Our heroes, Gabby and Travis, have spent a fun-filled day with Travis' friends and family. They've gone swimming, parasailing, and had a feast on the beach. (Click here for more, and to see what we cooked.)
When they return in the late afternoon, everyone is tired. Gabby plans to return to her house next door to relax, and maybe give her boyfriend a call. Travis invites her to have dinner with him instead--shrimp kebobs grilled on his deck. How could she resist?
I had some tomato-less peach barbecue sauce that I picked up at the farmers' market a while back, and decided to try it on the shrimp.
I was able to find local peppers in a variety of colors.
Ready to go on the grill. Joe bought those skewers in Turkey not long before we met. I've always wanted to go to Turkey...
She peeked at the skewered shrimp and brightly colored peppers and onions. As if on cue, her stomach grumbled. "Wow," she murmured, hoping he didn't hear it. "They look great." (The Choice, p. 127)
Travis serves slices of pineapple on the side. I decided I wanted to have something even better, and I remembered a cookbook my children bought for me years ago for my birthday:
Joe had taken the kids to Border's (oh, how I will miss that store) to help him choose a book I would like. In the cookbook section, I'm told, little Curly spotted The African Kitchen and decided right then and there THAT was the book they were getting and would settle for nothing less. It was written by a chef who has worked in various safari camps and lodges in the African wilderness. (One recipe is called "How To Build a Pizza Oven Out of a Termite Mound in Less Than Two Hours." I kid you not.)
I have to admit I haven't cooked much from this particular book, but there is one recipe which we all love, and it's super-easy and amazingly delicious:
WATERMELON AND PINEAPPLE SALAD
1 lb 2 oz watermelon, cut into bite-sized chunks (Seriously, who actually weighs their watermelon to see if it's exactly 1 lb 2 oz? I chose a small seedless one from the produce section.)
1 lb 2 oz pineapple (Whatever, they're all about the same size, anyway)
1 onion, thinly sliced
1-2 tbsp cilantro
6 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Freshly ground pepper
Place the fruit, onion, cilantro, lime juice and red wine vinegar in a bowl. Toss, add pepper to taste, then chill before serving. (From The African Kitchen by Josie Stow and Jan Baldwin, p. 72)
Delicious with a gluten-free Redbridge beer!
As we're getting ready for Thanksgiving (Oh, that gives me an idea! I have a dairy-free egg-free pumpkin pie that I make every year for Moe. I'll try to share that with you if I have time), I'm already thinking about what my next project will be: a chicken and pasta meal like the one Gabby will cook for Travis, only better.
Oh, and I finished Nick's latest book, The Best of Me. Everything you hope for in a Nicholas Sparks novel, and more! Well done as always, Nick. What am I reading now? Late, Late, at Night: A Memoir by the ever-dashing (even at age 62) Rick Springfield. I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with that one, to tell you the truth; it's fascinating, but with lots of TMI, if you know what I mean. I hope I can finish it.
I don't know if I'll be back here before Turkey Day (unless I post that pumpkin pie recipe; and I might put that one over on Musings of a Catholic Mom), so let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very blessed Thanksgiving!
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