Fruit Kabobs

Want a showstopper? Take this to a potluck or other gathering and it will have that effect! We had dinner with some friends and took this and their 4 year old son was so excited about these! This was part of the May 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap I am part of. My team mate is magpie diner from Fraser Valley, B.C. The nice thing about this recipe is you can make it as simple or as elegant as you would like. I am all about frugality so went with the least expensive fruit I could find.

Fruit Kabobs

1/2 whole seedless watermelon

assorted melons such as cantaloupe or honeydew

1 pineapple

assorted smaller fruits such as grapes, blueberries or strawberries if desired

Ball the watermelon and other melons. For the watermelon, scoop out all the watermelon on the half you are going to use to hold the kabobs. Let it air dry for a few hours.

Peel and cube the pineapple.

Arrange fruit on skewers any way you like. Leave about 3 inches of space at the bottom so the skewers can be poked into the shell of the watermelon.

This recipe can be prepared ahead of time. Prepare skewers and lay flat on a cookie sheet and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Sirloin Steak Kabobs

I was wanting red meat. Really bad. I was wanting kabobs. Really bad. I found this tasty recipe on recipezaar.com. It comes from Marie. The boys didn't put much on their skewers as far as kabobs go so there were quite a bit of raw veggies and uncooked meat left over. Let me just say....this was good material for stir-fry the following night!

Sirloin Steak Kabobs

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 TBSP Worchestershire sauce

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves minced garlic

Combine the ingredients well. This is your marinade.

Add:

3 lbs sirloin steaks cut into 1 inch cubes. Coat meat and refrigerate overnight.

Green bell pepper, cut into squares

Red bell pepper, cut into squares

Yellow bell pepper, cut into squares

1 small onion, cut into squares

mushrooms and tomatos would be very tasty as well....but I didn't have any

If you are using bamboo skewers....soak for 20 minutes before grilling.

Alternate meat and veggies on your skewers and grill till the meat is done to your liking.

Watermelon Lemonade

A long time ago I saw an idea for watermelon and lemonade. So I went browsing on recipezaar.com and found this keeper by Karen From Colorado. It was a huge hit! Just make sure to puree the watermelon well or it stays kind of chunky. As Christopher says "Hey Mom, a drink you can drink AND eat at the same time!" I didn't do a great job pureeing it the first time. lol

Watermelon Lemonade
8 cups cubed seedless watermelon
2 12 oz cans frozen lemonade concentrate
4 cups water

Run watermelon through a blender or food processor until smooth. (Don't forget the smooth part. ) Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and mix well. You may want to keep a spoon in the pitcher for people to stir before pouring their drink. The watermelon tends to separate - but nothing a quick stir can't fix. This is a very refreshing drink on a really warm day.

Peaches and Cream

You know how certain foods make you relive childhood moments all over again? Well for me - this is one of those foods. Peaches and cream. I grew up with this tasty dessert for as long as I can remember. I remember living in California and going to Red Bluff with my sister Lynda and my Mom and Dad to pick peaches. I remember how huge, juicy, sweet and yummy they were. I remember coming home after the long day of picking and mom making peaches and cream just before we went to bed. How satisfying. For me anyway.

You need peaches - the amount doesn't matter. Generally 1 per person
Half and Half cream
Peel the peaches and slice into a bowl. I have to eat a couple of pieces to determine the sweetness factor. You go right ahead too. Then I have to add a little sugar. I just do. That's the way my mom did it. Don't ask - just do it too. Mix well and put the bowl in the fridge for a little while.
After dinner and just before bedtime scoop some peaches into a bowl and add some half and half cream. Enjoy!

Lime and Lemonade

If you ever - and I mean ever - want a really good refreshing summertime drink - this is it!
Lime and Lemonade
1 cup lime juice
1 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sugar
8 cups cold water
1 lemon, sliced
1 lime, sliced

Combine all ingredients in large pitcher. Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

**Side note** If you run out of lime juice - just sub lemon juice for everything. It is also a very tasty drink. I know because I didn't have any lime juice and I wanted this drink for dinner really, really bad. :)