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.

Breakfast, Anytime.

I used to hate eggs.  Even things that had eggs in them I couldn't stand.  But I wasn't being fair to the egg, because it turns out, it's the yolk that I don't like (and I actually do like the yolk when cooked into soups, like Ramen noodles for example).  I actually really like egg whites!  Once I came to this realization, I made an old favorite that my grandma used to make, minus the egg yolk; Egg in a Basket.  My version has wo egg whites, a slice of sharp cheddar cheese, plenty of fresh ground black pepper, a thinck slice of a red ripe tomato and a huge pile of mushrooms sauteed in olive oil.  I learned from the British to have friend mushrooms with breakfast.   It really completes the meal!



Egg in a Basket Mimi Style

For each person:

1 slice of bread with the center cut out, save the center!

2 egg whites

1 thick slice tomato

olive oil for sauteeing

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

Sautee the mushrooms in olive oil until done.  Set aside.

Toast the bread and the bread cut-out, in the pan on one side until browned, turn over and add the egg whites to the center of the bread.  Top with cheese slice and tomat.  Cover and cook until egg is done.  Top with the bread cut-out and fresh black pepper.

Transfer to a plate and top with the sauteed mushrooms.

Another good way to make an egg:

A friend of mine found a recipe where you bake an egg in an avocado half.  We tried it, and it was really good.  Paired with a thick slice of sourdough toast, this is a very satisfying breakfast.  I think even a thin slice of ham under the cheese would be delicious too...

Here's how we did it:



Baked Egg in Avocados

For each person, one avocado half and one egg.  Cheese and seasoned salt.

Cut the avocado and remove the pit.  Set each avocado in a little foil nest in a cast iron pan.  This little nest holds the avocados upright so that the egg won't spill out!  Put the pan on the oven rack and the crack the egg into each half.  Depending on the size of your avocado, all of the egg may not fit.  You can scoop out the avocado a bit more before adding the egg if you need more room!

Top with shredded cheese and bake at 400 until egg is done.  Sprinkle with a little seasoned salt.  I made mine without the yolk and it was amazing.  The avocado had such a great flavor, and the egg and cheese combined with the warm and creamy avocado left me wanting another one!