Saturday was a day out to Durango, Colorado; a relaxing drive through the mountains, a visit to an Italian eatery (see yesterday's review of Guido's) and just strolling along the streets of historic Durango.
Sunday was a very long day for us both; a 4 1/2 hour drive to Flagstaff, Arizona for lunch before heading off on scenic Route 180 to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Yes, I said the Grand Canyon, and folks around here are amazed, for some strange reason, that it is only a 4 hour drive from our area if you travel directly there. This was the second time we'd visited in a year, the first time was cool and sunny; this time it rained a bit, so it was cold, yet exhilarating. I took over 200 photos on this little trip (we traveled through Monument Valley also - Doctor Who alert - this was the area the Doctor started this season's first show in), and I'll be posting a few of those at a later date.
Monday, for us Americans, was the 4th of July holiday; the day we celebrate our declaration of independence from the British realm. It was a quiet day in the neighborhood and likewise in the evening; very few fireworks were set off. I spent the morning doing a task I'd promised myself would get done, no matter what...cleaning out the garden shed. Actually, it only took me about 3 hours to accomplish; not as much junk as I'd originally thought was inside; it became more of an organization task.
Then the cooking began of much of the food I'd prepped on Saturday evening.
Elk Burgers
1 lb ground Elk
1 lb 80% lean ground beef
1 tsp each ground black pepper and onion powder
3 Tbsp Worchestshire sauce
Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl; form patties (1/2 inch thick) and keep separated with squares of wax paper. Place in refrigerator.
When ready to barbeque; set heat of grill to 300F. Grill burgers for 5 minutes on each side.
Makes 5 burgers.
Sirloin Steaks
All I did for these beauties is rub both sides of the steaks with a no-salt seasoning mixture, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until ready to grill. I used the same temperature as the Elk burgers (300F); 7 minutes on each side. There were 4 steaks, each a 1/2 inch thick.
Steamed Fish
I had a 2 lb package of frozen Swai filets, so I simply seasoned them with a sprinkle of salt and crushed dill; dashed lemon juice over all. Then I placed them inside an aluminum foil grilling bag, placed it on the top rack of the barbeque and let them cook for 20 minutes. Perfect.
Roy enjoys a good grilled hotdog, so a package of 8 Ball Park Angus Beef hotdogs went on the grill for his snacking pleasure.
All that protein!!! But I did veggies too.
Grilled Root Veggies
Take one pound each of butternut squash and sweet potatoes (peeled and cubed), 1 lb of fingerling potatoes, a large onion chopped, thinly sliced garlic (4 cloves), 1 cup olive oil and 1 Tbsp sea salt; mix together and place in aluminum foil grilling bag. Now this has to go on the top rack of the barbeque, set at 300F, for one hour; so plan your grilling to accomodate the cooking time.
Grilled Mixed Veggies
3 each of baby green zucchini and yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch slices; 1 lb of large mushrooms (quartered), 2 packages of sweet mini bell peppers (tops removed and cut in half lengthwise), 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning mix.
Mix all ingredients together and place in aluminum grilling bag. Place on top rack of barbeque and let cook for 20 minutes.
....and there you go, the Cokenour 4th of July Family BBQ Feast.
Mary Cokenour
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