Bacon Wrapped Chicken Shish Kabob

Posted on August 10, 2011 by easyrecipesandstuffc
The first in series Jack Fields and Amber Reyes adventure novel is available at all major e-book retailers.

The first in series Jack Fields and Amber Reyes adventure novel is available at all major e-book retailers.

EASY RECIPE

This week’s easy meal idea, Bacon Wrapped Chicken Shish Kabob, is a great low cost easy meal that will result in ovations from your family or guests!

Recipe for 4 servings.

Ingredients:

Soak wood shish kabob sticks in water while preparing the following.

1 Skinless Chicken Breast Fillet (about 1 1/4 lb.) cut into 2 inch squarish pieces

8 Bacon slices (get from Butcher not packaged) – trim some fat from ends as necessary

1/2 Green Bell Pepper cut into squarish pieces

1/2 Red Onion cut in wedges

6 Mushrooms (more if you like)

Your choice of BBQ sauce (we used A-1 Steak Sauce on some and Teriyaki Sauce on others)

1 head of brocoli or other vegetable for side

Wrap 1 slice of bacon around each chicken square

Insert the sharp end of the shish kabob stick into the bacon wrapped chicken right at the point of bacon overlap so as to keep bacon firmly attached.  Push stick through the piece of chicken and then insert point into the mushroom, onion, green pepper, and then repeat with second piece of chicken, followed by vegetables.

Dribble a little olive oil over the kibobs and place oil side down on BBQ preheated to medium high.  Blow out any initial flare up from the oil.  BBQ for 15 to 20 minutes until chicken juices run clear and bacon is crispy. During the last 5 minutes of cooking begin brushing sauce on the chicken as turned.

While chicken is on the BBQ steam brocoli on oven for about 6 minutes.

AND STUFF

A few “And Stuff” table conversation stories back I wrote about how our youngest son was tired of flag football, and wanted to hit people with a stick.  If you did not read the story, fear not, hitting people with a stick is not code for a violent flash mob event. Rather, it is an integral part of the age old sport of Lacrosse.

It is possible Lacrosse was being played in the Great Plains when I was a boy, but I doubt it.  As I recall, the only sport we had in my youth that used a small square net involved razor sharp blades and ice.  Although I do recall girls (or maybe Scottish guys) in kilts running around on the football field with sticks, but I think that was field hockey.

Upshot is, the game of Lacrosse, and its rules were new to me. We have now gone through the spring and summer seasons, and I can report that Lacrosse is a great, fast, and exciting game. And, in fact you can hit people with a stick! Although, as a hat tip to civility a player can be penalized with  40 seconds or more  in the penalty box if he hits another player on the head.  The sport has elements of hockey, soccer, and football (American).  But, unlike football, unless there is an injury, penalty, or timeout the action is nonstop until the clock has run for the quarter.

My son enjoyed the game, and learned to give and take pretty good hits in the process. But, the season is over, and it’s time for Pop Warner tackle football!

My brother-in-law Tom describes football as the one sport that mirrors American society; as it consists of a committee meeting followed by a short burst of violent action followed by another committee meeting, and further violent action.

In any event, Sue and I were very happy our son had played Lacrosse this summer, because the tackle football season started with 2 hour practices Monday through Friday for the entire month of August. The first week was limited to conditioning every day, so that the players would get 10 hours of conditioning completed before putting the pads on and practicing real football.

And here we are in week two, the pads are on and so is the game. As I said, our son started in flag, which includes blocking, and then he evolved to Lacrosse which includes hitting with a stick, and very hard blocking. But now, our son has to learn to tackle. Last night while watching practice I saw good blocking being executed but no tackling.  But, then towards the end of practice, while one of the coaches was talking and gesturing to our son, the play started, he immediately took off and exploded into the offensive player and executed a very nice tackle. Not one, nor two, but three coaches ran over patted him on the shoulder, helmet, with high fives all around. Seems the boy had executed his first full tackle and it was only the second day with pads on.

Here we go again, a new sport, a new season, and it looks like it’s going to be exciting. Every game will be played on a great high school field with stadium seating.

I bet like us, many of you are looking forward to your son’s first game  of the season.  I will let you know how the season progresses.

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

 

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BBQ Rib-Eye Steak with Avocado Salsa

Posted on August 3, 2011 by easyrecipesandstuffc
The first in series Jack Fields and Amber Reyes adventure novel is available at all major e-book retailers.

The first in series Jack Fields and Amber Reyes adventure novel is available at all major e-book retailers.

EASY RECIPE

The easy recipe this week will help you cook like a pro, and is part of the series of recipes that can be made without creating any heat in the house. This easly meal will require a blender for the marinade.

2 Rib-Eye steaks (approximately 1.5 lb total)

Marinade:

1 white onion – chopped

2 cloves of garlic – minced

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp Jalapeno (seeded)

Juice of 3 limes

Place all ingredients in blender until nicely blended.  Place steaks in plastic bag and pour marinade over steaks.  Seal plastic bag and make sure steak is covered on all sides with marinade.  Place bag in refrigerator for 2 hours.  When ready to prepare meal place bag on countertop for 20 minutes.

Salsa:

2 avocados peeled, seed removed, and cut into chunks.

3 medium size tomatoes, seeded (cut in half and lightly squeeze to push seeds out), next cut tomatoes into chunks.

1/4 Cup Cilantro chopped

1 small Jalapeno – seeded and finely minced (wear plastic glove when working with Jalapeno and be certain not to rub your eye or you will be very sorry)

1/2 Cup red onion – diced

1 tsp minced garlic

1/3 Cup frozen roasted corn (Trader Joe’s has a nice version) – rinse to thaw

1/3 Cup olive oil

Juice of 1 Lime

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Preheat BBQ

Remove steaks from marinade bag, scrape off most of marinade, and grill to your preference.

Prepare a can of black beans for a side.

When steaks are cooked, place them on a clean dish and let them setup for 5 minutes.  Place each steak on a serving dish, add beans, spoon avocado  salsa over the steak, and black bean side, and a heated flour tortilla.  Serve extra salsa in a bowl for dipping.

 

 

AND STUFF

Well here I am at the laundromat. This location is clearly not one of my great vacation ideas. It has been many years since my last visit to a laundromat. The triggering event for the return was prompted by the request of She Who Must Be Obeyed to get our son’s bedspread washed in an industrial size washer.  Seems Sue could not do it in our residential washer.   So here I am.

In law school I found the perfect laundromat.  It was perfect not because of the machines.  Nope, it was perfect because of its location.  And, the location was perfect because the laundromat was next door to a bar that had pool tables.

I have mentioned in prior And Stuff stories that I am teachable. Perhaps a better description would be adaptable. I needed clean clothes and I liked beer. After some experimentation, I adapted and was able to take full advantage of the bar adjacent to the laundromat.  With a little determination, and the willingness to practice, I was able to get the timing down so that the wash cycle and first beer were done at the same time. Further trial and error produced similar results for the drying cycle. The only problem was the freezing cold walk between the two venues in those long winter months in the Great Plains.

It was not long until my friends joined in the arduous laundry ritual and pool tournament.

So here I am, years later at a laundromat. This time there is no convenient bar with a pool table to help me pass the time. I am adaptable though, and after a quick look around, I discovered a nice chair in the shade next to the back door of the laundromat. So sitting in the shade, maybe 3 blocks from the ocean on a 75 degree day is not so bad. Heck, I bet if I could move my easy chair a few feet toward the sidewalk I would have a sliver view of the ocean.

After about a half hour of taking it easy in the shade, the manager was kind enough to come out and tell me the washing cycle was done. Sweet, I will not have to  time cycles, and thus can avoid interrupting my kick back daydreaming. So it was time to throw the bedspread into the drier, but this had do be done quickly so as not to lose my great chair.  I scurried back to the chair in the shade before anyone else had discovered my perfect spot.

With the bedspread safely in the drier and me reclining in the chair once again, I began surfing the Internet. After awhile I wondered, if I took a little nap would the manager wake me at the end of the dry cycle? I decided not to push my luck, and fought to stay awake sitting in the shade.  As it turned out, this was the best located laundromat yet.

I think I will suggest to She Who Must Be Obeyed that I should take other over sized items to the laundromat. Yeh, that’s it, and next time I will bring a little cooler with cheese and fruit to enjoy while relaxing in the shade.  Work, work, work.

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

 

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Ham Steak and Vegetable Hobo Pack

Posted on July 27, 2011 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPE

Continuing with the no heat in the kitchen theme, this week we reduce the heat in the house by cooking a ham and vegetable meal Hobo Pack style.  This is a great low cost meal and it is a fun family meal.

Recipe serves 4

You will need: 

2 Potatoes – sliced 

1 Tomato – sliced

20 Green Beans – stems removed

20 Fresh Basil leaves

1/4 Red (Bell) Pepper slice into thin rounds

4 Fresh Rosemary

1 lb pre-cooked ham steak                                              

1 Tbsp Olive Oil   

Assembly:                          

Rip four large squares of aluminium foil

Dribble a little olive oil over the potato rounds and then place equal amounts of potato on each aluminum square.  

Next add to each square fresh basil, tomato rounds, green beans, red pepper, and rosemary. Salt and pepper to taste.  

Place a serving of ham steak on top of each vegetable stack, and then fold the aluminum foil over to form a pack.

Cook the Hobo Packs on a pre-heated to medium BBQ for 25 minutes.  Open the packs (be careful of steam) and arrange the cooked ham meal on dinner plates. 

And there you go, a complete easy recipe ham meal, with no heat in the kitchen and very little clean up.      

AND STUFF

We arose slowly on our second day of vacation, enjoying our morning coffee and cereal on our deck overlooking Bass Lake. After breakfast we got dressed for hiking and drove the 14 miles to Yosemite, on toWawona, and then an additional 30 mimutes to Yosemite Village.

The road to Yosemite Village climbs and descends through various types of mountain terrain. The drive through the mountains to Yosemite Village is ever changing and continuously beautiful. The air is clean and smells of evergreen.  We saw a deer grazing by the side of the road.   Although we did not see a bear, we did see many signs informing us that “Speeding Kills Bears”.  After a lengthy discussion with She Who Must Be Obeyed, we concluded that apparently bears can easily dodge a car, SUV or Camper going 35 mph but at 40 mph their avoidance capabilities are exceeded. (My alternative theory is that the message is not really about bear safety, but rather, the Rangers were advised by safety consultants that drivers ignore speed limit signs so it was necessary to personalize the speed limit with a mental image of poor Yogi Bear being mowed down).

Toward the end of the drive we entered a long tunnel which bores straight through a mountain.  When we finally exited the tunnel we were presented with an unbelievably magnificent valley view (called “Tunnel View”). The expansive view includes Sentinel Dome, Yosemite Falls, and Half Dome off in the distance. It was very tempting to pull into the observation parking lot and take in the awesome view. But our plan was to keep moving so we could secure a parking spot in the Village (parking can become a problem as the day progresses).  We decided to stop at the viewing point on the way out of the valley.         

In the past I have discussed that I do not run. But I will walk.  And walk we did on our first full day in the park.  We started at Yosemite Village, and hiked about a mile and a half to the Yosemite Falls.

Here it was, mid-July and the falls were still flowing.  Seems we had so much snow last winter that the falls were flowing well beyond what is typical.

We found a new trail sign and following a group discussion agreed that we could hike an additional 3.8 miles to get well into the valley and position ourselves for a great view of El Capitan. So off we went hiking for the most part in the shade of the trees, and next to a cool river.  Deep in the forest trail we heard a loud sort of snort.  Not certain if the sound came from a bear or an elk we decided to keep moving.  A few steps later my eagle eye son pointed across the river to an Elk grazing.

Cheered by the fact the sound had not come from a bear, and our energy levels renewed by sighting the beatiful Elk, off we went with new vigor on our way to view El Capitan.  

When we reached the end of the trail we found ourselves in an open valley, next to the river, with a tremendous view of El Capitan.  Our son was the first to cross a little side stream by walking across a wobbly log so as to get closer to the cooling river.  He made it with just one foot getting wet.  Two German families, each resting on both sides of the small stream, were pleased to observe him make it across.  But, that was just his first act. 

After a few minutes on the other side, our son decided to come back without using the log, but rather by means of his athletic abilities.  He announced he was going to jump across the stream.  He ran toward the water, and took a mighty leap clearing it with ease.  Sadly, neither he nor Sue nor I had checked out the landing spot.  And sadder still, but funnier, the lush grass at the anticipated landing spot turned out to be growing up through a thick mud bog.

After our son skidded to a stop, he slowly began to rise from the grass, revealing that he had landed on one side of his body, the side that was now covered head to toe with gooey black mud. The German family nearest us froze and looked from my son to Sue and I for a signal as to the appropriate response.  Seeing that our son was ok, there was only one thing to do.  We began to laugh like crazy.  The German father next to me said in clear English, “if his mother is laughing it must be OK”, after which he and his wife broke into laughter and applause. 

The problem now was that the mud would harden into an adobe-like material if not quickly removed.  So the third act began.  The other German couple had been watching the action from the nearby river bank.  But for the third and final act they would have front row seats.  Watching as our son ever so slowly lowered himself into the water that had likely been snow just moments earlier was hysterical. The third act proved to be the funniest as the remaining German couple, Sue, and I urged our son to lower himself further into the “refreshing” (ice cold darn near freezing) water.

Our son certainly cooled off prior to the 5 mile return hike, and I am certain both German families are telling the story of the American kid’s great leap, into a mud bog.

So while enjoying you easy recipe why not reminisce about some of your funnier vacation antics.

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

p.s.

Good Night from Bass Lake

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Chipotle Chicken Wrap Sandwich

Posted on July 24, 2011 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPE

As you know from last week, my current theme is easy recipes that do not require heating the house up during the heat wave.  This quick recipe is an easy meal which uses store bought prepared chicken.  I first looked at the packaged grilled chicken strips, but at $4.00 for 8 oz, I had second thoughts.  Then it hit me, check out the deli and see how much a pound of deli chicken would cost.  The deli was selling roast chicken for $5.00 a pound!  I asked the deli clerk to cut me two half inch pieces (to be cubed later) and I was out of there with a pound of chicken for 5 bucks instead of 8. So put this easy recipe in your great low cost meals file.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

I am using a Chipotle Vinaigrette as a marinade for the spicy mayonnaise spread. The Chipotle Vinaigrette recipe is from  Mii amo Cafe’, located in the Mii amo Spa and Resort in Sedona, AZ, and is reprinted here with their permission. To learn more about their resort, which is also one of my great vacation ideas, and Mii amo Cafe’ cookbook go to http://www.miiamo.com/mii-amo-cafe/ .

Chipotle Vinaigrette:

2          Chipotle Pepper Pods (canned with adobo sauce)

1tsp     Oregano

1/4      Yellow Onion (diced)

1/2      Bunch of Cilantro

1/2 C  Red Wine Vinegar 

1tsp     Dry Mustard

Dash    Salt

Dash    Pepper

1tsp     Adobo Sauce (from the can of Chiptole Pepper Pods) 

2 C       Thickened Veggie Stock  (add cornstarch to thicken) 

Add all ingredients, except veggie stock and cilantro, into blender.  Slowly add veggie stock while blending to emulsify.  After the ingredients are nicely blended add the cilantro and blend again briefly (do not turn the vinaigrette green).

1 lb. pre-cooked chicken sliced into bite size cubes

2 Tomatoes seeded and diced (to seed cut tomato in half and squeeze the seeds out with aid of spoon as necessary)

2 Avocados peeled, seeded, and chopped into bite size pieces.

2 Cups spinach leaves – washed and stems removed

1 Cup red onion diced.

1/2 Cup low fat mayonnaise

6 Flour tortillas

Place chicken, tomatoes, avocados, onion into a large mixing bowl. 

In a separate bowl mix 1/2 C of mayonnaise with 1/3 C of Chipotle Vinaigrette (or more of each to taste) .  Add the mayonnaise mixture to the larger bowl and gently stir.

On each tortilla layer spinach leaves and then spread a serving of chicken salad on top of the spinach.  Fold the bottom of the tortilla up and over the chicken salad, and then fold the tortilla sides over to close the wrap. 

 

AND STUFF – part one             

She Who Must Be Obeyed decided it would be nice to go to Yosemite National Park for a fun road trip style vacation. So I hit the Internet to research her great vacation ideas.

I first checked out the Ahwahnee Lodge. I knew it was a classic lodge, and that it inspired the Disney Grand California hotel at Disneyland. My Internet search taught me two things. First, the Awhahnee had no rooms available during our vacation. And, secondly, that was OK because had there been rooms available the nightly rate this time of year is breath taking high.  I kept searching. 

For many months I had been talking to Sue about doing a lake vacation someday. I had many great memories of lake vacations in my youth, and as it turned out so did Sue.   With that in mind I began looking for a lake resort near Yosemite.  In no time at all I found The Pines Resort at Bass Lake.  The Pines’ web page photographs looked good, and we liked the fact that in addition to motel rooms they also offered one bedroom “condo” style units with a kitchen, and deck overlooking the lake.  An added plus was the fact that the room rate for a week would not require a mortgage.  

You maybe heard about Carmageddon. If not, that was the name local TV news gave to the planned closure of Interstate 405 to allow the demolition of part of an overpass.  Of course our vacation started on the first morning of the 48 hour closure.  We had no idea what the alternate way through LA (110 to the 5) would be like on that first morning so we left the beach at 4:50 a.m., drove through Los Angeles and into Carmageddon.  And ….. the ….. freeway …. was …. wide open! People had stayed home to avoid the traffic nightmare!  

We stopped for breakfast at the Ihop in Bakersfield, travelled on to the park, drove 12 miles or so the Wawona Hotel all in around 5 hours; arriving at the Hotel before it’s restaurant was open for lunch!  We were told that in addition to the beautiful grounds, around the Wawona area, it is the home of the only golf course in a National Park! 

Someday I will stay and play at Wawona.       

But, on this visit we sat on the grounds enjoying the view, while waiting for the restaurant to open at 11:30 a.m. We got a table on the grand deck, and Sue and I shared a tasty club wrap sandwich, which inspired this week’s easy recipe.

Our goal on the first day was to explore Wawona and then check out the Giant Sequoia trees before checking in at The Pines.  Because the parking lot was full at Mariposa Grove, we took the free shuttle from Wawona, and then hiked to the Giant Sequios stand.  We were told that some of the trees were over 200 feet high!

 

 

 

Next we back tracked 14 miles to Bass Lake. Check in time was not until 4:00 p.m., and we were a tad early.  No problem, the Pines restaurant was offering complimentary wine tasting which we enjoyed while looking out at the beautiful lake.     

By around 5:00 p.m., we were unpacked, and sitting on our “condo” deck enjoying cheese, and watching the boats circle the lake. 

After an easy recipe spaghetti dinner, we watched the sun set over the lake, and prepared to retire, because tomorrow we were planing to do some serious hiking.

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

(to be continued)

 

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