Long before corn dogs or ice cream bars, food on a stick meant kebabs. Like a whole meal skewered and ready to grill, kebabs are one of the easiest ways to prepare a special meal for a few or a crowd. The beauty is that most foods grilled on skewers are delicious and easy to put together.
Meats, of course, like beef, chicken, lamb and pork but also fish, vegetables and fruits are typical. Thread them on a skewer and you're ready to go. Well, almost.
You can go the easy route and head to a local market where you can buy kebabs already marinated and ready to grill. Hy-Vee and Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe have them as do most other area markets. ADVERTISEMENT Or consider buying the ingredients and putting them together yourself, a little more work but worth it.
(And with the money you save, buy a nice bottle of wine.) It's all pretty simple but there are a few things to consider. Whatever you are going to use as the protein, cut into smaller chunks for more even cooking.
Standard sizes are 3/4-inch by 1-1/2-inch. Vegetables are a big part of the kebab event and there aren't many that don't take to it — sweet bell peppers, mushrooms, squashes, zucchini, onions, eggplant, Brussels sprouts and cherry tomatoes. While alternating the protein with the vegetables makes a pretty picture, it's best to thread them on separate skewers.
Why? Because they're all done at different times. Thinking monochromatic gives you better control. You can color coordinate when you place the finished foods on.