BBQ Kabobs

It's BBQ season and one of my favorite things to BBQ is kabobs. They are easier than they look. I used to make them more complicated than they had to be but with a simplified version I can whip these up for dinner in about an hour start to table and the reward is great.

For these chicken kabobs I used:
1 can chunks of pineapple
1 container baby bell mushrooms (washed and halved)
2 large bell peppers or 7 minis cut into large chunks
3 chicken breasts cut in large cubes
onion (if desired)
Maui Mountain Teriyaki Sauce (original or pineapple)

Skewer the meat, veggies, and pineapple randomly. Brush with teriyaki sauce. BBQ for a few minutes just until meat is cooked through but still tender (be careful not to over cook the small pieces of meat). Brush again after cooking or serve with individual dipping teriyaki sauce.

Serve with coconut rice.

Onion Roast

A timeless favorite, but I hadn't made it in years. I've learned that slow cooked meat is easiest to digest and so I've been doing a lot more in my crock-pot since I'm all for good digestion. This is the first roast my mom taught me to make and I had forgotten just how good it is.

1 chuck roast (or other tough cut)
1 envelope onion soup mix

Sprinkle onion soup mix over roast in crock-pot. Cook on low till tender with a fork. Crock-pots vary so anywhere from 6-10 hours. Don't forget to throw some Idaho bakers wrapped in foil on top of your roast.

This meat makes a nice BBQ shredded beef sandwich for leftovers.

Favorite Gadget - BBQ Basket

You've seen this one on here already..it's my grill basket for the BBQ. I think the official name is "wok topper". I've tried a few and this one is our favorite. It's great for grilling veggies but also anything that you would normally put on a skewer. It saves you time rather than threading everything on to each stick.

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It has a non-stick surface but you can still spray it with non-stick spray or olive oil just to be sure stuff doesn't stick. It's a great way to toss your veggies or other ingredients while seasoning them. And, right now, they are on clearance at Wal-mart and I'm sure other stores as well in the BBQ section.

Be sure to check out my free giveaway over on our family blog in honor of the Nesting Places' post.... click here for my free giveaway

BBQed Corn on the Cob

My daughter loves corn on the cob. It's one of her favorite foods. On nights when we BBQ it's easiest to just BBQ the corn right along side the meat.

First pull back the husk gently just enough to remove the stringy fibers. Fold the husk back around the cob and soak it in water for about an hour or so. Then drain the water and BBQ the cob for about 15 min. or so. Pull the husk back to be used as a handle, roll in a stick of butter, salt and it's ready to eat.

Grilled Squash

Slice the squash in long diagonal slices that are just under an inch thick. Marinade in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and a dash of salt. Grill till just tender.

BBQ Beef Ribs

Cut ribs apart. BBQ for about 5 min. turning once just to sear the outside of the ribs. Place in crockpot for about 8 hours on low with BBQ sauce poured over. When ribs are done, brush the sauce on top of them and serve.

Serve with extra warmed sauce on the side.

(my secret to sweet and sticky BBQ sauce is to mix about 1/4 c of honey with about 2/3 c of your favorite BBQ sauce - I use KC Masterpiece)

I BBQed these in the morning and they cooked all day and were ready in time for dinner.

BBQ French Bread

Have you ever BBQed your french bread loaf? Well, why not? Especially if it's frozen...it's a quick way to warm it just in time for dinner.

Wrap it in foil and place on the BBQ. It needs about 15- 20 min. turning once. When you dinner is ready so is your piping hot bread!

Sausage (Vegetarian) Stuffed Portobellos

Begin with:

1 c bread crumbs

1/2 c parmesan cheese

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp salt

Combine the above for a topping and set aside.

Prepare 4 portobello mushrooms by removing the stem with a gentle twist. Spoon out the "gills" with a metal spoon. Use a wet paper towel to wipe the mushroom cap clean (rinsing with water will make the mushroom spongy). Sprinkle with a little salt before stuffing.

Saute in 1 tbsp olive oil and add:

1 lb. italian sausage (preferrably sweet but mild will do) -you can also omit the meat and make these vegetarian which I have done

1 c diced onion

1 c diced bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange)

1 tbsp minced garlic

Deglaze your pan by adding:

1/4 c dry sherry (marsalla works well too)

and simmer until almost all has evaporated

take off heat and stir in:

about 10oz of fresh baby spinach

1 1/2 c fresh cubed mozzarella (the real thing...not the low moisture but if low moisture is all you can find it will do)

Spoon in the filling evenly among the 4 caps. They will be piled a little high. Press down to pack it in. Top with thinly sliced roma tomatoes and sprinkle with the crumb topping. Grill on a preheated hot grill for about 5 min or until cheese begins to really melt and mushroom has softened. Do not over cook.

Grilling Veggies and Mushrooms

We love BBQing portabello mushrooms. YUM!

We've done them where you stuff them as well and boy were those good too! I'll post the recipe above for stuffing them. Mushrooms don't take long on a hot grill. Only about 5 min. and they are good to go.

Squash is a long time favorite as well. The ones in the picture just have some garlic and seasoning salt on them. I really like them marinaded with herbs as well though.... some favorites are:

balsamic vinegar with basil and garlic

olive oil with italian herb mix

balsamic vinegar, olive oil, rosemary

olive oil, garlic, lemon thyme

or just your favorite balsamic vinegar salad dressing will work

You can grill tomatoes as well... I slice them in half and grill skin side down.

Some other ideas for grilling veggies:

whole green onions

sliced thick eggplant

tomatoes

zucchini

bell peppers

mushrooms (all kinds)

crookneck squash

summer squash

winter squash

yellow squash

Garlic Grilled Chicken

It's not only sandwich season and salad season, but it's also BBQ season! Our BBQ was broken the first half of summer which was a total bummer but a trip to the store and a few hours in the hot sun repairing it, my husband is back to grilling for us. We love using the BBQ in the summer....it's convenient and it keeps the heat outside instead of inside. So, I hope to put more grilling things on here this month....

I'll start with something simple though......when we first grilled up this chicken with some beef for a party we had years ago, some of the gals chose the chicken because they were trying to be "good" on their diets. After tasting it, one of them said, "what is that seasoning on it?!?!?" All that was on it was garlic powder. Yep, garlic was the secret ingredient that tasted amazing on the grilled chicken. I like to add some seasoning salt to it sometimes as well.

You could surely use minced fresh garlic as a rub for your chicken instead of garlic powder. The leftovers also make wonderful garlic chicken Caesar salad wraps for lunch the next day! =0)

Forgotten Short Ribs

This recipe is from my mom and so I've included her notes. We've made it twice this summer up at Grandpa's cabin in the dutch oven but you can put it in your crock pot just as well.

From Carol's Kitchen:
(My recipe is an adaptation of one from the Sunset Favorite Recipes Cookbook 1969. I started making this dish when I got my first crock pot which was back in those early years of marriage. I used to set the table and put this on to cook in the early morning when I had a busy day ahead of me or if we were going to be gone all day we could come home to a supper nearly ready. I can still remember a long day of playing in the snow with our kids and coming home to this wonderful smell and hearty meal to warm us up. When you get home and walk in the door put on a pot of small white or red rose potatoes, throw some veggies on, pull out some dinner rolls and in about 30 minutes you are asking the blessing before you dig in. If you can't find some nice short ribs you can use a chuck roast that you cut up.)

CATEGORY: BEEF/ MAIN DISH

INGREDIENTS

4-5 Pounds of Beef Short Ribs 3 Tbsp. Cider Vinegar
½ tsp. Garlic Powder 2 tsp. Liquid Smoke
1/2 tsp. Pepper 1/2 Onion diced small
2 cans (8 oz.) Tomato Sauce 1 Tbsp. Organic Sugar
3 Tbsp. Molasses

DIRECTIONS

Remove any excess fat from ribs that you can. If you are using a boneless chuck roast, cut into about 4x4" chunks. Pepper all sides. Spray your crock with PAM and place ribs in on low heat. In a small pan, combine the tomato sauce with the molasses, cider vinegar, liquid smoke, minced onion and sugar; bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for five minutes. Pour over the short ribs; cover and cook 8-10 hours. Have a great day! When you're ready to eat spoon off any excess fat before serving. Total prep time in morning is about 15 minutes.

notes: when making this in a dutch, use a 12 inch deep and first brown for just a few minutes the short ribs in some vegetable oil. Cover with the lid. Place about 4-6 charcoal briquettes nderneath the dutch and about 6-8 on top. You want it to just simmer for about 8 hours but not rapid bowl. Just a few bubbles coming through for a simmer is all you need. Remove a few briquettes if you need to get it down to a simmer.