An Afternoon on the Barbie: Grilled Jalepeno Poppers with Cheddar Cheese & Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Brown Sugar Peaches with Cinnamon & Vanilla Ice Cream, Plus a Giveaway!

Jeremy was out of town this past weekend, leaving me to kick around the apartment all alone. And after some thorough kicking took place, I decided to do something productive. And that productive thing was grilling. The last time I grilled was my first time doing it *mostly* by myself, I still had Jeremy help me start the coals since I had the hardest time getting them to light and was afraid of handling lighter fluid. But now that he was gone the true test of my grilling competence would begin. I used these coals from home depot which lit like a charm (hurray for coals pre-soaked in lighter fluid!) and when I made the Jalepeno Poppers I tossed some of these apple wood smoking chips (got them at home depot too) onto the hot coals which gave them a rich and intense smoky flavor. I was also particularly excited to get grilling so I could test out my sleek new grilling tools from BigKitchen.com. The branch skewer proved to be perfect for skewering the Jalepeno Poppers and cooking them over the coals, and it was amazing to have a pair of grilling tongs that were actually sturdy and durable, unlike the flimsy thin pair I had been using before. It made grilling a more pleasant and simple experience when I wasn't having food items accidentally slip out of the grasp of my tongs and onto the grass. Hurray for quality!

The Jalepeno Poppers were terribly addicting. Spicy, smokey, cheesy, and with a nice fluffy texture inside from the garlic mashed potato flakes. But, I wanted something sweet to finish off with, so I plodded ahead and gathered what sweet ingredients I had handy. Peaches, honey, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Nice and simple ingredients that gained a good deal of complexity when they were cooked over the grill. Sweet, warm, soft inside, a hint of crispness on the skins, and a slightly smokey tang from the charcoal. Top it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, allow it to melt for a few seconds, and you've got a pretty amazing summer dessert. I wish you all the best of luck with your grilling endeavors and hope you cherish the smokey flavors of the grill while the season lasts!

The wonderful people over at BigKitchen.com have offered to giveaway a set of grilling tools to one of you as well! To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below about the barbeque dish what you would make with the grilling tools. For additional entries you can:

• Follow me on Twitter & leave a separate comment on this post saying you did
  
• Like Adventures in Cooking on Facebook & leave a separate comment on this post saying you did
• Follow me on Pinterest & leave a separate comment on this post saying you did
• Follow me on Instagram @eva_kosmas & leave a separate comment on this post saying you did

If you already do any of those things, just leave a comment on this post saying you do. The deadline for entries is 11:59 pm PST June 23rd, and the winner will be announced June 24th. Only open to United States residents.

Also, last post I held a giveaway for a $50 gift certificate to Shabby Apple, and I am pleased to announce that the winner is....

Natalie!

Congratulations Natalie, I will be getting you in touch with the kind folks over at Shabby Apple shortly :)

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Grilled Jalapeno Poppers with Cheddar Cheese & Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

15 Jalepenos, with tops cut off and seeds removed

1 Cup Milk, warm
3/4 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/3 Cup Cream Cheese

1/2 Cup Garlic Mashed Potato Flakes

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Tools

Grill

Charcoal

Skewer

1/4 Cup Wood Smoking Chips (optional

Remove the bars from the top of your grill, they are not necessary for this recipe. Light the coals in your grill and allow them to burn, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until they are greyish on the outside and glowing orange.

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, mix together the milk, garlic mashed potato flakes, cheddar cheese, and black pepper until blended. Spoon the mixture into the hollowed out jalapenos.

Place the jalapenos on a skewer, skewering them about 1/2 inch from the top of the jalapeno, with the exposed filling facing up.

Right before placing the skewer on the grill, toss the wood smoking chips over the hot coals for a smokier flavor (optional). Place the skewer across the top of the grill and cover (note that the cover will not close all the way because the skewer is sticking out over each side and that is okay). Allow them to cook for 5 to 15 minutes, depending upon the heat of the coals, or until the bottoms of the peppers just get tinged black and the top of the filling is just beginning to turn golden.

Remove them from the grill and allow to cool a bit before serving.

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Grilled Brown Sugar Peaches with Cinnamon 

& Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients

4 Peaches, cut in half and with pits removed

8 Small Scoops Vanilla Ice Cream

3/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Honey

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Tools

Brush

Grill

Charcoal

Tongs/Turner

Light the coals in your grill and allow them to burn, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until they are greyish on the outside and glowing orange.

Meanwhile, place the brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a flat bowl, then melt the honey in a small microwave safe bowl by microwaving it for 20 seconds (this makes the honey a bit more watery in texture and easier to brush on. If it starts to thicken up again just microwave the bowl for a few more seconds).

Brush the honey onto all surfaces of the peach halves and then roll the peach halves in the brown sugar cinnamon mixture until coated on all sides.

Place the peach halves on the grill and cook for 5 to 10 minutes on each side, (depending on the heat of your coals), or until the peaches are a bit deeper & brighter in coloration all around and emit a very strong peach-smell.

Remove them from the heat with your tongs or turner and place them on a serving platter, inside facing up. Place a small scoop of vanilla ice cream onto the center of each peach half and evenly sprinkle the tops with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Serve immediately.