First Grill of 2014

It happens every year - we always try to grill earlier than we really should, but when there's a random warm and less windy day, we jump on the opportunity to throw in an early grilling session - even if it ends up snowing a day or two later!

This year we finally had to cave in and get a new grill, as the old was rusted up and getting pretty gross after three years of freezing and thawing out in the shed. We've managed to luck out twice in a row now with grills and get the last display model pre-built and at a discount. Here's our new beauty with the charcoals heating up in the chimney starter:

Last year we kicked off the season by grilling up chicken sausage sandwiches and making homemade red pepper relish. Continuing in that tradition, we decided to make chicken burgers to kick off grilling season '14! These are made by mixing together one pound of ground chicken with whatever burger seasonings strike your fancy - onion and garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, and parsley are all good places to start. We've also go some sliced onions and both green and red bell pepper that will be hitting the grill.

Now that it's all on the grill, Megan snapped a shot of Cristal and I sitting back and enjoying the weather.

The first sacrifices to the grilling gods were made as we turned over the vegetables. We forgot to put on the vegetable screen, so we lost a couple, but most of them made it out OK!

What's that delicious molten goodness oozing out of that burger at the back? That's Swiss cheese! When we put together our patties, we split the meat into two parts, lay down a slice of cheese, and then form them together so the cheese is on the inside.

Here we're putting together a burger with a side of baked fries. We didn't quite plan ahead enough on this first session to also grill the side, but we're planning on making some great potato and vegetable sides on the grill throughout the coming summer.

Here's a shot of the inside, which explodes with cheesy goodness!

For more outdoor cooking ideas, be sure to check out the recap of our 2012 grilling season with links to all the amazing ribs, burgers, pizzas, and more that were made that year.

Loaded Potato Olés

From the double pork rollup to ribs that get rubbed and cooked for hours, we enjoy a good cooking challenge that takes lots of effort and provides a good reward. Sometimes though, you've got to enjoy something that comes together easily, doesn't take a whole lot of preparation, and is just plain old "fast food" style fun.

With that in mind, we recently decided to put together our own version of a Taco John's favorite by making the Six-Seven-Eight version of loaded potato olés.

For this easy-yet-awesome dinner, you'll need:

• Frozen hash brown patties (of course you can shred potatoes, form them into patties, and then fry or bake them yourself, but we're going for quick and easy here!)
• ½ pound ground beef (or whichever ground meat you prefer for tacos – chicken, turkey, or chorizo also work great)
• Your preferred taco seasoning packet
• 1 can nacho cheese sauce (if you'd rather make your own cheese sauce, check out our roasted pepper queso recipe here)
• 1 can black olives
• 1 bunch green onions, diced
• 1 can refried beans
• ½ cup jarred jalapenos (because they aren't cooked, jarred actually works better here than fresh)
• Mexican crumbling cheese (usually found in the specialty section of the store and not with the regular block cheese)
• Sour cream
• Guacamole (see recipe below)

This comes together very easily, mostly being a heat-and-assemble meal. Just cook your beef with whatever taco-style seasonings you like, then heat up the refried beans and cheese.

I've mentioned this before, but it's absolutely worth saying again and again - don't buy store guacamole! The cheap dip kind isn't any good, and the fresher kind that's mostly avocado will run you $5 or $6. For less than that you can make your own, and your homemade version will be better than the best the store has to offer.

For the guacamole you'll need:

• Two avocados
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 serrano pepper, diced (alternatively use jalapeno, or for a less spicy taste anaheim)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 3 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Remove the avocado's skin and pits and then mash them together with the lime juice and seasonings. Salt and pepper to taste and you've got restaurant quality guacamole!

While the beef is cooking and the guacamole is coming together, pop the hash brown patties in the oven. You could also sprinkle on some taco seasoning or seasoned salt for more flavor.

Once the hash browns are cooked through and the olives and green onions are sliced you're ready to put it all together. These can be as pretty or messy as you want - stacked tall or kept minimalist (can you guess which direction we like to go?).

Start with a layer of beans and meat, arrange the veggies, pour on the cheese, sprinkle on some of the Mexican crumbling cheese, and then spoon sour cream on one side and guacamole on the other.

Creamy Garlic Cabbage Rolls

Every year for our St. Patrick's Day meal we make Colcannon, but there's always extra cabbage left over needing to be used. We've tried tomato-sauce cabbage rolls before and weren't amazed by them, so this year we whipped up something different that turned out amazing!

For Creamy Garlic Cabbage Rolls you'll need:

• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 a red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 white or yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 3 tbsp. green onion, chopped
• 1 slice of bacon per cabbage roll (5 – 6 for ½ pound pork)
• 1 medium head cabbage
• salt and pepper
• Progresso Garlic Recipe Starter (or any savory, garlic flavored cream-based sauce you prefer!)

We've been having a bunch of meals with Progresso's Recipe Starters lately (the basil one is also great), but unfortunately that's now coming to an end. The company just decided to switch its packaging from an 18 oz. can to a 9 oz. pouch - for about the same price! Since we're not keen on spending the same amount of money for half the sauce, we'll have to try making our own version for an upcoming blog.

For the rolls, first mix together the ground pork with all the vegetables (except the cabbage) and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in your preferred style of rice, but be sure to leave it uncooked - it will cook and plump up in the oven!

Carefully pull the top layer off the cabbage so you have one solid, unbroken piece. Repeat this process as many times for as many rolls you want to make. For only 1/2 pound of ground pork you'll get about 5 - 6, while for a full pound of pork you'll probably need between 10 - 12.

Place the cabbage layers into a pot of boiling water until they are softened, about 10 minutes. Carefully pull them out with tongs so they don't rip. Set a boiled piece of cabbage down and put a large spoonful of the pork mixture onto one side.

Grip the bottom edge of the cabbage and then roll it forward until you have something roughly egg roll shaped.

To make these more exciting (and hold them together without using toothpicks), we're going to wrap each roll in a piece of bacon!

Pour some of the recipe starter into the bottom of an oven-safe dish and then arrange each roll in the dish.

Pour the remainder of the garlic sauce on top and add any extra pepper you may want. You could also grate on a cheese such as Parmesan.

About an hour later in a 350 degree oven and you've got firm-yet-tender rolls wrapped in delicious bacon and topped in amazing savory sauce! Enjoy!

These are awesome as-is, but you could easily swap out the fillings with any number of meats (ground chicken would be great), veggies (try shredded carrots or broccoli!), and cheeses.