Make Your Own Marinades

This is the high season for grilling. It's also the time when good steaks, chickens and even fish can get dried out from too much grilling. What to do ? Marinate them. The best ones are the ones you make yourself. You can add favorite ingredients and create unique flavors . Best of all you won't have dried out meat.

A basic marinade consists f four parts. Vinegar or citrus for tendering the meat, flavorings of any kind, oil to give the meat some moisture and to hold everything together and a little salt. This las t is to make the meat more flavorful and juicy. Vinegars can anything from the basic red wine vinegar to s sweeter fruit infused one. I would suggest using an apple cider vinegar. i think this has a lovely taste and would add a little bit of sweet and sour tot he marinade.As for oil, simple light olive oil is the best and of course use freshly ground sea salt. Seasonings can range from anything like the fiery hot ginger to the mellow rosemary. I would think of adding garlic for some steak and pork marinades to give the meat more flavor and zest.Some grillers add their spins . Some put beer and bourbon in their sauces for a wilder flavor. Some add macerated fruit like peaches or oranges The flavor is up to you.

One of the most important parts in creating the perfect marinade are the rations. Always remember to add. Add one cup of vinegar or citrus to one cup oil plus a tablespoon of fresh ground sea salt. (you may vary the salt amount according to your tastes). then with the spices, i;d say go by the pinch and dash method. Whatever makes the most flavorful ten stick with it. .

A home made marinade is the great for this season's different cuts. make your ribs and filets unique by creating g a one of a kind marinade. It'll be the hit of the grilling season!!!

Fun Summer beers

Nothing beats root or birch beer during a hot summer's days they are the best thirst quenchers, mellow and robust with a strong taste that goes with almost any food. They;re good with burgers , dogs or even with a scoop of vanilla ice cream .

Root beer came about during the Victorian Era. One American pharmacist , Charles Hire fell in love with a tea made form roots , barks and fruits. he later patented it and it became a hot at the American Centennial Fair in Chicago. This was the precursor of root beer. it was later carbonated. Root beer , then and now, has sarsaparilla bark as well as cherry wood, wintergreen juniper and birch bark. Sarsaparilla oil was banned in it's making in the 1960's and other roots took its; place.

Another summer favorite is birch beer. This had a different, earthier flavor than root beer but it;s just as tasty. Birch beer was started in Pennsylvania probably in t he late 1700's or early 1800's. It's made primarily with the bark of the black birch tree, hence, its' smoky deep flavor. Unlike root beer, though it comes in a variety of different colors, from a deep ruby to a brown to a purple. it also comes in a clear and this type is known as a white birch beer. Add vanilla ice cream and you have the original red bull, . Add chocolate and you have a Black Cow.

Nothing beats either beer on a hot August day. Enjoy a tall glass with a good foamy head under a shade tree. it;s the perfect way to beat the summer time heat!

Fun Foodie Fests

Summer , especially th emonth of August is a time of ethnic festivals throughout the country. There;'s always one group who celebrates their heritage with a lot of eating singing and dancing. These are fun escapes , made more enthralling by the fact that they serve good food. Nothing beats an evening of homecooked favorites followed by mouth watering desserts.

Foodfests are a great way of connecting with your heritage or discovering a new culture. I love going to the German fest s in my area, one in particular in Clark, NJ The Dame Verein there is full of Swabians and Bavarians, the first is what I partially am. I love heading to the festival for fresh made bowls of spaetzles loaded with goulash gravy along with hocks, which are pork shoulders. Afterwards I sample the delicious cakes, such as the traditional Black Forest, plum and bee sting (a cream and almond slivers topped butter cake) ones, This isfollowed by just out of the oven buttery pretzels and of course apple schnappes. I love the food, the people and the music. It's a great way for me to connect with my own and have a foodie fest too.

It;'s also fun to see other cultures. Most big cities such as New York, Boston and Chicago have different fairs that specialize solely in certain groups. You can not only eat delicacies such as wontons or fresh made hummus but also buy some of the ingredients to make your own version. There's usually just a small entrance and parking fee but that's it. They're open to the public so anyone can join in and enjoy.

There are food and ethnic fests throughout the country right now. Check your local newspapers for them and then go. You'll have the best time a foodie can at a festival.

Mushroom Caps A Summer Treat.

What can be the perfect main meal and the perfect side? Mushroom caps. These easy to make treats can served as both as the star or co star of any meal. They're easy to make and can be varied in a number of ways. Best of all they're a perfect summer dish as well as being a winter one too.

Mushroom caps or stuffed mushrooms can be made a number of different ways. You can use large portabellos or the regular white button kind depending on what you want. With all mushrooms make sure that you wash them thoroughly and even use a vegetable scrubber (a small bristly type of brush or a nail brush) to remove dirt and sand. Cut out the stems. and reserve them for later. these can be added to the stuffing to emphasize the mushroom flavor. Use a buttered baking dish to cook them, preferably a Pyrex or glass one. Stuffed mushrooms only take about twenty minutes to bake.

The fun part is choosing what to put in them. Crab meat is the most preferred but you can also use chopped ham and/or bacon. Southern Italians use a mix of breadcrumbs, chopped sausage and parsley. I've always made mine without the sausage , preferring the Piedmontese version of it with butter ,bread crumbs and garlic. For a vegetarian spin you try stuffing the caps with spinach and tomato as well.

Nothing beats stuffed mushrooms, where for the main part or as a side. You can vary the mushrooms, using either portobellos or button caps as well as the fillings. All in all it's just a wonderful mix of wholesome mushrooms with yummy stuffing

Cool Ice Cream Recipes

Yesterday's New York Times Dining section was completely devoted to ice cream. Yesterday I wrote about Julia Moskin's article on the city's most expensive ice creams. Today it's about Melissa Clark's forays into making egg free or Philadelphia style ice cream. She offers good advice and tips on churning out a better than the store kind.

When I was making ice cream I always made the eggless kind. To me this was the purer , better tasting. After all what could beat rich cream .A custardy ice cream is great however it requires a lot of work and patience along with some luck. If you're a novice stick with the Philly or American version as it's sometime called. The trick is using good cream, natural ingredients and just regular sugar. Another trick is combing heavy cream and milk with a ratio of 65 to 35 percent .This is from pastry chef and owner of the ice cream company The General Greene, Nick Morgenstern. he also recommends adding a dash of salt to bring out the flavors as well.

I like the recipes that come with the article. They were a summer berry, made with a combination of raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries)maple spice , roasted hazelnut vanilla and bittersweet chocolate. The maple spice sounds intriguing because it combines maple and cinnamon flavors . I can see this over a piping hot waffle. The dark chocolate recipe calls for rum and that's an interesting twist. This I can see on it's own in a little shot glass served after a steak dinner.

Ice cream is a great treat. An even greater treat is having homemade. Think about making a simple Philadelphia style kind during these hot days.

New York's Priciest Ice Cream

Ice cream is a city staple especially during these hot August days. Today's New York Times Dining section has more or less devoted most of its' space to ice cream.There's an interesting and eye opening article on Manhattan's most expensive gelaterias. This is one of my favorites, the Torinese based Grom down on Bleeker Street.

The first piece is from Dining regular, Julia Moskin. It's all about the four dollar small cup of ice cream.New York City isn't the only place that serves dollar rich gelati. Los Angeles, Boston and Beverly Hills top the list. What's surprising is that even Columbus Ohio is dishing out expensive ice cream . Foodies and gourmands are everywhere nowadays and will pay whatever the price for organic whipped cream and expensive French chocolate bits. Dairy Queen and Carvel just don't cut it anymore. There are also expensive packaged ice creams like MilkMade which goes for fifty bucks a pint. These are hand made and are only sold in Manhattan

I know Grom is part of the Slow Foods movement, also born in Torino.That means only the best ingredients are used, from Syrian pistachios and chocolate from Columbia. it also means importing the milk from the plains of Asti too(which I read in Grom's brochure on my last visit there). Of course the gelati and granita are the best . The Piedmontese cook with care and precision,Their ice cream is going to be outstanding. is five dollars a cup worth it though? Not everyday but maybe once or twice a season.

Like any other treat these days ice cream is becoming artisanal. It does mean paying more however the result is worth it. You get quality ice cream made with the best ingredients.

Pack This Not That

This is the month when everyone will be on the road. That means more people will be eating on the road whether in a fast food places or from a cooler. Travelers will be wolfing down everything from chips, soda candy bars along with burgers fries and sodas. This isn't the best way to start a vacation. Eat healthy whether you're in transit or enjoying a day at the beach.

Fruit and veggies are perfect for snacking. They give you energy along with proper nutrition and vitamins. Think about packing grapes and plums for a fun sweet break on the road. Graham crackers and Saltines are also good for crunchy snacking. For savory think of chilled grape tomatoes along with broccoli and cauliflower florets.There are mini dips, small cups of dip that you can have with these last.You can also pack filled pita pockets . Try apple and peanut butter, or tomatoes and cheese. These also make great lunches .There's no grease or salt to weigh you down and make you feel bloated.

If you're thirsty nix the sodas and some juice.Try water and zero calorie energy drinks such as Fyxx Hybrid to keep you going on those long hauls. You;'ll feel energized and won't have the need to pull over to nap. Chilled milk is also good for you and the kids . Keep bottles in a cooler for a snack with fruit or even graham crackers.

This is the season for traveling. With that comes the need to snack during the long drive. Eat as carefully as you drive. You'll start your vacation healthier and happier.