Yu-ummy!

Last Saturday we had my best friend over with her son. I got out this little kiddie pool that I found at my mom's when we were cleaning up her place, not sure why she had it - probably found it on an "incredible sale! ;-). Unfortunately the sides of the thing were really flimsy so I was unable to fill it up real deep.

While she was over we planned a feast!! We grilled all sorts of shish-ka-bobs!

• Beef tenderloin (boy was it tender)
• Chicken
• Shrimp with pineapple
• Veggies: squash, zucchini, onion, red and green peppers and mushrooms

We decided to try out a few new sauces to help bring out their flavor so I thought I would share...

For the Shrimp and Pineapple (from "Taste of Home's Easy Grilling Recipe Cards")
1/4 cup each soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and honey
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 large green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces {we left these off on this kabob and added to the veggie kabob}
1 can (8 ounces) pineapple chunks, drained {Mr. M used a fresh pineapple and cut it into chunks}

In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, honey and garlic. Set aside 1/3 cup. On eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, thread the shrimp, green pepper and pineapple. Place in a shallow dish; pour remaining marinade over kabobs. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Cover and chill reserved marinade. Coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray before starting the grill. Drain and discard marinade from kabobs. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 3 minutes, turning once. Baste with reserved marinade. Grill 3-4 minutes longer or until shrimp turn pink, turning and basting frequently. Yield: 4 servings.

For the Veggies (from "Taste of Home's Easy Grilling Recipe Cards")
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch slices
4 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 medium red onions, quartered
1 large sweet red pepper, cut into 2-inch slices
1 large sweet yellow pepper, cut into 2-inch slices
12 to 16 whole fresh mushrooms
12 cherry tomatoes

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the oil, vinegar, oregano, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Place the veggies in a shallow baking dish. Add marinade and toss to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes. Drain and discard marinade; arrange veggies on a vegetable grill rack. Grill, covered, over indirect heat for 10-12 minutes or until tender. Yield: 16-18 servings.

Then to top it all off we located the dipping sauce from Benihana to dip all of our wonderful grilled items into!!!

Benihana Mustard Dipping Sauce:
Makes about 2/3 cup
Prep time: 5 minutes
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cut water
2 teaspoons Oriental mustard (can be found in the international or Asian food sections of most supermarkets) {I could never find this one so I used dry mustard}
2 teaspoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, water, mustard, cream and garlic powder. Stir or whisk until well combined. Chill before serving.

We actually tried the mustard sauce twice. The first time we forgot to chill before we used it - highly recommend chilling first - makes the taste just pop! Also we thought there was a tad bit too much soy sauce so the second time I halved what it asked for and we really like that much better.

Bon Appetite!

~ Wolf Lover Girl