Heinz 57 Kabobs, Darn Good Baked Beans, Meatball Appy & Labor Day Weekend...

I'm guessing there will be a few BBQ's this weekend and folks might be looking for a little inspiration... May I suggest these Heinz 57 Chicken Shish-Ka-Bobs:@) Easy and very tasty, and if you're not inclined to skewer the kabobs, simply grill up some chicken breast and slather it with the sauce. Good stuff folks:@)

And one of my favorite side dishes are these Darn Good Baked Beans with Bacon and Brown Sugar. This is a very nice recipe that starts with three types of canned beans, and will appeal to most folks in the crowd.

Bringing the appetizer? These Three Ingredient Hawaiian Meatballs couldn't be easier. Heat in slow cooker, microwave, or in a disposable pan on the grill.

Whatever you are doing this Labor Day Weekend, whether firing up the grill (free apron pattern here), or going out to eat... 

We here at Pig In Mud hope you have a swimmingly good time:@)

Dollar Tree pool and outdoor table set.

🌞Have a great weekend:@)

Garlic and Thyme Marinade for Beef & Broiler Grilling

I couldn't wait to do some grilling out and decided to treat myself to shish-ka-bobs... The thyme in the raised bed was beautiful and in need of a little trimming, so I tried this Garlic & Thyme Marinade for Beef. This is a good one folks, although it will be thick, so be sure to massage it into all of the meat:@) I could taste every ingredient, and it was nice to use my home grown thyme. Please give yourself lots of time for marinating, the longer the better for a big burst of flavor, even when meat is cut to kabob size. Did I fire up the grill? Unfortunately Mother Nature literally rained on my parade and added in gusting winds as an explanation point. So the cooking method was on to Plan B... 

As for broiler grilling, it works well, but we do need to be prepared for some smoke in the house. I heated the broiler to 525 degrees and placed the rack into the highest position (as close to the broiler as possible). My kabobs went onto a heavy duty sheet pan. I would loosely use these times: About 3 minutes each turn, turning the kabobs three times for rare. About 3 minutes each turn, turning the kabobs about four times for medium/well. My best tip: You might want to have a piece of meat on the pointed end of a few kabobs to easily pull off to check for desired doneness.

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Garlic & Thyme Marinade for Beef-from Beef It's What's for Dinner

1/4 C olive oil

3 Tblsp red wine vinegar

3 Tblsp chopped fresh thyme -or- 1 Tblsp dried thyme

2 Tblsp sweet or smoked paprika

3 tsp minced fresh garlic

1/4 tsp ground red(?) pepper-I used black pepper

1. Add marinade ingredients to zip top bag.
2. Salt and pepper your beef, add it to bag. 
3. Marinate for at least 6 hours in refrigerator, turning occasionally, you can marinate overnight. 
4. Grill as desired.

Eat well and Have a Happy Day:@)

Garden Trash to Treasure, Grilled Chinese Food & Barbie...

I've mentioned before that sometimes I find a real treasure at the curb on trash day:@) I've been looking for a picnic table bench to place behind the raised bed garden to hold a couple pots of string beans. Well, I almost put my foot through the floor of my car hitting the brake when I saw this gem in the trash! Even better than wood, it mimics my cement table and benches on the patio. It's a very sturdy resin type material and a good weight, but manageable so I could put it in my trunk myself. Pulled into the driveway and got it situated in it's new home...

My before pic, temporary set-up:

Ugly but functional...

I like the new look much better💗

If you're anything like me you've been itching to fire up the grill and enjoy a little time outside... May I suggest this Grilled Chinese Food recipe. The marinade is very good and would work well with chicken, pork, or beef. I'm not a big seafood person, but have a feeling it would be good with salmon too? I did give it my darn good label, and you could make shish-ka-bobs or just toss everything right into a screaming hot grill pan. Good stuff folks:@)

Yep, I'd say ~everyone~ is ready for a BBQ...

What I did for Barbie Ham Steak from Clay:

1. Shape clay into an oval, but have it big enough to cover what was printed on the grill grates by Mattel.
2. Added a mini white pony bead to mimic the bone.
3. Scored some grill lines across it and let the clay dry out.
4. Added a little white paint to look like fat...
5. And used a Sharpie for the grill marks-Barbie says dinner is served!

🌞Have a Great Weekend:@)

Grilled Italian Sausage, Peppers & Onions Shish-Kabobs

I think we're all familiar with sausage, peppers and onions sandwiches (especially if you're in the mid Atlantic area:@) These Grilled Italian Sausage, Peppers & Onions Shish-Kabobs turned out to be a special treat over the 4th of July weekend, and saved a few calories sans the rolls... If you're looking for a fun theme'd party idea this summer, may I suggest a shish-kabob grill out. The idea would be for guests to come up with as many variations as possible, and I'll list some I've made in the past below. 

The only thing I'd like to mention is,

there's a big difference between grilling kielbasa and grilling Italian sausage...

The sausage is raw, it needs a little more time to cook through.

I suggest thinner slices and a ~lower~ heat for these kabobs,

this allows the meat to cook and the veggies don't burn.

You know you want some:@)

What's the red sauce?

Crystals hot sauce:@)

Yep, my son and I love hot sauce on our sausage and peppers!

More Ideas:

Honey Mustard Chicken with Lemon and Rosemary

Teriyaki Beef Kabobs with Pineapple (homemade teriyaki recipe here)

Kielbasa with BBQ Sauce

Ham and Peach Kabobs

You can find my Shish-KaBob Pinterest Board here.

Grilled Italian Sausage and Peppers Kabobs

1 lb coil of Italian Sausage, frozen and cut into 1/2"-ish circles.

4-6 Green, Red, Yellow, Orange, etc, bell peppers, 1" squares

large onion (sweet onion would be ideal), 1" squares

Italian salad dressing, to coat kabobs, and then for basting

Hot sauce-optional

Grated parmesan cheese-optional

1. While grill heats up to high, alternately spear sausage and vegetables. Douse with Italian dressing.
2. Turn grill to ~low~.
3. Add kabobs, lower hood, turn frequently allowing meat to slowly cook, baste occasionally with dressing. Keep checking for doneness, plan on about 20-30 minutes. But you'll need to be sure it's cooked through.
4. Serve as is, or over rice, or noodles, or on a roll, or with hot sauce or parm if desired.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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ReView: Grilling Season! Heinz 57 Kabobs & Trash to Treasure Barbie Ideas

Are you ready for spring? Oh my, I can't wait for nicer weather and to fire up the grill! This year I want to play with charcoal a little more, anyone remember Bella??? If you're looking for a super simple, yet ~very~ flavorful meal, may I suggest these Heinz 57 Chicken Kabobs. The recipe is straight off the back of the bottle, and you don't have to turn them into kabobs if you'd rather just grill the breasts. Really good stuff folks:@)

I love turning things that might get thrown out into cute little items for Barbie play... Here are two ideas for the stoppers that come in tubes of Easter candy, Peeps Holiday Decoration and Bunny Ears:

Simply cut the bottom of the stoppers straight across.

~Make something just for fun and have a happy weekend:@)

Basil Steak Marinade

My son recently contributed a nice steak for our Sunday dinner and I told him I'd make some shish-ka-bobs with it. So the search for a good marinade began... Now, I try to stay away from big proclamations here on the blog for the simple reason that everyone's tastes are different. Case in point: I landed upon a recipe called The Best Steak Marinade in Existence. Of course we just had to try it:@) Did we agree with the bold title? Ah, no. ~But~ this, I'll call it, Basil Steak Marinade is quite tasty and a nice variation from the usual flavor profiles for beef. We found basil the primary flavor, it was different and good. I do suggest letting the meat marinate for as long as you can, at least overnight.

The recipe didn't say approximately how much meat this was for, I'm guessing 2 lbs? 

I made half for 1 lb of steak, that was fine.

I did cube my meat before adding it to the marinade and left it in the fridge for 7 hours.

Fun tip from a competition grill master:

He never places meat directly onto a plate or cutting board for the resting period, uses a rack. 

He says the meat steams and the juices run out and puddle onto the plate.

I picked up a vintage Corning Ware Grill Plate at the thrift store for a couple dollars, 

it's hard to see the ridged plate in the pic above, but it works great:@)

Basil Steak Marinade-from All Recipes

1/2 C olive oil

1/3 C soy sauce

1/3 C fresh lemon juice

1/4 C Worcestershire sauce

3 Tblsp dried basil

1 1/2 Tblsp garlic powder

1 1/2 Tblsp dried parsley

1 tsp ground white pepper-I used black pepper, a nice coarse grind would be best

1. Mix everything, the gentleman put it in a blender, I just used a zip top bag and mixed it with my hands.
2. Add meat and place in fridge for up to 8 hours, preferably longer, give it a squish and turn every once in a while.
3. Cook meat as desired.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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Saturday ReView: Swing Top for Barbie & Ham and Peach Shish-Ka-Bobs

I'm lovin' this super easy, really cute swing top for Barbie! This is another project that comes together in minutes and would be great for a girl's birthday party or sleepover. The key is to use a nice old t-shirt that's well worn, really soft, and drapes easily. It gets dressed up with some bling from diamond mesh ribbon, and the cherry on top... This is a no-sew craft.

I found the diamond mesh ribbon at Dollar Tree. You can get it in three or five row width, I think three rows is best for this top.

Swing Top Supplies: soft knit fabric, diamond mesh ribbon, velcro, glue.

Directions:

1. Save pattern to your computer, use the scroll button on your mouse to make the line equal 1". Print or gently trace the pattern onto paper and cut out.
2. Cut one piece from soft knit fabric.
3. Cut approx 5" strip of diamond mesh (24 rows long).
4. Glue diamond mesh onto the straight top of the fabric. The glue I used to hold the diamond mesh to the fabric was Aleene's Fabric Fusion. It worked very well!
5. Glue small piece of velcro to the back to close the top. Hot glue works best for attaching the velcro (unless you want to sew it on).
6. Tip: If planning a group craft project, it's always best for you to make a test shirt ahead of time.

A quick pic of the back.

And the side... 

I have another no-sew diamond mesh top tutorial HERE.

Barbie says: A girl can never have too many cute tops😉

And the ten day forecast says it looks like temps are cooling down into the 80's here in Philly, and I for one, am grateful! It has been a little ~steamy~ here for a long time. So, what do nicer temps mean? Grilling! If you've never added some peaches to your kababs before, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised folks, they are perfect with ham, and ham on the grill is a beautiful thing too:@) HERE.

Have a great weekend everyone:@)

Lemon Lime Soda and Soy Sauce Marinade for Grilled Chicken

This Lemon Lime Soda and Soy Sauce Marinade is another recipe that was written up for shish-ka-bobs... But the zucchini was really sad looking at the store so I just used peppers and tossed everything into a grill basket instead. Now, is this the most robustly flavored marinade on my blog? Honestly no, ~but~ it does make a nice mildly flavored chicken, and it's an easy marinade that only calls for three pantry ingredients. That makes it a good recipe to tuck away, especially if you have a little soda left over to use up:@)

Low carb lifestyle? Use sugar free soda.

Posts with my marinade label can be found here.

Lemon Lime Soda and Soy Sauce Marinated Grilled Chicken-from Taste of Home
3/4 C lemon/lime soda
1/2 C soy sauce-they suggest low sodium, I used regular
1/2 Canola oil-I used vegetable oil

1. Mix everything, marinate chicken for 8 hours or overnight. Mine marinated for 24 hours.
2. Grill as desired.

Let's fire up the grill and have a happy day:@)

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Grilled Chinese Take Out -Chicken or Pork and Broccoli

When I saw this Chinese Take Out on a Stick recipe it was written up as shish-ka-bobs, and I do love me some kabobs:@) This marinade is very-very-very good, if you like an oriental flavor profile you'll enjoy trying this recipe. But... I suggest not bothering to make kabobs, toss this lovely little meal right into a hot grill pan and you will be happy! (The broccoli will be happier too.) And if you'd like to, toss some pineapple in there,  and it's very rare that I grill out and don't add some onion too. Use chicken or pork, both work perfectly with this marinade. Add this one to your list of things to try folks, I think you'll like it. As a matter of fact, if we ~ever~ can have Sunday dinners again, this is the first meal I'd like to make for my family.

 

 The picture above is pork made in a grill pan, the pic below is chicken shish-ka-bobs:@)

Grilled Chinese Chicken or Pork and Broccoli-from Taste of Home
3 Tblsp soy sauce
3 Tblsp sesame oil
4 tsp brown sugar
4 tsp minced fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes-I just added a few hearty shakes
1 lb chicken breast cut into 1" cubes
3 C broccoli florets
Onion-optional, my addition
Pineapple-optional, my addition
Serve with rice.

1. Mix first six ingredients in large bowl. Reserve 3 Tblsp for basting.
2. Add chicken to bowl, toss to coat. I like to let the meat marinate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Alternately skewer the chicken and broccoli-if making kabobs.
4. Grill on medium heat for approximately 10 minutes, or until chicken is done. Turn and baste occasionally with reserved marinade.
5. Alternately if using grill pan: Let the chicken marinate, before grilling add the broccoli, onion and pineapple, mix well. Toss into hot grill pan, stir occasionally and drizzle reserved marinade over everything during last couple minutes of cooking.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Heinz 57 Chicken, Zucchini and Pepper Shish-Kabobs

I love it when I'm looking for a little inspiration and something at the store jumps right out at me:@) These Heinz 57 Chicken, Zucchini and Pepper Ka-Bobs were adapted from a recipe on the back of the bottle called 57 Glazed Chicken. They are tangy, extremely flavorful, and the taste of this steak sauce is truly different than BBQ sauce, this might just become a new family favorite for grilling season! It would probably be really good with pork too.

I aimed for brushing the sauce on only the chicken but have to say...

It's pretty darn good on anything it touched, and you ~do~ want to make sure it touches the onion:@)

The recipe on the bottle of Heinz 57 I bought at Dollar Tree:

Heinz 57 Chicken, Zucchini and Pepper Shish-K-Bobs

1. As grill heats up:
2. Cut chicken, peppers and onions into 1" chunks. I cut the zucchini into 1/2" thick slices then cut them in half.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with lemon pepper seasoning, mix well.
4. Thread chicken and veggies onto skewers.
5. Oil grate and grill over medium high heat for 4-6 minutes. 
6. While kabobs are cooking mix 5 oz bottle Heinz 57 with 2 Tblsp honey. They suggest setting half aside to serve with meal, I just brushed it on the kabobs.
7. Flip kabobs, grill for a couple more minutes, then liberally cover meat (and veggies if desired) with sauce. Cook until chicken is done.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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Adobo Chicken Kabobs with Colossal Spanish Olives

Grilled olives? Yep, and on hot summer days the huge meaty ones are salty, a little tangy, refreshing and very filling:@) These Adobo Chicken Shish-Ka-Bobs with Colossal Spanish Olives are another quick grilling idea for when you don't have time to let the meat marinate. They'd also cook up quickly on a George Foreman grill, saving the time waiting for a charcoal or gas grill to heat up. Add any veggies you'd like, but the standard three ~onion, peppers and zucchini~ work well with the adobo spices.

 And while we're talking about saving time... 

They don't have to be threaded on skewers for shish-ka-bobs either,
you could heat up a large grill basket and just toss everything into that. 

The Adobo Seasoning I used, I was tickled to find it at Dollar Tree:

Adobo Chicken Kabobs with Colossal Spanish Olives

1. Cut chicken and vegetables into 1" chunks.
2. Add everything except olives to bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with Adobo Seasoning.
3. Alternately skewer chicken, veggies and olives. Add an extra sprinkle of Adobo seasoning to the meat.
4. Grill with lid closed, over medium/high heat approximately 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, turning skewers a couple times. 
5. Serve with additional Adobo seasoning in lieu of salt and pepper.

Fire up the grill of your choice and have a happy day:@)

BBQ Kielbasa or Smoked Sausage Kabobs with Sweet Potatoes

Here's a nice little twist for the grill, BBQ Kielbasa or Smoked Sausage Shish-Kabobs with Sweet Potatoes, and squash, peppers and onions. If you haven't cooked a kielbasa type sausage on the grill before folks, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I always have smoked turkey sausage in the freezer, it's a nice easy go-to. It's also ~really~ good with barbecue sauce, and I suggest placing the sweet potatoes next to the meat and brushing them with the sauce too. Actually... There isn't anything on the skewer a little Sweet Baby Rays wouldn't make extra happy and tasty:@)

I like to peel and slice the sweet potato and then add it to a steamer basket over boiling water for about 7 minutes.
Then the steamer basket of squash goes into the fridge to cool off completely.
That way it's mostly cooked yet still firm enough to be skewered and grilled. 

I used jalapeno, any green pepper you'd like or have would add great flavor and color.

BBQ Kielbasa/Smoked Sausage Kabobs with Sweet Potatoes
Kielbasa or smoked sausage cut into 1/2-1" slices-I like smoked turkey sausage
Thin sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced into 1/2" slices, steamed for 7 minutes and cooled in fridge
Onion, 1" chunks
Red bell pepper, 1" chunks
Green pepper of choice, 1" chunks
Thin summer squash, 1/2" slices
Olive oil
Your favorite seasoned salt-I used my The 'One' BBQ Rub HERE
Your favorite BBQ Sauce-We're fond of Sweet Baby Ray's

1. Place everything in a big bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
2. Sprinkle liberal amount of your favorite seasoned salt (or rub) and mix well.
3. Skewer everything and grill over medium/high heat for about 4 minutes a side (think of it as having 4 sides). 
4. After the second turn brush the meat (or everything) with BBQ sauce. Cook for the last couple turns basting with sauce as desired.

Try something new on the grill and have a happy day:@)

The "One" BBQ Rub for Any Meat (or anything grilled)

I'm calling this BBQ Rub The "One" because all you have to remember is... The ratio = one. If you only need enough for a 1 lb pork roast, only mix 1/2 tsp of everything. Want to mix up a nice big batch to store in a mason jar and have on hand, mix 1/4 C (or more) of everything. As for the flavor, what makes this a little different is my favorite Lemon Pepper Seasoning from Walmart and I purposely didn't add any sugar. I've made it with smoked paprika and regular paprika, each adds a slightly different flavor but both are good-smoked paprika is my preference.

My goal this summer is to play with the grill (and my grill toys) a little more.
I used this rub on my first rotisserie 1 1/4 lb pork roast, took about 40 minutes to cook-indirect heat, it was ~very~ good:@)

I've also sprinkled the rub on chicken breasts cooked on the George Foreman Grill, I really enjoyed them too:@)

Update: I just added some to small zucchini from the planter, quick sauteed in olive oil...
Not bad either!

Don't hesitate to give this simple rub a try folks, I think you'll like it.

The "One" BBQ Rub for Any Meat
Ratio = Use as much, or as little, in equal amounts of:
Lemon Pepper Seasoning-your favorite, I love the Walmart Brand
Lawry's Original Seasoned Salt
Garlic powder
Onion Powder
Paprika, either smoked or plain, each has a slightly different taste
~Mix well and rub on, or sprinkle over, meat. Let sit for a bit, grill as desired.

Let's fire up the grill of your choice and have a happy day:@)

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*Houston*... We have zucchini!

My planters are starting to grow and the first zucchini are getting big! Sounds like Shish-Ka-Bob season is about to start:@)

Goldbar Squash, aka Yellow Zucchini

From Specialty Produce: Gold Bar squash is a long, slim summer squash aptly named for its bright, golden yellow skin. Its exterior is shiny and smooth, oftentimes with subtle pale yellow striping running the length of the squash. The ends of the squash are capped with bright green at both its blossom end and stem. Its interior flesh is creamy white with a firm yet succulent texture and moist seed cavity. Its thin skin is tender and need not be removed prior to consumption particularly since most of the squash's nutrients are located in it. Its flavor is nutty, grassy and subtly sweet both when raw and when cooked. 

Happy Weekend Everyone:@)

Quick -No Marinate- Huli Huli Chicken Shish-Kabobs

These Quick Huli Huli Chicken Kabobs are a great idea for when you don't have time to let your chicken marinate before grilling. What adds instant big flavor is finely grating the ginger and garlic, another great tip is to reserve some of the sauce to brush onto the serving platter before removing the kabobs from the grill. Don't hesitate to try this sweet and salty meal folks, you just might end up adding it to your grilling rotation!

 The recipe below is easily enough for 2-3 chicken breasts. 

Quick Huli Huli Chicken Kabobs
3 Tblsp ketchup
3 Tblsp soy sauce
1 packed tsp finely grated ginger root
1/2 tsp finely grated fresh garlic
1/4 C brown sugar
Chicken cut into 1" cubes
Bell peppers, any color, 1" dice
Sweet onion, 1" dice
Pineapple-optional but recommended
Olive oil
S&P

1. Heat grill.
2. Mix ketchup, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and brown sugar, set aside. When ready to grill reserve a Tblsp or so of sauce for serving.
3. Drizzle olive oil over chicken and veggies, sprinkle lightly with S&P, mix well.
4. Alternately sewer chicken and veggies.
5. Add skewers to hot grill, turn every couple minutes as the chicken gets a light sear. 
6. When all four sides have been lightly grilled, start brushing the top of the chicken pieces with the sauce. Keep turning the skewers to allow the glaze to caramelize and bake onto the chicken.
7. Brush platter with reserved sauce, remove kabobs from grill and serve.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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Polynesian Kabobs with Turkey Breakfast Sausage and Water Chestnuts-Outdoor or George Foreman Grill

I love finding recipes calling for unusual ingredients...  Breakfast sausage on a shish-ka-bob? If you're looking for something really different, don't hesitate to toss some of these Polynesian Kabobs on the grill! I used my George Foreman and that worked great. Because I was cooking for myself... I added some onion and jalapeno to the skewers:@) It's the addition of freshly grated nutmeg to the basting sauce that really makes these kabobs special folks.

I knew I had a can of water chestnuts, but they were sliced instead of whole... Whole would be best. Jimmy Dean Sausage and pineapple can even be found at Dollar Tree.

Leftovers? Serve over rice and call it lunch!

Polynesian Kabobs-from Taste of Home

8 oz can unsweetened pineapple chunks

14 oz turkey breakfast sausage links, thawed and cut in half

8 oz whole water chestnuts, drained well

large red bell pepper, cut into 1" chunks

2 Tblsp honey

2 tsp soy sauce

1/8 tsp nutmeg-freshly ground would be ideal

dash of pepper

1. Alternately thread sausage, veggies and pineapple onto skewers.
2. Mix honey, soy sauce, nutmeg and pepper in small bowl.
3. Grill over medium heat 6-8 minutes on each side or until sausage browns up. Baste with sauce while grilling. *If using George Foreman Grill, turn and move skewers from back to front every couple minutes.

Fire up the grill of your choice and have a happy day:@)

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Curried Pork and Orange Kabobs -George Foreman or Outdoor Grill

I saved this recipe for Curried Pork and Orange Kabobs as soon as I saw that they added chunks of orange to the skewers, loved that different idea! While it calls for a naval orange I used a clementine... Why? Say it with me now... Because that's what I had on hand-right. The directions really don't say what we're supposed to do with the orange once it's cooked, so I tried it three ways: I ate it whole with a piece of meat and that was good. I took a bite of the flesh of orange with some meat and that was messy but very good. And finally, I squeezed the orange juice over the meat and discarded the rest, that was very good too. This would be a fun recipe if you have an abundance of nice big colorful peppers:@)

I used my George Foreman Grill and that worked out fine. Substituting chicken for the pork would be a nice idea too. 

Leftovers? Serve over rice, just squeeze the OJ over everything. Or, wrap in a tortilla with a little sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Curried Pork and Orange Kabobs-from Taste of Home

1/2 C canola oil

2 Tblsp minced dry onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1-2 Tblsp curry powder-I used 1 1/2

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp coriander powder-I didn't have this

1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut into 1" chunkss-I had boneless pork chops

1 large sweet red pepper, cut into 1" pieces

1 large orange or yellow sweet pepper, cut into 1" pieces

1 small onion, cut into 1" pieces

1 naval orange, cut into 1" chuncks

1. Mix oil, onion, garlic and spices in bowl, reserve half for basting later.
2. Add meat, veggies and orange to oil mixture, let sit for a few minutes, then thread onto skewers.
3. Grill kabobs, covered, over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through. Basting frequently with reserved oil mixture during the last 4 minutes of grilling.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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Lemon Dijon Chicken, Diabetes Friendly-George Foreman Grill

This Lemon Dijon Chicken has a lot of big flavor for such a quick soak in the marinade! I loved the tangy lemon and dill is always a winner here. This cooks up very quickly and would be great for dinner or a perky addition to a winter salad. Don't hesitate to give the recipe a try folks, and if you don't have a grill they can be made under the broiler.

The recipe called for skewering the meat and just brushing it with the sauce. (Honestly, no skewering is necessary if using an indoor grill.)

I chose to cut the breasts about 1/4" thick and soak the meat in the marinade while the grill heated up. Then I skewered the meat and gave it one final brushing of marinade before placing on the grill.

These were cooked on a George Foreman Grill, I took them off the skewers for pics...

and to nibble on, I was hungry:@)

Lemon Dijon Chicken-from Everyday Diabetic Recipes
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
2 Tblsp Dijon mustard
1 Tblsp canola oil-I forgot this
2 tsp chopped fresh dill or 1/4 tsp dry dill weed
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
24 (10") skewers

1. Mix first seven ingredients in bowl large enough to hold the chicken.
2. Add chicken to bowl and completely cover chicken with marinade.
3. Plug in George Foreman Grill, allow to heat for at least a full five minutes.
4. Skewer chicken (or simply place chicken on grill), grill until chicken is cooked through, approximately 2-4 minutes.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Mustard, Brown Sugar and Allspice-George Foreman or Outdoor Grill

This Mustard, Brown Sugar and Allspice Chicken is a great idea for when you don't have a lot of time to let the meat marinate for hours. I also liked that some of the sauce gets set aside to be used as a dipping sauce. The original recipe called for chicken thighs, I opted for boneless breast added to shish-ka-bobs. It was way too windy to do any outdoor grilling so I fired up the George Foreman Grill and it did a nice job. This was a tasty little dinner folks and the sauce would be great with pork or ham too.

Since I used cubed chicken breast I gave it a quick 15 minute soak in a brine while I cut up my veggies, pat it dry before adding to sauce.
Brine: 2 C water, 2 Tblsp kosher salt, 1 Tblsp sugar.

This is another simple kabob idea that would be great with pineapple and more onion... Lot's more onion:@)

Brown Sugar and Allspice Chicken-from Taste and Tell
1/2 C prepared yellow mustard
1/3 C packed brown sugar-I had dark brown, light would be a little prettier
1/2 tsp ground allspice
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs-approx 2lbs

1. Mix sauce in bowl, reserve 1/4 C of the sauce. 
2. Add chicken, mix well to coat with sauce.
3. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 6-8 minutes per side or until the chicken is cooked through.
4. Serve with the dipping sauce.
5. For kabobs: Simply alternate chicken and veggies/fruit of your choice on skewers. My veggies were given a light coating of olive oil, S&P. Even though the chicken was coated with sauce I gave it one final brushing while on the grill.

Fire up the grill of your choice and have a happy day:@)