Hello Steemians!
Well friends, today was a stunningly beautiful California day! The perfect day for an Easter cookout with the family and a bit of indulgence. My family is quite picky though, so while I had my mind focused on seafood, I also needed to fix them something they would like, and they always appreciate my grilled chicken. Here's what I started with and the steps I followed:
Organic Natural Chicken Breasts
I like to make individual pieces out of any "loose" parts, then I cover with clear wrap/cling wrap/whatever and tenderize and flatten a bit with this scary hammer thing:
cute little feet snuck into my frame
After a nice beat-down, I dowse the chicken in Olive oil and season liberally with Onion, Garlic, Paprika, not-too-much Thyme, Parsley, Salt, and fresh cracked pepper - both sides:
Set that aside and let it hang out in the fridge for a bit:
Next, it was time to prepare the Beni Hana-style salad dressing. Today is the first time I've attempted this and considering I only loosely followed this recipe (http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/iceberg-salad-benihana-ginger-dressing) and just used what I had on-hand, I must say, Not Bad At All! These are the ingredients I used:
Next time around, I will use sweet or yellow onions instead of the red ones. I can't use peanut oil due to an allergy in my household. Sesame oil is always yummy, but I feel it overpowers the dish somewhat and will look to substitute next time. Anyway, that goes in the blender (except the cucumber - keep that for later) and it should look something like this if done right:
almost there...
I stashed that in the fridge also and started prepping the grill. I use a chimney and candle to light my coals, and if you've never tried it, know it is the best method. There is no smell or taste of lighter fluid and seems to me a very efficient way to light up.
I love Ol' trusty charcoal BBQ:
I like to use a half and half setup for cooking chicken - nothing worse than overcooked chicken:
Here's how they came out... Mmmm:
Next up, LOBSTA! Keep in mind, I'm the only one that can tolerate the smell of seafood in my house, so I've decide to take the party outdoors from now on to avoid the endless commentary. Here are the tails (cut the exoskeleton lengthwise with shears BEFORE cooking; do yourself the favor) and here is a new cast iron pot I bought specifically to use in the BBQ:
While I waited for the water to get really hot, I gathered the ingredients for the drawn butter concoction I thought up, along with my smaller cast-iron pan:
Went back outside, dropped those tails in and let that butter melt in preparation for the lobster - smells sooo good:
I didn't let them cook all the way while in the water. I took them out, cleaned it all and threw it in the butter garlic Taragon bath to finish.
Then, I remembered I had some leftover hamburger buns. I toasted them and dipped them in the butter - Lobster Rolls!
Finally, I sat down to all this bounty (Mrs. Nofiat made rice):
...but my favorite part was definitely THIS:
Thanks for viewing my post! Hopefully, it inspires you to indulge a bit and treat yourself right. Today is Easter and we have lots to be thankful for and lots to celebrate! Please consider an up-vote and a follow!
(the blooming stacker in me couldn't resist, lol)
God Bless you and your families - He is Risen! Happy Easter Steemit family!