amazing shish kabobs

this is my families favorite summertime dinner, it's so good, and beleive me, you'll want to make the full amount, and if you have left over meat, you can just leave it raw and put in freezer bags and save for next time!

Steak Marinade:
2 pounds of roast, have the butcher cut into 2 inch chunks

mix:
1/4 c oil
2 T vinegar
1 t. onion salt
1 t. celery salt
3/4 t. garlic salt
1/2 salt
1 t. oregano
1/4 t. course black pepper
1 t. mustard
1 small bay leaf, crushed

Coat the meat and let stand over night in fridge

Chicken/Turkey Marinade:
2-3 pounds chicken or turkey breast, cut into 2 inch chunks

mix:
1 can Sprite
3/4 c. soy sauce
3/4 c. oil
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/2 - 1 t. horseradish

Coat the meat and let stand over night in fridge

Other additions:
depending on what you like/dislike you can add to this list, this is just what my family likes:

-bacon wrapped carrots: cook the carrots until you can get a toothpick through, but not enough that they are mushy (boiling about 10 minutes) cut bacon in half, and wrap around the carrot, hold in place with a toothpick, (it sounds weird, but believe me...so good!)
- bacon wrapped squash: same way as above, but you don't have to cook the squash, it's already soft enough
- purple onion
- sausage, in about 1 inch pieces
- brats, in about in inch pieces
- green, yellow, and red peppers
- mushrooms

We usually just put all the ingredients out on the table and let people build their own kabob, or you can put them together before hand. We have this trough that we use for the bbq brackets, but a grill works just fine, you just have to watch it closer to make sure the veggies don't burn before the meat is done, so cook on a low heat.

Enjoy, and happy summer!!!

Fresh Cherry Pie

Okay, so this was the first time I have ever made a Fresh Cherry Pie, and also the first time I have ever tried a lattice top crust, so the pie may not exactly be pretty, but it sure was good!
Here is the recipe I used:
1 batch of double crust pie dough (use your favorite recipe, or even pre-made)
4 cups fresh cherries, pitted
*Hint: I do not have a cherry pitter, but I opened up a paper clip and used one of the bent ends to pop the pit out the top of the cherry. You can also try poking them out with a straw*
1 cup sugar
4 Tbsp. Minute Tapioca (I used this, and it helps to thicken the filling, however, next time I might just try some flour or cornstarch)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. butter

Directions:
Mix all ingredients except butter, and let rest for 15 min. Pour in pie pan lined with bottom crust. Cut up butter into small cubes and place around top of filling. Cover filling with top crust. *Optional: Brush top crust with egg wash (mixture of 1 egg and milk), and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden. *Tip: I like to cut a hole out of the middle of a piece of foil and cover the pie with it so the edges are covered, and the middle is exposed. I will take the foil off for the last 15 minutes or so. This helps keep the edges from getting too brown or burned, while the middle cooks.