The Flavors of Summer

So, the fourth has come and went. Hope everyone had a fun and safe time. I know I did. It was a small celebration. Just us, my Dad, my brother and his girlfriend whom I had never met before. She came with a wonderful cake with the strawberries and blueberries made out to be the American Flag. I thought that was great. Either she's really sweet and thoughtful or she is one of the very few that reads my blog and knew that I would be impressed by food. Homemade food and the effort that goes into it. Doesn't matter. I'm impressed either way.

I made my kabobs. Two different kinds. A beef one and a chicken one. I started out by making the marinades. Took two bowls and went to work.

In the first bowl, it was very simple. So simple, it's ridiculous. Are you ready for this? A bottle of Teriyaki. A small can of pineapple juice. Lots of garlic.
That's it. That's the marinade for the beef.


I whisked it up, cubed up some thin beef steaks, and let it all meld together. The smell of that pineapple juice is just so...summery. But not as summery as the marinade for the chicken.

In the second bowl, I started off with sweet, golden honey.


And then the juice of two limes. Limes. Mmmmm...the scent of limes scream summer to me.

It's so sweet and citrusy.


So green and fresh.

But it doesn't say summer as much as this wonderful herb:

Cilantro.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my cilantro in marinades, salsas, and guacamole.

I love that fresh, almost peppery scent. It has a small bite to the scent, enticing your nose. Teasing you. It's awesome.

Chop some cilantro up and throw it in the marinade. And some garlic. Some ginger. Then whisk it while drizzling in some Olive Oil to make everything come together. Then mix it with the chicken pieces (I bought chicken tenders and cut them into thirds). Let it sit along with the beef bowl. Let them sit. And sit. And mingle with their own flavors.

After awhile, it's time to skewer them. If you are using wood skewers, don't forget to soak them first.


With the beef, I used Pineapple chunks. That's it. Beef. Pineapple. Beef Pineapple.




With the chicken, I used Green Bell Peppers and Onions. Onion. Chicken. Pepper. Onion. Chicken. Pepper.

Then on the grill they went. Awesome!!

Now...I know I said pineapple was a fantastic summer scent. And lime. And cilantro. Love that cilantro. But the number one summer scent has to be this:

Do you know what that is? It's coconut milk. I absolutely love the flavor of coconut and the smell of it.

The kabobs are already on the grill, you say? Where can I be going with coconut milk? Perhaps a tropical drink? No...my drink of this summer is something called Memphis Tea.

The coconut milk gets whisked with this:


A couple of heaping tablespoons of Peanut Butter. Then I drizzle some of that gorgeous golden honey.

A pinch of kosher salt. (It's ALWAYS kosher salt!!) Whisk it all together and ta-da!! I have a wonderful dipping sauce to serve on the side of the chicken kabobs. Just put in a spoon and let people drizzle that sauce over the chicken. The coconut, peanut, lime, ginger, cilantro all together with the peppers and onions nestled around each bite of chicken. It's a summertime heaven.

I'm sorry to say that at some point of all the cooking, I let the Memphis Tea get the better of me and picture taking was forgotten. Oops. Hey, it was Independence Day!! So, I don't have a final picture of the finished product. And I don't have a picture of the coconut/peanut/honey all mixed together and drizzled on the chicken.

And no, I don't have a picture of my Memphis Tea either. But I will tell you what's in it:
Ice
Jack Daniels
just a splash of Coke
Fill the rest with Ice Tea
A twist of Lime

Thanks to an episode of Down Home with the Neelys, that's my drink for this summer. It's so refreshing and goes down way to easily.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer as much as I am.