This page was created with all of you men
 in mind!  I am challenging you to create a special day for your family.  When I was a little girl, I used to love to watch my dad cook.  He threw things together any kind of way, and somehow managed to make all of his meals taste like the finest of chefs prepared it!   I can still remember the home-fries he sometimes made on Sunday mornings.  I do my darndest to make mine come out the way he did, and they're just never quite the same.  Give him a few skewers, he could make magic happen with the old charcoal grill.  I don't know if everything tasted better just because dad made it, or if  he had some great cooking secret.  All I know is --- when Dad cooked, it felt like a really special day....

Breakfast

Broccoli Frittata

You can make this low in cholesterol if you use a
fat-free egg substitute, but it's definitely not necessary.  The egg substitutes are excellent these days.  I truly cannot tell the difference.

1 onion, diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 10-oz. package frozen chopped broccoli (no need to thaw)
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
8 eggs, whipped with a fork OR 2 cups fat-free egg substitute
1/2 cup nonfat cottage cheese (or regular, if you prefer)
2 teaspoons margarine or butter

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, sauté the onions
in the oil for 5 minutes or until soft.  Add the broccoli and dill.
Sauté for 5 minutes, or until the broccoli is heated through.

In a large bowl, mix the eggs and cottage cheese.  Stir in the
broccoli mixture.

With a paper towel, wipe out the frying pan, then place it over
medium-high heat and let stand for about 2 minutes.  Add 1 teaspoon margarine or butter, and swirl the pan to distribute it.  Add half of the egg/broccoli mixture.  Lift and rotate the pan so that the eggs are evenly distributed.  As the eggs set around the edges, lift them to allow uncooked portions to flow underneath.
Turn the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid, and cook until the top is set.  Invert onto a serving plate, then cut into wedges.
Repeat with the remaining 1 teaspoon margarine or butter and
the remaining egg/broccoli mixture.

Makes 4 servings.

Serve with orange juice, grapefruit juice
 or tomato juice.
Don't forget the coffee!

Dinner

This recipe calls for either sweet red bell peppers or
green pepper.  I actually like to use a little of both
only because it's colorful and looks so appetizing!
You prepare your marinade about 4 hours ahead of time, and allow your cut up meat to marinate in it all the while. When you're ready to cook, simply thread the sumptuous meat with the vegetables onto the skewers, and you're set  to fire up that grill.  Here's another little trick I use for even more flavor!  Wal-Mart generally sells hickory-smoked
wood chips in their outdoor department.  Throw a few wood chips down into the coals, and you will not BELIEVE the flavor you'll have when finished!!!

Entree

Beef and Chicken Kabobs

3 tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate, undiluted
3 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel (optional)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon olive oil OR toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
Dash of ground red pepper (optional)
3/4 pound boned skinless chicken breast halves
6 ounces boneless beef round steak, cut 1 inch thick
2 cups yellow summer squash OR zucchini, cut into
 1 inch slices
1 cup sweet red pepper OR green pepper, cut into
 1 inch squares
Nonstick cooking spray

Prepare the marinade:

Combine the apple juice concentrate, water, lime peel, lime juice, oil, salt, thyme, and if desired, red pepper.
Cut chicken and beef into 1-inch pieces.  Sit a plastic ziploc bag
in a bowl and place meat inside the bag.  Pour the marinade
over the meat.  Close the bag and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours,
turning occasionally.
Drain the meat, but reserve the marinade.. don't throw it away!

On four 15-inch skewers or eight 12-inch skewers, thread the
chicken, beef, squash or zucchini, and bell pepper chunks.
Place aluminum foil on the rack of your grill and spray with
cooking spray.  Place kabobs on the sprayed foil on rack.
Broil for 5 minutes, then brush with some of the
 reserved marinade.
Turn kabobs over.  Broil 4 to 6 minutes for or till meat
 is tender and no longer pink.  You can brush the kabobs once or twice during cooking, but don't over-do it.

In the meantime, bring the remaining marinade to boiling.  Reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute.  Strain.  Serve in a bowl with a brush to allow individuals to adjust it to their liking.

Makes 4 servings.

Side Dish

I strongly suggest serving this entree with either buttered noodles or Uncle Ben's Wild Rice... prepared according to package directions.  My preference is the Wild Rice.

Beverage Suggestion:
Serve ice-cold Heineken Beer or Lowenbrau with
 this meal, or your favorite wine.

Dessert

Fresh Fruit Plate

This is a perfect dessert for the warm days we're having now.  It's a very lite dessert, simple to prepare, and healthy to eat.  Everyone loves fresh fruit this time of year!!
(Recipe is easily doubled for more guests.)

1/4 cup fat-free or low-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 of an 8 ounce carton of plain nonfat yogurt
1 tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate, undiluted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
4 cups sliced strawberries, peeled & sliced kiwi fruit, and raspberries---
(enough of everything to equal 4 cups total fruit)

In a small mixing bowl, stir cream cheese until smooth.
Add the plain yogurt, juice concentrate, and vanilla flavoring.
Mix well.
On each of four dessert plates, drizzle one fourth of the
cream cheese mixture.
Arrange 1 cup of all of the fruit on each plate on top of the
puddle of cream cheese mixture.

Makes 4 servings.
(**Note - if you are diabetic, this equals 1 fruit exchange)