Outdoor Feast

"Adopt the pace of nature: Her secret is patience."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

 There are certain challenges in taking loon pictures. One is having a dog in the boat who as soon as she spies a loon barks non-stop. Another challenge is trying to keep the camera steady in a boat. And lastly, if you get too close to the loons the parents will dive under water. In this picture the mother is feeding the baby a fish that is in her bill. The father loon was off to the side protecting the mother and baby from danger. 

A hungry loon family can put away a lot of fish. Biologists estimate that loon parents and their 2 chicks can eat about a half-ton of fish over a 15-week period.

Watching the loon feast motivated me to take my food feast to the deck and enjoy the lake view.  

Grilled Menu for Seasonal Plate Food Column 

Cherry Bomb Cupcakes 

This recipe was posted June 15, 2014. But note that I changed the cupcake batter recipe to one that would make a larger batch of cupcakes and could also be baked as a 13 x 9 cake.

Cherry Apple Slaw

Cook's notes: Cherry Apple Slaw is a twist on traditional coleslaw using red cabbage and fresh arugula. Some prepared dressings that pair well with this salad include Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette or Creamy Poppyseed dressing.

Inspiration for this recipe came from Midwest Living Taste of Summer 2014 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded red cabbage
• 4 cups fresh arugula
• 2 Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples, sliced into thin strips
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 3/4 cup diced green onion or 1/4 red onion, cut into thin strips
• 3/4 cup sweet yellow pepper cut into thin strips
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or roasted sunflower seeds
• prepared dressing

Directions:

• In a large bowl toss all ingredients except dressing
• Add dressing right before serving

Spice Rubbed Grilled Pork Chops on a Stick 

Cook's notes: The dry rub contains spices that bring a little heat to the chop. Be sure to soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes in water before using on the grill. 

Inspiration for this recipe came from Midwest Living Taste of Summer 2014 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless pork chops 
• 1 TB. soy sauce

Spice Rub

• 1 tsp. each paprika and brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. each garlic powder, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, dry mustard, cayenne pepper and cracked black pepper

Directions:

• Brush chops both sides with soy sauce.
• In a bowl mix all spices together.
• Sprinkle rub over both sides of chops and rub it in with your fingers.
• Insert a skewer into each chop.
• Lightly grease grill grates with olive oil. 
• Sear chops 2 minutes a side and then grill chops for 30 minutes on medium heat. Turn chops once after 15 minutes. Use a meat thermometer which should register at 160 degrees. Let chops stand 3 minutes before serving. 

Pork chops are a particularly versatile dish that will go with a variety of wine both red and white. Suggested wine pairings include:

Red-7 Deadly Zins, Marietta Old Vine, White-Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Louis Jadot Chardonnay