Grilled Veggies, Take Two

Have you tried my grilled veggies yet?  If you haven't, I am going to be honest...I'm sort of angry with you.  Because, once you do try them, you're going to have an "Oh my gawd, Heids McGhee, you have rocked my world" moment.  And then, you will email to tell me about your OMGHEYHRMW moment.  So, by you not making my veggies, I suffer because my inbox could always use more "you are the best thing that has ever happened to me" emails.


So, try my veggies.  And make a triple batch.  Because you are going to eat twice the amount you ever thought you would and you will need the leftovers for lunch the next day.


Heids McGhee's Grilled Veggie Sandwich

• grilled veggies (cold, left-over)
• naan (or pita)
• hummus (I used my own, but I think a roasted red pepper would be fabulous)
• feta cheese

1.  Smear the hummus on your naan or pita.

2.  Layer as many grilled veggies as you can on the pita.

3  Sprinkle with feta cheese.

I cheated and bought naan at Whole Foods.  It was 105 degrees where I live the day I made these.  I wasn't turning my oven on for anything!  My friend Astrid shares a recipe for naan, if you prefer homemade (which, of course, incredibly awesome people do.  I chose not to be incredibly awesome on that particular day).

Layer those veggies on as high as you can.  If you're feeling a little crazy, drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar.

Fold in half and eat.  Make one for the minis too.  Because if you don't, they're going to do that annoying hover that they do when they want a bite of what you're eating.  And you won't want to share this.

And, please email me and let me know when I give you a moment.  And, if you love me, please pin me on pinterest.  (I've always wanted to say that).

Shrimp Scampi

Wow, thank you all for the support after my last post.  I didn't expect that, it was wonderful! And a huge thank you to Half Size Me for the shout-out on her blog.  


This past weekend, my best friend came to visit.  She brought her handsome Mr. and her 4 precious minis with her.  That means I had 7 minis and a puppy in my house all weekend.  And, I may be pointing out the obvious, but when you have 7 minis and a puppy to take care of, you really don't get a chance to leave the house.  So we stayed home and entertained ourselves by digging baby toys out of the puppy's mouth and digging puppy food out of the baby's mouth.  True story.

I was super happy to be able to cook for our company.  Mainly because they are those really polite type of people that would gush over anything I put in front of them.  So I decided that was the perfect opportunity to try a new recipe shrimp scampi that I have been dying to try.  Before I share the recipe, I have to urge you to never buy shrimp that isn't from the US or Canada.  If you need more info regarding that, you can start here.

Grilled Shrimp Scampi

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (I used more)
• black pepper
• 1.5 pounds shrimp

1.  Mix olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic and pepper.  Pour over shrimp and let marinate in a ziploc bag in fridge for 30 minutes.  (I marinated longer).

2.  Place shrimp on skewers.

3.  Grill until pink, about a few minutes on each side.

Shrimp.

Marinade.

On skewers, ready to grill.

Grilled.  Delish.  No shrimp will ever compare.

As you can probably tell from the picture, these were beautiful and delish.  Super easy.  I served them with grilled veggies (drizzled with balsamic vinegar).  My guests loved the meal, of course.  Several of the minis did as well.  Except for the baby, she preferred the puppy food.

TGIF dinner

TGIF.  Heids McGhee needs a drink.  And a fantastic dinner.  Preferably prepared and cooked by the handsome Mr. McGhee while the mini McGhees play quietly and puppy McGhee does whatever well-behaved puppies do (guessing this is not jumping, biting, and peeing indoors).

And because I know Mr. McGhee reads this blog faithfully every single morning as soon as he gets to work, I am going to spell out for him what I want him to make me for dinner tonight.

Grilled shrimp and veggies.

Papa McGhee's (that's the mini's papa) grilled shrimp and veggies

• uncooked shrimp, lots of it because I love shrimp
• veggies (mushrooms, onion, zucchini, squash, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes)
• olive oil
• chopped fresh garlic

1.  Marinate shrimp and veggies in the olive oil and garlic all day.  (So Mr. McGhee, you're going to need to get to the store NOW).  (Make sure you marinate the veggies separately from the shrimp).

2.  Grill the shrimp on skewers until they turn pink.

3.  Grill the veggies in a grill basket until they are brown and crispy on the edges.

Enjoy.  Poolside.  With well-behaved minis.  And non-jumping-biting-peeing puppy.  With handsome Mr. eagerly refilling your beverage  and actively listening to you obsess over whether you should sign up to run another half or full marathon.

Summer BBQ

Mr. McGhee and I love to entertain.  Nothing makes us happier than being surrounded by family and friends in our home, with the swimming pool, swingset, and backyard full of activity.  To us, summers are backflip and cannonball contests off the diving board and dance parties around the siwmming pool.  And that's just the adults I'm talking about!  


And, of course, nothing makes me happier than having a backyard full of people that need to be fed.  

I always tell guests that want to bring something to bring snack food or dessert.  I'll take care of everything else.  This is my go-to BBQ meal....spicy honey chicken, grilled veggies, and fruit salad.  The fruit salad is easy.  Cut up some watermelon, berries, grapes, and any other fruit you like and toss it all in a bowl.  That's it!  The spicy honey chicken takes a bit more work.  

Spicy Honey Chicken

Chicken Rub

• 2 tsp granulated garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

Glaze

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar

1.  Mix all spices together.
2.  Drizzle oil on chicken (I use a mix of breasts and thighs) and rub the chicken rub onto the chicken (how's that for obvious?)
3.  Grill chicken until no longer pink in the middle.
4.  Warm honey and add vinegar.
5.  Pour honey/vinegar mixture on chicken.  Grill an additional minute.  

6.  Pour any leftover honey/vinegar mixture on chicken when serving.

Can I give you a tip?  Make a huge batch of the chicken rub and store it in a glass jar in your spice cabinet.  Make extras for all your friends to take home that night.  They'll be asking for it and call you to thank you every time they use it.  

I always serve this chicken with grilled veggies.  Nothing makes me happier than seeing my hungry guests chow down on vegetables.

Grilled Veggies

• assortment of veggies (get an assortment of your favorites...here's what I used)
• 3 summer squash, 3 red bell peppers, 3 zucchini, 1 eggplant, mushrooms, and a bunch of asparagus
• olive oil
• sea salt and pepper
• balsamic vinegar
• 2-3 cloves fresh crushed garlic
• fresh basil 
• fresh rosemary
• fresh italian parsley

1.  Slice the veggies lengthwise into about 1/4 inch slices.
2.  Brush each side of the veggies with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.
3.  Grill the veggies on each side until tender and slightly charred.  Don't move the veggies around on the grill too much, you want those black grill marks!
4.  Mix 4 tbsp olive oil with 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar.  Add garlic and fresh herbs.  I make this ahead of time and let it sit so the flavors can blend together.
5.  Once the veggies are grilled, put them on a platter and brush the oil/vinegar/herb mixture all over the veggies.

Here's the herb mixture.  As you can see, I use a lot of herbs.  They're the star of the show.

This is what I like to call Holy Grilled Goodness.  My prep + Mr. McGhee's cooking = Heaven in the mouth

The minis fight over this asparagus.  Let me repeat that.  The minis fight over this asparagus.

If you're a local reader, don't be surprised if the McGhees invite you over for a BBQ and serve you this meal.  If you aren't local, fire up your BBQ and make this meal.  Channel your inner McGhee.  You'll have a blast, I promise.