A Lobster-tastic 4th of July Feast

What better way to honor our fine nation’s independence than with a truly American backyard feast? And nothing compliments America more than lobster. (Yeah, I know you could say burgers, or hotdogs, or something like that, but for we were going for being classy this 4th of July and there’s nothing classier than lob-stah.)

It’s funny to think that years ago people thought lobsters were the scum of the sea and they were served to prisoners who complained about the copious amounts of lobster they were fed: “MORE lobster? Can’t we just get some plain old bread and water or something? Geeze.” And now lobsters are a delicacy, oh how times change.

I ate my first lobster (in its pure un-cracked, un-bisqued, un-anything-elsed form) back in January –- you know, when they plop a big red lobster down on your plate and you have to actually DO something to it before you can eat it. I was terrible at cracking it open and I made quite a mess, but, a mess that was well worth my effort because lobster is DELICIOUS. With those sentiments, we settled on 10 lobsters for our America feast. Before you call me a glutton, I must tell you that these 10 lobsters fed 7 people and I personally ate one and a half. Feel better?

Our original intent was to cook the lobsters ourselves (something that I am completely terrified of doing). I like animals, A LOT. I feed stray cats and throw bread to pigeons and name raccoons that crawl up onto my fire escape. My biggest worry was that once I brought home a lobster and saw him crawling on my floor that I would start to do silly things like give him a name (Mr. Pinchers), make him race the other lobsters, etc. And then I would no longer have dinner, I would have a friend… and nobody wants to drop their friend into a boiling pot of water. But, thank goodness, the Star Market will steam them for you while you wait so you don’t have to deal with the potential of be-friending your future dinner.

What I love most about grilling/barbecues is the aspect of all day eating. From 2pm until 9pm the food never really stopped. Something goes on the grill, something comes off, and something replaces it on the grill. It’s a wonderful cycle of deliciousness.

Here’s what our feast looked like:

• 10 lobsters (pre-steamed)
• Veggie kabobs with red, yellow, and green peppers and a Vidalia onion (pictured to the right)
• Potato Packets: Diced red and russet potatoes (1 inch cubes) which I brushed with olive oil and then sprinkled with garlic powder and kosher sea salt. I wrapped the potatoes up in aluminum foil packets and put them on the grill for approximately 15 minutes. These potatoes were so yummy and so easy to make that I want some right now as I write this. I received both types of the potato from my Enterprise farm share and I’m eager to get more soon since this was a great accompaniment to any backyard grilling. (pictured above)
• Sliced and grilled zucchini (pictured to the right)
• 10 ears of corn (pictured to the right)
• 2 pounds of clams baked on the grill: Just stick them on the grill on medium heat and they pop open when they’re done. 
• Grilled leek
• Homemade garlic butter: Crushed garlic mixed with softened butter. This went really well with the lobster and clams.
• Homemade chili-lime butter: I asked Byron to pick me up limes at the supermarket and he came home with a bag of key limes. Little did I know using key limes made this butter all the more tasty! The key limes added a tang and sweetness that made this butter perfect for the grilled corn. (pictured to the right)
• Sliced cantaloupe melon
• Skirt steak
• Another steak

Wow, is all I have to say... the day ended with fireworks and a very happy tummy. I can’t wait for another holiday to do it all over again… National Teddy Bears Picnic Day on July 10th anyone?

Overall score: 10 out of 10.

BBQ Bonanza!

Ok, I suppose the title of this blog post is a bit more exciting than it deserves but I had a lot of fun creating this meal. After living 2.5 years in a grill-less existence, I finally know someone with a grill! And it's starting to get warm outside,so, what better way to welcome in the spring than with a little grilling?

Three yeas ago (when I was the proud owner of a grill) I bought a cookbook full of BBQ sauces, rubs, marinades, etc. Since I moved back East, the cookbook has been gathering dust on my bookshelf, so it was wonderful to have the opportunity to crack it open again! I decided to make two things for this meal:

First, a BBQ rub. Basically that’s a mixture of dry spices that I turn into a super-spice (the elusive 6^th spice girl?) and then rub all over meat. When I told the butcher at Whole Foods what I was planning on doing, he helped me pick out a skirt steak, which he said would grill up quickly as well as have a lot of flavor. The rub I used (recipe below) had a great flavor when combined with steak, it was savory and it had a little kick. I think it would also go pretty well with chicken, especially oven baked chicken wings or chicken drumsticks (yes, I’m back on the chicken wagon!)

The second thing I made was a BBQ sauce. What intrigued me the most about this sauce is that it’s made with Coca-cola, which gave it both a sweet and spicy flavor. According to the cookbook, pot roast braised in Coca-Cola is a favorite in Venezuela. Along with the steak, I also grilled up veggie kabobs (heirloom tomatoes, green peppers, yellow peppers, mushrooms, and onion). The BBQ sauce was really tasty with the steak but it was great to dip the grilled veggies into.

Bonus about this meal: I was able to prepare four hours in advance (since the steak marinated with the rub for a few hours). Also, there is leftover rub and BBQ sauce that will last at least a month so that I can always whip up something very quickly when I’m feeling like a lazy cook but still want an air of fancy, homemade goodness.

Overall score : 8 out of 10.


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Recipe – Basic Barbecue Rub (Compliments of Barbecue! Bible : Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades, Bastes, Butters, and Glazes)

Ingredients –

¼ cup coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)

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 - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon celery seeds

Directions –

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir or whisk to mix. Transfer to a jar, cover, and store away from heat and light. The rub will keep for several months. Makes 1 cup.

Recipe – Coca-Cola Barbecue Sauce (Compliments of Barbecue! Bible : Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades, Bastes, Butters, and Glazes)

Ingredients –

1 cup Coca-cola

1 cup ketchup

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons A1 Steak Sauce

1 teaspoon onion flakes

1 teaspoon garlic flakes

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions –

Combine all the ingredients in a heavy nonreactive saucepan and gradually bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat slightly to obtain a gentle simmer. Simmer the sauce until reduced by a quarter (6-8 minutes). Use right away or transfer to a large jar, cover, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate. Makes 2 cups. Will keep for several months.