Savory Saturday: Shish Kabobs...

One of the major decisions Popeye and I have to make each week is, "What on EARTH are we going to have for dinner?!"  Popeye always suggests the same: "I don't know" (seriously, is this response programed into their brains at birth?!) and I am always wanting to come up with some fancy and fantastic new feast that will wow him.  (Note to self: husband's are not wowed by fancy food.  They were wowed by beef and rice and potatoes.).

Every week I go through the drama and distress of trying to plan out my weekly meal.  And every week, I beg from two of my very best friends any and all recipes they can give me that have made it through the trenches of their own kitchens time and time again.  Time and time again, I return to my "safety" meals (spaghetti... tacos... cereal...) because the thought of planning another new meal leaves me exhausted and stressed.

Eek.  Do other wives go through this dilema each week?!  Do you get frustrated and want to cry out in agony in the middle of the grocery aisle?!

Bleck.  If you are anything like me, you can use some new recipes every now and then.  And if you are anything like me, you are deserpate to find these new recipes during the weekend so you can plan ahead for your weekly meals.  So I've decided to help some of you out!  Every Saturday from now on (or until I run out of good ideas...) I'm going to post a yummy recipe that we enjoy in our home.  "Savory Saturday" will highlight a variety of recipes... from main courses and desserts, to breakfast dishes and drinks.  And of course, I will always provide pictures because, let's face it, who actually cooks food without seeing a picture of it first?!

I can't promise you my food will be fancy.

I can't promise you my food with be healthy.

But I can promise you that it will be tasty, relatively cheap, and (hopefully) less than five ingredients (right, Toni and Jill?!).

So stay if you'd like!  Up first is one of my all-time favorite meals... Summer Shish Kabobs!

Summer Shish Kabobs

Kabobs

1 pound top sirloin

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

10 white mushrooms

1 pineapple (we use a can of chunks because it is cheaper)

1 red onion (optional)

6 kabob sticks

Marinade

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce

two rounded tablespoons of brown sugar

rounded teaspoon of minced garlic

cooking sherry (optional... I add a bit of this sometimes for a different flavor or when we use it for chicken kabobs... it is strong, so be careful with it!)

1. Wash your veggies thoroughly and cube your peppers, onion, and meat.  I like bigger chunks, about 1 x 1 or 2 x 2 inches.  They take a bit longer to cook, but then you have a nice chunk to bite into, rather than a shriveled up little piece of veggie or meat.

2. Prepare marinade and set it to the side.  This is one recipe where I prefer to used the pre-minced garlic from the little jars at the grocery store.  That is because I can scoop up some nice juice with the garlic pieces and it adds some extra garlic flavor to the marinade.

3.  Put all your veggies and meat into a large Ziploc bag, and pour your marinade all over it.  Squish it around nicely and then set your bag on its side in the fridge.  You will need to go into the fridge every 15-30 minutes and swish it around again and flip it over.  I like to marinate my meat for a good 2 hours... it is even better when I do it before work and it marinates all day.

4.  About 30 minutes before I want to put the meat on the grill, I take the bag out and start spearing my kabob sticks.  I dump everything into a large metal cake pan, and than piece-by-piece, assemble the kabobs.  I alternate my pieces, usually starting with the beef so that it makes a good "foundation" at the end of the stick.  You usually have less of one thing (mushrooms) and a ton more of something else (green peppers) so just eyeball it.  I usually put all of the pineapple on one stick if I am using canned pineapple because the chunks are so small and delicate and cook much faster.

5.  Let your kabobs hang out for a bit before you put them on the grill.  Meat needs to "rest" both before and after it hits the grill to be cooked correctly (I know this sounds hokey, but I swear, that is what my BBQ bible says!).  

6.  Have your hottie husband go stick the kabobs on a hot grill and let them hang out with the lid closed for about four minutes.  Then flip them over and give them about four minutes more.  DO NOT cut into your meat to see if it is done!!!  You have to trust timing and learn your grill and your meat.  Cutting into it will cause it to lose all its delicious juices... thus losing all its delicious flavors.  

7. When you take the meat off the grill, keep it on the sticks for a few minutes and then cut into a piece.  We like our meat medium, but sometimes if our cubes are pretty big we have to stick it back on the grill for just a minute.  As much as some people HATE any red in their meat, it really is more tender and flavorful with a bit of red in the middle (it took me a long time to learn to eat it this way, but I will never go back to the burnt briquettes I used to love!).

8. Slide those delicious delights off the the kabob sticks onto a big platter or into a nice bowl.  Then people can dig in and serve themselves!  Serve alongside some tasty sourdough garlic bread, rice pilaf, and beans!

Helpful Hints:

*Soak your kabob sticks for a good 30-60 minutes before spearing your veggies and meat to prevent burning.

*Spray your BBQ with cooking spray to prevent your meat from sticking and ripping apart.

*This is a cheap way to serve a lot of people.  A little meat goes a LONG way with this meal... The above recipe will serve both Popeye and I a full dinner, plus leftovers for lunch the next day.  Add two chicken breasts and extra veggies, and you can serve an additional two guests!

*Add additional veggies when they are in season... zucchini...squash...yellow or orange peppers.  The options are endless!

*This is one BBQ'd item I can do myself... I have a slight fear of the BBQ... seriously... I am always scared I'll accidently fall over onto the grill and brand myself for life.  But with this there is no watching involved, just slap them on, flip once, and you are golden!