Can you believe the first day of Summer is this Friday? To kick off summer early I’ve paired up with some of my favorite blogging friends to host another progressive dinner party. This time it’s all about summertime entertaining. Last virtual progressive dinner party, I brought mini crab cakes w/ cilantro lime sauce that were out of this world amazing! This time around, I’m finally sharing my coveted recipe for Grilled Greek Pork Tenderloin.
I started grilling my pork tenderloins about two years ago. I can honestly say that I’ve made this dozens of times over the past few years. It’s one of my go-to grilling recipes whenever I’m entertaining. Or if I’m in a pinch and have no clue what to make for dinner… this is what I make! I pair it with my favorite summertime Greek salad (which I’ll share with you tomorrow) and my feta and herb mashed potatoes. Even those who don’t typically like pork–LOVE this recipe. That’s why I think it’s ideal to bring to my summertime progressive dinner party!
Today’s event is being hosted by Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic and Jen of Juanita’s Cocina. They teamed up with their blogger friends to help raise awareness and support for Cancer and Hospice today in memory of Kim’s dad. We encourage everyone to read the posts and share their own experiences with cancer. We also would like to encourage everyone to donate to the Canadian Cancer Society, the American Cancer Societyand also to the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association. Hospice was a key element during Kim’s father’s battle with cancer. They made it possible for Kim to care for him at home. So please show your support and donate if you can. You can also contact your local Hospice and donate directly to them if you wish. A little goes a long way!
In honor of todays event which also coincidentally falls on father’s day I decided to share what everyone dad loves best… Spicy Beef Sliders! The majority of the heat can be found not only in the beef patty but also in the spicy sauce that is made to go on the slider. This is a nice twist to the everyday slider.
These spicy beef sliders are also a spicy way to kick cancers butt! I’ve had a few family members whom I’ve lost to this horrible disease; my grandmother and my uncle to name a few. In this day in age, we should have a cure for cancer already–yet we still don’t! Today’s post is truly dedicated to all those we’ve lost to cancer.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day! I spent the last few days unplugged (as much as possible) and spending much needed time with my husband and friends! It’s always nice to step back and enjoy life a little bit. Something I’ve been doing less and less as Katie’s Cucina continues to grow. I’m excited to share that a close friend of mine is starting a virtual assistant business and I’ve hired her on to help me with both Katie’s Cucina and Sew Woodsy. She starts this week and I could not be any happier with my decision! Having a virtual assistant is going to help me focus on the things I really want to do… cook and create!
Memorial Day is this weekend. How did that happen? In case you’re entertaining I have a few delicious and easy-to-make grilling recipes to help you out this coming Memorial Day weekend. I love a good shrimp boil! But to be honest, I’ve never done it the traditional way… I’ve always done a grilled shrimp boil.
A few years back I started making shrimp boil kebabs. They are great, but lets face it kebabs take time for skewering and take extra room on the grill. Why not dump all the shrimp boil contents on the top of the grill and let them sizzle for a few minutes. This recipe for a grilled shrimp boil is what I like to call easy entertaining. You can serve this up in large pasta bowls, on a large platter, or do what traditional shrimp boil practice is and serve it on top of the newspaper. I like minimal cleanup so when I make this recipe I like to serve everyone there portion of the grilled shrimp boil in large pasta bowls and I put a big bowl in the center of the table for shrimp peals and corn cobs!
I also want to add that its rare of me to photograph food in its element. I’ve been making this recipe for years and when I started thinking about how I wanted to photograph the grilled shrimp boil I realized I should do it on top of the grill. So as our dinner cooked I began photographing making this one of few hot dinners my husband and I could enjoy! That is true food blogger style… I rush home and hurry up and cook so that way if I plan on photographing dinner that night its done as soon as possible for optimal lighting!
In a large pot, add a teaspoon of old bay seasoning and boil the baby yukon potatoes on medium-high heat for 20 minutes. Stir often, and set to the side after the 20 minute mark. You don't want your potatoes to be mushy but you want them to be almost cooked through for the grill.
Preheat the grill to high heat, clean, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Clean corn and cut kielbasa and set to the side.
Melt 1/2 stick of unsalted butter and combine with 3 teaspoons old bay seasoning.
Place drained potatoes, kielbasa, and corn (layer in this order) in a large bowl. Pour the butter/old bay seasoning mix over the large bowl filled with potatoes, kielbasa, and corn. Mix well to ensure that the butter mixture got on everything.
Place the corn, potatoes, and sausage on the grill (save the butter in the bowl). Close lid and cook for 5 minutes, flip items over and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the cleaned shrimp to the butter bowl and toss to coat. Add the shrimp to the grill and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Yesterday, I shared last week’s Google Hangout with Nicole. Her talk inspired me to make some more seafood from my box of seafood that was sent to me the other month! I’m going to be honest–I’ve never cooked with Halibut before. I’ve eaten it plenty of times out at restaurants but never cooked it. I decided to browse the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute website for recipe ideas. Since I did not want to experiment on this beautiful piece of fish–I wanted to use a tried and true recipe! All most all of the recipes on ASMI can be cooked either using frozen fish or thawed! You choose. I just so happened to have my fish thawed, so I went that route.
This recipe made my husband and I feel like we were dining in a five-star restaurant! Seriously, it was a super fancy dish for a weeknight meal! I suppose if I had planned better that I could have made the fruit salsa the night before. Note to those who try the dish: Make sure you rinse and de-seed your chipotle peppers. I have this horrible habit of not reading directions fully and as I was chopping my one chipotle pepper (not rinsed nor de-seed) I decided that it would be best if I only put in half the minced pepper. Wowzas! I’m glad I made that mental note to myself because this salsa had a good kick to it. Any more and I’m not sure if I could have eaten it! The fresh spinach gave a nice compliment to the dish. Oh and on a side note… this recipe for the pineapple salsa makes a rather large batch… so be prepared to have leftovers and indulge the next day with chips and spicy pineapple salsa!
Alaska Halibut with Pineapple, Chipotle & Raisin Salsa
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 2
Ingredients
1/2 cup raisins
2 tbsp Captain Morgan Private Stock
1 fresh pineapple, trimmed, cored and sliced 1/2-inch thick*
Vegetable oil, as needed
2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, rinsed, seeded and finely diced
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/2 orange, zested and juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 green onion, sliced
2 tbsp roasted red pepper, chopped
2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
salt
2 Alaska Halibut steaks or fillets (6 to 8 oz. each)
Lemon pepper seasoning, to taste
2 cups spinach
Directions
Soak raisins in Captain Morgan Private Stock (rum) for 30 minutes; drain. While the raisins are soaking: heat the grill to medium-high (400ºF). Brush pineapple with oil; grill until lightly caramelized on both sides (about 10 minutes). Cool slightly and cut into 1/2-inch pieces; place in mixing bowl and set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine chipotles, lime zest and juice, and orange zest and juice. Whisk in olive oil. Pour the liquid mixture over pineapple chunks, fold in green onions, red peppers, cilantro and raisins. Season with salt, to taste and set aside.
Brush halibut and grill surface with oil. Sprinkle lemon pepper seasoning on halibut. Grill for 8 minutes, turning once during cooking. Cook just until fish is opaque throughout. Place halibut on a bed of spinach and serve with salsa.
Notes
*You can cook the Halibut frozen. If cooking frozen be sure to rinse off any ice glaze. Cook for 13 minutes if frozen.
This recipe is brought to you by Katie Jasiewicz of Katies Cucina
Disclaimer: I received a box of seafood from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. I was not compensated nor required to blog about any of my experiences with their product. As always, all opinions are my own.
I know that its starting to cool down in most of the country right now, but here in Florida it is still summer hot. I’ve yet to slow down on the grilling. I love eating kebabs. Something about eating food off a stick just seems better than eating it with a fork! I won a McCormick Spice Set in July at Julie’s Cook for the Cure party. I was excited to try all of McCormick’s new Gourmet Collection of spices but especially so for the Moroccan Seasoning. I love Moroccan food and unfortunately, don’t cook it enough in our home. I decided to make my own version of a Moroccan Pork Kebab with a few simple ingredients I had on hand. I served these as our dinner along side of a bed of couscous. It was a perfect, simple, yet flavorful meal. You could also, entertain with these kebabs and serve them up as an appetizer!
Pre-heat grill to high heat, clean, and reduce heat to medium.
While the grill is pre-heating, cut the pork loin into 1-inch cubes. In a large zip lock bag place the pork in the bag followed by the Moroccan Seasoning and olive oil. Seal the bag and mix well. Place the pork in the refrigerator while you prep the rest of the meal.
Cut the zucchini and clean the mushrooms, set aside.
Pull the pork out of the refrigerator and begin skewering the pork, zucchini, and mushrooms (in whatever order works for you).
Place the kebabs on the grill for 5 minutes, then turn, and cook for another 5 minutes. Your internal temperature of the pork should read at the very minimum 145 degrees.
While the pork cooks put together the sour cream dill sauce. In a large bowl, place 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon fresh minced dill, 2 tablespoons finely diced cucumber, 1/2 teaspoon of fresh minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and place in refrigerator until the kebabs are done.
Serve the kebabs as soon as they are done cooking with the sour cream dill sauce.
Notes
If you are using wood skewers, make sure you soak them in water up to 30 minutes before grilling. This will help them not burn as quickly on the grill!
Are you ready for some football?!??! I am! Tis the season for lazy Sundays filled with football and great food. I think most people either have a love or hate relationship with football. I grew up with it–born a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. I swear when my husband asked for my hand in marriage my dad made him take a vow that he would be a Steelers fan for life. Thankfully, he was never big into football so he adapted well into becoming a Steelers fan… now he is a little more die-hard than I am!
He also craves chicken wings… often. I on the other hand at times can be a little repulsed by the idea of eat meat off a bone. Remember, I’m not a big meat eater. So to satisfy my husbands cravings I created a new chicken wing recipe. Best of all, it doesn’t need any creamy (fattening) sauce to be dipped in. My wing marinade/sauce is all it needs. The night I made these I was a tad hesitant he might not like them since these aren’t your traditional hot wings. After repeating myself for a good five minutes and not hearing a response I knew I was golden. This was a match made in heaven! When he finally responded this is how he described them “the lime hits the tongue first, followed by the honey, then the fresh tasting cilantro–and the heat hits you at the end”. I was throwing around wing recipe names when he dubbed them as Key West Grilled Chicken Wings because the flavors remind him of Key West. So… I went with it.
Please note… you have to make the sauce recipe listed below TWICE! Once for marinating and once for drizzling on top.
2 tbsp honey + additional for drizzling over wings
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Directions
In a large bowl combine minced cilantro, zest of 1 lime, juice from 1-1/2 limes, minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, minced dried chili pepper, 2 tablespoons honey, and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Mix well until combined.
Rinse and pat dry your chicken wings and place in a gallon size sealable baggie. Then pour mixture over chicken wings. Seal the bag, toss the wings, and let the chicken wings marinade for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Clean and then wipe grill grates with oil (on a thick coated paper towel using the cleaning brush so that your hands don't get burnt)! Place the chicken wings on the grill, close the grill, and let those babies cook for 5 minutes! While the wings are cooking make ANOTHER BATCH OF MARINADE! This will be used to pour over the wings once they are done cooking and on the plate.
Turn your chicken wings, and lightly drizzle honey over the wings. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 165. Once the chicken wings are done place them on a plate. Pour your second batch of marinade over the wings, then drizzle additional honey on top of the wings.
Notes
You will need to double the ingredients listed above for the sauce. You will make 2 batches of marinade. One batch will be for the actual chicken wings marinating and the second batch is to be poured over the wings after they are cooked and plated.
Last week, I shared three easy-to-make recipes to create a Greek-Style bbq that your friends and family will love this Labor Day weekend! I like to go out of the box when it comes to celebrating warm weather holidays. I don’t always crave hamburgers and hot dogs. For 4th of July we celebrated by eating grilled chopped chicken tacos and a cherry tomato, corn, and black bean salad. This labor day we will be “eating out-of-the-box” as well… Greek style! Here are three easy dishes to make your meal complete!
I made this pasta salad the day before I made my meal. It gave the pasta time to cool after cooking and married the vegetables with the simple dressing created.
Place the corn on the opposite side of the grill while the chicken is cooking. Upon removing your corn from the grill sprinkle with feta and dill and remaining butter mixture!
As you can see this meal is super easy to make and best of all it is using simple ingredients and bold flavors. A recipe for success to woo over your friends and family!
Don’t forget about dessert… serve up this delicious Angel Lush Cake. Buy a store bought angel food cake to save you time and your oven from working!
Nothing says summer like fresh corn on the cob. I love corn on the cob and try to incorporate it into as many meals as possible during the summer months. I always just boil it on the stove top. It wasn’t until this summer until I started branching out and grilling it. I know–I’m late to the game here. Typically, I just lather the corn in a butter bath and call it a day.
For some reason though, I got this wild idea of mixing the butter with Greek seasoning, sprinkling fresh dill and feta on top… Kind of like Mexican Street corn which I love ordering at restaurants, but for some odd reason have never made it at home. So I present you with it’s cousin… Greek Grilled corn on the cob!
While the grill is preheating melt butter and mix with 1 teaspoon fresh dill and 2 teaspoons Greek seasoning. Using a silicone brush begin to spread the butter over each ear of corn. You should use about half the mixture (the main goal is to get each corn on the cob a generous coat of the butter mixture).
Place the corn on the grill and let it cook for about 10 minutes on medium-high heat (turning every few minutes).
Remove corn from the grill and pour remaining butter over the corn. Sprinkle with feta cheese and the remaining fresh dill. Serve immediately and enjoy.
The day I made the Greek Pasta Salad I had no intentions of making a fully themed Greek dinner; however, the wheels in my brain started turning and it was “downhill” from there. Although, it wasn’t downhill in a bad way… we were just riding on this spiral of Greek food! I love using Greek seasoning–I think its the perfect blend of spices and isn’t too spicy or salty.
When I don’t know what to season something with I always tend to reach for the Greek seasoning. I’ve been going through it like it is my job lately. I had planned to grilled the chicken strips with a little olive oil and greek seasoning and then I looked on my cutting board and saw all the fresh dill neatly chopped and figured, why not put some on… and then I did something crazy. I reached for the feta and sprinkled it on the chicken. Why not? Why not, grill the feta on the chicken?!? So I did… and it was amazing and full of flavor.
I’ve entered this recipe in the Mr. Food search for the ultimate weeknight meal contest. These chicken strips along with the pasta salad and corn are simple to make and best of all–all three dishes take under 30 minutes. Making this the ideal weeknight meal or a great way to entertain and actually enjoy your time with your guest and not slaving away in the kitchen!
Preheat your grill to high heat, clean, and lower to medium heat.
While the grill is preheating you'll want to rinse and chicken, and pat dry with paper towel. Then drizzle olive oil over chicken, sprinkle Greek seasoning, dill, and feta on both sides of the chicken. Make sure all parts of the chicken is covered.
Place the chicken on the grill. Grill for 5 minutes on each side or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Serve immediately.
I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. I’ve always had a love for cooking, and more so in the past few years a love for eating!
Join me on a culinary adventure where life always tastes good. {more}
Source: Katie Original
I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. I’ve always had a love for cooking, and more so in the past few years a love for eating!
Join me on a culinary adventure where life always tastes good. 
