Pizza on the Barbie!

Mmmmm pizza. Mmmmm grilling. Why didn't we do this sooner? I took tips from Lindsay, and it went well. Next time, we'll make the grill a little cooler as it burned the one portion of the crust a little bit, but it was still REALLY good. We will definitely do this again...and again.


Ingredients

* 1 tube pre-made pizza crust (We used a Jiffy mix)
* 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1 cup pizza sauce (we used more than that...we like it saucy!)
* Meat and veggie toppings of your choice (We did pepperoni, green pepper from the garden and black olives.)

Directions

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for low heat and spray grate with cooking spray
2. Roll out prepared pizza dough to a size that will fit your grill.
3. Place on grill for 5 minutes, or to desired doneness, and flip over. Now add the sauce, cheese, and other toppings.
4. Cover the grill and allow to cook over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Prize Winning Baby Back Ribs

I've been dying to make our own ribs as that is something we've never tackled before. I bought a 2.5 lb slab, and followed this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 tablespoon ground cumin (1/2 tbsp)
* 1 tablespoon chili powder (1/2 tbsp)
* 1 tablespoon paprika (1/2 tbsp)
* salt and pepper to taste
* 3 pounds baby back pork ribs (I used 2.5 lbs.)
* 1 cup barbeque sauce (I used 1/2 c Baby Rays- it was plenty for basting and dipping)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat grill for high heat.
2. In a small jar, combine cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Close the lid, and shake to mix.
3. Trim the membrane sheath from the back of each rack. Run a small, sharp knife between the membrane and each rib, and snip off the membrane as much as possible. Sprinkle as much of the rub onto both sides of the ribs as desired. To prevent the ribs from becoming too dark and spicy, do not thoroughly rub the spices into the ribs. Store the unused portion of the spice mix for future use.
4. Place aluminum foil on lower rack to capture drippings and prevent flare-ups. Lightly oil grate, and lay ribs on top rack of grill. Reduce heat to low, close lid, and leave undisturbed for 1 hour. Do not lift lid at all.
5. Brush ribs with barbecue sauce, and grill an additional 5 minutes. Serve ribs as whole rack, or cut between each rib bone and pile individually on a platter.

*We actually should have brought our time down just a touch, but these were still really really good! I will definitely follow this recipe again!

Grilled Jalapeno Chicken

(*My pic sucks...I was too excited to eat it and was moving fast!)
I went to look for a recipe on allrecipes.com, and this was the featured recipe. It sounded soooo good, I modified my meal plan to fit it in. I'm really glad I did too, because it was really really good! If you like a little spice, you will love this. Carl just kept saying, this is sooo good! And I agree.

I only made about a 1/3 of the recipe with one extra large chicken breast.

INGREDIENTS

* 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
* 1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian dressing
* 3 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded (I used jarred sliced jalapenos)
* 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 6 slices bacon (I skipped the bacon)
* toothpicks (I used turkey skewers...seemed safer than toothpicks)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place chicken breasts in a dish with the Italian dressing. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Stuff each jalapeno half with cream cheese. Roll chicken breasts around jalapeno peppers. Wrap each chicken breast with a slice of bacon. Secure with toothpicks.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Arrange wrapped chicken breasts on the prepared grill. Cook for 20 minutes, turning frequently, or until bacon is browned and the chicken juices run clear.

BBQ Chili Chicken Thighs

This was another on the spot meal decision. Chicken thighs were on sale at the store, so I grabbed them. I've never made this cut of meat before, so I figured I'd give it a try. I just searched allrecipes.com for recipes for chicken thighs, and found this one.

I cut the entire recipe in half, and while I did enjoy the crispy chicken skin, I think I'll stick to chicken breast. I just prefer a leaner meat with less work, as does Carl. But we both agreed we WILL try this same recipe using chicken breast. The sauce was really flavorful and great on the grill. You could use this marinade on pretty much anything.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 (12 ounce) bottle chili sauce
* 1/3 cup white wine or chicken broth
* 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
* 10 cloves garlic, minced
* 4 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first seven ingredients; mix well. Remove 1/3 cup for basting; cover and refrigerate. Add chicken to bag; seal and turn to coat. Chill for at least 2 hours.
2. Drain and discard marinade from chicken. Grill, covered, skin side down, over medium heat for 20 minutes. Baste with some of the reserved marinade. Turn; grill 10 minutes longer or until the chicken juices run clear, basting frequently.