Grilled Asparagus

I have been grilling asparagus most of my life and assumed it would be a boring blog post until today.  I was watching Grill It! with Bobby Flay and the guest asked Bobby how to grill asparagus.  His question got me thinking that maybe the whole world doesn’t know how to grill asparagus…I have to say it is one of my favorite veggies to grill – I love how they maintain their crispness and are just so quick and easy to grill!!

How to Prepare

1 – Bunch Asparagus

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

1 – Clove Garlic Minced (optional)

Break one of the pieces of asparagus with at its natural breaking point with your fingers.  Take your broken piece of asparagus and hold it up to the remainder of the bunch – using a knife slice the rest of the bunch to size and dispose of the trimmed stems.  In a long dish (I use a pyrex small casserole dish – but whatever you like) add the asparagus – coat with EV olive oil – Kosher Salt – and your garlic.  Hand mix all of the ingredients and place on a hot grill.  The asparagus with cook very quickly so keep on rotating them across the grill grates.  Once the begin to slightly soften and appear to have a slight amount of grill char remove from the grill.  Place on a serving plate then drizzle with EV olive oil.

Here’s the deal with asparagus don’t over cook them because they continue to cook even after they are removed from the grill.  To add another layer of flavor you can also squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the cooked asparagus.

Eggplant Stack Attack

I know most of you must be thinking what in the world does an Eggplant Stack Attack actually attack…Well I have to be honest you won’t be saving the world from crime or need a cape but they will attack hunger and they are easy as 1-2-3.  This stack makes a great appetizer or it could also double as a side.

Eggplant Stack Attack

1 – Large Eggplant

1 or 2  - Tomatoes similar in width to your eggplant

1 – Ball of Fresh Mozzarella

Bunch of Fresh Basil 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

How to prepare:

Slice your eggplant into rounds and brush both sides with EV Olive Oil and sprinkle with Kosher Salt – Set Aside. Slice the tomato and mozzarella cheese into round.  Place the eggplant rounds on the grill turn once the center beings to become soft or translucent and nice grill marks are formed. Repeat to second side and remove from grill.  Allow eggplant to cool for a few minutes and then begin to create stack.  Start stack with a layer of eggplant – layer of tomato – layer of cheese – Add 10r 2 basil leaves- layer of eggplant. Drizzle with EV olive oil and serve promptly.

I like to leave the skin on the eggplant when making this dish because I feel it helps the eggplant maintain its shape and I really enjoy the flavor of the skin I think it really brings out the eggplant flavor.  This dish can also be made with roasted red peppers and asparagus.  Scrumptious!!

All American Parfait

I have a bunch of calorie counters attending my annual 4th of July bash this year.  When planning my menu I try to categorizemy guests to ensure that everyone has a great time and leaves the party witha full and happy tummy!! I wanted to go with a red – white – & blue dessert for the healthnuts but wanted it to be light and refreshing.  I came up with a parfait that is quick – easy and adds a touch of whimsy to the day.

Ingredients:

Low-Fat  Lemon Pudding (I would use the slow cook method – not instant)

1 pint – Blueberries

1 pint  – Strawberries

1/4 – Granulated White Sugar

Cool Whip (personally I love it in the new can but whatver you like is fine!)

How to Prepare:

Wash blueberries and strawberries well.  Hull strawberries & place in large mixing bowl – pour sugar over strawberries – cover & refridegeratefor 1 hour – In clear plastic cups (so the layers can easily be seen) add a layer of pudding – layer of blueberries – layer of yogurt – layer of strawberries – repeat process until cup is filled – top with Cool Whip and a few blueberries and strawberry for garnish. Keep refridgerated till serving or enjoy immediately.

 

Toma-Cado Topped Grilled Chicken

I love grilling chicken it’s so quick – easy and really affordable but let’s be realistic how many days a week can you have a grilled chicken breast before you begin to feel like you’re beginning to grow feathers and a beak!! I found a loop hole though…Toppings!!  Yes, you can really spice up your grilling repertoire by incorporating sauces and toppings into your grilled dishes.  I have made it a point this summer to come up with as many toppings and sauces as I can to provide my family with a wide variety of flavors and I plan to do it all with fresh ingredients. This particular topping is simply a version of a deconstructed guacamole and would also be delicious over steak – burgers – and pork chops.  

Ingredients:

1 pound – Chicken Breasts

1 – Avocado

2 – Medium Vine Ripe Tomatoes

1/2 – Small Red Onion

1 – Clove Garlic

Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper to taste

 

How to Prepare

Cube tomatoes and avocado, finely dice onion, mince garlic and combine into a large mixing bowl – add salt and pepper to taste.  Cover immediately with plastic wrap directly on top of topping to prevent air from turning avocado brown.  On a separate plate lightly rub chicken breasts with olive oil, salt, and pepper and grill.  Top cooked chicken breasts with Toma-Cado topping and serve immediately.  

What toppings do you enjoy for summer?  I’d love to hear from you!!

 

Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon Clouds

Fruit is one of the most overlooked desserts in my opinion.  I’m not really sure why few things are as refreshing as a fruit salad on a piping hot summer day or as comforting as an apple pie when the temperatures drop.  This summer I plan to grill every fruit that I can get my mitts on that can withstand a little heat!  As part of my 4th of July party planning I have decided on serving grilled peaches as one of my desserts.  Rather than serve just simply grilled peaches I have included a cloud of fresh whipped cream infused with cinnamon sugar.  This gives the recipe a little something more than expected without adding to the time or expense.  The recipe is so simple and it is as easy to prepare them for 2 as it is for 50 (well sort of!).  Below is a recipe for 4 peaches which will easily serve 4 good eaters or 8 dessert samplers.

Ingredients:

4 – Large Ripe Peaches (I like Southern Style)

1/2 cup – Granular Sugar

2 Tablespoons – Cinnamon

1 pint – Heavy Cream

 

How to Prepare

Halve peaches and discard pit – In a small mixing bowl combine sugar and cinnamon – mix well and sprinkle over peach face generously – reserve remaining cinnamon sugar mixture – grill peaches till tender – sugar mixture carmelizes and grill marks are formed – remove from grill – combine heavy cream and 1/2 of remaining sugar mixture and begin whipping with electric mixer (a chilled bowl and beaters help cream whip faster) add remaining cinnamon sugar mixture until desired sweetness is achieved.  Place peaches on a serving dish and add a cloud of whipped cream to each.  Instant enjoyment!!  

 

 

Grilled Sweet Corn Salad

Summer is here and it is salad time at the Koury house.  With the 4th of July just around the corner I have to get my salad game on to ensure my guests leave full – happy and refreshed!!  Every year we have a huge 4th of July party and most of our guests wait all year to try all of our new recipes so I can’t disappoint them!!  With many local farms here in Upstate NY corn is plentiful and relatively inexpensive plus I always feel it is important to support your local farming community.  I have been mastering a new corn salad and thought I would share it with you.

Ingredients:

5 – Corn on The Cob Ears

1/4 pound – Fresh Mozzarella

1/4 pound – Kalamata Olived (Pitted)

3 – Scallions

1 pint – Cherry Tomatoes

1/2 lb. Baby Green Beans

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Tbs. – Balsamic Vinegar

Salt/Pepper to Taste

How to Prepare

Husk corn and grill on high heat till dark grill marks are formed – remove from heat and slice kernels from cob – Remove ends of baby string beans add to boiling water for 2 minutes and strain (after straining add to ice/water bath to preserve color and snap) Dice fresh mozzarella – Halve cherry tomatoes & Kalamata olives – Finely slice scallions – combine above ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  In a smaller mixing bowl whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt/pepper together. Pour over mixture and combine well. Transfer to serving bowl and voila your done!

 

Pasta Bruscetta Salad

I love quick – easy and fresh salads in the summer.  I think they make the perfect accessory to most backyard meals plus they can usually be made ahead of time leaving me more time to spend with my guests.  Last night I created a Pasta Bruscetta Salad and best of all it was refreshing and so easy that I threw it together in under 10 minutes.  Just follow the recipe below and please let me know what you think!!

Ingredients:

1 pound tri-color pasta

1/2 pound fresh mozzarella

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 good handful fresh basil (if you can get hydroponic go for it)

1/4 cup diced red onion

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt/pepper to taste

How To:

Cook pasta and cool – Cube fresh mozzarella – Halve cherry tomatoes & Kalamata olives – Slice basil -Dice red onion – Mince garlic – Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl – stir in pasta – add olive oil to coat pasta and salt & pepper to taste. Note: the longer this dish set before eating the more intense the flavor

Groomer Has It – Baking & Chow Chow Challenge

This week’s Quick Sniff Challenge called for the groomers to create their own dog biscuit at the Three Dog Bakery of LA.  You’d think it would smell a bit like Mama’s kitchen in there…Yeah right!!  Kathleen as the winner of last week’s challenge was given peanuts to use in her biscuits but had no idea how to utilize them – Jasper added his own special ingredient, sweat droplets ewww!!  He was sweating so terribly that his sweat was literally dripping into his biscuit mix…I’d love to read the nutritional facts on those biscuits!! The problem with this challenge was the groomer’s weren’t committing to sweet or savory biscuits.  Each biscuit was both savory and sweet which can confuse a dog’s palate (and mine)! Artist turned out to be a vegan (who knew?) and felt very comfortable in the challenge but Jessica committed to cheese as her main ingredient and that was enough to give her the win and a leg up in the next challenge!

Whoa Baby…The challenge of the week was grooming a Chow Chow!!  This challenge brought the unshakable Kathleen to her knees and tears!!  Jessica was given the opportunity to bring the owner of her Chow into the grooming station for 5 minutes should she feel it would be helpful, however her dog was so fabulous she didn’t need to utilize her leg up!!  Will trimmed his dog Kia so closely you would have thought she was entering the military!!  Perhaps, Joey said it best the dog looked less like a Chow and more like an American Eskimo (gasp!)  I could hardly believe my ears when the judges told Jonathan that this was NOT his best work as he has been the clear front-runner in this competition and obvious favorite of the judges…While Artist rocked the doghouse with both his grooming ability and confidence!!  I was thrilled for him when he was voted Groomer of the Week!!  Will and Kathleen were at the back of the pack this week – Will for his grooming and Kathleen for her lack of confidence (didn’t she learn anything from Artist last week).  However, at the end of the day Will was sent home…We wish him well!!

Groomer Has It – The Confrontation – Cat Grooming

There was a dogfight right out of the gate tonight when Malissa confronted Kathleen and Jonathan about last weeks challenge.  Malissa was hurt and angry that Kathleen took her dog away from her, but if we remember Malissa did say she was done grooming the dog.  Naturally, she has no recollection of this statement.  I loved Jonathan’s comeback for Malissa citing that she was only working for herself during the challenge while he and Kathleen were working as team and Malissa put their entire team at risk!

The Quick Sniff challenge was fabulous and in my opinion it should be a requirement for every groomer.  The groomers first learned and then practiced pet first aide with expert Denise Fleck at an LA firehouse.  Armed with their new wealth of knowledge they were given a three part first aide challenge where Artist set the bar high at 2 minutes 27 seconds. Ultimately he was beat out by Jasper at 2 minutes four seconds but as the winner of last weeks Quick Sniff Challenge 5 seconds was deducted from his time bringing him down to 1 minute 58 seconds.  The leg up gave Jasper the edge he needed and was crowned top dog of the challenge.

This weeks grooming challenge required the groomers to groom long haired cats (gasp!!).  It seems that Jessica was the only groomer that was psyched to get her paws on a cat.  I felt my allergies acting up just watching this segment.  Malissa must have had a hairball clogging her ears because even after strict instructions not to scissor the face or whiskers she clearly did a lot of facial scissoring!  How did this girl ever make the cut to get on this show?  Jessica and Artist also had a difficult time with their kitty cats as they both got bit, scratched, hissed, and swatted at.  Kathleen, Jonathan, Will, and Jorge managed the challenge with little difficulty and once again set themselves apart from the rest of the pack. 

During the judging Malissa lied to the judges when asked if she scissored the cat’s face initially she said yes, until questioned she then changed her story and said she plucked the cat not scissored.  I say liar liar pants on fire…Truth be told the judges probably can’t tell if she’s lying or not since she is such and airhead.  Artist needs to dig deep and gather more confidence especially when he is in front of the judges.  When dealing with clients it is essential to exude confidence and control, without it how can a pet parent feel comfortable leaving their fur-baby with him?  Kathleen was Best in Show this week for her grooming and understanding of the cat’s mindset.  Malissa and Artist were at the bottom of the pack this week.  Malissa’s grooming skills were brought into question while Artist was scolded for his lack of confidence.  In the end Malissa was sent home and Artist promised to dig deep and muster his confidence.  With Malissa gone who will bring the drama now…I just know there is another drama queen waiting to break out…Guess we’ll just have to wait and see next week!!

Groomers Have a Passion For Fashion

The Groomers visited my friends Sandy and Sharon of I See Spot tonight to create their own apparel collection.  The designs needed to fit all three classes of Poodles that would be groomed later in the episode.  As the winner from last week’s challenge Will divided the groomers into three teams selecting Amber and Jessica as his team members with the hopes that Amber’s creativity would reign supreme.  However, team Jorge, Jasper, and Artist who were expected to “dog” the challenge used their masculinity and simplistic designs to create one cohesive collection that “wowed” Sandy and Sharon. 

Jorge was right!!  (I love the inside tip, Jorge please give us more!!) Obviously Jonathan has been sharpening his claws during his downtime.  He has been scrapping at Malissa every chance he gets while Malissa reminds us that she is not only beautiful but also wildly intelligent.  She has got to be kidding me!!  Things have been going so sour for her that Kathleen actually took the dog she was grooming during the challenge right off the table from her to finish the groom.  Malissa was left to paint the poodles nails…Way to contribute girlfriend!!

During the fashion show Will turned on his team declaring to the judges his team selection was “the biggest mistake of his life” and clearly he should have selected Jonathan as a team member.  Further, when questioned about his team’s designs by Melissa Rivers he said in his world of glitz and glamour you can never have too much icing on the cake.  Will seems to be the king of putting his foot in his mouth.

The judges selected team Jorge, Jasper, and Artist as “Best in Show” this week and I was thrilled for them.  They were the intentional underdogs and rocked the challenge as a team!!  Malissa was torn apart by the judges for her poor grooming where she explained to the judges hair grows back.  She must be joking, the whole reason why pet parents use a professional groomers is because they don’t want to wait for the “hair to grow back” after a bad clip.  Not exactly the answer I was expecting from someone hoping to be crowned Groomer of the Year.  Will’s team was at the back of the pack and had to vote off one of their own.  Will and Jessica turned on Amber and voted her off.  Big mistake…She has a wonderful talent and we’ll miss her on the show.  Will should have been forced to leave the doghouse simply for turning on his team.  Best of luck Amber…Will I hope karma bites you in the tush!!