Marinated Salmon Kebobs

Salmon On A Stick
I am a big fan of grilled meat on a stick. Kebobs of any variety are always welcome on my dinner table. Though, I will admit that most of the time when I make kebobs the flavors lean heavily toward Middle Eastern. This should make sense considering most people, when they hear the word kebob, think of lamb and the flavors of the Mediterranean.

While those spices may dominate the wonderful world of kebobs, there are plenty of other ways to enjoy them. For instance, last night I was playing with a recipe that I came across for salmon kebobs which caught my eye. I honestly hadn’t given much thought about using fish to make kebobs beyond the obvious shrimp. Because, in my mind, it would just fall apart. The reality is there are a lot of types of fish that will work, it just has to be a firm-fleshed variety like tuna or, in this case, salmon.

If you have the good fortune to be in possession of a beautiful, wild-caught, fresh side of salmon, please don’t use it for kebobs! A really nice piece of salmon should be eaten with reverence and cooked simply such as in our recipe for Slow-Roasted Salmon or this one for Salmon Roasted in Butter.

However, if you come across some nice salmon fillets and have a hankering to try something new with your fish, give this recipe for Marinated Salmon Kebobs a go. For the record, the original recipe called for white wine vinegar which I replaced with white wine. I wasn’t a huge fan of the vinegar, but others may feel differently. You can try it either way.

Marinated Salmon Kebobs Recipe
Adapted from Plating Pixels
Yields 6 Kebobs Read more…

Caprese Vegetable Kebobs

Ke-bob Ka-Boom
Not going to lie. Things have been rather busy lately and I am really looking forward to some time off for the Fourth of July. Fourth of July means a BBQ…if you are doing it right. And, that thought just makes me want to hind under my pillow.

So the BBQ for this holiday is going to be easy-peasy ‘cause that’s all I can handle. Simple stuff on the grill like steaks, sausages, or chicken and most likely some salad on a stick.

Even though it’s just the start of July, my garden is in full swing—especially my cherry tomatoes. The recent heat has put cherry tomato production into overdrive. And, I have been hard-pressed to keep up. So, in order to solve that problem. and make for some tasty treats this weekend, I am planning on making some caprese skewers for the BBQ. The best part is they don’t require a lot of effort, which is ideal for my current state of mind.

Our recipe for Caprese Vegetable Kebobs is great for the veggie lovers in your life. I like to drizzle some balsamic over them for a little extra kick. And, if you can get your hands on the bottled balsamic glaze, even better…

Caprese Vegetable Kebobs Recipe
Yields 30 6-inch Kebobs

A new way to eat your salad! This recipe feeds a crowd, so you dial back the ingredients as needed. You can also keep some prepped veggies and marinate them in the fridge for an easy weeknight batch of delicious leftovers.

And, note that you will need to begin marinating the vegetables for at least half an hour and no more than 2 hours before serving. Read more…

Blueberry Salsa à la Amy

Salsa Berry
I admit I am not a big blueberry fan. I don’t dislike blueberries, but they are not my go-to for a berry snack. I have raspberries for that. That being said, we’re getting into blueberry season when they are really good.

When I eat blueberries, most of the time they are in something and cooked like a muffin or pie. And, almost always it is something sweet. Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of sweet blueberry treats. But, I have been on the hunt for a recipe that is as savory as you can be with a sweet berry—but also doesn’t mess too much with the berry itself. I found salsa…

You can never go wrong with fresh tortilla chips and salsa, no matter what the salsa is made out of. Though some might disagree, a blueberry salsa really isn’t that crazy to me. After all I make salsa out of mangoes all the time. So, I know the sweet will work with the spicy.

There are plenty of versions of blueberry salsa out there if you are looking. A lot of them cook the tomatoes. I don’t. I prefer to dice everything up and keep the fresh flavor. But, it all depends on what flavors you like when eating salsa. It also depends on your tomatoes. If you have fresh tomatoes from your garden, just dice ‘em up. Those babies are gold…

Type of chili pepper is another point of personal preference. I like hot salsa but not super hot salsa. If it’s so hot that I can’t taste anything but the heat, what’s the point? I tend to go with jalapeños, or Fresnos if I want a tad more heat. I also add a little bell pepper because that’s what I do in my mango salsa and if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

Give this recipe a try next time you have some really great blueberries and want a snack, And, if you find this rolls into being your dinner, I won’t tell…

Blueberry Salsa à la Amy
Yields 6 to 8 servings Read more…

Strawberry Milk

Milking It
My kids give me a hard time because I watch a lot of the History Channel. (Ummm…hello? History major?) To be fair, I do watch a lot of the History Channel. One of my favorite shows is The Food That Built America, which looks into the history behind the foods we eat. And, it’s perfect for me for obvious reasons. It combines my love of history with my other love, food. If you haven’t seen it, take a minute and search it out. The show is fascinating. Who knew Cheetos were invented because the U.S. government had too much powdered cheese left over after WWII? Or that Hershey’s tastes the way it does because they actually burn the milk a little? Mind blown, people…

This curiosity about food can get me into trouble when I am surfing food blogs looking for interesting things. Case in point, this recipe for Strawberry Milk. I love the Smitten Kitchen blog almost as much as I love the cookbooks. And, while scrolling through the site one day I was drawn to this recipe at first because I was horrified. To me, strawberry milk means strawberry Nesquick—which is a memory from my childhood I would rather forget. So, like a bad accident on the highway, I couldn’t help but click on the link to gawk at it and see what this was all about.

I’m not sure what it was that made me uncomfortable about this recipe. Maybe it’s the idea of the acid in the strawberries reacting with the milk? I’m not totally sure but upon further inspection, I realized that this recipe in no way resembles the alarming neon pink beverage of my youth. If anything, this recipe reminds me of a more liquefied version of a smoothie or a Kefir.

Because of the addition of buttermilk, the strawberry milk is not super-sweet. And, since it has to sit overnight in the fridge, it’s not a bad option for a quick (not that one!) and tasty breakfast on the go. I’m not going to lie, I was skeptical. (And, the kids were somewhat concerned.) But, I found after tasting it that I just kept going back for more. The good news is that it’s all natural, though there is a decent amount of sugar.

If you are a lover of all things strawberry and dairy (ice cream, milkshakes, yogurt, etc.), or are just looking for something different to brighten up your summer day, give this treat a try. I’m thinking of turning this into frozen popsicles. We’ll see how that goes.

Strawberry Milk Recipe
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Strawberry milk is wonderful with breakfast. So, start this recipe the afternoon or evening before. You can macerate the strawberries in the fridge for a few hours before mixing the Strawberry Milk. It sits overnight in the fridge so the flavors can steep and deepen. Read more…