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Hello friends.
That was somewhat lackluster…
Hello friends!
How’s your summer going?
We’ve been pretty busy, but we’ve managed to do 90% of all the very fun things we love to do when it’s warm outside.
You know, Farmers Market, canoe trips down the river, run through sprinklers, tour with a dance company…that kind of thing.
And because we’ve been so busy, we’ve gotten really good at the seriously fast, seriously easy dinner prep.
These kabobs taste fancy. Like someone spent all day mixing a marinade and then slaving over a hot grill.
(But there’s only four ingredients! Shh, no one has to know that these took no work or thought at all. Just go with it)
Are you ready for the mind-blowing list of ingredients?
Brace yourself:
Meat
Limes
Vegetables
Olive Oil
I know it seems weird to marinate steak in lime juice, but you just have to trust me. Your mouth will thank you.
Lime Marinated Kabobs
1 pound of roast or steak, cubed
5-6 limes, juiced
Vegetables (we used onion, bell pepper, mushroom, zucchini, and pineapple cause it’s delicious, but use what you love)
1/4 cup olive oil
Kabob skewers
Place the cubed meat in a bowl or ziplock bag, and pour the lime juice over the meat. Allow the meat to marinate in the refrigerator for up to a day, but no less than 2 hours.
If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in a pan of water for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, skewer the vegetables and then brush them with the olive oil. Use separate skewers for the meat. We like to do all meat kabobs and all vegetable kabobs to allow for varying grill times. We also have some vegetarian friends who appreciate not having to pick off the meat. We also have some meat eating friends who appreciate not having to pick off the vegetables.
Grill the meat kabobs first, adding more lime juice if they start to dry out. After about 5 minutes, add the vegetable kabobs to the grill and brush on more olive oil if they start to dry out.
You can serve them on the skewers or pull everything off and mix it in a bowl, as you prefer.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I hear the sprinkler calling my name.
We’ve had a long spring this year. A long wet spring.
Great for the grass and my water bill, not so great for morale.
So I’m overjoyed about 80+ degree weather. It’s seriously my favorite time of year. I may have mentioned it once or twice. (Or everyday of my life.)
But even though I’m seriously a happy camper, turning on the oven when it’s 85F in my kitchen is just asking for trouble. And melted popsicles.
So what’s a Jo to do? Make a giant salad! With chicken! And vegetables! And no oven!
Summer Survival Salad
Serves 4-6
4 unfrozen chicken breasts (I like boneless and skinless, but use what you’ve got)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cucumber, sliced
1 medium tomato, chopped
1-2 cups sugar snap peas (you can leave them whole, but I cut them in half for easier eating)
your favorite mix of lettuce
Marinate the chicken for at least 15 minutes, up to a day, in your favorite Italian salad dressing or vinaigrette (I’ll give you my favorite recipe at the bottom).
Grill the chicken (outside! not in your kitchen!) until fully cooked, adding more marinade each time you turn the chicken. Allow the chicken to rest covered in tin foil before you slice it into strips.
In the meantime, assemble your salad. I like to do it in layers, ’cause it’s more fun that way. Then plate and serve.
See? No melted popsicles.
Start with lettuce.
Add bell peppers.
Another layer of lettuce and then cucumbers.
Another layer of lettuce and then tomatoes and sugar snap peas.
All plated and ready to eat!
My favorite salad dressing/chicken marinade
from Emeril Lagasse
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dark brown sugar
1 clove pressed garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
Add all ingredients into a lidded container. Shake or whisk until everything is combined. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
What are your favorite summer survival foods?
It’s no secret that I read a lot of blogs.
Like, a lot.
Like, opening Google Reader after a vacation is pretty scary.
I just like to learn! And I’m fascinated with other peoples’ lives. And people take extraordinary pictures.
One of my favorite blogs is dig this chick. And some of my favorite posts of Nici’s are Hump Day Nuggets. Little nuggets from the past week. A lovely collection of photos and snippets of stories.
I’ve always wanted to copy this style, but never felt like it would be right for me to do so. It’s so uniquely Nici’s voice! Recently, though, she began encouraging other bloggers to adopt her crazy awesome Nuggets, and I may have squealed a little bit. No big deal.
So, here are my nuggets from the past week or so…
Our garden is finally–finally–blooming!
Basil–used in homemade tomato sauce just last night
Garlic, curing in the sun before I will eventually roast some in the oven
Baby eggplant and zucchini peeking through the leaves
I didn’t get pictures of the red tomatoes, because we eat them as fast as they ripen. Oh mama, they’re good!
Have you ever eaten broccoli flowers? I hadn’t either, and now I’m contemplating letting all the broccoli go to bloom. Eating flowers is fun.
Beer can chicken getting smoky and juicy next to corn on the grill.
Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that turned into ice cream sandwiches
Don’t worry, that post is coming soon
I fell in love with my friend Jayann’s earrings. Fortunately, she sells them at the Farmers Market
Did you catch the Oula Flash Mob on Saturday?! It’s one of my life’s goals to be part of a flash mob someday.
Lovely little nuggets. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep up with them every Wednesday, but I am pleased I get to share them with you today.
What are your favorite moments/memories from the past week?
You know how every family has a set of side salads that appear at functions? Like Grandma’s broccoli salad, or Auntie’s guacamole? We’ve got those too. But we have things like “Romance Jello” or “Frog Eye Salad.” We were hilarious as kids.
Those side dishes are wonderful, but this one is a little different. It has vegetables. It has noodles. It didn’t come from the back of a romance novel. (I think)
My mother in law brought this salad once, and was told in no uncertain terms that she was to bring this to all future functions, no matter the occasion. That’s how we roll. You bring good food, and you’re in for life. Whether you like it or not!
It is so easy, too! Technically, I consider this a “cheat” recipe because the “sauce” isn’t homemade, but sometimes cheating is essential for success (in the case of food, not life). My sister and I made up a recipe for the 4th of July because my mother in law was out of town, and I think it was darn near perfect. Maybe Anita can give us some pointers in the comments section 
Anita’s Pasta Salad
Not sure where she got this one, but I’m so glad she did!
1 box of pasta (your favorite kind, but we like the colorful noodles)
1 medium head of cauliflower, chopped
2 cups of olives, either sliced or halved
1 or 2 large cucumbers, diced
1 bottle of your favorite Italian Dressing
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse the pasta with cool water. Add chopped vegetables, and 3/4 to 1 bottle of Italian Dressing. Mix. Serve. No kidding!
I don’t usually peel vegetables, but some people don’t like the skins. Do what you will.
Thanks for doing the work, Amanda!
Colorful noodles are really fun. And they totally taste better!
For some added color, you could add sliced cherry tomatoes or chopped red pepper. We were kind of in a hurry though, and didn’t really think ahead. It happens.
So now you have another item to add to your family’s repertoire. What are your family staples?
Tasty, easy, fast, and cheap! Plus, people seem to really enjoy it. I get requests for this recipe at just about every summer function with my family.
It’s macque choux! (Pronounced mock shoe) My sister and I cooked at her house on the 4th of July, and other than heating up the kitchen a bit, it was no sweat.
I love your cutting board, Amanda!
I can almost make Macque Choux in my sleep–heat up olive oil, saute onions,
add red bell pepper,
and garlic,
and corn,
add more tasty things like tomatoes,
and green onions,
then season,
season,
season!
Am I dreaming about cayenne?
Totally.
I like to shovel it in my mouth before anyone notices. Then I pretend like it needs more salt or cayenne, and then I need to taste test it again.
Naturally.
Macque Choux
adapted from Eating Well. This recipe makes enough to feed an army. Feel free to modify as needed. But you might regret not making more…
sesame oil (or olive oil) for the pan
1 large onion, diced
2 red bell peppers, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 cans of fresh corn, some of the liquid reserved (if you have time to cut corn off the cob, you’re awesome)
1 tomato, diced
6 green onions, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp dried thyme (or 1 tsp freshly chopped)
1 1/4* tsp paprika
1* tsp salt
3/4* tsp cayenne
*Use less or more, depending on tastes
Heat sesame oil in a large pan. Add onion and saute until soft and opaque. Add red bell pepper and garlic, saute until the peppers are tender-crisp. Add the corn and some of the canning liquid to keep things moist (or water if you used corn from the cob), then saute the mixture for about 5-7 minutes more.
Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients. Taste often to make sure everything’s just the way you like it.
Serve with chips, over barbecued chicken, as a side dish, or garnish to your burger. Basically, just get it in your mouth!
More summer bbq recipes coming soon. Until then, I’ve got my mouth full.
I know, I know. I’m not supposed to like pork.
Here’s the thing–I can admit when I’m wrong. About food. I can totally admit when I’m wrong about food.
This was one of those recipes that I’ve never tried before, and hadn’t really put much thought into, and didn’t exactly involve a recipe.
But really, how can you go wrong with freshly squeezed orange juice, soy sauce and ginger? You can’t, really. It’s pretty much a sure thing. Little of this, splash of that, shake here and there. Voila, dinner.
Start with some orange juice. Toss it into a bag. Add some splashes of low sodium soy sauce. Put some pork chops into the bag. Put the bag into the refrigerator. Go to work. Dream of dinner.
Get home. Put some more fresh orange juice into a pan. Add brown sugar.
Add corn starch. Whisk like crazy because you’re not familiar with how corn starch works.
Remember that ginger would be absolutely perfect in here. Remember that you have no fresh ginger to grate on your new microplane. Remember that you have the next best thing.
Whisk like crazy and try not to add 8 teaspoons of cornstarch to thicken it up instantly. Cornstarch takes a minute to work its magic.
Get really excited when your sauce starts to visibly thicken.
Pour it into a bowl and let it cool. Dip the tip of a finger into the bowl. Lick the sauce off of your finger and resist the urge to go at the sauce with a spoon.
Admire the sauce and wonder what else it would be good with. Steak? Pancakes? More sauce?
Gather your grilled pork and some quinoa or white rice.
Start the drizzling.
Keep drizzling.
Drizzle with wild abandon.
Enjoy.
Grilled Pork with Citrus Glaze
Serves 4
4 pork chops
3 oranges
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp ginger powder
Combine the pork chops, soy sauce, and the juice of one orange in a container. Allow the pork to marinate at least two hours (all day is best).
Grill the pork, occasionally adding the leftover marinade to keep things juicy.
Meanwhile, squeeze the juice of the remaining two oranges into a pan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, corn starch and ginger, whisk to combine. (This is when you should also cook the quinoa or rice, according to package directions)
Allow the sauce to thicken, stirring regularly. When it reaches the desired consistency, remove from heat and let it cool.
When the pork is cooked completely, drizzle the sauce over it and serve.
This is a great mix of sweet and savory. If you want to spice things up a bit, add some red pepper flakes to the sauce.
PS: Pretty soon I’ll have progress shots of the new kitchen! w00t w00t!
