entertaining

Must Have Cookbooks for Summer Grilling

Leave a Comment

Grilling season is here! May is National Barbecue Month. If you follow us on , you know just how excited we are about our new baby Roger, and how excited we are to get smokin’!
We create most of the recipes we share, but we just can’t deny a great cookbook. There are a few staples we keep in the Crate, but as the seasons change we like to switch the cookbooks out. We thought we would share a few cookbooks that would make for a great grilling season this spring and summer.
must-have-grilling-cookbooks
1. Weber’s New Real Grilling: The Ultimate Cookbook for every Backyard Griller

This book has something anyone from beginners to pit masters to can use to do some great grilling this summer. Whether you want to grill meat, vegetables, or even desserts this book has some great recipes and tips. It truly lives up to the standard of grilling excellence the Weber brand has become known for.

2. Carnivore by Michael Symon

Michael Symon is one of our favorite chefs. He’s not stuck on “frou-frou” he just likes good food. Simple and delicious, just like Chewsy Lovers! Get some great recipes for grilling chops, steaks, and ribs! This book isn’t just a grilling cookbook but its about meat…of all kinds game, pork, lamb, beef, you name it. It will help you tremendously though with the proteins you will be cooking and he even shares his “Cleveland BBQ Sauce.”

3. The New Vegetarian Grill by Andrea Chesman

Everyone who loves to grill doesn’t necessarily eat meat. This book has tons of delicious meatless recipes to satisfy that grilled food craving in a lighter, healthier way.

4. 101 Sangrias and Pitcher Drinks by Kim Haasarud

Because what’s a cookout without a yummy, cold beverage!? The title says it all, yet does it no justice. Punch, lemonades, sangrias, spritzers, drinks for every occasion. Liquor is optional, but included of course, if that’s your thing.

5. Sweet Celebrations by Katherine Berman and Sophie LaMontagne

This book by the DC Cupcakes girls is about more than cupcakes! We are getting ready for our Zoe’s 1st birthday party and the warmer months is when many people make up reasons to party! This book will help you with all of your summer shindigs from the sweets to the decor. There is even a chapter dedicated to outdoor parties.

What are you excited about grilling this summer?

Stay in the loop and to our monthly newsletter. We will be “spilling all the tea” on how to grill and chill simply and deliciously. You don’t want to miss it!

Buckaroo’s Garlic Seafood Bucket

2 Comments

We are excited to shout out Buckaroo on the blog today! Bucakroo is a man of few words…and when you taste his garlic seafood bucket, you will be too!! In one bite you will quickly discover that TALKING?!?!?! “Ain’t nobody got time for that!!”

The Lady was never much of a crab person {{UNTIL NOW}} because it just took too much work for that little bit of meat, but Buckaroo has always been a seafood man through and through. His sister popped in for a visit over the weekend and we decided their isn’t a better way to hang out and “shoot the breeze” than over some good seafood.

Everyone does these differently, and we’ve eaten them all kinds of ways and cooked them all kinds of ways, but this is the Chewsy Way. We’ve finally found what works for us, and if you try it, we can pretty much guarantee you’ll be hooked. It seems like alot of work but its not, ‘chews’ someone you love to cook with or for and it will be ‘elementary’.<----Buckaroo lingo for easy!

Buckaroo's Garlic Seafood Bucket
(Feeds about 6 people)
Ingredients:
2.5 qts. Salted water
4 lb. Dungeness Crabs (We buy ours already cleaned and halved at the market.) <---Meaty, and sweet! You will love them!
2 lb. Large Shrimp (Shells On)
2 lb. of Mussels
1 pack Frozen corn Niblets
3-5 New Potatoes, sliced in thick rounds
1 c. Your Favorite White Wine (If you don't drink wine, use cooking white wine.)
1 c. Minced Garlic
1/4 c. Old Bay Seasoning
2 sticks Unsalted Butter
seafood-bucket-ingredients
Instead of a huge stock pot, we use two small ones. Keep reading we’ll tell you why. —–>

Preheat your oven to 200. This is your “warm drawer” or your “hot box” as we call it.

Bring your salted water to a boil in a stock pot and add crabs, corn, and potatoes. Cover and turn heat to medium heat.

While those are working, heat a saucepan to medium high heat, and then add your wine, garlic, and old bay. BE CAREFUL PLEASE!! Turn it down and let it simmer. {{Everything to this point should have taken about 15 minutes}}
seafood-bucket-collage

Pour the water off of the crabs into your other pot and move the crabs to your hot box (the oven). Add your butter to the saucepan and let it melt into the garlic and seasonings.
chews-shell-on-shrimp
Add your shrimp and mussels to the yummy crab water you reserved, cover, and let them steam for about 10 minutes on medium heat. We like the shrimp with the shells on to trap the awesomeness of the garlic butter sauce. So it’s peel n’ eat!! There is no prissy way to eat a seafood bucket. By now your butter should be melted and it should look and smell like garlicky goodness!!

When the mussels pop open and the shrimp are bright pink, they are done! Pour the water off of them. Take your crabs out of the oven. Pour your garlic sauce all over your seafood, both pots and dig in!!!
Garlic-Seafood-Bucket
**After we butter our seafood, we like to put the top on the pots and shake it up over the sink. So the yummy buttery goodness can get all up in there!! Its easier to do this when you use to small pots instead of one huge one.**

The best way to enjoy this is with cold drinks, pots in the middle of the table, and with people that love to eat, laugh, and aren’t afraid to get messy in the name of a good meal. Be Chewsy!!!

M.W.A.H.,

The Chewsy Lovers

Are you “seafoodies” like we are? What goes in your seafood pot?!