Old favorite recipes mixed with some new ones to give a try
Cooking on the Leigh Pless

If you are hanging out with Danny and me, then chances are you're cooking, and it is probably outside. We love to get together with family and friends and grill outdoors - especially this time of year. So, here are some of our old favorites and some new recipes that we enjoy.
Awesome Grilled
Onions
Smaller sweet onions
Brown sugar
Beef bouillon cubes or
granules

Peel onions and cut in half. On a square of aluminum foil, place onion half, 1 heaping tsp. of brown sugar, and 1 small beef bouillon cube. (If your cubes are larger, cut them in half).

Wrap up the onions like a Hershey's Kiss and throw them on your hot grill for approximately 20-30 minutes.
Cilantro Beef
Kabobs
1 (2-lb.) boneless beef top
sirloin steak, cut 1-inch
thick

2 red or yellow bell peppers,
cut into 1-inch
pieces
Marinade:
1/2 C. steak sauce
1 (12 ozs.) Pkg. hickory

marinade mix
1/2 C. lightly packed cilantro
leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 Tblsp. limejuice
1 Tblsp. olive oil

Cut beef steak into 1 1/4- inch pieces. Place marinade ingredients in blender container. Cover, process until smooth. Place beef and marinade in plastic bag; toss to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 10 minutes.

Remove beef from marinade; discard marinade. Alternately thread beef and pepper pieces onto eight 12-inch metal skewers. Place kabobs on grill over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, uncovered, 10 to 12 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally.

All-American Pork

Baby Back Ribs

4 lbs. pork back ribs Your favorite barbecue sauce (purchased or homemade)

Season ribs with salt and pepper. Place ribs on a medium hot grill over indirect heat; close grill hood and grill until ribs are tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Finish by turning and basting ribs with barbecue sauce for the last 15 minutes. Serve ribs directly from the grill or, for extra tender ribs remove from grill, wrap in heavy aluminum foil.

Place foil-wrapped ribs in brown paper bags, close bags and let ribs rest for up to an hour. Unwrap ribs, cut into serving pieces and serve with extra barbecue sauce.
Grilled potatoes
with
Avocado Cream
1 large avocado
3 ozs. cream cheese, softened

2 teaspoons lemon juice
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper

4 medium-size baking potatoes

Vegetable oil

Prepare avocado cream: peel avocado and cut into chunks. In bowl mash avocado with cream cheese until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, salt and red pepper. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. Rub potato skins with vegetable oil. Wrap each potato in a double thickness of heavy duty foil. Place foil-wrapped potatoes directly on low coals. Grill potatoes 45 minutes or until fork-tender, turning potatoes often with tongs. To serve, discard foil, cut an "X" in top of each potato and squeeze to open partially. Spoon Avocado Cream over potatoes to serve.
Savory Grilled
Chicken
3 to 4 lbs. boneless chicken
pieces
1 (16 ozs.) bottle Italian
salad dressing
1/3 C. fresh lemon juice
1/3 C. honey
1/4 C. Worcestershire
sauce
2 tsp. paprika

Place chicken in large ziptop bag. In a large bowl, stir together remaining ingredients until well blended. Reserve 1 cup marinade. Pour remaining marinade over chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. Grill chicken over low to medium heat; cook just until tender, turning occasionally. Pour reserved marinade over cooked chicken and let sit 10 minutes covered.
Grilled Bananas
with Ice Cream
and Hot Chocolate
Sauce
1/2 gallon favorite vanilla
ice cream
4 firm, ripe bananas
1/2 stick (1/4 C.) unsalted
butter, melted and cooled
1/4 C. firmly packed
brown sugar

Prepare grill. Peel bananas and halve lengthwise. In a shallow pan large enough to hold bananas in one layer, stir together butter and brown sugar and add bananas, tossing gently to coat. Transfer bananas with a metal spatula to an oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals and grill until browned and cooked through, about 2 minutes on each side.

(If bananas are difficult to handle you may grill them on one side only.) Serve bananas like a banana split with ice cream and chocolate sauce.
Skewered Cantaloupe

1 medium cantaloupe
1/4 C. butter
1/2 C. honey
1/3 C. chopped fresh mint
leaves

Heat grill for medium heat. Thread the cantaloupe chunks onto 4 skewers. In a small saucepan, heat butter or margarine with honey until melted. Stir in mint. Brush cantaloupe with honey mixture. Lightly oil grate. Place skewers on heated grill. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, turning to cook all sides. Serve with remaining sauce on the side.