Your Favorite Barbecue Food

 It is the beginning of the grilling season  and everyone is rushing to out their favorites over  hot coals or in a cool salad. Here's the question  - what is your favorite barbecue or picnic food?

The New York Times reported today that Americans love shrimp. while it's my favorite food t eat at Moby's down in the Atlantic Highlands. I don't really cotton to it on my grill. I;m more of a hot dog kind of girl .It has to be a good beef one on a potato bun - nothing added.As far as salads - I like three bean or my brother's invention potato salad with a chopped apple added for crunch and sweetness. The dogs and the salad are the perfect barbecue fare - although I usually eat mine inside. 

What is your faves? Are you a grilled burger kind of eater.Do you like to have a fixings bar as part of your outdoor set up.Do you like your dogs vegan with a vegan chili sauce. Do wings and turkey legs sign to you or do you prefer good old fashioned steaks grilled to pink perfection or a rack of chewy , tangy barbecued ribs. Many people love corn on the cob.Is that your side go to> Do you have it drizzled with melted butter or plant based butter or slathered in cotijillo and spices for Mexican street corn.what about Italian grilled veggies like egg plant and tomatoes? Or are you a sweets lover ? Is your perfect barbecue food pineapple rings brushed in melted butter and brown sugar and grilled to golden perfection? Or do you go with the more traditional s'mores? And do you like the adult ones of chocolate graham crackers and ninety percent dark chocolate? Or the kids one made with Hershey bars and traditional graham crackers?

Let us know here. What you;'re favorite outdoor fare? Rib's or s'mores ?Bean salad or chicken wings. Let's here what America and the world  has to say (and include recipes!!!)

Easy Summer Fare

 Summer and easy cooking are right around the corner. This means tasty eating that only has a few steps to make.It's quick fixings with a delicious outcomes.

Regular contributor Margeaux Laskey wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. There are different recipes to make and bake.Another grilled dish is tajin grilled chicken redolent with adobo sauce and Chiles and sweetened with agave syrup and honey . Another griller favorite is the harissa shrimp. It's fiery with the addition of that great spice mix harissa blended with honey.They're alternated on skewers with grape tomatoes for more sweetness. but you could add green pepper or onion chunks too. Another easy dish that takes advantage of the bounty of the season is a spicy corn and shishito salad.It has a Mexican feel to it thanks tot he addition of cotijillo cheese and jalapeno peppers.A sweeter cousin of a jalapeno the shishito variety gives it some sweetness as does a cup of fresh corn. What would any summer be without a sheet pan dinner and a dip?  Again Ms Laskey gives an easy sheet pan baked feta with broccolini and lemon.Red onion and grape tomatoes are added for color while cumin and red pepper flakes give it spice and a fiery zing.It is roasted in a 400 degree Farehneit oven but this can be made occasionally during the summer. A cooler alternative is a white bean hummus with tahini and coriander.It's just s quick whirl in the food processor with olive oil and lemon juice.It's perfect as a quick Sunday lunch on French bread or with pita chips at an outdoor barbecue.

Summer is fun and there are fun foods too. Try Ms. Laskey's crispy cheddar chicken tacos, The cheese tacos are similar to the Italian frica but without the potatoes. Cheddar, Montery Jack or queso Chihuahua is baked on a parchment sheet in a 375 degree Farenheit oven.The chicken that's put on top can be the rotisserie one from your local grocery. That's mixed with adobo sauce,pepper,s orange juice and spices. Another tasty ddish is the pizza salad - a must try for any family.Its frying up pepperoni strips then roasting  panko breadcrumbs in the fat. Add these to a salad of romaine lettuce, pepperocini flakes, black olives and red onion.The  dressing is  grated tomatoes mixed with more pepperocini and olive oil. The whole salad is topped off with shredded mozzarella. WHat ends a fun summer meal.Caramel cookies can be too sweet. why not try adding complete fire with gochujang, the Korean red chili paste.These fiery gems would make an interesting base for vanilla ice cream sandwiches. Of course there is a summer cobbler, this from Chez Panisse. It's perfect for the upcoming blueberry season because it does require four and half cup of the berries.The dough is a buttery pastry one that's baked on top of the fruit.

Easy recipes mean easy eating. Try these ones for a summer of simple cooking without all the stress and mess. They're perfect for the warm days ahead.

Staff Dining

 Every restaurant is more or less like a big family. There are times when there's fighting and tenseness and times when there's sitting down to eat like a proper clan. Nowadays many eateries are making sure that their employees eat together as opposed to feud,

Regular contributor Julia Moskin wrote about this perk in today's New York Times Food section,Many restaurants are featuring this however it;s not new. The great and legendary French chef Auguste Escoffier implemented this in  restaurant kitchens during the NIneteenth Century. There eateries served the three meals, from breakfast to dinner..Cooks ate while they sweated above their stove top. The communard, an employee who ranked only slightly below  the "kitchen boy" was tasked with keeping them with food and drink over the long hours. The low status of the meal was in place until only very recently. Long before food waste became a public and  chef's concern, cooks were preoccupied with how to use up every scrap of an ingredients. Scraps and trimmings were used in making some kind of dinner for waitstaff and sous chefs.it was usually bulked out wit some kind of pasta or rice.However this was not the case in fast food joints and casual restaurants. Employees usually had to pay  - at a discount for their food.

It all changed with the farm to table movement.in 1999 even The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller included recipes for "staff lasagna" and salad dressing. In 2000 David Wattuck co founder and chef of Chanterelle in TriBeCa dedicated a cookbook to the subject "Staff meals from Chanterelle." Dinners can also be a testing ground for chefs trying out new recipes. Sometimes it provides restaurants with signature dishes.,At LA's Budonowskl , chef Dan rabiwongse created charred sweet potato  with miso butter and chives for his staff along with fried chicken wings tossed in a SOuth Asian style sauce similar to Disney's Bengal Barbecue Stand.Some chefs even encourage their employees to bring in their cooking styles to the staff meals.Lala Bazahm, chef at Austen Texas's El Ravale wants to try  her staff's family recipes and to see how they're cooked Her'staff's international background from Vietnam to Senegal to Thailand influenced many dishes on her menu.

Restaurants are not just for outsiders eating in.They're also for staff to get to know each other and their recipes. It'sa great way to experience restaurant life.

Lighten Up For Summer

 Memorial Day means one thing - it's time to eat light to fit into last year's shorts and bathing suits.After a winter and part of Spring eating heavy it's important to eat light especially in hot weather. it could be changing up your diet or even some recipes.

As much as we all like to snack, it's time to really look over what we've been snacking on. Most of us go for potato chips, After all they're fun to eat and that mix of oil ,salt and potato is too much to resist. Yet it's time to look into lighter fare. You may then want to reach for those tortilla chips and fresh salsa.Don't !!!! These have ten times the transfat as potato chips. A better choice is a place of already cut veggies. even grocery stores such as Acme and Stop &Shop have trays of broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and grape tomatoes. Some throw in celery too. These are the best nibble to eat if you're craving a crunchy snack. You can ignore the dip that comes with it and make your own light olive oil and red wine vinegar vinaigrette. A classic and always tasty low calorie snack is popcorn. Buy yourself a Colonel Popper.This is a silicon microwave popper that lets you make a big bowl of corn in in only a minute or two. Add olive oil, rosemary and sea salt for more flavor. what to drink with it? Diet soda works but a better choice is flavored seltzer .It's just as refreshing and full of bubbles as any cola.

Meals can also be lightened up too. You can still have pasta and pizza but don't add high calorie ingredients. Spaghetti sauce doesn't;t have to have sugar added. Use a tiny drizzle of honey to sweeten.Also try to use fresh veggies like grape or cherry tomatoes for a tasty burst tomato sauce or add some cauliflower and chopped bell peppers for a delicious spin on primavera sauce.even the rich Alfredo sauce can be turned into a light dish. It's just subbing in Greek yogurt for the heavy cream and using skim milk and broth as well to emulate the cream's consistency. What about a low calorie pizza? Yes it can be made!use baking soda flour and salt mixed with Greek yogurt for a thin crust.. As for the cheese sub in the vegan version .Vegan mozzarella has less fat and protein. Another must is having all vegan toppings. Think broccoli, and spinach fro a nice green spin or sliced baby Bella's and vegan pepperoni for something a bit heartier. As  for the sauce use a homemade one made with crush tomatoes, olive oil garlic and crushed basil. Again keep the sugar out of it As for fried foods, its time to use the air fryer, Try to eat air fried Impossible Burgers with air fried caulilfower instead of fries.

It's shorts and bathing suit season! It's time to fit into them!You can do this by eating right and healthy.

Memorial Day All Year Round

 We honor our veterans today but we should be honoring them all year round. Make sure that the older veterans are cared for and having a good meal. Shop for them if they can't do their food shopping. Invite them over for a barbecue or holiday dinner. Let them tell their stories to this new generation.

As for the younger vets - again a dinner out or a party to celebrate their service is always appreciated. Offer to babysit the kids when they want a romantic dinner out. Present them with a gift certificate from their favorite restaurant.

Always remember to honor these brave men women not just in May but every month. They fought for us and this country . It's our turn now to thank them.

Your Barbecue Checklist

 It's Memorial Day and that means one thing = do you have enough for a good old fashioned barbecue.Ther'es nothing worse than being in the middle of a cookout and running out of stuff.Make sure you're ready for the big day ahead.

Luckily grocery stores are open tomorrow and MOnday so there's no panic if you have forgotten something. The most important, besides the food , are the paper plates and utensils. Do you have enough to accommodate your guests and family? What about plastic glasses for soda and lemonade? The next item you should have plenty of is aluminum foil. This is essential for tenting chicken ribs and even turkey legs  along with placing ears of corn in them.As for the food itself - do you have enough variety for meat eating and vegan friends? Figure it this way . Everyone usually eats about two burgers each.If you're cooking for ten then have around twenty. The same goes for hot dogs. After the second people are usually stuffed or want a change Wings are a little different. The average person can go through five ro six in one sitting. A group of fifteen could easily munch their way through sixty piece of chicken. Turkey legs are just easier. Most people are usually stuffed after one leg.

As for condiments - are there enough to satisfy a crowd. Remember some people prefer Dijon mustard over honey or any kind Have favorite brands if the guests request them. The same goes for ketchup too. (although mostly everyone is happy with Heintz) You may want to have some barbecue sauce too along with relish for those who like some variation. Also make sure there are plenty of sliced onions and tomatoes for those building their burgers (sliced tomatoes are also a good nibble while waiting for the food to cook up).Is there enough mayo? What about vegan mayo for the vegetarians? As far as the sides will there be enough three bean salad to feed a group?What about the potato salad? These are usually the sides that go first. Have backup ingredients in case you have to add to the bowls.Dessert is usually simple s'more's A bag of marshmallows is perfect for a crowd yet you may have to get extra chocolate bars along with graham crackers to satisfy people.

Be ready for the grilling days ahead. Make sure your barbecue is red hot and ready. Have everything on hand and waiting to go

Fire For The Barbecue

 Barbecue food can be somewhat routine. It's the same old burgers and dogs or ribs and chicken. The salad are blah as are those ears of corn. What do do ? Add some spice and fire to your grilling.

Fiery marinades are nothing new. They've been in Asian cooking foe centuries, livening uup all sorts of meats and veggies.One such ingredient chili crisp is becoming flavor of the summer with many home chefs adding it to their menus.It's actually an easy make and can be used in not just grilled food but to liven up omelets and even spaghetti and pizza sauces.It starts with frying shallots and garlic in peanut oil. Since it;s the crisp part that makes it so special, you can also add some peanuts or sliced ginger. Add to tat sugar soy sauce and the appropriate heat.Gochugaru, or Korean chili flakes is highly recommended but if you can;t find it a mix of cayenne and paprika will do the trick..Also add a cinnamon stick and star anise which brings some sweetness as does the sugar to the chili crisp. The peppery mix is added to the shallots and garlic after they've been removed from the oil.This allows them to  crisp up and give the mix that nice crunchiness. They're added back into the oil while the cinnamon stick and star anise pods are taken out. The entire oil is them left to refrigerate , usually overnight. Use a few tablespoons of this on burgers or even slather ribs in it before grilling.

Of course sriracha also works well in spicing things up. Add a few drops of it to ketchup to liven up sliders and any sausages. Sriracha mustard is another great condiment that can be drizzled on dogs or added to any potato salad. It's an easy make by combining a cup of yellow mustard with a quarter cup of the hot sauce, two tablespoons honey and a teaspoon of lime juice. Mix and serve how you like. Simple salads such as macaroni can easily get a lift from diced pepperoni. Spiced ham can also be added to this to make it more substantial. A teaspoon of pepperoncini flakes can also bring up the heat and make any salad  - even three bean much more interesting.Even grilled seafood can get a lift from some tasty fire. Whip up some bang bang shrimp sauce that's a signature Bonefish Grill dish.It's combining  half a cup of mayonnaise with two tablespoons Thai chili sauce (this can be found in your grocery's international aisle) with one tablespoon Sriracha sauce . A teaspoon of rice vinegar is added to thin it out. This is also good on grilled crab legs too.

Liven up your Memorial Day barbecue by adding some heat.  There's nothing like  some zing with the hamburgers or hot dogs, ribs chicken or shrimp. It's makes for a more exciting grill.