Boggle Cupcakes

I am a total dork. That's right. Two of my three netflix at home right now are the new Battlestar Galactica series and last night I went to my Boggle group's monthly play session/picnic. Yes, Boggle. And what could be better than boggle & cupcakes together at last:

(photo from douglas, nyc boggle meetup group member)

If you are a closet boggler like me, you can get help here.

move, mover, dove, over, oven, ovens, dote, doter, date, dater, hate, hater, aids, hats, cuts, toad, toads, tods, moat, moats, oats, veldt, veldts, that, mods, stove, vote, voter, staid, atom, dots, lets, tens, lens, nets...

Grillicious

It's been a while since my last post. Not that I haven't been eating. There have been several grilling sessions with truly delicious results:

Kebabs: oops! no lamb at the nearest supermarket, we used pork chunks and cooked them a bit longer. The mint and rosemary marinade gave the meat the flavor of springtime and under the charred outer bits it was as juicy and tender as can be. The vegetables didn't fare as well with the longer cooking time, but were still pretty good. I think it might be a good idea to cook the meat and vegetables on separate skewers so you can control the heat and cooking time. Next time. (Recipe from Cook's Illustrated)




Thai Grilled Chicken: Twice. I used legs and thighs, which first marinate in a garlic, coriander root and black peppercorn paste. While they grilled up, I made the dipping sauce: rice vinegar and sugar melted together and slighted reduced, then add minced garlic, red pepper flakes and a dash of salt. Holy spice wonderland! This is awesome sauce. (Recipe from Hot Sour Salty Sweet)




Grilled Chicken Breasts with Smoky Tea Essence: This was an odd one. You grind up black tea leaves in a spice grinder and rub it on the meat before you cook it. The weird thing is how you can't tell if the chicken is cooking because it's completely black from the tea and getting blacker on the grill. I think I overcooked it a little. The flavor was unusual - there was the expected charcoal grill taste and then an intense rich smoke from the tea. I think the two competed too much to really be good. Looking back at the cookbook, the author really emphasizes that she likes to use the tea powder when cooking vegetarian dishes that usually get some flavor from meat, like black bean soup or split pea and ham. (From A New Way to Cook)

"Moose" Burgers

I had a fantastic Independence Day. I was invited to a rooftop party and bbq in Park Slope. Our hostesses were two lovely ladies in a cute 4th floor brownstone apartment and there was music, plentiful beer and beautiful people.

It was Bring Your Own Meat and the grill was tiny in proportion to the number of people there. But there was no hurry, and eventually we got our turn on the grill with our burgers. Not actually made of moose, but instead, a recipe from our friend Shamus (Shay-moose!) These burgers are deliciously garlicky, slightly spicy and juicy. I'm new to making my own burgers as I am coming off a 3 year no beef jag. This is the first recipe I've tried and I have adjusted it to a bit less garlic than the original.

Happy 4th!

2 lbs. ground beef
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon Sriracha sauce
2-3 cloves garlic pressed or minced
2 Teaspoons Montreal Steak seasoning (Made by McCormick)
Ground black pepper to taste
*note: do not add salt, the Montreal seasoning has plenty

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Form into 6-8 patties approximately 3/4" thick. Push a slight divot into the center of each disk. According to Cook's Illustrated this will prevent the tennis ball effect. Grill to preference. Note: the Sriracha sauce will turn the cooked burger slightly red in places. This is normal and will be delicious. I promise.

Best served w/cold beer and fireworks.


Guess which 3 are my burgers?



The first delicious bite and a cold Red Stripe, what could be better?