relish

Hot Dog Heaven

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food Junkie Favorites: Hot Dog Heaven! Summer brings visions of baseball games, afternoons at the pool, picnics in the park, roasting marshmallows over the fire pit, and hot dogs any way you like them. Some people prefer premium Angus franks, others want fat-free turkey, German brats, or Italian sausage.  Hold the ketchup? Maybe. Mustard only? Sometimes. Sweet relish? Extra onion? No bun?  There have to be a bazillion ways to serve up a hot dog. For your back yard cookout, save yourself the agony of being a people-pleaser. Bring out the kid in everyone. Offer a condiment bar where the guests can congregate and  “build-your-own” version of bliss. 

HOT DOG HEAVEN

Ingredients:

1 pound wieners, standard beef

Condiments of your choosing

Hot Dog Buns

Instructions:

Heat the grill to medium temperature. Grill franks 5-7 minutes, turning occasionally, until heated through and slightly charred. Remove with grill tongs and let sit for a minute or two to retain juices. For a toasted bun, toss the buns, cut side down, onto the grill for about 15-20 seconds; longer if you want them slightly charred. Watch carefully. 

Deviled Eggs With Relish

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food Plating: Deviled Eggs with Relish! When I was younger, there was only one way to make deviled eggs: mustard, mayo, and paprika. The recipe never changed and the eggs always got eaten first. Fast forward to today, just try “Googling” deviled eggs. Nowadays there must be dozens of unique ways to make them including flavorful spices, fresh herbs, tangy pickles, crumbled toppings, and pretty much anything your mind can imagine. Be creative. Test them out on your friends and family. There’s no better way to get egg-cellent results. 

DEVILED EGGS WITH RELISH

Ingredients:

8 hard boiled eggs

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup mayonnaise 

2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

Sprinkling of paprika

Micro greens, for garnish

Instructions:

Peel the hard boiled eggs. Cut each egg in half horizontally. Remove yolks and place in a mixing bowl. Transfer egg white halves to a serving dish. To make the filling, mash the yolks with a fork. Add sea salt, black pepper, and mayonnaise. Mix well. Fold in the sweet pickle relish. Fill each halved egg white with the egg yolk mixture. Dust with a sprinkling of paprika. Garnish with micro greens. Chill for one hour before serving. 

Egg Salad Extravaganza

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Daily Special: Egg Salad Extravaganza, A Crêpe Idea! The debate continues………. Mayonnaise and Celery or Miracle Whip and Pickle Relish? What is your preference in Egg Salad?  It probably all depends on how your mother made it during your childhood. Fortunately both can be made in a snap!

EGG SALAD EXTRAVAGANZA 

Ingredients:

3 eggs, hard cooked

3 tablespoons mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon cracked pepper

1 tablespoon celery, chopped (optional)

1 tablespoon pickle relish (optional)

Instructions:

Combine mayonnaise or Miracle Whip, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Peel and chop eggs, breaking into small pieces. Gently stir into mayonnaise mixture. Add celery or pickle relish. Fill two Crêpes with egg salad. Tuck in several lettuce leaves. Sprinkle with Chia seeds. 

(For an alternative bread choice, please reference Crêpe Expectations for the batter recipe at https://snapshotsincursive.com/2015/05/17 to make crêpes in advance.)

Vine Tomato Relish

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Bright Ideas: Vine Tomato Relish! Here’s a farm fresh recipe that can be substituted for a side salad, vegetable accompaniment, or sandwich condiment. I’ve even used it in pasta salad as well as on homemade pizza instead of marinara sauce. It’s that versatile. The fact that tomato relish is chunky makes it appealing no matter how you serve it. The herbs and spices enhance the flavor of the garden tomatoes making it a tasty treat that will surprise you. Keep a jar in the refrigerator and watch it disappear.

VINE TOMATO RELISH

Ingredients:

1 pint cherry tomatoes on the vine, halved and stems discarded

2 tablespoons thinly sliced red onion, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Italian spices

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions:

In a mixing bowl, combine cherry tomato halves, red onions, and green onions. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian spices, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Drizzle vinaigrette over tomato mixture. Lightly toss. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Kielbasa Hot Dogs

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Bright Ideas: Kielbasa Hot Dogs! If you like to try something a little different than ordinary hot dogs, choose a beef sausage link that focuses more on natural flavorings like garlic, woodsmoke, cloves, or pimento. Personally, I lean more toward nitrate-free labeling, which means the preservatives are natural rather than chemically added. Every little bit helps, because sometimes eating a grilled hot dog just makes the world a happier place.

KIELBASA HOT DOGS

Ingredients:

13-ounce package of 4 kielbasa smoked sausage links, fully cooked

4 brioche split-top brioche hot dog buns

1/2 sweet onion, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup sweet pickle relish

1/4 cup yellow mustard

Instructions:

Preheat gas grill to 400°. Arrange smoked sausage links directly on the grill grates. Close lid. The total cooking time should be approximately 12 minutes. After 3 minutes, using tongs rotate each sausage link a quarter turn. Close lid. After 3 more minutes, rotate another quarter turn. Repeat until all sides have been slightly charred. It helps to keep the sausage links from touching as they cook; this allows the heat to sear the skins evenly. When finished transfer to a platter and serve with chopped onion, sweet pickle relish, and yellow mustard.

Vine Tomato Relish

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Bright Ideas: Vine Tomato Relish! Here’s a farm fresh recipe that can be substituted for a side salad, vegetable accompaniment, or sandwich condiment. I’ve even used it in pasta salad as well as on homemade pizza instead of marinara sauce. It’s that versatile. The fact that tomato relish is chunky makes it appealing no matter how you serve it. The herbs and spices enhance the flavor of the garden tomatoes making it a tasty treat that will surprise you. Keep a jar in the refrigerator and watch it disappear.

VINE TOMATO RELISH

Ingredients:

1 pint cherry tomatoes on the vine, halved and stems discarded

2 tablespoons thinly sliced red onion, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Italian spices

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions:

In a mixing bowl, combine cherry tomato halves, red onions, and green onions. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian spices, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Drizzle vinaigrette over tomato mixture. Lightly toss. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Kielbasa Hot Dogs

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Bright Ideas: Kielbasa Hot Dogs! If you like to try something a little different than ordinary hot dogs, choose a beef sausage link that focuses more on natural flavorings like garlic, woodsmoke, cloves, or pimento. Personally, I lean more toward nitrate-free labeling, which means the preservatives are natural rather than chemically added. Every little bit helps, because sometimes eating a grilled hot dog just makes the world a happier place.

KIELBASA HOT DOGS

Ingredients:

13-ounce package of 4 kielbasa smoked sausage links, fully cooked

4 brioche split-top brioche hot dog buns

1/2 sweet onion, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup sweet pickle relish

1/4 cup yellow mustard

Instructions:

Preheat gas grill to 400°. Arrange smoked sausage links directly on the grill grates. Close lid. The total cooking time should be approximately 12 minutes. After 3 minutes, using tongs rotate each sausage link a quarter turn. Close lid. After 3 more minutes, rotate another quarter turn. Repeat until all sides have been slightly charred. It helps to keep the sausage links from touching as they cook; this allows the heat to sear the skins evenly. When finished transfer to a platter and serve with chopped onion, sweet pickle relish, and yellow mustard.

Smoked Turkey Thyme Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Fab Foodstuff: Smoked Turkey Thyme Salad! One of my offseason luxuries is baking a turkey during the summer months. Think about it. There’s less holiday stress, plenty of time, and loads of leftover ideas. Think it’s way too much meat for the two of you? No worries. Divide the cooked turkey into gallon-size freezer bags to use as timesaving options later on. Turkey makes a refreshing substitute for most chicken or pork recipes by simply adding different herbs and spices. I’ve served turkey carnitas with chunky salsa for a Mexican fiesta, shredded turkey and hash browns with eggs for a weekend breakfast, and added garden vegetables for a farm table midday Cobb salad. Today though, in lieu of chicken salad, turkey is the star attraction for a summertime picnic.

SMOKED TURKEY THYME SALAD

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked turkey, shredded

1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/3 cup sweet pickle relish

1 hard-boiled egg, chopped

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine shredded turkey, liquid smoke, mayonnaise, sea salt, black pepper, chopped celery, and sweet pickle relish. Mix well. Gently fold in chopped hard-boiled egg and minced thyme leaves. Serve over a bed of alfalfa sprouts, or mixed greens, with seasonal fruit.

Dill Pickle Cheese Spread

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Next Step: Dill Pickle Cheese Spread! You’ve heard of pregnant women craving dill pickles, toddlers munching on them, bar patrons dunking a spear in a mug of beer, and families gobbling down an order of fried dill pickle chips. So what’s the buzz? Why is everyone going crazy over dill pickles? First of all, they practically have no calories at all. They have a crunch that makes your mouth smile. Dill pickles ease in digestion, heartburn, and bloating. Plus, their saltiness helps the body absorb water. I’m sure you can come up with a few reasons of your own.

DILL PICKLE CHEESE SPREAD

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup dill pickle relish, drained

2 green onions, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

Assorted vegetables, crackers, and pretzels

Instructions:

Combine cream cheese, dill pickle relish, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, and mayonnaise. Beat until smooth. Fold in cheddar cheese. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with veggies, crackers, and pretzels. Also good on deli sandwiches.