Food, Glorious Food!

One thing our place to stay had to have was a kitchen. Cooking together can be so much fun, and on this trip, we had everyone working in the kitchen. I love cooking from home because it does not require reservations or long waits for a table. You typically don’t have to shout at each other unless someone in your party forgets their hearing aids. The costs for cooking at home are lower than the typical restaurant, which also helps the pocketbook.

One of our nights in Durango, I grilled steaks, finger potatoes, and asparagus. But something was wrong. I could tell by the look on my brother-in-law’s face that I’d made a huge grilling mistake. (Perhaps I should have watched Chef Ramsey one more time before we left.)  I had taken the steaks off the grill and cut into them to see if they were done. I thought they looked a little too pink and decided to put them back on the grill. When my brother-in-law’s jaw dropped, I realized I had committed a grilling debauchery. He informed me that when you take them off the grill, the steaks will continue to cook, and putting them back on the grill will dry them out. Thank goodness he doesn’t watch Chef Ramsey or I’m sure I would have been sent out of the kitchen with a few choice words to follow. Even though the steaks were a bit dry, we were all laughing and sharing our favorite part of the day and did not notice the small mistakes.

Remember to think about food when planning your next trip. It’s not the end of the world if you make a mistake…and if you do, it’s something to laugh about on the next vacation.

Cheers!

Recipe for Dana’s Grilled Finger Potatoes:

Makes 4 servings

1 pound of finger potatoes (love the ones with mixed colors)

1 T. of rosemary

2 tsp. of thyme

(fresh herbs are always better, but traveling may make finding them difficult, so herbs in a jar will be fine)

1 tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. of salt

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/8 cup of olive oil

Put the rosemary, thyme, pepper, salt, and garlic in a Ziploc bag and shake. Put a large square of foil down and place potatoes in the middle of the foil. Drizzle olive oil over potatoes and coat well. Pour bag of spices over the potatoes and make sure they cover all the potatoes. I use my hand for this, but tongs will work too. Cover with the edges of the foil.

Place on heated grill at a medium setting. Putting them on a cold grill may cause them to not cook all the way through and dry them out. Cook for about 20 minutes, but check after 15 minutes for tenderness. Toss again after 15 minutes to ensure they cook evenly.