Teriyaki Beef & Grilled Vegetables (and Grilled Peaches with Honey, too!)

This weekend we had the best time at our friend's home for their first annual Camp'n'Q! We were to camp overnight, but as we'd had a rough week -- we decided to forgo the camping and enjoy the BBQ anyway! Sitting around a pool, surrounded by old-growth trees, watching the stars come out... the only way it gets better is moving over to the dancing firepit and toasting marshmallows for S'mores --a few of the kids had NEVER had them before!!!

TERIYAKI BEEF ZEL'S STYLE

• Kikkoman Soy Sauce (mild - less sodium;strong - regular soy)
  
• Sugar (to taste)
• 4 # Beef, thinly sliced (favorite cuts = filet mignon; tri tip; London broil; etc)
• 6 to 8 Fresh Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced
• Fresh Ginger, peeled & thinly sliced (size 3 fingers - use more or less garlic/ginger to taste.)

Layer beef, garlic, ginger in plastic bag/dish. Cover with soy sauce and add sugar to taste. Close plastic bag/cover dish and let marinate for 4-6 hours (light marinate) or over night (strong marinate). Turn bag/dish each hour or two for light or 2-4 for strong taste. Love - Zel --Original version courtesy of Zelma Malone, Sacramento, CA – July 2007.

My version includes: crushed red pepper flakes, minced ginger (when fresh ginger is not available), minced lemongrass. As a shortcut, we use Carne Asada meat – thinly sliced beef, usually found easily in grocery meat cases out West. It takes about 3 or 4 minutes total to cook on a hot grill.

For our friends' 1st Annual Camp’n’Q in Loomis, here is my recipe: 1.5# Carne Asada meat, ¼ cup sugar, ½ cup Kikkoman reduced-sodium soy sauce, 4 garlic cloves sliced thin, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, 1 to 2 TBSP minced ginger, 1 to 2 tsp minced lemon grass. We also drizzle olive oil and our favorite seasoning (Geasoning = to be available soon!) on vegetables. This time we used thick bell pepper slices (about 8 slices per seeded pepper) and trimmed green onions. Start them a tad earlier as they take just a few more minutes to cook. (Mushrooms, zuchinni, yellow squash, eggplant, tomatoes and par-boiled artichokes all work well, too -- but all have different cooking times!)

For dessert we had Grilled Peaches with Honey. Wash and dry peaches (1 large for 2 people or 2 large for sharing!) Cut around the middle of the peach starting at the stem end, gently twist halves apart and remove the pit inside. Drizzle with olive oil and they are ready to grill.

(Prep them before you leave home: after drizzling with olive oil, put the cut sides together and wrap in foil to prevent browning.) Enjoy! --TC, Sept 12, 2009.

• http://www.kikkomanusa.com/_pages/consumer/prod_fam.asp?loc=101&pfid=8 Kikkoman Soy Sauces (they now have organic soy sauce)
• http://www.gourmetgarden.com/us/contents/view/store-locator Gourmet Garden Herb Blends (sold in tubes in the refrigerated produce section of many stores... keep fresh for up to 3 months!) --> for a store in your area look at above link

FRUIT & NUT CHOCLATE BARS

Get a call to make something for the school bake sale or draw ‘dessert’ for the work potluck lunch??

I try to ‘use up’ my baking ingredients at least once a year. A leftover half bag of nuts in the freezer, a portion of a bag of dried fruits in the fridge, the chocolate chips and the remaining package in the graham cracker box in the pantry... Took these newly created yummies to our cousins' house-warming party and they were well-received!

Fruit & Nut Chocolate Bars Makes about 32 bars (2 ½” x 1”)

1 pack (or 1/3 of a box) graham crackers, broken into 4 pieces along the perforated lines *also try with chocolate Graham crackers or cinnamon graham crackers
1 can sweetened condensed milk, divided *I use Fat-Free
2 cups chocolate chips, divided *my preference – bittersweet or semi-sweet, but there are also milk chocolate, white chocolate chips, butterscotch, peanut butter, etc.
1 cup dried shredded coconut
½ to 1 cup dried cranberries, optional *other dried fruits to try– currants, raisins, mixed fruit, mango slices, dried pineapple, etc. (may need to chop into small bits)
½ to 1 cup chopped pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13” baking pan with parchment paper & spray lightly with non-stick spray.

Place the crackers neatly in the pan to cover bottom. (You may need to break a few down to make them fit, but you are looking for an even bottom.)

Lightly drizzle approximately half of the condensed milk over the graham cracker base. Next layer: half the chips, the coconut, the dried fruit, chopped nuts. Drizzle with the other half of the condensed milk. Top with remaining chips and press down firmly with your hands.

Bake 15 minutes, rotate pan and bake 10 minutes more. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then gently lift out parchment to cool bars completely on a wire rack. Cut and gently remove bars to a serving platter and SHARE!! (I think they are best served in small bite-sized pieces.)

May keep in a covered air-tight container for up to a week. I personally like them right out of the freezer!! --TC, Sacramento, CA - August 2009.

Adventures in Lake County, CA

My husband and I set out for a relaxing weekend in Lake County -- home of Clear Lake and a handful of small towns dotting its shores. This area is known for its large mouth bass and a dozen or more wineries -- which were in place long before Napa Valley came to be. This former booming resort area has become quiet and serene.

We started at the lower eastern end at the town of Clearlake and drove along Lakeshore Blvd. passing Clearlake Oaks and Glenhaven on the top part of the lake. The road is very narrow and winding, but the view is very lovely!

Spotting a well placed sign for a cafe: '9 miles ahead,' we stopped for coffee and iced tea at Mary Lou's in Lucerne (a Swiss village in CA). A cute little sandwich shop with tables with umbrellas out front an an array of handmade birdhouses and benches inside and out. The gals working there are very friendly and offer up delicious sandwiches, pastries, ice cream, and espresso drinks.

Continung on we wound up through the hills above the lake. At one point the road is only large enough for one vehicle, as part of the road washed way. At the top of the lake, we passed through Nice (pronounced as the French do), then started south and east on the bottom part of the lake.

We arrived at Lakeport and checked into the Mallard House Inn -- a quaint motel with a few rooms per little cottage (basic, yet very clean and our unit was an efficiency with a microwave, full-sized fridge and stove). After checking in, we wandered toward the lake, passing a nice big jacuzzi, and walked the boardwalk up to the nice deck over looking the lake. We enjoyed a homemade picnic lunch of roasted asparagus and Portabella mushrooms sandwiches, with carrots, sugar snap peas, crackers and some deliciously sharp Irish cheddar cheese.

That evening we were walking to find a local restaurant to have dinner and heard squeals and music coming from over the hill. Being curious, headed toward the noises and realized it was county fair. What a great find -- people watching is one of our favorite past times!

There were two midways (one for the little ones and one for the bigger 'kids'), exhibits (featuring horticulture, animals, photography, etc.), a model railroad buliding (a work in progress), remote control vehicle races, and that evening's feature: "the Mud Bog Races!!" What a hoot!

The next morning (and Monday morning, too!) we walked across the street to Renee's Cafe. Friendly service, seating inside and out, and good ole American breakfast faire! The portions were large and the prices low! (Speaking to the proprietor Cindy, she has not raised prices in the last few years!)

Time to get my husband to the Smoke on the Water BBQ Competition at Koncti Vista Casino. (If gambling is your thing, this is the place for you -- do distractions for miles.) There were 18 teams, I think, and some celebrity judges from The Deadliest Catch. I liked this competition because the public got to purchase tickets for 2 oz. tastings (chicken, brisket, pork & ribs) and also got to vote for the People's Choice -- in which the teams got half the proceeds of their $2 tickets! My favorites were NC-style pulled pork from team Rolling Bones BBQ and a fabulous pair of ribs from Smokin' Yankees!

Dinner that evening was a quick walk down N. Main Street to Hong Kong Restaurant. Although the deco could use some updating, prices were affordable, the food fresh and tasty.

I was told by a local gentleman at the fair, "On a scale of 1 to 9 (9 being normal lake level), the lake is about a 3. I've not seen it this low in over 10 years!"

Hope Mother Nature looks favorably upon Clear Lake and helps to restore the level of the lake soon!! Take the time to 'go back in time' and find your own 'little gems' all around Clear Lake...

• http://www.mallardhouse.com/ Mallard House Inn -- 970 N Main St., Lakeport, CA 95453-4306
  
• http://www.lakecountyfair.com/
  
• Renee's Cafe -- 1005 N Main St, Lakeport, CA‎ - (707) 263-1058‎
  
• Hong Kong Restaurant -- 353 S Main St, Lakeport, CA‎ - (707) 263-3535

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