Pot Lucky! Sparkling Summer Punch & Spiced Pork Kebabs

Who doesn’t love getting together to share a meal with friends? In these economic times, with gas making itself way too comfortable at $4.00+ a gallon, we are tightening our collective belts in a variety of ways from cycling to work to cutting back on extras, like trips to Europe or dining out. Spending time with friends isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity, and you don’t have to break the bank to throw a wonderfully memorable party, or picnic!

Lucky for us a favorite nostalgic ritual is making a comeback; re enter the Pot Luck Supper, where each guest contributes to the fun by bringing a dish.

Recipe for a Pot Luck Party
1 generous host
1 lovely home
1 group of your favorite people
1 dish or drink per couple or person
plates, glasses and utensils
a few great cds

• Pick a date
• Combine ingredients
• Enjoy!

In all seriousness, Pot Luck parties really do make for a great time. As a chef, I love it when anyone besides me cooks, so a Pot Luck, where I get to sample an assortment of “yummies”, to quote my 18-month-old daughter, is a real treat.

You can go about it in a variety of ways, from picking a theme, foods and wines of the South of France, for example, or tapas and sangria, or comfort foods, or anything that moves you. It’s nearly impossible to go wrong, unless of course everyone brings dessert and no one brings a beverage or the other way around.

To get you started, here are a just a few recipes my friends, family and clients love.


Sparkling Strawberry and Lemon Punch
1 quart simple syrup
2 or 3 quarts chilled seltzer, or Sprite if you like it sweet
1 pint freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 quarts strawberries, sliced and frozen
ice
fresh mint

• Combine ingredients in a large punchbowl, or a glass cookie jar to improvise
• Serve in pretty glasses or plastic tumblers
• Feel free to add your favorite spirits

Quick Version
2 quarts lemonade
2 or 3 quarts chilled seltzer, or Sprite if you like it sweet
2 boxes of Strawberry “froze fruit” cut into chunks
ice
fresh mint

• Prepare as for above

Spiced Pork Kebabs
2 lbs pork loin, cubed **also can use chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, or even Portobello mushrooms
2 limes, juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
Old Bay Seasoning

• Toss the pork with lime juice, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper
• Sprinkle liberally with Old Bay Seasoning
• Thread on wooden skewers and grill until cooked through
• I serve this by removing the pork from the skewers; piling it high on a platter and serving it with toasted flatbreads, warm tortillas and assorted hot sauces. Soooooo good!!

Note:
If you don’t have Old Bay, you can use paprika, cumin, garlic powder, turmeric, onion powder, celery salt or any combination thereof. For a spicy kebab, add a good pinch of cayenne. Of course you can certainly also add vegetables like peppers, onions, mushrooms and zucchini, but these little spiced nuggets are so divine on their own the veggies actually aren’t necessary. For more of a “dinner-dinner” you might want to load up the vegetables and serve them skewered.

For more ideas or to learn more about Emily, please visit www.eatlivewell.net