Peppersteak Kabobs

Good evening! 

How is your summer going?  Summer grillin', and chillin', I hope!  It has been so humid, so stormy and so hot here!  I say that as if it is any different from any other Midwestern summer!  The humidity will sometimes just about take your breath away. 

The night I made these babies, I wanted them done on the grill.  Hard to do in like, 60 mile an hour winds and ping pong ball sized hail, ya know?  I did these in the oven, but as per usual, please feel free to do them on your grill, where they were intended to be!

These kabobs are so easy.  I have made them for so long, and just thought maybe they were to easy and run of the mill to share but you know what, sharing is caring, right?  Can a "to easy" recipe really be all that bad?  There is only one thing about this recipe.  It insists on being made ahead for maximum flavor.  They are just always a crowd please, always a success and so easy.  If you ever have any leftover, chop the peppers and onions, slice the beef, and toss in a wok with a little soy sauce, cornstarch and beef stock, and serve as a stir fry over rice! 

Heeeeeeere we go!  This will yield about 10 skewers.  Or, it does for me anyway!

2 lbs beef cut into cubes.  Use steak or roast beast, whatever is better for you
3 large bell peppers
1 large onion
1/2 cup soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp minced or crushed garlic
2 tsp onion powder
10 skewers (if wooden, soak in water as long as possible to avoid burning)

In a large Ziploc bag, add in soy sauce, pepper, garlic, oil, and onion powder.  Squish vigorously to combine ingredients.  Add in beef cubes and seal it up.  Smoosh to coat all meat with the soy sauce mixture.  Set in a bowl or on a plate and let sit at LEAST 6 hours, overnight, or 2 days is even better!  Before skewering chop onion into large chunks and separate layers and cut bell peppers  into about 1 inch chunks.  The only left is to skewer!  Skewer on kids, in whichever order or fashion you prefer.  If done in the oven bake at 425, 10 minutes, then flip and do another 10.    On the grill, use your judgment, I would say about 15 minutes on one side and 5 on the other!

Skewer on dudes!

Margherita Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Hey friends!  Hope you are all well!  How is the summer starting off for everyone?  Storms and more storms, and more heat and humidity here than ever.  Joy, pure and utter joy.  NOT!

In the summer we do lot of sandwiches and salads.  Some days it is just to hot to cook a big dinner, nobody wants to heat up their house more than necessary when it is hot outside.  Am I right or am I right?!?!

I have been on a grilled cheese kick.  Experimenting with different things I like and other ingredients.  A margherita pizza any day, anytime, anywhere makes me happy.  I decided to just work those ingredients into my grilled cheese.  They were so good, I decided to share. it.  No big secret or back story, (for once, huh? HAHA)  Just a great, quick, sandwich that will fill your tummy and it might make you moan a little when you eat it.  I won't say if it does that to me, but, I know a few people who it might affect that way!

Be ready to see a few of my grilled cheese experiments.  Here are a couple you might enjoy that are already posts, French Onion Panino, or my  Cheese Frenchee!  We have been trying to have a meatless night or two a week and these cheesy treasures make it much easier!!

I prefer my grilled cheese on plain old white, doughy (not so great for you) bread.  You choose your own favorite!  This will make 4 sandwiches!

8 slices of bread your choice
8 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese
sliced tomatoes, as many as you want per sandwich
Fresh basil leaves, about 3 per sandwich (tear them up!)
Butter

I know, you know how this goes.  I butter my pan instead of the bread.  Layer cheese, tomato and basil.  Use a slice of bread, slice of cheese, then tomato, then basil, last slice of cheese and bread.
This makes the cheese act like a glue, and oh LAWDY, my mouth is watering.  Sadly, I am not joking.   Place in the pan, and cook slow!  That is the secret when you have multiple ingredients.  Let that cheesy goodness melt slowly and the bread brown perfectly and errrr meeh gerrrd!

I do like to add a little pinch of salt to the top of my tomato! 

Enjoy this simple supper or lunch!

SouthWest Turkey Meatloaf in Pepper Rings

I love the spring!  Singing birds, gentle breezes, the smell of fresh cut grass.  OhhhHhhHhhhHH!  It makes me happy.  Spring is my favorite season, there is nothing about it I do not love.  Oh wait, did I mention I do NOT love when on May 2nd, I wake up to 3 inches of snow?  HALT that love train. 

Spring and Summer usually also means lighter food.  I don't know about you all, but, I just am not as hungry in the summer.  To many fun things to be doing and the heat, oh LAWDY the heat.  You may not think Nebraska is humid, however, I am hear to tell you, it is more humid than anywhere I have lived.  Although after my experience last summer with Georgia humidity, I will never complain again.  See, I didn't complain, I just mentioned it was humid.   Seriously though, it is definitely time for some lighter options, health wise, and weather wise. 

We are ground turkey and chicken lovin' people.  My husband almost never knows when I substitute it for ground beef.  Even if he did notice, he wouldn't mind.  We love turkey burgers and chicken burgers too!  I have been making these little meatloaf stuffed pepper rings for a long time, I just decided it was a good time to share them, since my editor (my husband) informed me I needed too.  HA   I made these in the oven, but they can easily go on your grill.  I think they would make a great wee bit fancier option to a burger too!  I have this thing with cooked peppers.  If they aren't still a little crunchy I can't eat them.  Is it wrong that I peel the burger out, add it to a toasted bun, with slices of avocado, lettuce and tomato?  Well, it is just an OPTION. 

Now, while in my family we don't groove on black beans, you could certain add some into the meat mixture.  Just please don't tell me if you did.  OK?  Or you could add some corn.  Don't tell me if you did that either.  Cilantro?  Salsa?  The options are endless, but, I guarantee the flavor is awesome, and it will be a hit, no matter how ya serve it!

1 lb ground turkey
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2-3 large bell peppers (any color)
1/2 cup grated cheddar, Monterrey jack,  OR pepper jack cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

Get your peppers sliced.  I needed 7 rings for my mixture.  Cut them so you et 2-3 out of each pepper.  I think I even got 4 out of one pepper.  Keep the tops and very bottoms you cut off.  Cut them as thick or thin as you want them.  How thick they are determines how much mixture you need so go with it.  I know you can make it work!

Chop about 2 tbsp of bell pepper VERY fine to add to meat mixture.

In a bowl combine turkey, egg, bread crumbs, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and garlic salt.  Stir in minced bell pepper as well. 

Lay the rings out on your baking sheet and fill them with your meat mixture.  Pat them flat so they fill up the entire pepper ring.   Bake for 30 minutes.   Remove pan and sprinkle cheese on top of each one. 

Put back in the oven that you have turned OFF, to melt cheese.

 

I hope you enjoy this delicious, healthy dish, that you can make in the oven OR on the grill.  Maybe even serve it along with some Mexican Rice!!

 

Your "tis the season to lighten things up" chefwannabe

 



PS.  I had a few of these leftover a couple of days later.  I used a knife and cut them up pretty well and used them for tacos.  Holy..YUM!