We had these honey lime shrimp kebabs for dinner last night.

You know when you have a big project and you tell yourself you will not do anything else until it is finished?  That is what I feel like these days.  A 264 page publication is set to come out in August, and I need to get it done.  But I do have to cook.  And last night I had a creative moment in the form of this marinade.  We bought some great shrimp at Publix, and the evening had cooled off enough to use the grill.  Unfortunately, our propane tank lost its juice.  But that’s okay because these kabobs can be done in the oven, and they are still amazingly delicious.

I only marinated these for an hour, but in the future, I will definitely give them longer.  The flavors are so fresh that they need time to fully get in there.

The vegetables I used for the kabobs included large chunks of green bell pepper, yellow squash, and red onion.  I marinated all of it with a pound of peeled shrimp.  I just threw these ingredients in as I went, so I am estimating these measurements.  It should be slightly sweet, and not overpoweringly tart.

These honey lime shrimp kebabs are good in the oven or on the grill.

Honey Lime Marinade

whisk together with a fork in the bowl you plan to marinate in:

• juice of 2 limes
• zest of 1 lime
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1.5-2 tbsp honey
• 2-3 tbsp of orange juice
• 1-2 tsp of apple cider vinegar
• 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• salt to taste

Since I have most of my cooking adventures in the kitchen, I thought I’d put a before picture of the awful wallpaper I just took down.  I plan to do a major overhaul–painting cabinets a dark brown, new countertops, tile backsplash, undercounter lighting.  I’ll keep you guys posted as I work on it.  I’m really excited because I love being in the kitchen.  I know I’ll love it even more when it’s all done.  Here’s what the wallpaper looked like before I steamed it all off the walls:

The awful wallpaper in our kitchen. Who thought this pattern would be a good thing?

I want to read Michael Pollan's "Food Rules" because I really agree with this philosophy. It's not bad to eat french fries--just make them yourself.

Alicia has a book out, too.  I really want to read The Kind Diet after reading some of her blog.  She has some amazing recipes in there.  I also liked the fact that she “leaned into” this whole vegetarian/vegan thing to begin with.  Now she’s fully vegan (with the few exceptions of some cheese after her wine-drinking).  I vehemently respect this decision that several of my friends have made (my other blog was about this respect and love for natural and actual FOOD, just more poetic and eloquently written).  I have been “leaning” this way for a long time…I guess ever since I read The Jungle in high school. And you probably already know I hate dealing with raw meat.

Alicia Silverstone's book, "The Kind Diet," has some great recipes in it. And she really loves food just as much as I do.

So what does my breakfast have to do with all of this?  It is a snow day, and I don’t want to get out.  We are, however, running low on milk (organic, of course).  I’ve been big into warm oatmeal in the mornings lately.  I happily remembered that I had some boxed soy milk and rice milk in the pantry, so there was no need to get out in this mess.  I made my oatmeal with the soymilk and added some wheat germ.  It cooked up nicely–creamy and slightly nutty from the soymilk.  And I thought, “look at me being all healthy and vegan!”

Then I remembered the wildflower honey I bought at our local produce store.  They get their stuff from the farmer’s market and local farms in the area, they’re right near the gym now, and their produce is way cheaper (and prettier) than the grocery store.  They get their honey from a local dude, and it is GOOD.  I had tried the clover before, and the wildflower has a nice dark amber color.  Local honey is good for folks with allergies because the bees use local pollen.  I topped it with some organic granola (Cascadian Farms is real good, y’all) and took a big bite…and then remembered that honey comes from BEES.  Yes, I have the agave nectar which is vegan-approved, but ya know, it was kinda too late at that point.

So I will continue to lean.

I also want to read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan.