Servings:  8  

 2/3     c.      tamari (or soy sauce)
 1/4     c.      NC molasses
 1/4     c.      light brown sugar
 1/2     c.      pineapple juice
   5    clove   garlic, grated
few dashes  favorite Mrs. Dash
  8      oz.      NC Cheerwine

Put all the ingredients in a quart Mason jar and give it a shake.  If you have kiddos, get them in the kitchen to do that part and help. 

  2      lb.      sirloin or your favorite steak for kabobs, preferably local grass fed beef
  2      lb.      NC Shrimp, peeled and deveined  (large or jumbo)
  1                fresh pineapple, peel ~ sliced into "sticks" then cut into about 1" chunks
                    wooden skewers, soaked 1 hour to prevent burning (I soak in juice for added flavor)

Put beef in one zippered freezer bag and shrimp in another one.  Scatter pineapple in both bags. Pour about 2//3 of marinade over beef and about 2/3 over the shrimp, reserving the other for basting. Marinate for 8 hours or overnight (the longer the better).

  several      assorted bell peppers (a variety of colors), cut in about 1 1/2" pieces
  large          red onion cut in pieces about same size as peppers
  1     lb.       button mushrooms, stems removed and saved for soup pot

Place veggies in a micro-safe bowl.  Cook on HIGH about 1-2 minutes, until slightly tender. 

Set up assembly line of skewers... beef/veggies/pineapple and shrimp/veggies/pineapple and make kabobs.
I recommend not doing beef and shrimp on same kabobs as the shrimp will cook faster than the beef, especially if you have folks who prefer medium to well (ugh!) beef.

Discard the marinade the meats were in (OR, heat to 165* for 1 minute to make safe for using).  I sometimes put this in a small pot and boil, reducing till thick to drizzle over cooked kabobs.

Baste kabobs as they cook with reserved marinade.

SUGGESTED SIDES:  Grilled Sweet NC Corn or NC Durn Good Grilled Sweet Tater Fries

Click here to PRINT recipe

GRILLED NORTH CAROLINA SWEET POTATOES

Servings:  8                               Recipe by: Wendy L. Perry

About 3 lbs. North Carolina Sweet Potatoes
Durn Good™ Island Spice
Your favorite cooking oil (I like to use roasted garlic oil)
Durn Good™ Hot Sauce

Scrub taters with a vegetable brush.  Cut unpeeled potatoes into wedges, about the size of two of your fingers together.  Place in micro-safe plate and cover.  (You may have to do in 2 batches for this many potatoes and depending on size of oven. Cook about 3-5 minutes until just starting to steam tender.  Remove from microwave and shake on Durn Good seasoning and drizzle with oil.
Place on preheated grill grates (medium-direct heat).  Cook about 3-4 minutes on each side. 
Baste kabobs as they cook with reserved marinade.
Remove from heat onto serving platter.  If you like spicy foods, shake on some Durn Good Hot Sauce.
                                                                                         

Servings:  4  

 4      large      portabella mushrooms -- stemmed and gills gently scraped
    1/4  c.         garlic flavored oil
 1      bag        baby spinach – cleaned
 8      oz.          garden vegetable cream cheese – softened
 6      slices     bacon -- cooked and crumbled,  1-2 set aside (bacon optional)
 8      oz.          shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
  1/2  c.           grated Parmesan cheese
  1/2  c.           Italian Panko Bread Crumbs, slightly toasted, optional
                       Your favorite tomato sauce (see note), optional

Preheat grill to medium heat.  Brush prepared mushroom caps with garlic flavored oil on both sides.

When grill is hot, grill mushroom caps on both sides being careful not to break.  Once done, place with gill side up, on plate.  This will take about 1-2 minutes per side.

While mushroom caps are grilling, steam spinach about 1 minute in microwave. (I do this right in the bag, just cut corner to vent bag.)

Mix the softened cream cheese with half the mozzarella and the bacon.

Divide cream cheese mixture evenly into mushroom caps and spread to fill caps.  Divide spinach evenly onto cheese mixture atop each mushroom cap.

Place remaining mozzarella cheese onto top of spinach, then sprinkle with Parmesan.  Scatter on the bread crumbs

Place back onto grill (directly or on sheet of foil) and close.  Cook about 2-3 minutes, or until cheese has melted all the way through.

This makes a great side dish for all sorts of grilled meats, OR, placed atop a nice cool summer salad.

NOTES: