Grilled Shrimp and Sausage Skewers

How's your grilling season going?

What has been your favorite meal from the grill so far this year?

We've had a variety of grilled deliciousness already this summer...corn, burgers, veggies, steaks, potatoes and fruit, but these Shrimp and Sausage Skewers may be my favorites so far.

I must admit that I was a shrimp-grilling novice..."How hard can they be?" was the approach I took.

And, in case you are wondering...they are super simple!  Practically foolproof.  Highly recommended!

Just started by threading the skewers with onion petals, hunks of smoked Polish sausage, green pepper and thawed, raw shrimp.  

Takes me back to the days of kindergarten, when patterns were all the rage!  

Kept up the pattern making until the fixings were all used up.  

Then, using three standard pantry staples minced garlic, cocktail sauce and honey, whipped up a fabulous glaze.

Admittedly, I was a little hesitant because I wasn't sure how I felt about grilling the sauce that is typically served with cold shrimp…but it was the perfect sauce for all of the components.  

Before grilling, the glaze was brushed on the skewers…one side at a time.  

And then, placed on the grill. 

For about 5-7 minutes per side, until the shrimp was cooked, the veggies had a slight char and the sauce was just right!  

Served the skewers up over a bed of quinoa and we all enjoyed!  

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, cut into petals

1# Smoked Polish sausage - sliced into bite sized hunks

2 Green Peppers, cut into large pieces

1# shrimp, raw and thawed

1/3 cup Cocktail Sauce

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp minced garlic

Directions:

Thread the skewers with shrimp, sausage and vegetables. 

Mix up the glaze. 

Brush on one side of the skewers. 

Place on grill, brush on other side. 

Grill for 5-7 minutes on each side, until shrimp are pink and opaque…don't overcook.  

Strawberry Cheesecake Salad

School's out for summer!  And, I'm probably more excited about it than the kids.  My summer 2014 list is quite extensive, high hopes of going lots of places, seeing lots of people and doing lots of things.  Oh, and relaxing.  We'll be sure to squeeze that in, too, when there is time.

I promise I'll keep you posted.

First stop of the summer was to my brother and future sister-in-laws farm, Sublime Saddlebreds, for a visit with my family.  Jerry and I got to catch up with my mom, sister and brothers, during Ken's first trip to the farm.

The kids got to hang with their cousins, running and playing on the farm.

And, eat mini-marshmallows.  There may have also been some flying through the air too…

Even this little cutie was getting in on the fun!

Finally, the night was capped off with a Behringer-style campfire.  You may notice there isn't anyone actually sitting near the fire, it was too huge and hot for that.

I'm excited to share the recipe for the perfect dish to for the occasion, Strawberry Cheesecake Salad.

Half fruit salad.
Half dessert.
All delicious!

My brother has been requesting cheesecake and while I'm not ready to go there yet, I thought this salad was a perfect recipe for All Things Libby to contribute.

It is a unique combination of a popular dessert, and I'm quite certain, way less work than a real cheesecake.

While my brother Ken was busy chopping strawberries with great care, I was whipping up the rest of the salad.

Into a mixing bowl, went the 12 oz of whipped topping, 1 dry packet of cheesecake pudding and three containers of strawberry yogurt.

Quite the intriguing combination, I must admit.  Cheesecake pudding was pretty darn good, especially in the whipped topping and then the fruity creamy yogurt…ahhh-mazing!

You can't possibly go wrong!

Add a pound of chopped strawberries. 

Two sliced bananas. 

And a cup or two of mini marshmallows.  

So fresh and creamy, I think you should probably make this for your taste buds…immediately! 

RECIPE:

Strawberry Cheesecake Salad

Ingredients:

12 oz of whipped topping

1 dry packet of cheesecake flavored pudding 

3-6oz containers of strawberry yogurt

1 lb of chopped strawberries

2 sliced bananas

1-2 cups mini marshmallows - maybe try the salad before adding the marshmallows, maybe next time I'd leave them out.  

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients together, leaving the bananas and marshmallows for immediately before serving. 

***Luckily it's quick and easy, because it won't last long! ***

Chicken Broccoli and Rice in less than 30 minutes

Today I want to share with you a fast and easy, multi-tasking, one dish, thirty minute meal…Chicken Broccoli and Rice.

If you are like me, you have the best intentions of making a side of veggies, except while making dinner you are also doing laundry, homework, cleaning out your purse, texting the carpool and catching up with neighbors.

So, if any of those proverbial balls are going to get dropped, it is often the veggies, because they aren't actually calling my name.  I get to serving the meal and look for the veggies which are so often on the counter or worse, haven't even made their way out of the fridge yet.

So, this dish is a godsend because the veggies can be cooked right along with the rice (talk about multi-tasking), that doesn't require any additional time, thought, effort or, thankfully, dishes.

In a large skillet, start with 2# of thawed chicken tenders cooked in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper.

When they are cooked, remove them from the pan and chop into bite size chunks.

Meanwhile, in the pan, sauté 1 chopped onion in butter.

After you've soaked up enough of one of the best smells in the world…sweet onions browning in butter…savor it...

The rest of the meal comes together in no time…

Add the chopped chicken back to the pan along with two cups of chicken broth (or water and chicken bouillon cubes, in a pinch), two cups of brown minute rice and two cups of fresh broccoli florets for steaming.

The rice is cooking, the broccoli is steaming…LIFE.IS.GOOD!!! Perhaps it is time to pour a glass of wine.  

Top with some shredded mozzarella, probably about a cup as well as some grated Parmesan, nearly a cup, for some richer nutty notes and a sprinkling of dried basil flakes never hurts either.

Some shredded cheddar is the final topping, for good measure.

RECIPE:

Ingredients:
2# of thawed chicken tenders
3 tbsp Olive oil
Salt and Pepper - to taste
1 chopped onion
2 tbsp butter
2 cups of chicken broth (or water and chicken bouillon cubes)
2 cups of brown minute rice
2 cups of fresh broccoli florets
Shredded Mozzarella
Grated Parmesan
Dried Basil Flakes
Shredded Cheddar

Instructions:
Cook chicken in olive oil until no pink remains, remove from pan to chop. 
Add butter and chopped onion to pan to brown. 
Then, add chicken, chicken broth, rice and broccoli. 
Bring to low boil for 5-10 minutes, until rice is cooked and broccoli is tender. 
Top with cheeses and basil accordingly.  

Naked Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers

Whoa, where the heck did May go?

Anyone else with me on that?

It was like…Happy May Day…Happy Memorial Day and a blur of events in between and now it's June already!

Guess that means that life is good! I can't complain, just hope I can soak in all of these amazing memories being made so they can be cherish for years to come!

Thankfully, throughout the month the grill has been one of our favorite sources of meals, including last weekends' Naked Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers.  

Anything with pineapple reminds me of Hawaii…and I'm always looking for any excuse I can to reminisce about Hawaii.  This may not be the last you hear about Hawaii…just sayin'.

These delicious burgers started with a home made teriyaki sauce being added one ingredient at a time straight into the 2 1/4 lb lean ground beef. 

One tablespoon minced garlic and two tablespoons brown sugar were added just before 1/2 inch of fresh ginger was grated into the mix. (Seems comical for an ingredient to be measured in length, but in this case, it's totally legit.)

I keep my fresh ginger in the freezer to maintain freshness, then it is also a great texture for grating.  Here is Alayna taking charge of the grating and she was serious about it!

Then, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tsp seasoned rice vinegar and 1 tsp sesame oil, being added above, topped it all off to round out the flavors.

In case you have yet to try it, engaging your kids in the cooking process might actually help them expand their taste buds.  When asked to help, Alayna was not excited about either the ginger or the sesame oil, but once she tasted them in the burger, she was totally sold.  

Just dive right in with bare hands to mix and combine all of the ingredients together before making into patties.

This was more than enough for dinner, but with my family, there is never any harm in making a few extra so that they can be gobbled down any time these growing, active kids need an extra (large) snack.

The burgers were grilled, starting with about 5 minutes on each side and adjust according to the thermometer.  Especially with a recipe like this, the thermometer is highly recommended because some of the flavorings give off reddish juices and you certainly don't want to overcook these babies.

The juicier the better!  

While the burgers were grilling, they were joined by one of my favorite grilled fruits…pineapple! The way that the grill caramelizes the natural sugar of pineapple is out of this world!  

If grilled pineapple isn't part of the main dish, some thinly sliced spears with cinnamon sugar will more than suffice for a fabulous summer dessert.

The Naked Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers were placed upon a nice big leaf of lettuce and topped with thin sliced Munster cheese, bacon, which will never lead you astray, and grilled pineapple.  

I dare you to give this little slice of Hawaiian deliciousness a try!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 inch of fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil

2 1/4 lb lean ground beef

Leaf lettuce
Munster cheese
Bacon
Grilled pineapple

Add the teriyaki ingredients (first 6) directly into ground beef. 

Mix well to combine. 

Form into patties, grill to desired doneness.  

Grill pineapple while burgers are cooking.  

Top with lettuce, cheese, bacon and grilled pineapple.  

I can't wait to make them again!  

Black Bean, Corn and Quinoa Salad

How many of you are saying…Quinoa?  What the heck is quinoa?

Let me tell you…if you haven't tried it yet, this is the recipe to get it started with... Black Bean, Corn and Quinoa Salad is perfect for a get together, a side dish or as a stand alone meal…its that good!

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a grain that has been around for human consumption for 3000-4000 years, primarily originating in South America.  I'd describe it as a cross between rice and pasta, although it certainly has it's own unique characteristics.

It has made it's entrance into the US health food market in the last few years and has been termed a superfood on more than one occasion (understatement alert).

It is gluten free, high in protein and a good source of fiber…what more could you ask for?!?

Especially when handed to you as part of a delicious recipe.

Quinoa is quick to cook, just about 15 minutes total…and I always buy my quinoa pre-rinsed, that eliminates one step.

So, while that quinoa is cooking (one cup dried quinoa to two cups boiling water), I whipped up the fabulous dressing.

Two tablespoons red wine vinegar, 4 tablespoons lime juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt and 1tsp cumin all work together to pull off the perfect complimenting dressing to this combination of grains and  legumes.

Before adding the dressing, 1# of thawed frozen corn (I know, sounds crazy to me too!) is mixed with 1 can of rinsed black beans and the cooked quinoa.

They are all folded together and topped with some freshly chopped cilantro…(Just realized I haven't planted any cilantro yet…what was I thinking!?! Needs to be corrected, immediately, if not sooner!)

It's that easy and that good!  

This dish was made for a cookout over the weekend and it was gone immediately.  I think that Jerry and I are both wishing it would magically reappear in the fridge so we could have it, pretty much anytime we want!  

I'll be honest, kids aren't huge fans, but they always have to try what we make and I think it is growing on them…and, while I want my kids to love everything I make…with something this amazing, I'm fine when it means more for me!  

But seriously, if you are already a quinoa lover, like me, you may want to double this recipe.  

If you are a quinoa virgin and you don't like it, just call me…I'll take it off you hands.  Promise!  

RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 cup dried quinoa

2 cups boiling water

1 lb frozen corn, thawed

1 can black beans, rinsed

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

4 Tbsp Lime Juice

1/3 cup Olive Oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

Instructions:

While the quinoa cooks, whisk together all of the ingredient to make the dressing.  

Pour the dressing over the quinoa, black bean and corn.  Top with cilantro.  

So easy and so good!  Go enjoy! 

Mom's Most Famous Crab Salad

Memorial weekend is finally upon us, along with that comes picnic and get-together season, otherwise known as summer.  Yay!!!

Seems like the best and most logical time to break out my Mom's Most Famous Crab Salad recipe.

Funny thing about my mom's cooking is that she never uses a recipe, rarely writes one down and has an uncanny ability to use whatever she has on hand to whip up something delicious.

While I've come a long way since my first attempted meals when I graduated from college, I still have a long way to go to achieve her level of mastery.

I am so thankful for her love of cooking, people and the outdoors that she has passed down to me and that I get to now share those same priorities with the next generation.  My kids also have her to thank for the love of singing that she has passed down!  Ha ha!

This delicious pasta creation starts with 1# of farfalle (pronounced far-fa-lay) or bow tie pasta cooked according to the instructions on the box.  Most notably, when making a cold pasta dish, cooked pasta should be rinsed in cold water.  This helps to stop the cooking process, dead in it's tracks.

Next, a few stalks of celery were chopped up, including the nice green leafy parts, they are an awesome addition to most dishes.

Then a cup or so of matchstick carrots were added.  These add nice color, texture and even a bit of nutrition to this salad.

Finally, before the dressing was mixed up and poured on, 1# of imitation crab or surimi was added.

As far as the dressing, start with equal parts sour cream, mayo and pickle juice, about a cup of each.   Pickle juice is really the key ingredient in this dressing as it brings the perfect blend of flavor and salt and thins the dressing to the perfect consistency.

Additionally, about a teaspoon of each dill weed and garlic powder were added and the dressing was whisked together before being poured over the salad and mixed well.

I like my salad saucy and flavorful…so upon initial mixing, the dressing should be plentiful.  As the salad cools, the pasta soaks in the moisture from the dressing, so I stir it every few hours to ensure that there is still plenty of sauce…if not, I'd definitely recommend throwing some more together, or just adding some of the individual components to the pasta to achieve the desired sauciness!

RECIPE

Ingredients:
1# of farfalle or bow tie pasta
1 cup chopped celery with leafy greens
1 cup matchstick carrots
1# of imitation crab or surimi

Dressing:
1 cup mayonaise
1 cup sour cream
1 cup dill pickle juice
1 teaspoon dill weed
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
Cook pasta according to box instructions and rinse with cold water. 
Add vegetables and imitation crab. 
Mix up dressing, pour over salad, stir and refrigerate.  

For best results, make at least 4 hours in advance of serving.  

Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing over Taco Salads

Lately, I've been a big fan of whipping up my own dips, sauces and dressings.

I much prefer knowing exactly what is in my condiments as well as the freedom to tweak any flavor profile towards my preference or try some new crazy combinations because ...why not, what do I have to lose?

So, after deciding on taco salads for dinner earlier this week, I decided to mix up a fresh dressing that would pull together all of the perfect flavors to compliment the salad.

This Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing was the perfect topping to bring together all of the delicious flavors and textures of the taco salad.  The key components in the dressing, sour cream, garlic, chili powder, lime and cilantro were a perfect little bundle of taco dressing joy!

The dressing would also pair very well with Chicken Quesadillas (I know, because we had them yesterday) as well as the Shrimp Tacos, just to name a few!

So, to get this party started, begin with about a cup of sour cream, add the juice from half of a fresh squeezed lime, or slightly less, as I ended up adding some (1 tsp) sugar to balance out some of the tartness from the juice.  Then, add a 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil, as the desire was for this concoction to be pourable, more like a dressing than a dip.

Before setting the blender on high, 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, a teaspoon of chili powder (goes a long way!), a teaspoon of salt and a 1/2 cup of roughly chopped cilantro were also added.

This was the perfect occasion for a taco salad bar…put all the toppings out there and let everyone choose for themselves.

My salad started with tortilla chips…Doritos, to be exact.  I think my kids were wondering what had gotten into me or it if was some kind of holiday, as I never buy Doritos…don't worry, the bag was devoured before the meal was over.

Next, a bed of lettuce and then taco seasoned ground turkey.  Since we had steaks the night before, I wanted to switch things up a bit, I generally try to serve a variety of protein-sources throughout the week.

Top with chopped onions and tomatoes, an assortment of shredded cheeses, and, of course, the Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing, stir and enjoy!

RECIPE for Dressing

Ingredients:
1 cup of sour cream
Juice from half of a fresh squeezed lime or slightly less
1 tsp sugar (to taste)
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of chili powder 
1 teaspoon of salt 
1/2 cup of roughly chopped cilantro

Directions:
Add all of the ingredients to the blender and set to high until well blended, smooth and pourable.  

RECIPE for Taco Salad

Ingredients:
Tortilla Chips of choice
Lettuce of choice
Taco seasoned ground turkey
Shredded Cheeses of your choice
Onion- chopped
Tomato - chopped
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

Directions:
Layer into bowl, toss and enjoy!