BBQ Bliss

Do you love BBQ? Do you love brisket with a fabulous smoke ring smoked right in? Do you love perfectly smoked pulled pork? Do you love fall off the bone ribs? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you really do need to head on down to Lovey's BBQ on Marion.

The other evening I had the pleasure of chowing down on some tasty, tasty BBQ. The folks at Lovey's were kind enough to offer the invite to taste their wares and blog about it. (I really do love this deal!)  I met up with a small group and we decided on ordering the Voyageur platter.  This platter feeds 4 adults but really, it could feed a small army. The amount of food you get with this platter is ridonculous!

To quote their menu:

"One slab of St. Louis style side ribs, one whole BBQ chicken, one pound Winnipeg style pulled pork or one pound slow smoked Winnipeg beef brisket, BBQ pit beans, creamy coleslaw, 4 cornbread muffins & your choice of potato salad or fries"

Of course we had to test out a few other items on the menu such as the deep fried pickles, the pulled pork poutine, and the smoked chicken wings.

I first tried deep fried pickles while in Tennessee a few years ago and for ages I could only get them when we went South of the border. Now I can find them at Lovey's and quite honestly I can not go into Lovey's without getting an order. They were crisp on the outside with dill pickle goodness on the inside.  The perfect bite to munch on while waiting for the rest of your meal.

Lovey's does their own smoking and uses locally raised meat in their smokers. Their Manitoba beef brisket has a bonafide smoke ring on the outer layer letting you know that it has indeed spent a long time slowly smoking to a tender finish. Sliced thin and piled high, the brisket is one of my favourites from Lovey's.

The pulled pork is an often ordered item here. It spends enough time in the smoker to melt off the fat from the Boston butt cut of pork and render it tender. Smothered in BBQ sauce and paired with their crisp coleslaw you can't go wrong.  Take their pulled pork and add it to fries with cheese and gravy and you've got  poutine poetry! 

The chicken is a close third to that favourite. Smoked until tender and tasty and served with a slather of BBQ sauce the chicken is safe bet if you haven't had BBQ before and aren't sure where to start.  Now speaking of chicken, Lovey's also smokes the wings. We order the extra hot wings and while tasty, with a bit of char, they weren't very spicy. For my palate, they were barely warm, tasty, but not spicy.

There is no shortage of classic BBQ side dishes at Lovey's.  Coleslaw, potato salad, corn bread, fries, garlic fries.... For the most part, everything is a good bet. It just depends on what you prefer. There is really something for everyone here, except maybe vegetarians....

 

The Quick and Easy:

 

Tasty and flavourful BBQ meats in generous portions. If you don't like pork, there's always the chicken or the beef.  Lovey's offers something for everyone from a simple cheese burger for around $6 to a platters of meats and sides for up to $70.

Did I mention they have a bourbon bar?

They also dabble in catering, take out, and have a food truck.

A friendly and community oriented bunch, Lovey's has a couple of fundraising options for groups and persons looking to raise some cash for their cause.

Kids eat free on Sundays.

Please note, that while my meal was generously provided, it had no bearing on my opinions regarding quality and taste.

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Summer Sipping, Blueberries, and Chicken

Summer is flying by and I am still doing my darndest to keep up with the cooking and baking, picture taking and blogging.  Truth be told, I am taking tons of photos but I am failing at the writing the part....I even took my laptop to the back yard to write but there are so many darn distractions in the yard...you know, the garden, butterflies, naps....that sort of thing....

The distraction of the first ripening tomato in the garden!!!

 I am still busy making my own lemon and ginger syrups for tasty summer bevvies (and for some marinades and dressings) but lately  I have tried a new syrup. Blueberry syrup!!! I did some research online for this one and came up with my own concoction that follows the recipe I follow for the lemon syrup. A simple syrup of equal parts sugar and water with the berries tossed in. This one seemed to work for me.

Blueberry syrup

4 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 lemon's worth of lemon juice

Put everything in a pot and let it come to a boil. Cook until the berries are popping. I gave the berries a bit of a mashing with a potato masher just to get all the juice out.

Allow everything to cool in the pot then pass through a strainer.  I stirred and mashed the berries in the strainer a bit more then transferred the mashed berries to a jar for use on toast....instant jam!

Store the berry syrup in the fridge.

I found this one required a bit more than 1/3 cup of syrup per can on club soda. It makes a nice fruity soda with a gorgeous colour.

Another use for this syrup:

BBQ sauce!!!!!

Mix equal parts chili paste and syrup and brush onto meats on the grill. I used this on chicken tonight and it was absolutely divine, a nice sweetness with heat on the back of the tongue!

I used Sambal oelek for this one.

Until next time, stay warm and eat well!! (and have a drink!)

Canada Day Eats Part 4 - Poutine!

Raise your hand if you think of poutine when you think of Canadian food? (My hand is up.) Now raise your hand if every now and then you crave poutine? (My hand is up.) Okay, confession time is over. For Canada day I figured we needed some good old poutine but I don't want to fuss with deep frying the fries.  You can certainly bake them in the oven but if the BBQ is already hot and ready to go why not cut your russets into wedges, toss them in a little canola oil, and slap 'em on the grill?

Now for the cheese curds and gravy portion. I haven't made a roast lately and do not have the drippings to make a gravy.  I have chicken stock in the freezer but that just wouldn't make a proper gravy for this. I am actually resorting to a mix (some shame, but not lots, this is a time saver). Did you know that Clubhouse is a Canadian company founded in 1883 in London, Ontario? Why not use a Canadian product to help you out on Canada Day?  Basically use a gravy (or mix) that you (and your guests) will like. I am not here to judge.

(Clubhouse even makes a poutine gravy mix.....just sayin')

Grilled Potato Wedge Poutine

6 Russet Potatoes
Cheese Curds
Gravy of your liking
Canola Oil
Salt and Pepper

Scrub the Potatoes well  and pat dry. Cut each potato into 12 wedges and place in a bowl.

Drizzle with canola oil and toss to coat all of the wedges. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the potatoes a medium-high grill and close the lid.  Check after about 10 minutes. While the taters are cooking, prepare the gravy and get the cheese put in a bowl for sprinkling on the hot taters.

Flip the potatoes and continue to cook until golden brown and tender in the middle.

Pile some wedges onto your plate, top with cheese, the slather on some hot gravy!! Give a minute or 2 for the cheese to get all melty.

Enjoy!!
(these go soooo well with any BBQ or just on their own....)

Until next time, stay warm and eat well.

Canada Day Eats Part 3 - Planning Ahead

 So you're planning a back yard BBQ to celebrate Canada's 145th birthday, eh? It's not enough to just plan a menu, or tell people what to bring. We must consider the outdoor elements and plan accordingly. We generally want our guests to be well looked after and have a relaxing time...that's not too much to ask, is it?  My mind starts going on overdrive when I know people are coming to spend the day and most of the evening in my back yard. The are so many darn things to consider.

Some things to think about when planning a back yard gathering:

-Check the weather!!! Is there the threat of having to move indoors and if so, is there room for everyone?

-Perhaps some tents or gazebo type of shelter would be helpful. Even umbrellas are helpful. (check with people you have invivted, perhaps someone has a portable gazebo)

-Seating.  Where will everyone sit? Do you need to tell them to bring a lawn chair? Some people may like sitting on blankets on the ground.

-Tables. Who has enough tables sitting around for everyone to have room? Perhaps a friend has an extra folding or card table they can bring with them. Or plan food and snacks to be portable or lap friendly. (ie able to eating while sitting with the plate on your lap)

-Bugs. Need I say more? Provide guests with some protection from mosquitos. Whether it is a couple cans of spray, citronella candles, those little coils, or whatever you use that helps keep the little critters at bay.

-Lighting. If you will be in the yard past sundown, you will need some lighting so people can see each other.  if your lighting is by way of bonfire, make to check local bylaws about bonfires first.  Other lighting can come from setting up your christmas lights along the fence, candles in jars, or even the funky Tiki torches.

-The menu. When thinking about the menu, keep in mind ease of eating and mingling.  Generally backyard parties aren't sit down formal things but wander around and mingle types of gatherings.

-Music. Don't allow your teen to play his crappy metal music. Play a nice set list of various music....perhaps an all Canadian musician play list would be nice here....

- Keeping things chilled.  Not only the astmosphere, but the food needs to be kept at proper temperatures to keep everyone safe.  Drinks can be tossed into a cooler or a bucket of ice but try placing bowls or platters of food on a bed of ice.  You can easily find large trays to mound ice in and then nestle the serving bowls into.  Keep the replenishing the ice as necessary

-Oh! Check the gas on your BBQ!! I actually ran out the other night and Hubby had to make the propane run for me while getting things grilled for my other posts....oops. Have a back up plan or an extra tank, or fill up your tank.

I have probably missed some things but feel free to let me know, just be nice about it.

A quick note about today's CSA haul.  This week our CSA has provided us with:

Mixed greens with flowers

 Salad turnips and beets

 Garlic scapes, green onions, cilantro, and a bunch of lovely herbs!

 
So excited to get these into lunches this week!

Until next time, stay warm (with the AC on) and eat well!

Canada Day Eats Part 2

Still testing out recipes for Canada Day in the Little Kitchen....Today's experiment was with beer....a truly Canadian beverage! When I was brainstorming ideas the other day, I knew beer needed to be incorporated not only as a drink but in the food as well and what better way to use the beer than to marinate some Canadian beef?

The Bison burgers were a hit but bison meat is expensive and may not be a feasible option when feeding a crowd.  One option if you want burgers is to use ground beef instead of bison.  A second option is to buy an inexpensive cut of steak, marinate it, cut it into strips, and thread them onto skewers.  Skewers are a great way to stretch meat when you need a few more servings.  I found a package of inside round marinating steaks at Costco for about $19.00. The steaks were thick cut and perfect for slicing for skewers.

Beer marinated Steak skewers

1 can or bottle of beer (a stout would go well here)

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed or grated on micro-plane

 1 tsp dry mustard powder

Pepper - Fresh ground, as much as you like

1 round steak (or other marinating steak of your choosing: I used and inside round marinating steak)

a whole bunch of bamboo skewers

Trim the steaks of any visible fat or silvery skin (this stuff just means chewy steak) then place the steak into a zip top freezer bag (or other container for marinating).

This is maybe 1/4 of the steaks in the package...probably a little less than 1/4

Place in the fridge for a couple of hours, or overnight. (You can cut the steak into strips for skewers then marinate the strips. This would be good if you are planning on marinating for a short time.)

Take the steak out of the marinade, pat it dry and place the steak in the freezer to firm up while you soak the wooden skewers in water (soaking the wooden skewers helps prevent them from burning).

                                 

After 15 minutes in the freezer, the steak will be firm enough to slice thinly and neatly so take the steak out of the freezer and using your sharpest knife, slice the steak thinly (less than ½cm but not paper thin).

After slicing and letting the skewers soak for half an hour, thread the steak strips onto the skewers, sprinkle with a healthy dose of fresh ground black pepper and some salt.

BBQ until cooked through. (If you find the skewer handles are burning, place tin foil under the ends.)

We'll talk about those potato wedges another day.

Serve with your favourite steak sauce for dipping!

Until next time, stay warm and eat well.

Fall Check in

Why is it Friday Sunday already?? Where is the time going? We just celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving last weekend.  Usually we pull out all the stops, roast a turkey with all the fixings and eat ourselves into a coma.  With the Boy still recouperating from his gastritis and my family all being out of town, we decided to lay low.  Saturday we spent the day putting the garden to rest for the winter and raking up some of the many leaves that have fallen.  I was able to harvest a whopping 4 wheel barrows full of fabulous compost to put on my garden!!  Yay for compost!

We also had the Boy BBQ some fabulous steaks for dinner on Saturday.  I have been officially given the boot from BBQing steaks because he does such a wonderful job!

Sunday was the day many Canadians had their dinner with their families.  We popped into my Dad's place to help him with his computer issues and to get him packed for a trip.  When we came home, the Boy had cooked up a tray of bacon in preparation for some of the tastiest BLTs this side of the 49th parallel!  Fresh tomatoes from our now sleeping garden where soooooo tasty!

After that, we headed off to the cheapie theatre to see "Captain America".  Quite the great movie, if I do say so myself!!

Sunday, we jumped in the car and headed over to Hubby's Grandmother's place.  We spent the afternoon with Hubby's 92 year old Grandma and his Mom.  We were going to go to a restaurant but Grandma wasn't up to so we ordered in.  Turkey dinners from the local Smitty's restaurant.  We watched the Detroit/Texas game of the MLB playoffs.  Grandma loves baseball so we always watch a game with her if it is on while we are there. (This totally reminds me, I still have a post to make about celebrating Grandma's 92nd birthday this summer! D'oh!)

Until next time, stay warm and eat well!

We Be Grillin'

The fall weather is just so lovely right now we want to get every last bit of BBQ time in that we possibly can.  Tonight we grilled pizzas! I  made up a batch of pizza dough, the boys prepped the toppings, then out to the yard we went or our grilled pizza party!  You can either make your own dough or use store bought, it is up to you.  Get some help slicing up your favourite fixings, get everyone stretching their own dough and topping their own pizza and you get a whole lot of fun, with everyone pitching in!

Grilled pizza party

The boy works on his pizza

Pizza dough of your choice
toppings of your choice
pizza sauce of your choice
garlic oil
oil
pizza peel or non melting cutting board
tongs

Pre heat the grill, scrape clean, and oil up the grates.

Stretch out the dough into small pizza shapes....the fun here is stretching out your own dough, and making any shape the dough will go.

Brush some oil on to the dough and slap it on the grill.

no worries if some pizzas are funny shapes...it all tastes great!

Close the lid and let the dough bake for a few minutes.

Carefully remove the half baked dough from the grill and flip it over.  The cooked side is the side you will arrange your toppings on.

Slide the pizza back onto the grill, close the lid and let it bake a few more minutes.

Enjoy!!

Everyone made their own pizzas tonight and we all made extras for lunch tomorrow!

These pizzas were so darn tasty! They hit the spot and made a great lunch!

Until next time, stay warm and eat well!

Back to Work Cheesey Stuffed Burgers: The Last Meal

 Please don't make me go back...the summer flew by so quickly....I am no where near done with my summer.  SIGH...

 Now that we have the new BBQ we have used it twice in as many days! After all, we must squeeze in as much summer as possible!  The evenings have a chill settling in over them and mornings are quite cool.  This is a sure sign autumn is creeping in.  SIGH. Now don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the bounty of the garden with fresh tomatoes, corn, carrots, and beets almost at the ready but the fact that dusk is settling in around 8:30 pm means we are getting closer to cooler weather.  I do look forward to the beautiful fall colours and the change....I just wish winter didn't last so darn long.

Some of our garden bounty

 I dubbed tonight's dinner "Last meal" as it is my last dinner of summer vacation.  I really can't complain, I do get 2 months off....but going back is just so darn hard.  Tomorrow morning I actually have to get out of bed when that alarm goes off instead of giving Hubby the boot....ACK!!  I will definitely need my morning tea, my mid morning tea, my lunch hour tea, and my mid afternoon tea.....or perhaps a caffeine patch of some sort.

While assembling the meat and fixings to make burgers this afternoon, I decided that I wanted to make these burgers a little more special so I tucked cheese in the middle of each burger.  But you know what? That wasn't special enough for me so I made some pretzel rolls.  Guess what? It still needed something else so I cooked up the rest of that bacon left over from making that sinful pie.

The Boy manned the BBQ again tonight...he does such a fabulous job cooking up burgers!

The boy certainly chose the most comfy chair possible for his BBQ session!

Cheese stuffed burgers. This made 9 burgers tonight.

3 lbs ground beef
2 small onions
1 egg
2/3 cup bread crumbs
salt
pepper
9 slices cheese (I used processed cheese slices today but any think square of flavourful cheese will do)

Grate the onion, mix in a healthy pinch of salt and a healthy pinch of pepper.

Add the ground beef and bread crumbs.
Gently mix by hand.
Divide beef mixture into equal portions. For these burgers, I used a 1/3 cup measure. (Next time I will use a 1/4 cup measure for each half, just so the burgers aren't so big...they were soooooo filling!)

Each measure will be joined with another to make sandwich cheese in the middle.
Flatten out half of your meat lumps and pair them with another portion of meat.
Fold a slice of process cheese into quarters.

Place a quarter in the middle of each patty.

Take the partner meat lump, flatten it out and place on top of the other.  Make sure to gently pat and form the patty to seal the edges.
Let the patties rest in the fridge

We had a couple of cheese blowouts!!!

How could you not enjoy these??

Have a great week everyone.  Wish me luck on surviving my first week back!

Until next time, stay warm and eat well!