Monday, May 4, 2009

AN OUTDOOR AFFAIR..

An Al Fresco lunch or a late evening meal outdoor just about when the evening breezes start to stir creates a very casual and comfortable setting. It can be set anywhere in the garden, a terrace or even a breakfast nook can be fine.























Racks of Lamb

Ingredients

4 racks of lamb, each with 3-4 cutlets
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt
ground pepper
handful of rosemary sprigs




















A delicious dessert. Oranges in Cointreau and Maple Syrup. Place the parcels on the hot barbeque and cook for about 10-15 minutes. You can serve with creme and topped with shreds of blanched orange rind.

(Substitute with Marmalade for the Cointreau liqueur if an alcohol free version is preferred.)




2 tbsp butter, melted
4 oranges, peeled, pith removed and slice them cross-ways
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp Cointreau
liqueur

(Reassemble each orange and place it on a a square of doubled foil parcel)




Rum & Lime Cream Pie



According to Wikipedia, the word barbecue has attracted several inaccurate origins from folk etymology. An often-repeated claim is that the word is derived from the French language. The story goes that French visitors to the Caribbean saw a pig being cooked whole and described the method as barbe à queue, meaning "from beard to tail". The French word for barbecue is also barbecue, and the "beard to tail" explanation is regarded as false by most language experts. The only merit is that it relies on the similar sound of the words, a feature common in folk-etymology explanations.

Another claim states that the word BBQ came from the time when roadhouses and beer joints with pool tables advertised "Bar, Beer and Cues". According to this tale, the phrase was shortened over time to BBCue, then BBQ.


Isn't that interesting?


I like kebab pieces or cut cubes of fillet for fish or meat on skewers. They are quick and so easy to make and taste terrific. With tender top sirloin, you don't need to marinate a long time to tenderize the meat, just long enough to impart the flavors of zippy ingredients like balsamic vinegar, crushed red peppers, ginger and soy sauce, you just can't go wrong.


Chicken breasts, drumsticks, wings and quarters are often popular choice. (It is a good idea to pre-cook meat in the oven first before transfering them onto the barbeque. )


Some ideas you might like to try out- how about cook mushrooms with herb butter in foil on the grill? Or desserts like baked bananas and glazed pineapple cook so well on the dying embers. Try it!


Put in some love into the preparation. Let the marinates and salts sit in just long enough before the grill, it's going to be one of the most tasty and tender outdoor meal ever. There is nothing more evocative than the delectable aromas of a barbeque. The cool breeze stirring, family and friends, beers and sensational looking cocktails- it's going to be an evening to remember.


So anyone in for a BBQ this week?


I have enjoyed putting this for all you friends out there and hope it inspires some ideas of your own and you may like to kick back and have a relaxing outdoor experience with your family and friends too.


Stay well, be safe and have a great week ahead!






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46 comments:

Rikkij said...

OK, Fel-now I'm starved! that's very interesting about the origin of BBQ. bar, beer and cue. learn somethin new every day! Great lay-out. Your friend, ~rick

Deb said...

everything looks so good Silver..what time is dinner?

Leigh of Tales from Bloggeritaville said...

beautiful meal!

SILVER said...

Rick- ;) bar beer and cue.. i like that one too.

Deb- got me laughing there..wish that wasn't just a cyber question, girl! (i would have thrown you the table linens...;)

Leigh- You're back? going to get to you in a minute!

SmilingSally said...

You've made me hungry! Thanks for visiting my blog. I notice some pretty blue and white china in your sidebar. Why not join in for Blue Monday? See my sidebar for instructions.

SILVER said...

Smilingsal-
Actually i've got half my display cabinets in blue china i think.. (time could be a little problem for me..otherwise- that sounds like such fun!)

Lisa said...

I saw that slab of meat in your post and I had bought one from Meijer that looked just like that and after I got done cooking it.....it became a boot...lol

The Raggedy Girl said...

Oh my goodness that is a wonderful looking BBQ, I am hungry now! I am glad you found me, I somehow killed my old blog but I like my new one, I made it a little more laid back and not so demanding. I am finally blogging without obligations.

The Raggedy Girl

Lois Christensen said...

One of the things I love most about this time of year is grilling outside! Love your dishes. My father loved lamb! The pie looks yummy as well!!

laughingwolf said...

sil, that left me drooling all over my keyboard :O lol

Deare Diary said...

Hi,
Glad that you stopped by my blog and left a comment. I have enjoyed reading yours and will be back. Have a blessed day.
Judy

SILVER said...

Lisa- oh..dearie me!

Raggedy Girl- that's how it ought to be. Blogging shd be FUN for YOU first. We'll love it anyway you like to present it..

WOS- yeah. i'm weak on the pie too.

laughingwolf- if only you can hear your keyboard speaks... ;P

Deare Diary- ;)have a blessed day, Judy.

laughingwolf said...

i do hear it speak, sil!

click, click, clickety :O lol

Elena said...

Wow, all those recipes look delicious and I loved the different stories on how the term BBQ came to be! Have a wonderful weekend!

Judanna said...

Wow, everything really looks delious and what time is dinner.
Thanks for the visit.

Jon said...

I'd really like to have an Al Fresco meal, but the dang wind here in West Texas would blow it away (no joke!). The photos are beautiful and the food looks mouthwateringly delicious!!

2 Dogs said...

John loves lamb but I don't so he never gets any unless he cooks it himself.

RCUBEs said...

Just want to thank you for visiting me and leaving an encouraging comment so I pop over to say "hello" back to you. I love to experiment with cooking at times, too. So I feel blessed to get to know your site. God bless and I will visit you again :)

Debra Kaye said...

Oh my goodness...that feast looks so inviting! I wasn't hungry, and in fact, was just munching on grapes until I saw this post! lol

Blessings to you!

Barb said...

everything looks wonderful,hope you have a wonderful day....Barb

Hybrid J said...

Hi Silver,

Your wonderful savory post work my appetit up, hahaha! :) Thank you for dropping by my blog and I'm enjoying my visit here.

becomingkate said...

Hi Silver! I'm sorry that I missed your question. I'll write about it soon. *hugs*

Deepanjan Ghosh said...

The lamb looks YUM!!!

Just Be Real said...

Oh my goodness.....I guess all the food is gone by now!! Thanks for sharing. Blessings!

SILVER said...

Laughing wolf- ;0

Elena- U too, E.

Judanna- ;)

Jon- ok..i believe you. huh..sigh.. doesn't that sound like such a pity?!

Patti- good thing Jon cooks too..

RCubes- ;)ditto lady!

Debra- ;)

Barb- ;)u too, barb.

Hybrid J- ;) ditto!

becoming kate- no worries, sweet.

Double-Dolphin- ;)

Astaryth said...

Just looking at that makes my mouth water! Yum! I'm not much of a fancy cook, but my better half is, I need to show him this!

SILVER said...

Astaryth- looks like you're another lady (like Patti) we will love to go green with envy.

PS: PATTI CAKES- sooory just spotted a mispeling on your darling's name! JOHN not Jon. JOHN!!! how did i miss that?

Deb said...

yes Judanna is my Mom...thank you for all your sweet comments

SILVER said...

Just Be Real- ah..how did i miss this one? no no..food never seems to run out here. i've got a magic Alladin lamp. ;)

duopastorale said...

I can only dream of such cooking! It all looks divine. I also like your header photo. Nice. Thanks for visiting me :)

Tatersmama said...

Mmmmm, eveything looks so good! We usually barbeque year round, but just the type of meal changes.
Tonight is hamburgers, but we'll probably do scalloped potatoes with it, because it's winter here.

Nothing like cooking a meal when you're all rugged up!

Anonymous said...

oh no!!!please have mercy on me...too much meat!!!I realise now that my stomach has shrank as I age so for bbq max its only 2 serving then am done....

BTW family had plan for bbq in this hot summer....

see ya fel.....

leesah

Tara said...

Hello Silver,

Thanks so much for stopping by Loveleigh Treasures! All the BBQ fixings look delicious, even first thing in the morning when I'm starving! I've heard the French term before, but not the Americanized version. I have always thought of BBQ's as a mostly American past time.
Maybe it's just the way we do it because I can't imagine we are the only country in the world that GRILLS! Have a great weekend!

Allidink said...

Hey thanks for visiting my blog and leaving such nice comments :) This is a great post! I just love eating outside :) Great recipes and tips to share everything looks so good! Talk to you later :)

All the best,
Allison

SILVER said...

Mike- pleasure was truly mine ;)

Tatersmama- sounds cozy and good to me. ;)

lee sah- that sounds wonderful! If you have racks of lamb or ribs, i'm coming ;) You can keep the salads to yourself.

Sares- :) fortunately, i think it's really a global universal favourite pastime..just in slightly different forms/food variations though-

Allison- food always taste better outdoor, that is true ;)

Unknown said...

wow , Your blog is amazing , I just received a lovely comment from you , Thanks !
So I popped over to visit, pretty mindblowing stuff for a girl like me that aaah , is not a food artist like yourself! (by any means!)

Victoria Goodridge said...

Yummy Yummy. In Australia the BBQ is a favourite. Your recipes look absolutely amazing :).
Thanks for visiting my site making handbags is an true joy creating makes "my heart sing"

Sixpence and A Blue Moon said...

I just love your blog! It's so full of tasty bite size nuggets, and a real treat for the eyes.

Thank you for the visit to my page. Please do stop by again soon.

Have a wonderful day!

Hilary said...

Well here it is almost bed time for me and my belly is growling. Those offerings look just delicious!

Thanks for your visit to my blog today. :)

Inday said...

Wow! wow! wow! Mouth watering succulents barbecue. Interesting recipes if we are allowed to copy and try it on ... down here in southern hemisphere. They are ideal for winter too! And wine?

Do you think one day, you'd love to try Aussie vineyard grown produced wine? Take your pick: white or red? Bland, dry or sweet? Or maybe just plain aperitifs? Would you like that?

Let me get away from the forthcoming wedding of my girl first and I'll get back to you about my proposal.

I have a different version about barbecue but maybe I'll just blog it at random.

Silver said...

WILLOWNEST- ;)thks lady. well, ideally food should LOOK as good as it TASTE, doesn't it?

ok, I said, IDEALLY. ;)

But we can all try..


VICTORIA- ;)

SIXPENCE & A BLUE MOON- ;)

HILARY- ;)

BONNIE- it's hard to say. There are a lot of pretty good Australian wines- i usually get the red, dry .. and not too keen on aperitifs- but i do go gaga with cocktails.

yay..sounds interesting..can't wait, Bonnie and Congrats!

Inday said...

Thanks for the congratulations. We're out yesterday to find her wedding dress. Pretty exhausting. Mission not accomplish yet. This afternoon, am going to help her assemble the invitation cards. She is creative and artistic and her fiance is the same ... so they created their own wedding invitation design. The fiance's sister is the one printing the wordings. All I need to do is help. While helping, I'll be cooking too. Once I log out here, am out this lonely but home sweet home. Let's talk about more wine next time.

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steveroni said...

Was looking for your blog, and came across this WOW! tasty post. If I put it in my copy machine, I'd probably eat the paper.

Are you blogging at this time? Under another name, perhaps (What a stupid-sounding word 'perhaps'--grin!

Anyway, if you are around on here. let me know, puhleeze! thanks, Silver. You probably do not remember, but we used to be blog-friends....
Anyways...PEACE!

Domain Registration said...

Aww...Racks of Lamb!! They'll cook up great on the BBQ. I do the old school garlic, rosemary, olive oil, a little Dijon, and S&P.

Hosting said...

Wow...the delicious look so rich, finely baked and awesumly presented...makes my mouth water :)