The beginning of the BBQ SEASON!

My hubby is a BBQ fanatic, he loves to stand in front of the grill, even after a long day of work. We started barbeque the moment the last snow patch melted off the ground! Before spring started, I promised myself that we are going to spend more time outdoors this year, and enjoy more "alfresco" dining even during the week.

We love barbeque burgers and sausages, but we are usually sick of them by the end of May. So I'm always looking for other easy bbq options for weeknight dinners, but these recipes have to fit a few criteria. 1) QUICK - we usually get home around 6pm, and would like to have dinner on the table by 7pm. Anything that requires alot of prep is out of the question. 2) EASY -  Tyler loves spending time outside with us, but he doesn't like waiting for his food either. Whatever we put on the bbq has to grill up quickly and can't require too much care, since Tyler is always trying to get us away from the grill to play with him.3) YUMMY - well, pretty self explanatory, it has to be yummy for both us and the little man. So this is what I came up with for last Monday's dinner:

Coconut chicken satay skewers
I made up this recipe from combining a bunch of different recipes, I made minor changes based on what I have in my pantry.

1 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp fish sauce
A pinch of fresh ground black pepper
2 boneless chicken legs, cut into chunks
bamboo skewers


In a small bowl, whisk together everything except the chicken, until the ingredients are incorporated and the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the chicken,and marinate for as long as you've got! (I had 30 minutes)

Soak skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.

Thread 4-6 pieces of chicken on each skewer. Grill the chicken, turning frequently, until crisp, 5 minutes per side.

The shrimp skewers were marinated in a sweet thai chili sauce, a staple at my house, this sauce is also good for marinating chicken wings and as a dipping sauce for  spring rolls.

Sweet Thai Chili Sauce

 The skewers are good as they are, but even better served with peanut sauce.

My ad-hoc peanute sauce
3 cloves of garlic
1 cup of smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup of peanuts
1 tbsp black vinegar
2 tsp fish sauce
3/4 cup of water
1 tsp of hot sauce (or to taste)

Put all the ingredients into the food processor, process until a heavy cream consistency. If the sauce is too thick, add more water.

This is a really simple recipe, the chicken would've benefited from a longer marinating time, over night would be ideal, but it was overall very tasty. I would probably add a bit of lemon grass and lemon juice next time in the marinade. This dinner took only 45 minutes from prep to the table, and being able to spend some time outdoor after a long day at work is definitely worth all the work! And watching my little man explore the great outdoors is PRICELESS!