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 have long been a fan of the mojito, and I am super excited that I now know how to make one the right way.

I have loved mojitos for as long as I can remember.  I have always tried to make them by some recipe I found online or in a cocktail book, but it just was not good.  We have SOOO much mint that grew back this year, so I really felt the pressure more than ever to make a good mojito.  It didn’t help my cravings when we were at the beach one day, and my sister-in-law mentioned how a cabana boy would make our little (almost) private beach perfect.  Because it so nearly is perfect already.  No high rise condos, no insane amount of people muddling up the water, and no tar balls.  Yet.

When Linda mentioned that cabana boy, I thought about that cabana boy bringing me a sweet, cool, minty Mojito.  When we got home, H found this mojito recipe from Jeffrey Morgenthaler. He also includes some do’s and don’ts which are also really helpful.   He has a pretty sweet blog about bartending and mixology in Portland, Oregon.  And y’all know I love Portland. We went on our honeymoon to Seattle and Portland last October, and I swear I would move there if it weren’t so dadgum far away from everyone I love.

So Jeffrey says that the secret to a mojito is the simple syrup.  Believe me when I say that he is totally right.  This recipe is so easy, it’s like 1,2,3.  Oh wait, it is!

Check it out:

• In a 16 oz. mixing glass, gently muddle together 1 large sprig of spearmint and .75 ounce of simple syrup.
• I use about 6 medium to large leaves and since  I don’t have that small of a measurer of ounces,  I just put in 3 tablespoons of the simple syrup (I like it sweet).  What is simple syrup you ask?  Boil a cup of water and add a cup of sugar until it dissolves.  Then let it cool.  He says it keeps for about a week in the frig.  We’ve had it for a week and a half.  I need to get a sweet little squeeze bottle to keep it in the frig so I won’t make a mess like I did yesterday.

Here comes the 1, 2, 3:

• Add 1 ounce lime juice and its spent hull.
• Add 2 ounces white rum. (He says Bacardi is as close to Cuban rum as he can find here.  I like that.)
• Add 3 ounces sparkling mineral water.

Top all that with crushed ice and mix. I give it a 10 out of 10 because it tastes just like the professional mojitos I’ve had here.

The sweetness of this is really up to you.  I like mine pretty sweet, so I use 3 tbsp.  Maybe you could put 2 tbsp and then add from there.  Make sure you mix it well.  Oh man, we’ve been sipping these on the porch in the late evenings, and they really hit the spot.  What’s your favorite summer cocktail?