July 4th Menu

What to do, what to do???
Decided to "cheat" and use store bought ribs by Michelbob's.....with a little bit of a change or two =)
However the salad course had me vexed.  I had one romaine heart, I could just tear it up and make a couple of small salads, but that wouldn't be me!!!!

The result - Grilled romaine heart, with Parmesan and Romano cheese and a frozen red wine vinegar.........!?
The recipe:

Ingredients - (serves 2)

• 1 Romaine heart (halved lengthwise)
• 1/2 cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated fresh Romano cheese
• Sea Salt and Ground Pepper
• EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• Approximately 1 cup red wine vinegar

Directions

1. About 1-2 hours before pour red wine vinegar into a small baking sheet, to approximately 1/8" deep (my sheet was about 6" x 8")
2. Freeze in freezer until solid
3. Preheat the grill to medium high heat
4. Combine the Parmesan and Romano cheeses and mix well
5. Brush the cut sides of the romaine heart with EVOO
6. Place the cheeses on a shallow plate
7. Press the romaine halves, oil side down into the cheese mixture, pressing firmly to make sure it adheres well.
8. Season with salt and pepper
9. Place hearts on the grill, cheese side up and grill until cheese starts to melt and grill marks appear, approximately 4 minutes.
10. Using a fork, "shatter" the frozen vinegar into small chunks.
11. Serve on a plate with ice chips on top, and on sides.

Wow, this was a great start for this dinner -

Mmmm I can almost taste the ribs.....
At the advice of a friend, (the Beer Samurai - www.thebeersamurai.com - blatant plug! ) I did the corn differently, just cleaned and tossed on the grill till it was ready.
However, that was just tooooo simple for me.  I had to add a little something - this garlic-lime butter was the perfect touch.....

Ingredients -

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/4 bunch of chives, fresh.  (about 10 stalks)
• Juice of 1 lime

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients in a blender till smooth, place in small bowl and refrigerate till serving.

 
Easy enough huh?

Well next came the potatoes - pretty simple stuff here, I had a small bag of Yukon Golds sitting around so....

Ingredients - based off of serving 1

• Small round potatoes (New or Yukon Gold are both fine) You want about 5 per person.
• 1 tablespoon butter per serving
• 1-2 Rosemary stalks per serving
• 1/2 cup chopped onions per serving
• Sea salt & Ground pepper
• Non-stick spray
• Foil 

Directions

1. Clean and wash the potatoes - Set grill for medium high heat (note these CAN be done in the oven)
2. Take an approximately 1' x 1' square section of foil and spray the center with non-stick spray
3. Place five potatoes on the center of the foil - pour onions over
4. Place rosemary stalks on top, and butter on top of that
5. Salt and pepper to taste
6. Pull each CORNER to the center of the foil - creating an "X" seam pattern
7. Pinch the center and the corner seams together to make a tight seal
8. Grill for approximately for 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft

I won't bore you with the details of how to cook the ribs, because, once again, they were store bought.
BUT I will tell you the additional sauce I made to add on while reheating =)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Ketchup
• 1 1/2 cups Bacon and Chipotle BBQ sauce (this is AWESOME!!!)
• 1 cup Peach Schnapps

Directions

1. Combine well in a bowl - brush and pour over ribs while cooking

 I hope you guys all enjoy this - its a great way to do a meal without alot of fuss, and simple to do!

Until next time - Sláinte!!