Beef, Pepper, Mushroom, and Onion Kebabs

Really, the only part of this that's a "recipe" is the marinade, but feel free to substitute your favorite beef marinade. I used to always use metal skewers but ended up with a package of wooden ones somehow so I've been using those and it sure speeds up the cleanup! Soak wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes prior to using. I just fill the sink partway and put them in there when I start prepping the vegetables and meat.

You can marinade the beef for as little as an hour or as much as 24 hours. In fact, you could easily cube the meat, mix up the marinade, put it all in a freezer bag and freeze, making for easy kebabs some night later on.

2-3 pounds boneless beef (top sirloin, London broil, etc), cut in 1" to 1 1/2" cubes
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbs lemon juice
4 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
ground pepper to taste

onion
red, green, and/or yellow peppers
mushrooms

Marinade the meat from 1-24 hours. Thread the skewers with alternating meat and vegetables.
Grill until meat is done the way you like it, typically 9-12 minutes.

It's not always about food

In addition to loving to cook, I also love music and want to take a moment to plug my friend Greg Lamboy's new album. "Lift" is available at CDBaby, but if you're local to the SF Bay Area, you have the opportunity for a special treat. You can head over to his album release party at the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason this Sunday evening, July 1, a benefit for the Music In Schools program.

So if you need to get out of the kitchen and satisfy a musical appetite this weekend, head on over to Fort Mason Sunday evening.

Pasta with Chicken and Artichoke Sauce

My neighbors returned from Italy with a package of pasta and some good olive oil for me. What a treat! I used them both in this recipe.

2 Tbs olive oil
1 pound chicken breasts or tenders, cut in bite sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 15-oz can artichoke quarters, rinsed, drained, and chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped or a few Tbs of dried
12 ounces corkscrew or similarly-shaped pasta

Cook the pasta according to directions.

Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Add the chicken and cook 2-3 minutes, until browned. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add wine, salt, pepper, and artichokes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook about 5-8 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. The sauce will thicken a bit as it cooks.

Turn the heat off and stir in the cheese and basil. Serve over the cooked pasta or toss it all together if you'd rather.

Succotash

This is one of those dishes I've seen mentioned for years but just never thought to try it. My kids looked at it and said "lima beans? Hmmm...." Then they tasted it and said "This is actually good!" I halved the original recipe because I didn't want leftovers just in case we didn't like it, but it's easier to make the whole recipe if you buy 10 ounce frozen packages of corn and lima beans.

1 10-ounce package frozen lima beans
1 10-ounce package frozen corn kernels
1 green onion, chopped (optional)
1 Tbs butter
salt and pepper to taste

Bring 3/4 cup of water to boil in a saucepan. Add the lima beans and corn, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or so, until the vegetables are tender.

Drain the corn and lima beans and put in a bowl. Add the green onion, butter, salt, and pepper and mix well. I left the green onion out of my kids' servings but liked it in my own.

Pork Chops with Cream Gravy

These were easy and good. I haven't made gravy this way before but it came out delicious so I'll definitely do it again. This came from an old Cooking Light magazine. It tastes richer than it is. The only thing particularly "light" about it was the idea of spraying the skillet first, rather than relying on more butter.

1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp each salt, pepper, marjoram, sage, and thyme
4 boneless pork chops, about 3/4" thick (or cook way less for the thin ones)
1 Tbs butter
1 1/2 cups milk

Mix the flour, salt, pepper, marjoram, sage, and thyme together in a shallow pie pan or other shallow dish.

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray, then melt the butter in it over medium high. Dredge both sides of the pork chops in the flour mixture. SAVE the leftover flour mixture. You'll use it for the gravy.

Brown the pork chops about 2-3 minutes on each side, then reduce the heat and cook another 5-6 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Remove the chops from the pan and keep warm.

Combine the leftover flour mix with the milk and whisk together, then add to the pan. Cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 2 minutes, stirring, until thickened.

I served this with mashed potatoes and succotash, which was also a hit.

Shrimp and Pasta with Red Peppers and Peas

Last night was one of those nights where I started with one idea and for various reasons it morphed into something else entirely. First, I was going to make shrimp kebobs with mushrooms and peppers and a mango dipping sauce that I saw in an old Cooking Light book. I had the shrimp out to thaw but circumstances conspired such that I never made it to the store for mushrooms or mango chutney that I needed. I would have normally just gone ahead and made up something else but was somehow not in the mood to stand there skewering shrimp anyway.

My sister had sent me a recipe a long time ago for shrimp and pasta that called for a packet of Knorr's Newburg sauce, which I could never find at the store. I thought perhaps I could adapt it a bit though. I saw something that sounded good in the same Cooking Light book and started down that trail. The directions were unclear however. It had you cooking the pasta and shrimp in 1 cup of water and 2 cups of chicken broth and then draining it or perhaps mixing that broth with the white sauce base... I switched gears moderately again and ended up with this, an Alfredo like sauce with shrimp, red peppers, and snap peas. It was pretty to look at and delicious!

2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
1/2 cup half and half
1 1/2 cups milk
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
2-3 Tbs Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste
a dash of Worcestershire
a dash of Tabasco
1 red pepper, cut in 1/2" strips
a cup of snap or snow peas (in the pod)
1 pound shrimp
1/2 - 3/4 pound pasta

Put a big pot of water on to boil for your pasta.

Put a smaller pot of water on to boil for your shrimp and vegetables. Since I had the idea of cooking the shrimp in chicken broth I added a bit of chicken bouillon to my water for flavor.

Melt the butter and stir in the flour. Cook a minute or two stirring constantly. Slowly add the milk and cream, stirring to incorporate so you don't get lumps. Bring to a low simmer, stirring a lot, then cook a few minutes to thicken. Stir in the garlic, Parmesan, salt, pepper, Worcestershire, and Tabasco. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and keep warm until everything else is ready. Stir now and then.

Cook the pasta in your big pot and add the shrimp and vegetables to the smaller pot. You could, I realize, probably cook this all together in one pot if you timed it good so that everything was done at the same time. Cook the shrimp and vegetables just until the shrimp is done, about 3-4 minutes. Drain (and drain the pasta when done too, of course).

Mix the shrimp and vegetables with the sauce and serve over pasta.

Creamed Chicken on Rice

Sometimes you just want comfort food. And easy comfort food is the best! I'd roasted a chicken the other night and had leftovers, of course. The next day was hectic and we needed an easy dinner that everyone likes, something soothing and warm. I pulled all the chicken off the carcass and chopped it up to make creamed chicken. In the past, I've served this over toast, biscuits, rice, cornbread, or noodles. I opted for plain rice last night and it hit the spot for us all. Had I had some frozen peas I would have added them with the chicken, but I opted for steamed snap peas instead.

1/4 cup butter
1/2 an onion, diced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 Tbs parsley

Heat the butter in a saucepan until melted. Add the onion and cook 4-5 minutes, until softened. Sprinkle the flour in and stir until incorporated, then cook a few minutes, stirring. Add the broth and milk slowly, stirring to mix in each addition so the mixture doesn't get lumpy. Bring to a simmer and cook a few minutes, until thickened. Taste and add the salt and pepper, then add the chicken and parsley. Heat through and serve over toast, noodles, rice, or whatever suits your fancy.