"summergrilling" news and stories

Gena's peachy bread pudding. Photo: Erica George Dines Photography

Part of a continuing summer series by grilling expert Gena Knox.

Growing up in Georgia, my summer jobs always revolved around produce. From the time I was eight years old, I worked selling boiled peanuts, silver queen corn and peaches on the side of the road.

Once I turned 16 and could drive, I began working at a local packing shed, Lane Packing, selling peaches and peach ice cream in their retail department. At the time, it was not air-conditioned, and you can only imagine how sweltering it was in July. I gave tours to Northerners, who were fascinated by the process of packing peaches, and was always entertained when I had to explain exactly what boiled peanuts were.

Needless to say, peaches were ample in our household and we never ran out of ways to cook with them. Fresh peaches not only pair well with grilled meats and seafood, they are also delicious simply grilled on their own.

Three of the state's top-producing peach farms are within a 15-mile radius of my hometown. Lane Packing Company, Taylor Orchards and Pearson Farm all produce top quality peaches, and you are missing out on the taste of summer if you don't order a box to enjoy yourself.

Get my Bourbon Peach Bread Pudding Recipe after the jump.

Gena's favorite wines to pair with grilled foods.

Part of a continuing summer series by grilling expert Gena Knox.

Cooking and entertaining outdoors pairs perfectly with nice summer wines. But the traditional Pinot Noir you drink with your sautéed salmon doesn't complement grilled salmon quite as well. Grilling gives foods a rich, woodsy flavor, so in return, the wine you drink should have a little more body.

For tips, I visited Athens' own Gosford Wine, which is co-owned by Hugh Acheson, a local chef and two-time James Beard Award nominee. There I met Taylor Carmichael, who is full of wine knowledge. He gave me a step-by-step lesson on pairing wines with my favorite grilled foods.

Get Taylor's suggestions and Gena's filet mignon recipe after the jump.

Part of a continuing summer series by grilling expert Gena Knox.

In a perfectly organized world, I would love to plan summer grill-outs several days in advance so I could spend hours thumbing through magazines and cookbooks and dream up amazing menus to try. Of course, my world is hardly perfect when it comes to planning meals in advance.

Take today for example. As I am driving to work, my husband calls and tells me we are spending the weekend at his parent's mountain house with some friends. While I realize I am not obligated to cook the meals, considering my profession and the fact that I do love to cook -- I feel like it is my duty. All of my friends are so generous with helping, so I am lucky in that respect.

When I need a last-minute grilling menu, but still want to cook something spectacular, I choose a good quality meat or seafood and pull out one of my fresh salsa recipes for the topping. This always seems to wow the crowd even though it takes so little effort.

Get Gena's salsa recipes after the jump.

This is the first in a series of blog posts by grilling expert Gena Knox.

Although it is a little early for summer tomatoes, I discovered beautiful red and yellow beets, huge heads of Bibb lettuce and fresh eggs at the farmers market here in Athens, Ga., last Saturday. My garden is already full of herbs such as parsley, basil and oregano, so adding them to what I found at the market created a fresh, seasonal menu that didn't take all afternoon. The minimal time I spent in the kitchen reminds me that if you cook seasonally with fresh ingredients, the less you have to do to make them taste delicious.

Memorial Day kicks off summer and (hooray!) grilling season. Outdoor entertaining, summer garden parties and casual, last minute burger grill-outs consume my summer months and I love every minute of it. See what I cooked up with my finds (blue cheese-and-bacon deviled eggs for starters) and the recipes after the jump.

Stone fruit is abundant right now, and while it's lovely to eat a peach, plum or apricot just as it comes, sometimes you get tired of simply eating the fruit out of hand. Cobblers, pies and jams are all fine and good, but sometimes, putting halved fruit on the grill is a simple and delicious way to finish off a barbecue (if you aren't grilling out, it's also wonderful to briefly saute up the halves in a little butter on the top of the stove).

Here Gillian has taken some ripe apricot halves and set them on the grill to soften them up and enhance those sweet fruit flavors. Yum!

Thanks for adding your pic to the pool, Gillian!

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