Grilling Tips for a Grate Party :-)

With the fantastic Spring weather we've been having, I am inspired to get grilling! I've been grilling since I was a kid. You know how we are in the South; we all have our own barbecue sauces, grill Frubs, secret ingredients and techniques. And we all think our BBQ is the best, too! I guess that's why so many of our summer activities revolve around the grill.

I find it easy to grill and entertain--- just like the kitchen, the grill becomes the enter of the action. There's something so delish about those first bites off the grill. Everyone hovers around just in case there's a sample as the grillmaster works on getting the right crust, flavor and those highly prized grill marks. Here are a few tips to make your next party around the grill a little easier.

Pre-Party Prep

Grab a cold beer to get started. Keep a cooler handy.

If it is your first cook-out of the season, clean your grill really well. Make sure you scrub the grill grates. Really clean and sanitize all of the grill surfaces and utensils, too.

If you're using a gas grill, make sure you check your fuel supply. I'm no expert on gas grills- I prefer charcoal. I am always afraid I'm going to blow something up with gas. (don't ask)

If you're like me and prefer a charcoal grill, make sure you have plenty of charcoal before the party starts. I like a natural charcoal--- no chemicals or coal or fillers. Try Cowboy Charcoal. I love the flavor. Once you try it, you won't buy any other kind. You can usually find it at Lowe's and lots of other places.

Make sure you pre-heat the grill or start your coals in plenty of time to have them at the right heat when you're ready to start grilling. If it is a big party and you have lots of items for the grill, you may need to have extra hot coals on standby. I keep extras in a chimney style charcoal starter.

I like to have "grill zones" around my grill when grilling for a party. That way, I can move things around to the heat I need as necessary.  I usually have an outer ring of medium coals and hot coals in the center of my grill. As necessary, I can add hot coals from the chimney.

 Get Your Tools Ready

One of my best tools for party grilling (besides aluminium foil) is a Styrofoam cooler. I grill corn, for example, and then pop it into the cooler to keep it steaming hot. I usually slightly under cook the corn when I use the Styrofoam cooler because it continues to steam and cook. Try my GRILLED CORN RECIPE- it is the best!

Get a really sharp, good quality knife. We love love Ergo Chef knives--- if you don't have one, get one to make easy work of your chopping and slicing this summer! It is much safer to use a good knife.

A good pair of long tongs is essential. I hate getting my knuckles singed but don't like the big, cumbersome mitts so I get the longest handled pair of tongs I can find.

Have a fire extinguisher and a spray bottle of water on hand--- just in case.

A cutting board is essential. Transfer grilled meat to rest before carving or slicing. Careful not to cross-contaminate! It is so important to clean your cutting board thoroughly if you use it to prep raw meat.I always use plastic cutting boards for raw meat.

Get a good thermometer and go by the recommended temperature for the cut you are grilling. This is a foolproof way to get the most consistent results.

GRILLING GUIDES FROM WEBER

Don't know indirect from direct heat or how to cook a New York strip vs. ribeye?  Here are the answers for how to cook what cut and a what temperature.

WEBER'S GUIDE TO INDIRECT AND DIRECT COOKING

HEAT/TEMPERATURE/CUT GUIDE

SMOKING BASICS

HERB AND SPICE GUIDE

HERE ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE RECIPES, PERFECT FOR THE GRILL:

GRILLED SHRIMP & SCALLOPS

CEDAR PLANKED SALMON

CHILI, LIME & GARLIC GRILLED SHRIMP

EASY GRILLED CORN

SMOKY CHIPOTLE BBQ SAUCE

MARTIE'S RIB RUB

OLLOW MARTIE ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE RECIPES, COCKTAILS, PARTY IDEAS & FUN!

Back to the Classics! Patriotic Parties for Memorial Day

Monday, May 25th, 2009 is Memorial Day! In a salute to the troops and in honor of our country's struggle to get back on our feet financially, let's all fly the flag and throw a classic backyard Memorial Day party this year! I love going old school-- and although I love keeping up with the trends, I am really old school at heart. This backyard BBQ is a blast from the past. From the music, to the decorations, to the backyard games and the dogs and burgers on the grill, this one goes back to Memorial days past but with a few new traditions that you'll love!

The Party Vibe

Go old-school with lots of USA flags, buntings and streamers. You can find all kinds of flags at Oriental Trading Company. Add different lengths of ribbon to flutter in the breeze. Tie them in trees or to the top of a pop-up tent like we did. This is a fun decorating idea for any party theme. Mix and match your red, white and blue--- don't worry about perfection!

I love this adorable standing Uncle Sam flag holder ($29.95 Oriental Trading Company) to greet guests as they arrive--- especially helpful if most of your guests will be coming to your home for the first time. Let him be an annual guest at your Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day parties.

12-feet of flags $3.29 Oriental Trading CompanyMake pennants from a cheap white clothesline (under $5 at Wal-Mart or hardware stores) and red, white and blue bandanas. You can re-use both at another time. If you are not feeling it, just order these metallic 12-foot pennants; perfect for decorating a deck or a fence. You can use them year after year.

Make life easy by ordering a patriotic party pack of hats, balloons and old-fashioned noise-makers (don't get this if you have kids, they will get on your very last nerve until you hide or break them--oooopps!)

The Party Menu

This one is easy. hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans and your favorite slaw. There are so many great recipes on myrecipes.com; check it out for some new twists on your family's favorites. Here are the recipes I plan to make:

Spicy Cheddar Stuffed Burgers; the chipotle pepper puree adds some extra zip. If you don't want to make the puree, sub chipotle pepper instead but go easy- a little goes a long way.

Grilled Blue Cheese Burgers can be made ahead and grilled at the last minute. A great twist on the cheeseburger and a new classic!

Need burgers or steaks for your next backyard bash? Omaha Steaks is great one-stop online shopping and they've always got a deal!

Grilled Red Onions- perfect to add to a burger, snaz up a hot dog, or serve as a side to potato salad or baked potato. Yum.

And what about the hot dogs? Throw on a bunch of your favorite slaw to add a little garden to your dog and you'll give this old-school classic a healthy twist.

And what is an old-fashioned backyard cookout without potato salad? Every family has their favorite recipe but if you need some help, here's a classic potato salad recipe that is very similar to my favorite.

Check out the red, white and blue rims for this raspberry lemonade! Add some fun straws or stir sticks and you'll be able to use your beverages not only as a drink and as fantastic party decorations! Cut the stars out of pineapple with a cookie cutter. Add some citrus vodka or raspberry vodka to give this recipe a little kick!

 No party is a party until the music starts. You can create and post your own playlist on iTunes or just download your favorite summer tunes to your MP3 or iPod and the music can play all summer long!

Some tunes on my ALL SUMMER LONG playlist include:

All Summer Long-Kid Rock

Summertime-DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

Summertime- Kenny Chesney

California Girls- The Beach Boys

California- 2Pac

Hot Fun in the Summertime- Sly and the Family Stone

Beautiful Day-U2

Summertime Blues-Alan Jackson

Three Little Birds- Bob Marley

Summer Nights- from the Grease Soundtrack featuring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John

Smooth- Santana and Rob Thomas

It Must be Summer- Fountains of Wayne

The Party Fun

The wheelbarrow race, three-legged race, hula hoop contest, bobbing for apples, sack race and the egg and spoon race are all back to the classics favorites that require little or no equipment!   

Here's to a great summer season of entertaining with friends--- simple, cheap and fun. Grab a wheelbarrow and fill it with ice and drinks and you're ready to roll!

Last Minute Ideas for Mother's Day? Plan an Easy Afternoon Tea Party

Did you forget that Mother's Day is this Sunday? It's not too late to invite all of the special women in your life over for a Saturday afternoon tea party. It's simple to pull off, tea is not expensive and your mom, her mom--- anybody's mom will love this party! It's also a fun one for the kiddos. You can bake sweet and savory treats, make some tea sandwiches or just head to a good grocery store and get everything you need if you don't want to cook or bake. Here's an easy tea treat that everyone will love!

Read the full article

Sweet Orange Bruschetta-- ooey, gooey and so so yummy.

A fresh baguette or other bread, sliced thin, on diagonal.

Spread a little butter or olive oil on the bread and lightly toast under the broiler or on a grill pan-- I love the flavor and texture of the grilled bread but you can skip this step if you prefer.

Spread on a layer of marscapone cheese and add a dollop of good quality orange marmalade.

Put back under the broiler for a moment until a it gets bubbly on top. Top with a little orange zest and you're done! These are sooo good. You can eat 10. They're also a fun breakfast treat. You can also mix (to taste) marscapone with the orange marmalade, add a splash of Grand Marnier and a little dash of cinnamon or ginger for a nice spread for cookies. Again, top with a little orange zest for garnish. I use both of these all the time and get rave reviews.

Make a savory bruschetta by substituting gorgonzola cheese, a slice of prosciutto and a drizzle of honey. Delish.

Check out the full article and slideshow for more Afternoon Tea Party ideas!  

Martie Party on Location in Chicago with Triple D and Guy Fieri!

You know I am not the type to name drop (LOL) but when something fantastic happens that other foodie and party people would want to know about, you have to tell it. Lots of you, like me, are big fans of Food Network star chef Guy Fieri and his show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Guy and the DDD crew hit Chicago for a taping of the hit show last week and I got to tag along. (Thanks Guy and Kleetus!) Guy is such a pro, he makes the whole thing look really easy, but it was easy to see that it's all really hard work. I got to meet another member of Guy's Krew, Mustard, who was very sweet and super cool. Mustard was kinda the theme of the day as Guy (big prankster) chased a few people around the kitchen with a squirt bottle of mustard. Guy has new episodes of Triple D and Guy's Big Bite airing now so if you don't already watch, check out the coolest chef on the Food Network. And to make a fun day even more fun, I got to go to Wrigley for a Cubs game while I was in town and the rain actually stopped just in time! 

Hope everyone had an awesome Cinco de Mayo. Party on! 

Last Minute Menu Ideas for Cinco de Mayo: Fish Tacos and more

Asado Steak Tacos Photo: Arden PhotographyCinco de Mayo parties are always fun--- everyone loves Mexican food and the decorations for this party couldn't be easier or cheaper. A few of you have asked for ideas for a last minute fiesta---  so here you go. Get on the phone and invite a few friends over for this easy on the budget bash!

Simple Cinco de Mayo Menu

Martie's Pomegranate Margaritas Make up a batch of these. Your friends will ask for the recipe and you'll get the health benefit of the anti-oxidants in the pomegranate, too.

Alton Brown's Guacamole, Chips & Salsa

I am a fan of Alton Brown and use his quac recipe because it is really good and super fast. I get chips from my favorite Mexican restaurant and re-heat them at party time. They are so much better than most store bought varieties and about the same price. I make my salsa when we have fresh tomatoes but it isn't tomato season yet so just get a fresh store brand, add a little chopped cilantro, a splash of hot sauce and doctor it up to your taste.

Fish Tacos a la Cantina:

One fish fillet for each taco

Soft flour tortillas

Feisty Slaw (recipe below) 

Lime wedges

Foodie version: cook the fish yourself with whatever recipe you like. Use a light, firm fish like snapper; fried or oven-baked works best. Since we're short on time, I am opting for the cheater version--- which involves a quick trip to my favorite local fried fish take-out or Whole Foods-- they almost always have fish on the hot buffet. Make a quick slaw or pick one up. Here's the way I do it:

Chop up cabbage-- slaw style. I like red cabbage for this but white is good, too. Or a combination of both. Get the bag kind if you're in a hurry.

Dressing for slaw: Whisk together

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1-1 1/2 tablespoon honey

 1 clove garlic- minced

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Dash of chipotle chile pepper, Tabasco or your favorite heat.

Pour over slaw and refrigerate until serving time. Heat the tortillas in the microwave just for a couple of seconds. Spoon slaw into the bottom of the tortilla. Add fish. Serve with condiments if you like; I prefer them with just a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Asado Tacos

Fire up the grill! I cook mine on a grill pan or in a cast iron skillet when I don't want to heat up the big grill.

Almost any cut of meat will do, really. I got a nice sirloin the last time. Season generously before grilling with salt, pepper and rub in chipotle chile pepper. Make sure your grill is pretty hot. I add a little olive oil and a little butter to the pan first. Sear meat well on both sides. Cook to desired doneness; medium- rare is perfect for these. Let it rest for 10 minutes and then slice on the diagonal into bite size pieces.

I like the crunchy old school taco shells. It's easy to let everyone serve themselves by setting up a taco bar of condiments like cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, jalepeno peppers, lettuce, tomatoes and a variety of hot sauces.

Party on-- more to come!