Swai 'n' Salmon - A tale of two fishies...  Was rummaging around Costco a while back and spotted a special on salmon packaged frozen on a cedar plank, pre-seasoned and ready to cook.  So, I had to try it.  The label said the plank needed no further soaking , so following the directions, I fired up the trusty Weber grill, segregated the coals to one side, and placed the plank on the grill, slightly offset to the opposite side, so as not to cremate the plank (might want to use it again!), and closed the lid.

Didn't take long, maybe 20 minutes, following the directions.  The result was fabulous!  While the seasonings in the salmon were excellent to start with, cooking it on the cedar plank imparted an extra zest to the flavor.  Wonderful!  In fact it was so good, later I tried another salmon fillet on the plank using my own seasonings.  Another stellar result!

So, here's where another fish comes in:  While nosing around the seafood counter at the local Nugget Market, I spotted a nice-looking white fish fillet called "Swai".  The counterman explained it as a Vietnamese variety of ocean catfish.  I wasn't sure about it at first, but another customer who was also looking, started talking it up, and ordered four fillets for himself.  So, I had to give it a try.  Now, you've got to understand that my bride, while fond of fish, doesn't like anything too strong, especially in the aroma department.  Naturally she was a bit skeptical about this new find.  So, I pulled out that trusty cedar plank, soaked it in water for about an hour, laid the Swai on the plank and into the grill it went - this time, using a different spice mix - simply melted butter, some garlic and paprika for basting - right on the plank.  Took maybe 15-20 minutes.  The result?  Resounding success!  My girl couldn't get enough of it!  Some pasta with some butter and cheese, a salad - that's a killer meal!

Here's a variation:  If you don't have access to a plank, try making a broiler pan out of two  layers of foil, toss in enough butter to melt to completely line the pan and sizzle the fish and toss in the Swai.  Again, I'd recommend some garlic and paprika on it, and cook for about 15-20 minutes, depending upon how many fillets in the pan.  I did three, and did them for about 20 minutes or so (this time, on an open grill, no lid), until it was a nice opaque white color.  Zowie!  It was good!

...And what's nice about doing fish fillets either on the plank or in the foil pan like this, is that you don't have to flip them over.  Just let 'em cook!

Eat Your Veggies!  ...Killer Green Beans!  Stumbled upon a great way to do French green beans!  Drizzled some olive oil into a pan, got it hot and tossed in half a package of those great French green beans you can get at Costco.  Had picked up a new spice at a local grocer, called "Smokehouse Maple", by McCormick.  It comes in those little shaker plastic bottles as part of their "Grill Mates" series.  Its aroma in the bottle was so good, I was dying to try it on something. so as an experiment, I sprinkled some on the beans... and kept sprinkling!  As the little guys got hot and nicely coated in the olive oil, the Smokehouse Maple started to caramelize (it's got a fair amount of sugar and sticks to them).  How long you cook the beans is up to you; some folks like them barely cooked, others prefer 'em soft and limp.   The aroma is captivating; the taste - amazing!  And simple!  Pretty much goes with anything - fish, chicken, or steak!

Don't know why, but this stuff can be hard to find at the local grocery store, so if you find it, grab a bunch.  If there isn't any, ask the store manager to get it.  It's that good...

Danger! Men Cooking!
Is that familiar? Doesn't have to be. Cooking isn't a "black art". It can actually be a lot of fun! Just takes a little planning and some timing. And that's where this site comes in. I got the idea from a car owner’s group bulletin board I belong to. From detailed maintenance and repair procedures to custom modifications - anything you ever wanted to know about a particular model is available on the site and easy to find.

I’d like this website to operate the same way - offering ideas from bulletproof recipes to equipping your kitchen like a pro. It’s for all of us who enjoy good food (and drink!) and want to share ideas or glean some hints to use on their own.

Why do parties always seem to gravitate to the kitchen? It’s comfortable; there’s stuff to do, and a great place to entertain. The best part? Everybody gets a chance to participate. They’ll have a ball - and it'll mean less work for you!

Since this site is a work-in-process, we’ll tweak it from time. If you the reader can offer advice on how to organize this site better, suggestions will be deeply appreciated.

…And with that, off we go!


Cooking Medium: My favorite cooking platform is the outdoor barbeque, preferably charcoal-fired. Gas is fine. But for me - lump or briquettes - it’s got to be charcoal. Cave man instinct, I guess!. I’ve got great memories of my dad and me piling up charcoal in the backyard grill and getting it going, and of me learning his sauce secrets in the kitchen.

If you’re going to get yourself an outdoor grill, make it a good size with a lid - about 22 inches in diameter. You want one with enough room to build a fire off to one side, with vents in the lid and on the bottom for air flow control. You want plenty of room between the grill and the top of the lid. The idea is to cook by indirect heat with the lid on, sort of a convection technique, rather than laying everything directly over a spread-out bed of coals. My old standby is the Weber “One Touch” 22-inch kettle. The better models have a bowl sweeper and ash catcher on the bottom along with hinged panels on the top level grill to allow adding more coals without disturbing the grill itself.

No barbeque? Just about anything we discuss that’s cooked on a barbeque can also be done in the kitchen oven, usually in the “Broil” setting. For you rookies, an oven has two basic modes: “Bake” - where the heat source is below and allows fine-tuning of the temperature, and “Broil”- where the heat source is at the top. There’s usually no temperature adjustment. The only way to regulate heat intensity is to increase the distance from the burner above. That means lowering the oven rack. The slower the cooking rate you want, the lower the rack needs to be. Sometimes, keeping the oven door cracked open helps keep the heat intensity down, too. Slowing the cooking rate allows the interior to cook evenly without cremating the outside.

Heat: If using a charcoal grill, you want to build a volcano-shaped pile of either charcoal lumps or briquettes off to one side. The idea is to keep the heat source offset from the food.

Try some chips! For some added aroma and flavor, get a package or two of wood chips (available at any supermarket or backyard store), soak them in a big bowl of water for ½ hour and add them to the coals when ready to start cooking. They‘re available in an array of “flavors“ like oak, mesquite and hickory (Jack Daniel’s makes theirs out of old whiskey barrels.) Great stuff!

We’ll usually include side dish suggestions along with the "main event". Doing it that way should help you to learn the main secret - “timing”. “Timing?”. As in love, it’s crucial! When you can prepare everything in proper sequence so that it all comes together at the right time, you‘ve mastered “timing“!

The typical method of cooking artichokes is to boil or steam them. Personally, I prefer the latter. But, after steaming over medium to high heat until a knife passes easily through (about 45 minutes to an hour), I like to finish them on the grill. I take each finished artichoke and split it in half, top to bottom, and place the interior side face down on the grill. This imparts a nice, smoky dryness to the leaves, plus an inviting aroma. Cooking time varies by size of artichoke and heat level of the fire – only a few minutes - so you’ll need to keep a close eye and pull them off as soon as the leaf edges show some brownness. Lots of fun!