This post is all about how to start your Grilling Season with amazing food.
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Published February 16, 2022
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I cannot wait for the snow to melt. Like, melt and be warm. Can you feel me? As I sit in single digit temperatures in frigid frozen Wisconsin, with the wind that hurts my face, I deeply want to sit out back in our yard and enjoy the new concrete patio. Until we can really use our patio, we had to start our Grilling season with snow still on the ground. I long for the warm nights with our kids sitting with us around the campfire, roasting marshmallows to make s’mores and eating food we cooked outside.
Last year we spent a good amount of our time working on the concrete patio. Digging, framing, pouring, stamping and an endless mess of dust, mud and concrete release powder. This year, I just want to sit back and enjoy all of the hard work that Tyler did last year.
If you do not know about this double radius poured and stamped concrete patio we did, check out my blog, How we added over $12,000 value to our house! I went in depth on how my husband, with the help of friends and family, went from a muddy and moss-filled backyard to a stunning poured concrete patio that was custom designed by Tyler.
However, that beautiful patio is currently covered in a horrible layer of ice and snow. This year our focus will be on finishing the yard, adding dirt and growing grass in the front and back yards.
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Menu and Grocery guides
Each week as our family meal plans, with my handy-dandy menu planner and grocery list, grilling burgers has been consistently requested and put-off as the temperatures have not been pleasant. But seriously, it has been windy and cold.
So, on a whim, I bought all of the goodies to grill out, and we just did it. It was cold, slightly windy, and actually started to hail. I am serious. Tiny little hail balls fell on the driveway as my husband was tending the grill without two littlest in full winter gear playing in the snow.
Click the links to download a copy of my menu planner and grocery list for yourself. Planning for meals is one way our family of six stays within the budget for groceries each week.
How to Grill Stuffed Mushroom
One of our grilling staples is stuffed mushrooms. If you have not had stuffed mushrooms grilled, then you are missing out. This is the BEST way to cook stuffed mushrooms, hands down! Yes, you can bake them in the oven, but grilling them or cooking them on an open fire is just the best. The fire sears the mushrooms and adds that smoky flavor, while toasting the cheese and melting it to be an ooey-gooey delicious.
Click this link for my blog post with the recipe for these delicious cheesy stuffed mushrooms!
Additionally, the stuffed mushroom filling is made using just a Cuisinart Food Processor. This tool has become one of my favorites in the kitchen!
Grilling Stuffed Sweet Peppers
Not only did I make stuffed mushrooms, but I made stuffed sweet peppers using the same filling. One pint of mushrooms was just not usable. As luck would have it, there was a bag of sweet peppers available in our fridge. To use sweet peppers for this recipe, cut the ends off and remove any seeds.
If you want to try larger peppers, give it a go! The most amazing part of cooking is the versatility and creativity you can have.
I truly believe my husband Tyler is a master of the grill. Not only is grilling ridiculously inexpensive, as we often use wood from trees cut down on our property, but we can make a large amount of food that tastes just fantastic. Burgers? Grill them. Corn on the cob? Grill them to get a great sear and then finish cooking in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
Stuffed mushrooms? Grill them. Trust me, they are SO much better tasting than baked, and yes, I have baked them in the oven- check out my recipe that I published just over a year ago.
Stuffed mushrooms do take quite some time while cooking on the grill. Cooking stuffed mushrooms on the grill will not only test your grilling status, but once they turn out perfect your grilling status will be leveled up to “Pro”, or even “Elite” in the eyes of your family or friends.
These stuffed mushrooms can literally be made ahead of time and brought with you to a cook-out, or a tailgating event or party. Just make sure you bring enough of them so there are leftovers while you pluck them off the grill and eat them as they cook. Because yes, that does happen.
Corn on the cob
Grilling corn on the cob is also one of our families’ favorites. I remove any husks, strings, or weird pieces stuck to the cob before cooking. Right before placing the cobs on the grill, drizzle them with your choice of oil and rotate on the grill for an even sear.
Remove the corn cobs when they have a good amount of grill marks. Then, place them in a warm oven. This helps to finish the corn cooking and keeps them warm while you wait to eat the delectable stuffed mushrooms. Just do not judge me on the cleanliness, or lack thereof, of my oven. It is just not clean.
These bad boys are just the best, most delicious tasting appetizers or side dish or addition to your meal. We also had cheeseburgers on brioche buns. It was amazing. It was all delicious. There were no leftovers. Truly. Our family of six ate through twelve cheeseburgers, three pints of stuffed mushrooms, a dozen stuffed peppers and eight corn on the cobs.
We were all very excited to eat lunch on this Sunday. Particularly with the adorable Corn Dudes making their annual debut. If you have never heard about Corn Dudes, then I am happy to welcome you to the next level culinary delight.
This tool helps to keep fingers clean while eating corn on the cob. Corn Dudes are used by poking their sharp spokes into the ends of a corn on the cob. Matthew and Tyler are just so eager for lunch.
Sitting down to eat
The most amazing part of eating corn on the cob has to be using the Corn Dudes I purchased from ALDI a few years ago. These little dudes have got to be the cutest addition to our family, highly prized and well taken care of. We use them as often as we can, because, really, they are just the most adorable little dudes ever. How could you NOT be happy while eating corn on the cob with these happy little Corn Dudes smiling up at you!?
Grilling Season and Corn Dudes
ALDI often has amazing ALDIfinds, which are their seasonal items available for limited times and limited quantities. When you see an ALDIfind, you want them, you buy them because chances are they will be gone by the next time you shop. I am not ashamed to admit that I do regularly shop in the coveted AOS – Aisle-of-Shame- and come away with quite essential everyday kitchen goods.
All in all, cheeseburgers are one of our families’ favorite meals. Grilling anything is so much fun. Even if you are a vegetarian, you can still enjoy grilled stuffed mushrooms, corn on the cob and a burger! I remember when we were little, a treat my dad grilled for us was giant portabella mushrooms. We legit ate those on hamburger buns with Swiss cheese. Oh, my goodness those were just so delicious.
These Corn Dudes are perfect when eating corn on the cob.
I am so glad that Tyler loves to grill so we can pass on the amazingness to our kids. Creating memories that last a lifetime. “Dad, remember when it was freezing, there was a plague, and we grilled with snow on the ground?” Good times.
Thanks for stopping by! Stay tuned later this week for a delicious sheet pan dinner that took only ten minutes of prep!
This post was all about how to have a great Grilling Season with delicious recipes.
~Monica
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