BEEF POPS AKA STEAK + PINEAPPLE KEBABS

Is it just me or is crushing garlic one of the most fun parts of cooking?

Or maybe it's soaking your skewers in a cookie tray because your lasagna pan broke...ugh...

Or perhaps watching people you love enjoying the food you've prepared?

Better yet - those same people telling you how delicious the food is you prepared...

Yes, I witnessed all of these things last week when Josh's mom & dad came over for dinner. I decided to do something a little fancier as this was a Father's Day/Birthday Dinner (Josh saw his dad for Father's Day but I wasn't able). I decided to try these Beef Pops with Pineapple and Parsley Sauce that were recommended by my bosses. And boy did they do a good job recommending.

These were SO amazing. I swear the beef I used said "filet" but they were about $6 - $8 for a 1.12 or so pound package, so it's possible it was sirloin. But can it still be "filet?" Gosh I have no idea. I'm sorry, I just don't remember. BUT THEY WERE DELICIOUS. I was unable to marinate the beef for 3 hours as instructed, I got about an hour in before they were put on skewers and then on the grill. I also forgot to save some of the sauce for dipping, but no one missed it. These were good enough on their own. And grilled pineapple!? COME ON. Amazing. Josh & his mom aren't fans of pineapple, so I just made a few skewers with the steak only. But seriously. Way amazing.

I was afraid the parsley sauce would be a little overwhelming, but let me tell you, IT IS NOT. It was so delicious. So. I'm serious. You HAVE TO TRY THESE. I don't know how I did so amazing on my first try of grilling steak - but these were PERFECT. We all liked them medium-well and they came out just perfect. We served with water with lime in my gorgeous pitcher, salad and sweet potatoes (also done on the grill - oiled and wrapped in foil for under an hour, they were taken off the grill when the skewers were put on).

~ingredients~
parsley sauce
3 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon crushed chili flakes (I used a little less as we don't do spicy in this house)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

for the kebabs
1 1/2 pounds beef fillet, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 40 cubes) (I used about 2 lbs for four people. there were only a few skewers remaining for delicious leftovers)
1 (2-pound) pineapple, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 40 pieces)
20 (8-inch) wooden or bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

~instructions~
Parsley Sauce: In the bowl of a food processor, blend together the parsley, garlic, vinegar, chili flakes, sugar, salt and pepper until smooth. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil until incorporated. Place half of the mixture in a medium bowl and add beef cubes. Toss well, cover and refrigerate for 3 hours. Place the remaining parsley sauce in a small serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Thread the skewers alternating the beef and pineapple. I put anywhere from six or more of both the pineapple and beef on each skewer. Continue with the remaining skewers. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes each side (for medium rare) or until desired doneness. (I probably did mine about 4-5 minutes per side)

Drizzle the kebabs with the remaining reserved parsley sauce or serve the sauce on the side for dipping!


Seriously. ENJOY!

Also - how cute do our red chairs look with our red berry plates!??

grilled veggie packets

so, can we talk about how awesome grilling is for a minute? i mean, we grilled a lot at my parents, but i never really did the grilling or the cleaning up (i was a spoiled little girl).

my sister and her hubs were awesome enough to give us their little propane grill. it's circular, small, lightweight and perfect for our bee-infested "patio." (we have a major infestation of carpenter bees.) after our yummy meal, i was super excited with no pots and pans to clean, no baked-on casserole dish and no hot-from-the-oven kitchen.

so, we cleaned up the grill, i got the propane tank filled up, and i set to work on cleaning and sterilizing the final parts at home. i thought chicken with veggie packets was the perfect way to break in the grill.

the main "recipe" for this came from Pillsbury Grilled Vegetable Medley Packets. it was really the only thing online i found that seemed worth trying.

 recipe:
~ingredients~
allows for 2 [large] servings - these are the amounts I used. you could easily add more or different veggies per your own faves!
3/4 zucchini (medium sized)
5 (small) red potatoes
3/4 white onion
1/4 red pepper
2 T butter (i used unsalted)
1 T olive oil (about)
1 sprig fresh thyme
S+P

~instructions~

1. preheat/prepare grill.
2. chop all your veggies and combine in bowl.
3. melt butter, add S+P, thyme and olive oil; pour over and mix veggies.
4. make a foil packet, add veggies to center, fold top and fold edges. leave an inch or two at the top for expansion.
5. i had my grill on pretty high and cooked for 25-30 minutes. the potatoes were perfectly soft. probably could have come out a little sooner, so if your grill is really hot - don't go more than 25 minutes. i would have liked the zucchini and pepper a little less soft.
6. open packets carefully, allowing steam to escape.

this recipe is pretty simple. limited seasons and herbs, and i liked that. however, probably could have used a little more salt and thyme and maybe some garlic cloves thrown in (but discard instead of serving). oh - and the chicken - i marinated in olive oil, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper - josh's had balsamic and mine had fresh lemon juice. those took about 15 minutes or less to cook. (seriously, that grill was HOT.)

big thanks to sissy and her hubs for the grill!! i see lots more grilling happening! (as long as i don't get attacked/scared away by bees...) and yes - we'll have you over for dinner sometime :)