Portobello Mushrooms!

I thought I would share last night's dinner with you.  Last night's dinner was intended to be Sunday's dinner.  But, it rained all day Sunday and Mr. McGhee wasn't in the mood to stand outside in the rain and cook.  So instead, Mr. McGhee and I stayed inside and watched this out the window.

This is our boy minis, outside in the pouring rain, jumping from the top of their swingset and trying to use an umbrella as a parachute.  Sometimes I wonder if my boy minis are really smart.  Or really....errr.....not smart.

Meanwhile, my tiny girl mini was inside doing this.

So, Mr. McGhee and I decided we weren't cooking, and packed up the minis and went out to eat instead.  And that's how Sunday's dinner became Monday's dinner.

We had gone to the farmer's market on Saturday and bought two beautiful portobello mushrooms.  I love the meatiness and earthiness of portobellos, so I was pretty excited to try grilling them.  I decided to try them two different ways, one following a recipe from Bobby Flay's cookbook and one of my own.  

Here's Bobby Flay's recipe for marinated grilled portobello mushrooms.

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• pinch of red chile flakes
• 1 tbsp finely chopped thyme leaves
• 2 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley leaf
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 8 portobello mushrooms
• 1/4 cup canola oil

1.  Heat grill to medium.

2.  Whisk together vinegar, mustard, garlic, red chile flakes, thyme and parsley.  Slowly whisk the olive oil until emulsified.  Season with salt and pepper.  Store in fridge for up to 4 hours.

3.  Brush both sides of mushrooms with canola oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place mushrooms on the grill, cap side down, and grill  until golden brown and slightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes.  Turn the mushrooms over and continue grilling until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes longer.

4.  Remove the mushrooms from the grill and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices.  Place the mushrooms in a large bowl, add the marinade, and toss to coat.  Let marinate at room temp for 30 minutes before serving.  Mushrooms can be stored for up to 4 hours in fridge before serving.

Assemble your ingredients for the marinade.

Slowly add your oil.  Fridge for up to 4 hours.  DO NOT put mushrooms in marinade until after they are cooked.

Remove the stem.

Coat with oil and season.

Toss on the grill, cap side down.

Flip and cook the other side.

Slice mushroom.  

Toss mushrooms in marinade and let sit for 30 minutes.

I thought these were very good.  Mr. McGhee didn't love them, he said he preferred my shrooms over Bobby's.  Smart man.

Heids McGhee's pesto portobello  

• portobello mushroom, stem removed
• canola oil
• salt and pepper
• pesto
• goat cheese

1.  Brush both sides of mushrooms with canola oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place mushrooms on the grill, cap side down, and grill  until golden brown and slightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes.  

2.  Turn the mushrooms over and smear top of the mushroom with pesto and spinkle with goat cheese.  Grill an additional 4-5 minutes.

3.  I served these with fresh garden tomato slices on the side.

Remove the stem.

Brush both sides with canola oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill, cap side down for 4-5 minutes.

Flip over and smear pesto and goat cheese slices on top.  Grill an additional 4-5 minutes.

These were delish.  You could eat these alongside a grilled steak or chicken breast, or they could easily stand alone as the main dish.  

TGIF dinner

TGIF.  Heids McGhee needs a drink.  And a fantastic dinner.  Preferably prepared and cooked by the handsome Mr. McGhee while the mini McGhees play quietly and puppy McGhee does whatever well-behaved puppies do (guessing this is not jumping, biting, and peeing indoors).

And because I know Mr. McGhee reads this blog faithfully every single morning as soon as he gets to work, I am going to spell out for him what I want him to make me for dinner tonight.

Grilled shrimp and veggies.

Papa McGhee's (that's the mini's papa) grilled shrimp and veggies

• uncooked shrimp, lots of it because I love shrimp
• veggies (mushrooms, onion, zucchini, squash, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes)
• olive oil
• chopped fresh garlic

1.  Marinate shrimp and veggies in the olive oil and garlic all day.  (So Mr. McGhee, you're going to need to get to the store NOW).  (Make sure you marinate the veggies separately from the shrimp).

2.  Grill the shrimp on skewers until they turn pink.

3.  Grill the veggies in a grill basket until they are brown and crispy on the edges.

Enjoy.  Poolside.  With well-behaved minis.  And non-jumping-biting-peeing puppy.  With handsome Mr. eagerly refilling your beverage  and actively listening to you obsess over whether you should sign up to run another half or full marathon.

Summer BBQ

Mr. McGhee and I love to entertain.  Nothing makes us happier than being surrounded by family and friends in our home, with the swimming pool, swingset, and backyard full of activity.  To us, summers are backflip and cannonball contests off the diving board and dance parties around the siwmming pool.  And that's just the adults I'm talking about!  


And, of course, nothing makes me happier than having a backyard full of people that need to be fed.  

I always tell guests that want to bring something to bring snack food or dessert.  I'll take care of everything else.  This is my go-to BBQ meal....spicy honey chicken, grilled veggies, and fruit salad.  The fruit salad is easy.  Cut up some watermelon, berries, grapes, and any other fruit you like and toss it all in a bowl.  That's it!  The spicy honey chicken takes a bit more work.  

Spicy Honey Chicken

Chicken Rub

• 2 tsp granulated garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

Glaze

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar

1.  Mix all spices together.
2.  Drizzle oil on chicken (I use a mix of breasts and thighs) and rub the chicken rub onto the chicken (how's that for obvious?)
3.  Grill chicken until no longer pink in the middle.
4.  Warm honey and add vinegar.
5.  Pour honey/vinegar mixture on chicken.  Grill an additional minute.  

6.  Pour any leftover honey/vinegar mixture on chicken when serving.

Can I give you a tip?  Make a huge batch of the chicken rub and store it in a glass jar in your spice cabinet.  Make extras for all your friends to take home that night.  They'll be asking for it and call you to thank you every time they use it.  

I always serve this chicken with grilled veggies.  Nothing makes me happier than seeing my hungry guests chow down on vegetables.

Grilled Veggies

• assortment of veggies (get an assortment of your favorites...here's what I used)
• 3 summer squash, 3 red bell peppers, 3 zucchini, 1 eggplant, mushrooms, and a bunch of asparagus
• olive oil
• sea salt and pepper
• balsamic vinegar
• 2-3 cloves fresh crushed garlic
• fresh basil 
• fresh rosemary
• fresh italian parsley

1.  Slice the veggies lengthwise into about 1/4 inch slices.
2.  Brush each side of the veggies with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.
3.  Grill the veggies on each side until tender and slightly charred.  Don't move the veggies around on the grill too much, you want those black grill marks!
4.  Mix 4 tbsp olive oil with 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar.  Add garlic and fresh herbs.  I make this ahead of time and let it sit so the flavors can blend together.
5.  Once the veggies are grilled, put them on a platter and brush the oil/vinegar/herb mixture all over the veggies.

Here's the herb mixture.  As you can see, I use a lot of herbs.  They're the star of the show.

This is what I like to call Holy Grilled Goodness.  My prep + Mr. McGhee's cooking = Heaven in the mouth

The minis fight over this asparagus.  Let me repeat that.  The minis fight over this asparagus.

If you're a local reader, don't be surprised if the McGhees invite you over for a BBQ and serve you this meal.  If you aren't local, fire up your BBQ and make this meal.  Channel your inner McGhee.  You'll have a blast, I promise.