Combine the following ingredients and then whisk together.  Then rub tri-tip with the mixture.

¼ cup coarse salt (kosher or sea)
¼ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
¼ cup paprika
3 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on desired “heat”)
½ teaspoon celery seeds

Directions:
1. Season meat with dry rub and allow to set for 2-4 hours in the refrigerator.

2. Grill the tri-tip (or your choice of meat).

Note: Always let steak sit for several minutes covered with foil after taking it off heat/grill so that the juices are absorbed back into the meat instead of leaking all over your cutting board/counter/floor!! Any meat juices that do escape can be poured over the meat for a great flavor.

My dad used to teach cooking classes a lot at the local Adult Education campuses.  He taught this recipe often and one time I went and visited the class and got a great, free dinner out of it! Awesome! This salmon is fresh and tasty!  My dad’s recipe suggested adding lemon-dill butter to the top of each piece of fish for extra flavor. Here is my dad’s recipe:

1. Fish is easiest to cook on a grill if you use fillets and you use a domed BBQ (like a Webber or Webber Gas Grill). Heat the BBQ to medium heat.
2. Drizzle olive oil lightly over the fillet
3. Add thin slices of lemon to the surface of the fish. Add fresh cracked pepper and sprigs of fresh dill, to taste.
4. Place the filet on the grill and cover the BBQ so that you can simultaneously grill and bake the fish.  By cooking this way, you will not need to turn the fish over to cook it on the other side, which of course solves the biggest problem of cooking fish on a grill.
5. Use large tongs to gently pull the fish apart to check if it is cooked to your taste.
6. Remove the fish from the grill in large pieces with tongs by pulling the fish away from the skin. Serve and enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 Salmon filets
Several sprigs of fresh dill
2 lemons, sliced
Olive oil
Cedar bbq wrapping papers, prepared for use according to package directions

Directions:
1. Top each salmon filet with lemon slices and a sprig of dill.

2. Wrap each salmon filet (lemon and dill included) with a cedar grilling paper.  Tie closed with any bbq safe rope or a green onion.

3. Grill over medium heat until salmon is cooked through, about 12 – 15 minutes.

4. Unwrap the salmon and enjoy!

Happy [Cyber] Tuesday!

1. Baked Crab – Yum! Brady and I love crab. The meat is so tender and sweet. As I type that I think “it’s not sweet!!”. Well it is sweet in a crab kind of way, not an ice cream sundae kind of way…if that makes any sense. This recipe looks easy and quick. Gotta love that!

2. Spicy Grilled Shrimp – I love, love, love the flavor that a grill gives to shrimp. So delicious and mouth-watering! I used to not be a huge fan of shrimp. However, you throw those little guys on the grill and I can eat a ton of them (literally…)!

3. Shellfish Roast – Oh. My. Goodness. This looks too good for words. Beautiful pictures alongside this easy-to-follow recipe. Plus, you can use whatever shellfish you like or have around! Shrimp, scallops, prawns, lobster, crab, etc. Yummy in my tummy!

4. Salmon with Black Sauce – The “Black Sauce” is actually an Indonesian “ketchup”. This recipe looks really fresh. Plus we are always looking for new ways to cook and serve salmon.

5. Grilled Halibut – If you have never tried halibut YOU MUST. It is a flaky, white fish that is tender and amazing almost any way you cook it. We have used it in tacos but we also grill it or bake it to eat it plain (or with a side sauce or salsa). This recipe has you apply a spice rub and then make a salsa to top it. Looks amazing!

** This recipe will make about four servings.

Ingredients:
¼ cup canola oil
1 onion, sliced (you can use any type of onion that you like; we use a red onion)
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 ¼ pounds New York steak or tri-tip, cut into strips
2-3 teaspoons Fajita Seasoning (recipe follows)

Fajita Seasoning: (Mix and then store tightly covered. Makes ¼ cup.)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1½   teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoon paprika
1½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder

Directions:
1. Heat large iron skillet over medium-high heat then add oil.

2. Add onions and bell peppers and sauté for about 20 seconds.  Then add steak.  Season with fajita seasoning and cook until browned.

3. Adjust seasoning as needed.

** Serve with warmed tortillas and other fajita condiments (sour cream, shredded cheese, guacamole, etc).

THE OFFICIAL SUPER BOWL COUNTDOWN:

1. Smoked Baby-Back Ribs - Oh goodness, these are tender and delicious. Brady just made them for our friend Nate’s birthday party. The meat falls right off the bone. Mmmmm.

2. Smokin’ Jalapeno Bombs – Hot and savory jalapeno “boats” stuffed with chorizo (or soyrizo!) and smoked. So tasty!

3. Grilled Horseradish Steak Bites – A wonderful finger-food to enjoy while you cheer on your team!!

4. Santa Fe Grilled Corn – In my opinion there is no better way to eat corn than to grill it. The natural flavors of the corn are highlighted by the smokey/grilled essence. Oh so delicious!

5. California Burgers - A fresh tasting burger that is topped with avocado and a Smoked Paprika Aioli. This classy burger is super easy to make!

6. Beer Marinade – Beer and the Super Bowl really go hand-in-hand so this marinade is truly perfect to use this Sunday (or any day!). Use this on whatever meat or fish you want.

7. Spicy Wet Rub – Not only is this wet rub delicious for taco meat, it would work well for your straight-up grilled meat too. Try rubbing it on your meat of choice, grilling it, and slicing it up for you and your loved ones to enjoy. Delicious!

8. Brady’s Santa Maria Dry Rub – Truly mouth-watering, especially when rubbed on steak or tri-tip. The flavor is absolutely hard to beat!

9. First-Down Burgers – These burgers are spicy from jalapeno and sweet from pineapple, salty from sliced ham and savory from sliced cheese. AMAZING.

10. Tequila-Lime Marinade – Tequila and lime are a great flavor combination. Add some meat or seafood to it and you will be thrilled with the results!!

11. Brats and Beer! – Easy to make and truly a wonderful treat to your taste buds!! The beer gives the brats a rich flavor that can’t be beat.

12. Gone Fishin’ Tacos – Delicious white fish tacos served with a spicy Baja Sauce. We always grill our fish for tacos as opposed to frying because it is so much healthier.

13. Create Your Own Dry Rubs! – Pick any meat you want and then create a dry rub. Experimenting like this will get you comfy in the kitchen and on the grill in no time!

14. The BEST BBQ Sauce Around – Brady’s famous BBQ sauce which we use on just about anything. It would even be delicious with some grilled wings or chicken tenders. Yum!

15. Santa Fe Dry Rub – A flavor-packed and SALT-FREE (!!) dry rub that you can use on just about anything. We’ve even put it on grilled quesadillas. Yum! Just last night we sprinkled it on some turkey burger patties…AMAZING!

** 5 HOT Grilling Tips!

** Marinating Tips & Info

** 10 Useful Grilling Tools

It is RAINING so hard here today! I can’t even believe it. Luckily I have my trusty umbrella to assist me while needing to be outside.

This marinade is best with beef, pork, or chicken, but can be used for fish too. We love beer so this is a great marinade for us! Plus it is fun to have a beer while you use beer in your cooking. You know, a sip for the chef and pour for the food. Or vice versa. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 bottles of your favorite beer
¼ cup honey mustard
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ medium onion, thinly sliced
½ green or red bell pepper, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 slices fresh ginger (each should be about the size of a quarter)
1 tablespoon paprika
Squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice

Directions:
1. Open both bottles of beer.  Drink one…or use both in the marinade.

2. Combine the other beer with the rest of the ingredients.  Marinade meat.

Note: This marinade will keep fresh for about three days in the refrigerator. Although that does not necessarily mean that you should marinate your meat for that long. To find out how long your meat needs to sit in this marinade go to our tips below.

** Check out our marinating tips!!

*** Check out our favorite beer!!

**** Throw a Beer Fest party!!

Ingredients:
½ pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
½ cup grated Parmesan
2 eggs
½ cup ricotta cheese
½ cup fresh basil, finely chopped
½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 onion, grated (using a cheese grater)
½ of a carrot, grated
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400º.  Spray several muffin tins with cooking spray.

2. Combine all ingredients, mixing well until blended. However, be sure not to overmix.

3. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into small rounds and place them in a muffin tin, each meatball in a different muffin hole.  This will allow them to cook faster and more thoroughly.

4. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Jen’s Meatball wisdom:

• Be gentle when you’re forming meatballs–too firm a hand makes them dense and tough.
• These meatballs can be frozen in two ways, cooked (in sauce) or raw.  To freeze raw meatballs, put them on a cookie sheet in the freezer.  Once frozen, transfer them to resealable plastic bags. Cooked-in-sauce meatballs can go into plastic containers and put straight into the freezer.
• To test what your meatballs will taste like, brown up a spoonful of the raw meat mix in a pan. Once it is fully cooked give it a taste. Adjust seasoning as needed then proceed with the recipe.

Note: This particular rub is called a “wet rub” because it is combined with liquids to create a paste. You then rub this paste on your meat of choice prior to cooking.

Ingredients:
¼ cup paprika
3 tablespoons coarse salt
2 tablespoons pure chili powder (not a blend)
2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dried cilantro
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground allspice
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients.  The mixture should have a paste-like consistency.

2. Rub mixture all over the steak and put in a Ziploc bag.  Allow the steak to sit in the refrigerator and marinade for at least one hour.

3. Take meat out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature, then grill the meat to desired doneness.

5. Let steak rest for about 5-10 minutes, then cut into bite-size pieces and use in tacos.

Enjoy!

Today is a good day.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend too.