It's the end of May and in a few short hours my family will be arriving for the Memorial Day weekend. My parents will be celebrating their 59th wedding anniversary and our grandson will be celebrating his 5th birthday!
JoePa is busy in the backyard inflating and filling a new swimming pool for David and I'm working on his favorite chocolate cake with chocolate frosting to be served with chocolate ice cream. Amongst other things, ribs are on the menu, and I will be posting my recipes and tips for "all things ribs" after the holiday!
Kitchen Encounters received two great questions this week. Since they both revolve around the upcoming holiday, let me get them answered ASAP!
Q. Lyle says and asks: I watched your Tacos al Pastor video, printed out the recipe and plan to make it for Memorial Day. Mel, my wife Deb dislikes pineapple. She said she would eat something else, but, I thought it worth asking you to recommend another fruit to use in its place? Also, can I make the salsa without putting pineapple in it? Last, how will this recipe turn out if I double the quantity?
A. Kitchen Encounters: Lyle! That's quite a question. Tacos al pastor really is "all about the pineapple". That being said, I'm certain that if you substituted orange juice and orange segments for the pineapple in both the taco and salsa recipes, it'll be a delicous meal. Lastly, I have doubled the recipe, and, cooked the doubled quantity in the electric skillet. It took a few extra minutes to cook the pork, but it worked perfectly!
For those of you who are looking for a memorable recipe to serve for your Memorial Day holiday, you can find my recipe for ~ Tacos al Pastor: "Shepherd's-Style" Pork Tacos ~ in Categories 2,3, 13 or 19. The accompanying ~ Pineapple, Avocado, Tomato and Onion Salsa ~ recipe can be found in Categories 1, 4, 8, 10, 13 or 14!
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Q. Lillian says and asks: We just got a new grill and for the first time we have two side-burners which are located, side-by-side, on one side of the grill. I want to make breakfast outside for 6-8 people on Sunday morning (Memorial Day weekend). I have a grill pan, and would now like to buy a griddle so I can cook things like eggs outside. Can you recommend a moderately-priced, good-quality griddle that will stand up to the heat of a gas grill to me?
A. Kitchen Encounters: Lillian! Congratulations on the new grill! I don't know "eggsactly" why, but eggs always taste better when made outside!
The griddle that I like the best (pictured above) is made by Calphalon. It is hard-anodized and nonstick with a flat surface area of 18" long and 11" wide. In addition, it also has stay-cool handles and 1" sides, which keep things like melted butter or bacon fat from dripping off the sides and causing flareups. Because of its size, it is referred to as a "double griddle" and it comfortably cooks 8 eggs, or, 8 sausage patties, or, 16 strips of bacon. It does a great job of toasting lightly-buttered bagels and/or English muffins too. My husband Joe bought this one about two years ago, at either our local Target or Kohl's and it cost about $50.00!
Enjoy your holiday weekend everyone, and once again: To leave a comment or ask a question, simply click on the blue title of any post, scroll to the end of it and type away... or e-mail me directly!
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipes, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2012)
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