Mixed vegetable and meat kabobs take some practice. They always look great on TV, but in the real world, meat and vegetables don’t cook at the same temperature or for the same length of time. In particular, when beef or chicken are fully cooked, onions will still be raw with burned edges, and tomatoes will be mushy. If you want to go to the trouble of precooking, you can. But we’ve found it’s easier just to make separate kabobs for each item, and put the vegetables that need the longest cooking time on the grill first. That said, if you like onions cooked all the way through, it’s best to blanch or bake them briefly first, or they’ll never cook properly on the grill.

No amounts for this recipe, because we always bought and made just enough for the crowd we expected for this backyard-grill meal. We will note that adult males tend to spend a long time at the picnic table, long after everyone else is through, determined to finish off every last kabob. So maybe buy extra.

• Meat or poultry, cut into bite-sized cubes
• Onions
• Bell peppers, cut into large chunks
• Mushrooms, left whole or cut into large chunks
• 1 can chunk pineapple, drained
• Cherry or grape tomatoes (optional)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ⅔ cup ketchup
• ⅔ cup vinegar
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup olive oil
• 5-6 cloves garlic
• ½ teaspoon ginger

Blanch or bake onions and peppers until just tender. Mix brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, garlic and ginger. Pour sauce over cut vegetables and meat, and marinate overnight in tightly wrapped pan or in plastic bags in the refrigerator.

If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 15 minutes before assembling the skewers for the grill. Assemble kabobs, then discard marinade. Grill kabobs until chicken is cooked through or meat is done to desired temperature.

from Ania (photo of Dad in the backyard)