Memorial Day May 27, 2013

Memorial Day weekend brings what most of us like to call the beginning of summer.  Everyone talks about the nice weather and plans for the long weekend.  Except if you are a hospital employee, I worked Saturday, oh well.  Let's get back to the nice weather and all.
Nice weather?  Mother Nature is playing all kinds of games with what seems like the entire country!
Last week I had the AC on because we were in the high 80's and then the temps plummeted on Friday to the 50's during the day with low 40's at night.  My city girl daughter's little cucumber sprouts in the garden box in my yard froze their little buds off!  It was terminal frostbite.
Of course I have to mention the active tornado season the south is experiencing and keep them in my thoughts.  Tornado alley is a real thing and it reaches all the way to the suburbs of Chicago! I am looking at dark skies now and temps are creeping back up to the high 80's over today and tomorrow.  Sometimes it is scary, especially if the sirens go off.  Mother Nature, it's almost June, how about you get with the program, you know like Willie Nelson would sing "blue skies smiling at me, nothing but blue skies do I see."
Memorial Day is also a remembrance day of our Red, White and Blue.  We don't forget our service men and women who bravely protect our country and our freedom.  God protect those who serve and bless those who have died.
Memorial Day is also a personal remembrance day for family and friends who have left this green earth.
For me, Memorial Day is also a great time to get into the kitchen and out on the grill.  I had 10 family members gather for my kick off to summer!  Let's get to it!

The fact that I was having the fam over for the holiday put me into overdrive.
I had so many ideas for a fun family visit and good food.  Of course it was going to be a traditional backyard bar-b-que.  I got the smoker going early and after brining a small pork shoulder from my "local" hog farmer from Indiana, C&D Family Farms I rubbed it with cumin, paprika, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and put it on the smoker until it shred easily from the bone.

Of course burgers were on the menu with brats and kraut.  I thought I would offer a chicken choice and skewered chicken chunks alternating with bacon and red onion.  TASTY!

                                               10 CHICKEN KABOBS 

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into about 1 inch chunks

10 strips of bacon (The bacon will be put on the skewer kind of in a ribbon fashion.)

1 red onion quartered and then separate the layers

2 Tablespoons Sriracha Sauce, or to taste

1/2 Cup Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Salad Dressing

10 wooden skewers-soak in water for 1 hour.

Mix Sriracha Sauce and Ranch dressing together. 

Put chicken into mixture and marinate for an hour.

Drain skewers. 

Start kabob with a red onion, bacon, chicken.  Red onion again.  The bacon is hanging waiting to be skewered next. Then chicken and so on. Top off skewer with red onion to hold everything in place. Salt and pepper each kabob.

Fire up the grill and lay a narrow piece of foil across the grill where the ends of the skewers will be.  This will keep them from burning and make it easier for you to turn them.

Lay the skewers on and grill about 4 minutes each side, turning them 4 times.

 

 

My brother and sister in law were bringing strawberry shortcake so I thought I would grab a white cake mix and make a quick flag cake for the holiday.  Well...

 

They also decided to celebrate the holiday with a special cake.  Theirs was a bit more special than mine and had a custard/banana/strawberry filling between layers.  Both were a treat!

 

With the weather changing and summer on the way, let's get outside in the garden!