Work it, grill it, shake it, eat it

Right now, it's hotter than hel-p outside, but we still need to eat, which requires cooking. What to do, what to do? Because once I left the grill on until it emptied a whole tank of propane, I pretty much hate using it. Seriously, think what a waste of money that was. I shudder. My husband is the grilling machine at our house, and he just happens to be very competent at also turning it off when he is finished. 

I think he was doing a fake serious face here, but he's definitely fo-real serious about whipping out some grillage. 

His latest experiment was these bad boy kabobs. 

They had the tastiest tofu that I have ever had in my life. I like tofu, but I don't crave tofu. I craved this tofu -- sweet plus savory and so delicious. 

Here's the recipe we used. 

Veggie Kabobs with Herb and Garlic Marinade

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

2 hr 0 min

Cook Time:

10 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 medium red or white potatoes
• 1 cup firm or extra-firm tofu chunks
• 1 cup red, yellow or green bell pepper chunks
• 1 cup pineapple chunks
• 1 cup red onion chunks
• 1 cup white button mushrooms
• 1 cup zucchini or yellow squash chunks
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• Marinade, recipe follows
• Wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Directions

Cook potatoes in salted water until fork tender; let cool and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place potatoes and the vegetables in a shallow dish or container. Pour marinade over vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat an outdoor grill to medium heat.

Remove vegetables from the marinade, reserving marinade. Thread vegetables onto skewers, alternating colors. Cook skewers on grill until vegetables are lightly charred all over, about 10 minutes, basting with reserved marinade and turning occasionally.

Marinade:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. The marinade can be prepared in advance and held covered in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

You won't regret trying those. Unless you do. 

For the shrimp, we just covered them with italian dressing from a bottle we already had in the fridge. Also great and super simple.

My brother worked some grill magic too.

My nephew worked the cute factor. 

My twins worked the mess angle. 

And somehow, a plant actually flowered under our shoddy care. 

We also had burgers with this cookout. Don't ask about our food combining. We just knew we were super hungry. Tofu kabobs, shrimp, burgers, asparagus? Somehow we didn't care as we shoved it in our faces as fast as possible.

Do you have a separate table for kids at your house? We do. Usually it's in the kitchen over the surface that is easiest to clean. Sometimes we let them eat in our presence.

Did you enter to win the free entry to the Lady Speed Stick half marathon or 5K yet? They have five cities to run in, so go check it out and see if there is one you want to run! I'll be running Nashville Cashville. Go here to enter the giveaway.