Seems there is a National day for everything – How about National Something on a Stick day? Yep – Today is something on a stick. I had a lot of ideas: Fried pickles on a stick. Frozen bananas on a stick. Kabobs. And then the shrimp struck me! Yes. Serve it with a side salad and some rice or pasta, and you have a great, easy meal.

What you need:

• 1 pound of large peeled shrimp, tail on
• ½ cup of gold tequila (alcohol cooks off)
• 2 Tablespoons minced cilantro
• Juice of two limes
• 1 Tablespoon chopped lime peel

SAUCE:

• 4 Tablespoons quality, full fat mayonnaise
• 4 Tablespoons Greek yogurt (I used non-fat)
• 1 Tablespoon minced cilantro
• 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Do it:

Clean the mud vein from the shrimp and place in a glass bowl. Cover with the tequila and cilantro and toss, making sure it’s all coated. Cover and refrigerate for one to two hours.

This is a good time to make the dipping sauce. Mix all the sauce ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste. I used fresh ground pepper and pink Himalayan sea salt. It gives you the best flavor using less product.

In the meantime, soak some bamboo skewers in water. This keeps them from burning on the grill.

Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and stir in the lime juice and lime peel. Let set for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Skewer the shrimp evenly on four skewers.

Heat the grill to medium-high. Place the skewers in the center over indirect heat. Cook on both sides just until it turns pink, about 5 minutes on each side. Be careful not to over-cook. The meat will become rubbery.

Remove from the grill and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with dipping sauce.

Makes 4 servings.

NOTE: put the shrimp on smaller skewers to make appetizers!

© Copyright 2018 The Lazy Gastronome

Below are some of the items we used to create this recipe!

Disclosure: The items below are affiliate links through Amazon.com. If you purchase any of these products through the links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is greatly appreciated!

I’ve seen a lot of Margarita popsicles these days, but I’m a slow eater and they melt on me.  And I love granita!  What is granita?  It’s sort of a snow-cone like ice cream.  It’s super easy to make and tastes delicious!!  So what better way to serve that frozen adult concoction than this….

What you need:

• ¾ cup fresh lime juice (about 6-7 limes)**
• ¼ cup fresh Orange juice (1 large orange)\
• ½ of cup water
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
• ½ cup gold tequila
• Flaked Sea Salt and lime slices for garnish

** I use a citrus reamer to juice the limes and the oranges.  It gets most of the juice and is pretty easy to use.  Make sure you pick the seeds out though.  If the fruit has a lot of seeds, do it over a strainer.

 

 

 

 

 

How to Do it:

Process all the ingredients (except garnish) in a blender until everything is well incorporated.

Pour into a glass dish, cover and place in the freezer.

After about 2 hours, fluff the ice up with a fork, cover and refreeze.

2-3 hour later, fluff again.

Freeze at least 6 hour more.

Fluff before serving.

To serve – Place scoops in bowls and sprinkle lightly with the salt.  Place a lime slice on top and serve!

© Copyright 2017 The Lazy Gastronome

Below are some of the items we used to create this recipe!

Disclosure: The items below are affiliate links through Amazon.com. If you purchase any of these products through the links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Shared on the Motivational Monday link up~ ^[4]

The weather is starting to improve here in the Pacific North West and I’m craving the smoky flavors of a real charcoal grill!  So I went out and got some hardwood charcoal, cleaned up the grill and started marinating the bird!  It was so worth the time getting those coal just right and watching and turning and salivating over the cooking chicken!!  Are you ready to start grilling?

Marinated in lime juice and tequila, then grilled over hot coals – Is your mouth watering yet?  

What you need:

• 4-5 pound whole chicken
• 1 cup of Margarita mix
• ¾ cup of Tequila
• 1 Tablespoon flaked sea salt
• 2 VERY large cloves of garlic (or 3-4 small)
• 1 Tablespoon Rose’s Lime Juice
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

 

How to Do it:

Prepare the chicken in the morning, or the night before.  It needs to marinate at least 6 hours.

Butterfly the chicken.  To do that, you cut along the backbone so the chicken will lay flat.  This is also referred to as spatchcock and sometimes completely removes the backbone.  My husband likes that part, so I don’t remove it.

 

Lay the bird, breast side up, in a large container that can be covered.  Mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour it all over the chicken, making sure there is enough to cover at least half way.

Cover and refrigerate.  Half way through the marinating time, turn so the skin is down in the liquid.

About 2 hours before serving, start your charcoals.  I prefer to use pure hardwood.  You get more of a smoky flavor than with regular charcoal.  Hickory is a good wood for poultry.  And please, don’t use easy start or liquid charcoal starter!  What you get is a chemical flavor instead of smoke.  I like to use charcoal starting chimneys.

You fill the bottom with newspaper,

then in the chimney, fill about ¼ with charcoal, then a wad of paper, then the rest of the way with charcoal.  For a whole chicken I use two chimneys.

Start one up and let it sit for about 10 minutes, making sure it is lit and the coals are starting to smolder.  Then light the second one.  It will take about twenty to thirty minutes to get the coals hot enough.  Place your hand over the top.  You’ll feel some pretty intense heat when they are ready to go!

Pour the first chimney into the grill, then pour the second on top.  The hotter coals on the bottom will get the less hot ones on the top going.  Cover the grill and let the coals continue to heat up for about 10 – 20 more minutes.

How do you know the coals are ready?  They will be white hot and have stopped smoking.  There will be a little ash on the outside, but most of the coal (about 2/3) will be white.  At this point, spread it out around the edges making a little bit of a hole in the middle.  That way the bird won’t be over direct heat and risk burning.

Now, place that fella down on the grill, skin side up, about 5-6 inches from the heat.  Cover and cook for about 40 minutes, checking frequently to make sure a flame has not started!

After about 40 minutes, flip the chicken over so it’s skin side down.  Cook another 25 to 30 minutes, again watching closely.

Now flip it again until it is cooked through.  You can check with a meat thermometer or just make sure the juices run clear when cut.

Remove the bird from the heat and let it set for about 10 minutes on a cutting board.  This is a good time to make the salad!

Carve the chicken into legs, thighs, wings and breasts.  If you cut the whole breast off, you can then slice it into pretty little pieces.  (And your husband can have the back pieces!)

Serves 4-6 people (depending on how hungry you are!)

 

© Copyright 2017 The Lazy Gastronome

 

January 1 was National Bloody Mary day – so I made some Bloody Marys!    We used vodka as well as a couple of other variations (see below).  It’s a great drink for brunch.

What you need:

• 2/3 cup vodka
• 2 cups tomato juice
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon tabasco sauce
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• Garnish such as celery, green olives, pepperoncini peppers, bacon

How to Do it:

Place all the ingredients except the garnish in a large pitcher and stir, making sure to mix it all well.  (A wire whisk works great).

Put ice into four 8-10 oz. glasses and pour the mixture over the ice.  Use your choice of garnish (the classic is celery –  I used them all!)

Makes 4 drinks

Here are some variations to make not using vodka:

• Use tequila to make a bloody Maria
• Beer instead of hard alcohol is refreshing – a Beery Mary (my husband’s creation)
• No alcohol at all – a Virgin Mary.  I like to add a splash of lemon infused sparkling water to it.

 

© Copyright 2017 The Lazy Gastronome

Need a side dish for all the great Mexican dishes you have?  My friend from Mexico taught me how to make Mexican rice years ago – the tomatoes were an experiment that worked!  Give them a try!

What you need:

RICE

• 1/8 cup lard (or peanut oil)
• 1 cup raw, long grain rice
• An 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
• 1 ¼ cup stock – chicken or beef (I used the beef broth from cooking the meat for enchiladas)
• Green onions to garnish

TOMATOES

• 2 cups of small cherry or grape tomatoes
• 2/3 cup tequila

How to Do it:

RICE

Melt the lard in a large sauce pan.  Add the rice and cook until the grains begin to brown very slightly.

Remove from the heat.  Add the tomato sauce and mix well.  Stir in the broth, then return to the heat and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes, until the water is evaporated and the rice is tender.  Stir and serve with green onions as a garnish.

 

TOMATOES

Piece each tomato with a skewer from the stem end to the blossom end.  Place in a bowl and fully cover with the tequila.

Soak for 8-12 hours, turning occasionally.

Drain and serve. (the tequila makes a great bloody Maria).

 

Serves 4-6

© Copyright 2016 The Lazy Gastronome