Bodega's Blue Chips

 before and yum

 

 

There is this little bar by my place called Bodega.  They make some pretty good stuff, and every evening on my balcony I can smell their garlic fries drifting over.  Well, I have mastered the garlic fries, but recently I was there and had the most amazing munchie food ever.  You don't need a recipe, just the ingredients:

Bodega's Blue Chips

spread out on a platter to put under the broiler one bag of unsalted kettle potato chips.
Sprinkle on a package of blue cheese crumbles and bacon, which you can make very quickly and easily in your over, here's how:  Line a cookie sheet with foil,  put bacon on cookie sheet, putin the oven,  turn the oven on 400. set the time r for 20 minutes.  About half way throu, drain the bacon grease from the pan.  Continue to bake at 400.  Perfect and quick.
Put the pan of chips, cheese and bacon under the broiler just long enough to get teh cheese gooey and melty  Take out of the oven and top with sliced green onions.
Indulge, enjoy, repeat.

Shish Kebob

Hands down, this is my favorite meal: my family's shish kebob.  Even though my dad would make this year round, it reminds me of summer.  It is my quintessential, most favorite, summertime meal.  Originally, the recipe used lamb, marinated in a garlic and lemon juice/olive oil/red wine concoction.  We had it that way for years, but the meat has to marinate overnight, and one time my mom used chicken because we didn't want to wait.  That's how I make it.  This is one of the easiest meals to make, even if you don't have a grill, this can be prepared in a 400 degree oven, and finished off under the broiler.

Shish Kebobs

Make the bbq sauce:
Mix together about 1 1/2 cups ketchup or chili sauce + 1-2 Tbs. yellow mustard + 2-3 Tbs. brown sugar, maple syrup or honey.  Add about 1 tsp. each garlic and onion powder.  Stir to blend.

Get all the stuff ready:
1 pkg. chicken breast tenders, cut into bite size pieces big enough to fit on the skewer
1 large zucchinni, cut into chunks
1 red onion, cut into wedges, seperate the layers
1 green pepper, cut into wedges like the onions
1 pkg. mushrooms, washed, stems removed
1 pkg. cherry tomatoes
1 pkg bacon, cut in half

Get everything ready to assemble, and fire up the grill about half way through the assembly of the kebobs.

Wrap a piece of chicken with a piece of bacon and put on the skewer.  Start adding the veggies, making sure each kebob gets at least one of everything.  The cherry tomatoes fit nicely with the mushroom caps, and the peppers and onions do well securing the chicken.  For some reason, I always put zucchinni on the ends.  And there are always a few random leftover kebobs at the end.  I usually make one or two of just chicken or just veggies.

Grill or bake the kebobs until the meat is done, then brush with sauce.  Cook until sauce is hot and starting to carmelize.

Eat & be happy!

- After the food is done, you've eaten every last bit of chicken, and the dishes are all put away; the grill is still warm enough for smores! Put grahm crackers on the grill and top with a chocolate bar, or in this case, a peanut butter cup, top with a marshmallow, and shut the grill.   Leave it be for a bit, and when you remember to go get it, the chocolate will be gooey and the marshmallow will be warm and squishy.  Top with another graham cracker and indulge!

Eat & be happy.