lidl' also has pure beef and turkey patties too , ranging anywhere from $11.99 to $7.99 Walmart also has a good price on the meat patties being a dollar more than Lidl (although I think Lidl has the more flavorful patties)Bubba 's Burgers which can be bought almost everywhere are also a  good deal. Acme me has a twelve pack of the turkey kind for $9.99 . Keep in mind you can also sub in veggie and bean burgers too.Are homemade bean burgers just as moist and tasty as the store bought ones? Yes and much cheaper too. It's a mix of black beans (which are usually sixty cents a can), bread crumbs and a egg. These last are for binding. You can add chopped onions as you would with regular burgers. Spices such as ground ancho peppers and chipotle also give some zing and zest. 

You can have a good barbecue on a budget.It's just takes planning and ingenuity. Try it for some delicious flavors at low cost.

Eating Out Under An Autumn Sky

Autumn is officially here and with it comes cool days and chilly nights. We can still take advantage of our back yard, night or day with eating out. It can be elegant.It can be fun. It's up to you.

A cozy evening for two or with the kids could consist of eating around the fire pit. Everyone seems to have one these days and it makes for a lovely night despite falling temps.An easy supper under the stars is a charcuterie platter, complete with veggies and fruit. What is great about charcuterie is that there are no set rules about what to serve. The variety is usually a pate alongside salame, mortadella, prosciutto and speck, an uncured, smoked piece of pork, You could put out beef tartare if you want or bresaola, a dried salted beef from Italy. A luxe one would be jamon, Spanish ham, sliced wafer thin. Charcuterie boards also demand cheese so have wedges of Brie or Gruyere. A sharp Vermont cheddar would be the perfect fall choice as well. Make sure you have a sliced baguette too, already sliced. You could add a crusty artesenal rye or sourdough one too. Small bowls of olives , grapes, and peppers would round it out as well as bowls of herbed olive oil for dipping. As for drinking, a hot mulled wine could be a great option, You could also go with Zinfandels or  Sirahs too. Finish with brandied coffee , a fruit galette and a blanket to snuggle into  to watch the stars.

Of course it's not time to put away the grill. An autumn barbecue is just as fun as the ones you had in the summer. In fact make it like the tailgate parties of years past since we can't go to the stadiums this year. If you ate beef burgers for the past three months, then switch it up. Lamb is very flavorful. Add some fresh mint , parsley and garlic along with cumin, paprika and oregano for a Greek spin. 

Serve with Greek yogurt.  Beyond Meat is another choice  as is Gardein's Ultimate Beefless Burger. They deliver the same juiciness and flavor as the real thing. Instead of hamburger buns, think artesanal bread instead. You can also go full tailgate with brats and hot dogs too. Think of splitting them and filling them with cheddar or Swiss.  As for sides, a black bean and corn salad is a different idea after months of macaroni  salad and cold slaw. You could also make a simple but delicious beet salad. Bathe sliced beets in a classic vinaigrette seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Another fun side are bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers. This is first splitting the peppers in half and then stuffing them with a spicy cream cheese mix. Bacon is then wrapped around them and fastened  into place with toothpicks. Dessert could be s'mores made with different chocolates, white ,  milk and dark or just old fashioned brownies with mugs of hot coffee and tea.

There's nothing like eating outside and you can still do it. Enjoy a beautiful night sky with a good charcuterie platter or a warm fall day with an at home tail gate meal. It's just a nice way to enjoy the change of weather with good food and good drink.