Hey Everyone! Today I have a few things to tell you. First of all, a little housekeeping. If you have signed up for my newsletters and have not received them in your inbox, please check your SPAM folder. This tends to happen when you use a service connected to a hosting site like I am using. Anyway, just mark it as “NOT SPAM” please and you should be good to go. I certainly do not want to lose contact with anyone. The more the merrier!
Secondly, I am so excited to say that my younger son, Alex, graduated from St. Louis University Law School this week!!!!!!!! Yay! We attended a ceremony on Thursday where he received a “hood” that signifies his Juris Doctorate. It is actually more like a very large satin and velvet collar that hangs down the back of his graduation gown than a real hood but that is the name, so we went to a hooding ceremony.
Alex has worked so hard for this and I know that the 3 years spent in law school seemed like an eternity to him but to me, it went by in a flash. The past 25 years have gone by in a flash. He can’t be all grown up yet. I still see that same tiny boy with the huge brown eyes and hair standing on end when I look at Alex. But, as you can see in the pictures he is now a very tall and handsome young man with big brown eyes. I am so proud of him! He will now spend the summer studying for the Missouri Bar Exam. Yikes! I plan to make lots of cookies to help him through the next few months. I feel that cookies can make most things better, don’t you?
So, the recipe that I am sharing today relates to Alex in a big way. It is a recipe that he developed and allowed me to share with all of you. You see, every year after his last final exam for the summer we make kabobs for a celebratory meal. It kind of kicks off summer for him. He made up the marinade recipe for the beef and chicken a few years ago. It is so easy and adds just the right amount of flavor to the meat. I find that some marinades can be overwhelming and salty. This one is perfect!
You will need to purchase a nice beef roast. I usually use a chuck roast that has some fat marbled through it. Lean pieces of meat can be a bit tough when prepared this way because they do not cook very long at all. You will also need 1 ½ – 2 pounds of chicken breasts and a package of smoked sausage of your choice. I always use the Butterball turkey smoked sausage. I really like the mild flavor and it is slightly healthier. Although, who are we kidding? I am not into health food as a rule. Ha! The Pina Colada song just popped into my head. “Yes, I like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain. I´m not much into health food, I am into champagne.” I wonder how long that will replay in there?
You will also need some peppers, 2 green, 1 yellow, 1 orange and 1 red. Now, obviously, you do not have to follow that recommendation. Just make sure that you have 5 peppers total. You will need 2 medium onions. Alex normally uses red, but I would probably choose a sweet onion, myself. You should also have 1 package of cherry tomatoes and 1 pineapple. Some years we also add whole mushrooms. Just add whatever tickles your fancy and can withstand being skewered and grilled.
If you are using wooden skewers you will need to soak them in water for a couple of hours so that they don’t catch on fire. This recipe makes a lot of kabobs so make sure to soak plenty.
Cube the beef and chicken anywhere from 1 – 4 hours ahead of time and place in a large bowl. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large mixing cup or medium bowl and pour over the meats in the large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to grill. You can also do this in a large Ziploc bag.
About an hour before you want to eat your kabobs. Begin chopping your onions, peppers, sausage and pineapple into large chunks. If you go too small they will fall apart when the skewer goes through.
Heat your grill at this time too. You can use either gas or charcoal. We actually used both this year. Our grill happens to have both side-by-side. We can cook all the kabobs at one time if we use charcoal and gas. Gather all your chopped ingredients, the tomatoes, the marinated meats and whatever else you wish to skewer. Begin assembling your kabobs by skewering all your meats and veggies and fruit in varying order so that you don’t have 2 of the same item next to one another.
This is a messy business. You can drain the marinated meats to cut down on some drips but reserve the liquid for basting. Once you have all your kabobs assembled brush them with the reserved liquid.
Place the kabobs on your heated grill and cook, turning once, for 10 to 15 minutes or until the veggies are tender and the chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
Remove from the grill and serve. The kabobs have such a wonderful mixture of flavors and textures. Everyone is sure to enjoy this dish and it is such a fun meal. Break out the patio furniture and eat outside for a real treat.
Celebration Beef and Chicken Kabobs
These kabobs have such a wonderful mixture of flavors and textures. Everyone is sure to enjoy this dish and it is such a fun meal. Break out the patio furniture and eat outside for a real treat.
Ingredients
- For the kabobs:
- 3 lbs. beef roast
- 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts
- 5 bell peppers, a mixture of green, yellow, orange and red
- 2 red onions
- 1 lb. smoked sausage
- 1 whole pineapple
- 1 package of cherry or grape tomatoes
- For the marinade:
- 1 1/2 cup canola oil (or vegetable oil)
- 3/4 cup soy sauce (low sodium is preferable)
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbs. parsley flakes
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 cup red or white wine vinegar
- 1 - 2 Tbs. minced garlic (depending how garlicky you like things)
- 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
- 1/2 cup honey
Directions
- Step 1 Cube the beef and chicken 1 – 4 hours ahead of time and place in a large bowl.
- Step 2 Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large mixing cup or medium bowl and pour over the meats in the large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to grill. You can also do this in a large Ziploc bag.
- Step 3 About an hour before you want to eat your kabobs preheat your grill.
- Step 4 Then, begin chopping your onions, peppers, sausage and pineapple into large chunks.
- Step 5 Gather all your chopped ingredients, the tomatoes, the marinated meats and whatever else you wish to skewer. Begin assembling your kabobs by skewering all your meats and veggies and fruit in varying order so that you don’t have 2 of the same items next to one another.
- Step 6 Once you have all your kabobs assembled, brush them with the reserved liquid.
- Step 7 Place the kabobs on your heated grill and cook, turning once, for 10 to 15 minutes or until the veggies are tender and the chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
- Step 8 Remove from the grill and serve.
