Thunder Roads Magazine of Oklahoma/Arkansas June 2014 | Page 21

K.I.S.S.
K.I.S.S. page composed &
edited by:
Toni McCoy Shearon
aka “MaMa Thunder” of
Thunder Roads Tennessee
i have chosen this name for our monthly recipe page, as that was what my mother, rest her soul, always used to say when I would assist her in the kitchen. mom was an avid supporter of the kiss (keep
it simple sweetie) method of cooking. i now, more than ever, truely appreciate her philosophy of always
taking shortcuts where you can, as long as your ultimate outcome is that of down home, labor of
love cooking.

SIMPLE, MEAT MARINADE: AT LEAST 5
GENERATIONS STRONG!

Always let your meat be room temperature. Cold
meat does not absorb a marinade easily. But light
your grill and let it get good & hot.
I’ve used this marinade my entire life for steak and
it’s literally been used for 5 generations back that
my Mom could recall......and it’s so incredibly simple:
Take room temp. steaks and squeeze mustard
all on one side; rub it in good, making sure to get
the sides
Then, drizzle Worcestershire Sauce all over top
of the mustard. This is when you add any spices
you want; salt & pepper ( we add this again slightly
when actually grilling too), garlic powder if you like
it. Now, just let it sit for only 5 minutes. That’s it.
That simple. There’s something in the ingredients
of the mustard (which has been around over 100
years) & the Worcestershire Sauce (which has been
around over 100 years) that when combined, make
up for a perfect meat tenderizer. You do not taste
the mustard one single bit after grilling but the flavor
you do get is truly amazing. Make sure that you
“let your meat rest” when you take it off the grill or
anytime you cook meat. I add a sprinkle of parsley,
just for freshness. Just give it a solid 5 minutes and
those juices get sucked back into the meat. Don’t
ever put your meat on a cardboard paper plate as
those just absorb all your juices. Use an actual plate
or the coated stock paper plates.
GET CREATIVE WITH GRILL BUNDLES!

Anything you can cook on top of your stove, you
can put in a grill bundle; Just use the high-quality
heavy aluminum foil. Place on low heat on grill and
let go long and slow. Gives you time for a few beers.
Brown Rice, Shrimp & Snap Peas and a pat of
butter. Sear your Kielbasa off quick, slice in 1 inch
pieces then place in a bundle of sliced thin onions
& peppers, thin sliced potatoes & a pat of butter
Take Frozen X-Large Shrimp from any major
grocery store and the quartered size of frozen corn
on cob pieces, double up alum. foil, making a bowl
shape with high siders, add ingredients and sprinkle
McCormick’s Caribbean Seasoning, roll up your
bundle nice and tight and let it go for about 15
minutes over medium heat. Phenomenal!

Grill off Pork Chops really quick on high heat,
turn heat down to low. Add your fave veggie; frozen
peas or frozen squash. We like to add a can of sliced
apples, a couple pinches of cinnamon and a pat of
butter. Wrap tight, let it go for 15 mins. over med.
heat. Delish! Then we do our veggie off to the side;
(be sure and spray your grill with non-stick butter
or olive oil before laying veggies down) big slices
of squash; cut lengthwise, big thick slices of onion,
long slices of eggplant, whole carrots cut in half and
placed flat down, whole ears of corn on the cob
still in the husk. Just pull down your husks gently,
slather butter all over the ear of corn; salt & pepper
and gently push the husks back up in place and grill
over low heat. After about 10 minutes, pull down
the husks again and let the corn get some good
grill marks. Serve with husks back up. Crazy Good!
The thing is to just think outside of your kitchen.
If you can cook it inside, you can cook it on your
grill, even pasta bundles on the grill.
I am a BIG lover of grilling fruit and then drizzling
a sauce, honey or ice cream over top. Grilled fruit is
amazing because when it’s caramelized on the grill,
it enhances all its’ pure flavors:
GRILLED BANANAS:

Cut bananas length-wise and on a low grill that’s
been sprayed with butter, lay them down, sprinkle
with a mixture of brown sugar & cinnamon, flip,
remove and drizzle with either melted Hershey’s
chocolate sauce or hot melted caramel sauce (both
in the ice-cream aisle at any grocery).
GRILLED PEACHES:

I use whole, fresh peaches, cut down the middle,
remove pit, leave on just enough to get grill marks,
sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar mix, remove, drizzle
with heated marshmallow sauce.
GRILLED PINEAPPLE:

Cut the pre-cut ones’ from your Deli in the tall
plastic container. These are big, thick-cut pieces.
Sprinkle w/ cinnamon & sugar mix; get good grill
marks, remove and add a couple small scoops of
quality Vanilla Bean ice-cream.
JUST GET CREATIVE & HAVE FUN!
LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE...& APPRECIATE FOOD.
Thunder Roads Maga 饹