meat pack

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary.  I am very blessed to have met the person that I will spend the rest of my life with, and we both cherish the time we've spent together.

Since we went on our honeymoon around this time of year, for the longest time, we've always felt that NOW is the best the time to pack and get ready to travel.  We travelled Italy, France & Spain after our wedding, and the fall season in Europe is so beautiful...the temperature is still warm but not unbearably hot, and the crowds of kids are back at school.  For the first few years of our marriage, we always travelled at this time of year, I guess more as a default as it was when we had our honeymoon, but we couldn't ask for better weather.  Perfect for exploring or just relaxing and enjoying the sights and culture.

Now with kids, we're now unpacking after a summer filled with beaches, pools and lazing around, and preparing to pack school backpacks and lunches.   Part of me still wants to travel right now, and the urge to repack our clothes and hop on a plane to Europe is fierce.

Well, Europe will have to wait...for now.  I've always dreamed of taking the kids to see Europe, so maybe it's something we can incorporate with our summer travel plans next year? (fingers crossed)

In the meantime, we'll just have to suffice with packing our BBQ with the glorious flavours of what is remaining of THIS summer.

Meat Medley Kebabs

(serves approx. 6 people)

Chicken (Souvlaki style)

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed in 1" cubes
• Red onions, sliced in large slices

Marinade: 

• 1 lemon juiced, approx 3 tbsp
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed or chopped
• 1 onion, sliced.

Mix marinade in non reactive bowl (glass) and toss with chicken.  Marinade at least 3 hours or overnight.  Grill on lightly oiled grate on medium high heat for about 10-15 minutes or until desired doneness.

Pork (grilled apple style)

• 2 pounds of boneless sirloin pork chops (already in strips at Whole Foods, just cut into 1" cubes).
• 6 apples, peeled, cored and cut into bite sized chunks

Marinade:

• 1/4 or small onion, sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped or crushed
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary (or 2 tbsp. fresh)
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 1/4 tsp.  nutmeg
• pinch of cloves
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Mix marinade in glass bowl and marinade pork or 1 hour at room temp or 3 hours in the fridge. Add pork, alternating with apple chunks, on skewers.  Grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until pork is just done.

Beef (Asian style)

• 2 pounds of sirloin tip steak, cubed
• Red, orange or yellow peppers, large slices.

Marinade

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger (optional)
• pepper to taste
• 1/2 a lemon (or 1/4 cup) lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch

Mix marinade in a glass bowl.  Add meat 30 minutes prior to grilling (this is a fairly salty marinade). Add meat, alternating with peppers on skewers.  Grill on medium direct heat for about 4 minutes.

Enjoy the summer flavours!