Martha Lipton’s Slathered Turkey Burger Recipe

Poll: Vote your favorite grilling food

We’d like to hear it from you our loyal fans.

What will you be cooking on your grill this Memorial Day?

Mixed Kabobs and Squash on the Grill — All we need is a bit of Slatherin' Sauce on these kabobs to make them just right!

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Photo credit: flickr user woodleywonderworks

Gentlemen (and ladies) start your…grills!

We’re entering the marathon y’all! The summer grill challenge. You know what I’m talking about? You, your neighbors, your brother all trying to one-up one another with your mad grill skillz.

The grill has for many, always been the province of the men, but ladies, I’m here to tell you that we were the food gatherers and the food preparers in prehistoric times. The man may have slayed the mastodon, be we cooked them!

Yet, now many women fear the grill. There is really nothing to fear. Making sure your grill is ready for the season, you have right fuel (propane or charcoal) depending on your choice of grill, and making sure your grill is clean and ready to use. Follow these simple guidelines and you’ll be grilling all summer!

Tips to grilling happily outdoors all summer!

Repeat after me, “A clean grate is great!” Did you leave your grill out all winter and now the insides of it resemble a black hole of despair? Despair not! Remove the grates and either clean with oven cleaner of your choice (following all directions) or put your grates in the self-cleaning oven, and let it do the work. Once your grate is clean, each time before you cook, lightly oil your grate before cooking, you’ll thank yourself.
If you’re using a gas grill girl, make sure your propane bottle is filled. Not sure? Follow your grill manufacturer’s instructions and disconnect the tank (be sure the valve is closed!) and carefully transport to your local hardware store where they can refill it for you at a much lower cost than the cylinder exchange that many do. Although there is much to be said for cylinder exchange!
Do you use a charcoal grill? Then lay in a supply of natural charcoal, made from hardwoods, without any additives. Your grilled veggies and steaks will thank you for it. Flavors are purer and cleaner without all the excess scents petroleum products contribute.
Use a chimney starter for your charcoal fire. With just a bit of newspaper or twigs and dry grasses, you can get your charcoal lit, and to the right temperature quickly, which means you don’t have to use charcoal starters.
Check your pantry. What are your favorite rubs and grilling sauces (you’d better say Slatherin’ Sauce!) Go ahead and stock up now so you can be grilling on demand all summer.
Pick up a new grilling cookbook. It’s easy to fall into a rut of grilling the same things all the time. There are so many ways to use your grill. Did you know you can cook your homemade pizza on the grill? And it’s delish.
Get a new butane stick lighter. Don’t try to light your grill with matches or a cigarette lighter. A stick lighter is so much easier. I like to get mine in the bundled packs so I have one to leave with the grill and one to leave on the deck with the candles.
Get some grill cookware to make your job easier. I love my porcelain enamel coated grill holders for veggies and fish. You might even get a fish basket. It makes grilling a whole fish so much easier. (And when you bring home that whole fish you spent all day catching, you can stuff the cavity with onions, garlic and lemons, and grill whole—the flavors are so wonderful).
Have some silicone oven and grill mitts to allow you to safely move items without burning your arms.
Make sure to have working digital grill thermometer. Prevent undercooked chicken and pork! Most if not all your recipes will call for cooking your proteins to a specific temperature.

Now that you’re ready, start grilling! Oh, and call me, I’ll be right over!

Photo credit: flickr user woodleywonderworks

Fans Slatherin’ It On at Folly

My Charleston area fans and supporters gathered last night to have a Slatherin’ Sauce potluck. They invited me, but I’m at a trade show and had to miss it. And I have to say the list of what they served makes my mouth water! It’s amazing what creative cooks can do with Slatherin’ Sauce!

Slatherin’ Sauce Potluck Menu

Holly Herrick’s Slathered Chicken ~~Wings~~ Thighs, made by Cheryl Smithem

Andra Watkin’s Slathered Pretzels

Anne Howe’s Black Bean, Pearl CousCous and Corn Salad with Spicy Slatherin’ Sauce

Anne Brumbaugh’s Cheddar Melt Pork Tenderloin Biscuits with Saltherin’ Sauce

Spring Green Salad with Strawberries, Walnuts and Feta Cheese with Raspberry Walnut Viniagrette (un-Slathered)

Potato Salad (un-Slathered)

And the finale! The finishing touch:

Nathan Albertson’s Spicy Slatherin’ Sauce Bacon Ice Cream, served atop McVitie’s English Biscuits with Fresh Blueberries and Thyme!

I wish I’d been there to taste the Ice Cream. Reports of it are that it is a wonderful combination of sweet, savory and spicy.

Hopefully, I can wrangle these recipes from my friends and post here.

Gluten Free Menu for Outdoor Dining

I have many friends who are discovering that their tummy troubles have all been due to their sensitivity to gluten. They are now going gluten free.

In addition, many of you have found that you want to eat sensibly, cutting calories, while cutting out gluten.

I know some of you have despaired over being able to enjoy seasonal cook-outs or “barbecues”. I’ve been thinking about this and here’s my suggested gluten free outdoor menu.

My menu focuses on the freshest local produce and a variety of complimentary flavors. We’re using the grill for several items, although if you don’t have a grill or the weather turns bad at the last minute, you can easily prepare this menu in the oven. Just oven roast the chicken and asparagus, and boil the corn in the traditional manner.

For the chicken, be sure and select a hormone-free range organic bird. To prep the chicken for the grill, wash it and pat it dry. Rub with a little olive oil and roast on the grill, glazing with Slatherin’ Sauce in the last ten minutes on the grill. This video is really informative and helpful if you’ve never used your grill to roast a chicken. The video calls for a honey glaze, but you’re going to be using Slatherin’ Sauce which is 25% honey.

Click to view video on how to use your grill to “roast” a chicken.

Be sure to build your fire on one of the grill, letting the coals get ashy before you put the bird on the other end of the grill. If you have a double burner gas grill, heat up one end of the grill and place the bird on the other. Roast until an internal temperature of 165 degrees is achieved. Do use your meat thermometer to check for doneness!

Because I’m a cook-from-the-hip-chef, I’ve located some great recipes for some of the basic items that you can add to your repertoire. And I’m sharing my friend Cheryl’s Oil & Vinegar Potato Salad recipe with you at the end of this post.

You might want to serve this with a refreshing rosé wine, not “pink” zinfandel, but a real Spanish dry rosé, that will complement the fresh, delicate flavors of the foods.

Be sure to create an outdoor environment that sets the festive mood. Invite your best friends and get ready for a relaxing afternoon.

Slathered Chicken

Our wonderful roasted chicken finished with a glaze of Slatherin’ Sauce. Serve Slatherin’ Sauce on the side as well for dunking!

Oil and Vinegar Potato Salad

Made with tiny new potatoes, cut into chunks, and dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing

Grilled Asparagus

Select tender local asparagus

Grilled In-the-HuskCorn on the Cob

Soak un-shucked corn from which you’ve removed the silks, then grill

Strawberry Infused Minted Fruit

Cut up chunks of Bananas, Watermelon, Honeydew, Grapes, or your choice of fruit

An assortment of fresh fruit with just a touch of strawberry simple syrup and freshly shredded mint leaves to your taste

Oil and Vinegar Potato Salad Recipe

Serves 8

1.5 lbs small new potatoes, scrubbed, cut into quarters and boiled until fork tender, drained

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, select a premium organic oil

2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar, be sure to read the label so you are sure there is no malt vinegar added to this.

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

2 Teaspoons Organic, Gluten Free Dijon Mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

½ Teaspoon Kosher salt

¼ Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Garnish Ingredients

Scallions, chopped

Radishes, sliced

Tomatoes, cut into wedges

Place potatoes into a pottery or glass bowl. Mix all the ingredients except garnish ingredients and pour over the potatoes. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Garnish with scallions, radishes, and tomatoes.

Remove from refrigerator about an hour before you with to serve, so the salad isn’t too cold.

What is Barbecue to you? Noun or verb?

With warm weather arriving now in many parts of the country, our thoughts turn to outdoor entertaining and cooking, or as many people call it barbecuing.

Now, I’ll be the first to say that you can call it what you like, but here in the South (the Southern U.S.A. that is) the term barbecue is a noun, not a verb. And as many of you know, the topic of barbecue can turn friends into enemies, or bring enemies together. Don’t believe me? The BBQ Song says it all.

There have been many books written about barbecue (the noun): how to prepare it, whether beef, pork or chicken is better, what type of sauce you use…and on and on.

When I was in England last month, many people talked about barbecuing…and they weren’t talking about slow cooking pork in a pit. What they were talking about was cooking over open heat, out of doors. So, today I want to hear from you how you barbecue (the verb) meaning cook out of doors.

I enjoy cooking on the grill and enjoying my outdoor deck with my family. What do I like to put on the grill? Slather Burgers®. Although sometimes I confess that I prefer vegetable skewers on the grill, with a bit of Slatherin’ Sauce brushed on them at the end of cooking. My other “go-tos” are locally made sausages or quail. All of which get Slathered!

What I want to learn is how you barbecue? What do you cook? Do you grill-out on week-nights or only on weekends? Who is the grill chef in your household?

Robin Rhea’s Entertaining Tips

Over the course of the years I’ve hosted many events for family and friends. Holiday get-togethers, family celebrations, and just Friday evenings with the girls.

With each event I’ve hosted, my goal has been to create a welcoming atmosphere where each guest can relax, enjoy the food I’ve prepared and can leave feeling refreshed and happy to have been with everyone else.

I learned from my mother so much of how I entertain and share my hospitality. The single thing that stands out is to do the most with what you have! You don’t have to offer prime rib or steak to your guests. Sometimes popcorn and beer is just the right combination. Other times, it may be a vegetable plate of your best summertime garden produce. And if you want to use paper plates, go for it—although I prefer not adding to our landfills—so I use washable plates and utensils.

But no matter the type of event, I’m guided by these five tips and my desire to offer sincere hospitality to each guest:

Like goes with like: For guests that is. Invite people who will mix well with one another. Always determine which guests are natural connectors. Then when you have those guests add your other guests, thinking about what they have in common and how their personalities mix. And know each person’s style, formal, casual, overbearing or laid-back. Just don’t have too many overbearing people at an event, or you’ll get chaos!
Create a setting that invites conviviality: Know how everyone gravitates to the kitchen? People like cozy settings. It’s our nature. It makes us feel protected. So, plan your party setting so that you have areas where people can gather for conversation. Establish the mood with creative lighting and cushions on the deck or furniture. If its daylight and you’re having your event outside, group potted plants with your lawn furniture so you create a garden room feel. The goal is to create places where people can cluster.
Select a theme: Now we’re not talking each party has to be Arabian Nights! I mean think Winter Warm-up or the color red, as an example. If you select red, let it help you decide on your linens, plates, and flowers. You can even extend that to your clothes. If its summer and you’re having a pool-side event, think water; finding items that remind you of summer aqua pools and cool splashing. See what I mean?
Plan your menu: Try to build your menu in alignment with your theme and select items that don’t have you completely in the kitchen at the last minute. Make your shopping list early and shop several days before your event. Also, many great hostesses will tell you not to experiment with an un-tested recipe at your event, but I’ll tell you that if you have confidence in yourself as a cook, you may want to do this, because the excitement that comes from doing something new carries over to your guests. However, don’t do this if you aren’t an accomplished cook! Instead, try something new, testing ahead of time so you aren’t harried.
Relax: If you relax and are at ease, your guests will be too. And as the great Julia Child often did, don’t worry if something doesn’t come out right! The focus in on everyone being together, not on whether or not a few of the burgers are singed at the edges.