Sweet and Sour Chicken Shish Kabobs
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thighs would work, too)
2 green peppers
2 red and/or sweet white onions
2 cans pineapple, rings or chunks in their own juice
One bottle Hawaiian Marinade (I used Lawry’s)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/3 cup white vinegar (or cider, if that’s all you have)
1 can reserved pineapple juice
If you are using wooden skewers, put them in water to soak.
Cut chicken into cubes and put into Ziploc bag with bottle of marinade. Let marinade as long as possible – overnight, if possible.
Cut peppers and onions into chunks roughly the same size as the chicken pieces. If you are using pineapple rings, cut into quarters (its faster to stack 3 or 4 and cut them all at once). (Note: I generally prefer fresh pineapple, but I wanted the juice from the canned type. You could also use fresh pineapple and canned juice). Retrieve your marinated chicken and thread chicken, onion, pepper and pineapple on skewers. If you run out of something, keep going until you have everything skewered. I personally love a skewer with nothing but pineapple and veggies.
Make basting sauce. In small saucepan, mix brown sugar, vinegar, reserved pineapple juice and Soy Sauce. Bring to a boil, then mix 2 tablespoons of hot mixture with cornstarch. When cornstarch is dissolved, which mixture back into pan, and boil and stir until mixture is thickened.
Grill (or, in my case, have someone grill) the shish kabobs. Towards the end of cooking, brush the sauce onto all sides of the kabobs.
A Perfect Batch of Rice a la Craig Claiborne
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cups rice
salt
tabasco or cayenne pepper
3 cups chicken broth
Parsley
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
I add everything to my rice cooker and it turns out just fine, but here are the alternate cooking instructions…
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat 2 tablespoon butter in a saucepan and add the onion. Stir and cook until onion wilts.
Add the rice and stir until grains are coated.
Add salt to taste. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce. Add bouquet garni consisting of a small bundle of parsley sprigs, bay leaf and thyme. (Note: I omitted the bouquet garni and my rice was still delicious).
Add broth, and let it come to a boil. At the boil, cover tightly and place in oven. Bake for exactly 17 minutes.
Remove from oven and discard bouquet garni. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and toss to blend.
This recipe can also be made on top of the stove as long as the saucepan has a tightly fitting lid.
Summer Fruit Salad
Strawberries (at least a pint)
2 large or 3 small bananas
4 ripe nectarines or peaches (try other fruits, too, including pineapple, grapes, berries, or melon)
4 ounces light cream cheese
1-2 tablespoon milk
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
sugar or sweetener to taste
Hull strawberries and quarter, slice bananas, and cut nectarines into bite-sized chunks. Place in bowl.
In food processor or blender, mix cream cheese, milk, lemon juice and sweetener. Blend until smooth. Taste, and add sweetener if necessary. Mixture should be about the texture of heavy cream; if it is too thick, add more milk in tiny increments until its thin enough to pour. Pour over fruit mix, and toss to coat.
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