05.01.09 Grilled pizza with sausage and peppers

Dinner tonight was grilled sausage and pepper pizza from Bobby Flay. All this post really needs to say is - do yourself a favor and make this recipe - but of course I'll elaborate... I have been hearing a lot lately about making pizza on the grill, and this was our first time trying it. It definitely has a different flavor than pizza baked in the oven, and it's fantastic! My suggestions and changes are as follows: 1) I used Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough, 2) the onions and peppers took longer than 8 minutes to soften on the grill, so I suggest starting them with the sausage and just keeping an eye on them, 3) we made Bobby's tomato and mozzarella salad to give us another reason to use the basil vinagarette. The pizza recipe is a bit complicated/time consuming, but I think it's worth the effort. If it's too much for you, at least try your own favorite pizza recipe on the grill - I may never bake a pizza again!

04.30.09 Chicken-sausage rolls with relish; cucumber salad

Dinner tonight was chicken-sausage rolls with relish from Everyday Food magazine and a side of cucumber salad from Ellie Krieger (Food Network). The recipe called for precooked sausage, but Fresh Market only carries flavored varieties, so I got raw. We parboiled them in a covered pan with a 1/2 inch of water for 15-20 minutes over medium heat, then finished browning them with honey per the recipe's instructions. I used mini-sourdough baguettes for the rolls. Both dishes tasted great, and they complimented each other perfectly!

04.07.09 Red rice with black beans and chorizo

Dinner tonight was a reverse red beans and rice - red rice and black beans with chorizo from Rachael Ray's magazine. I used roasted red peppers in the rice vs piquillo because they were easier to find. Also, my Kroger doesn't carry chorizo, but Fresh Market and Terry's Finer Foods do. This is one spicy dish - I served it with a honey cornbread to take some of the heat off. It's a keeper!