Olive My Baby

In this picture along with my grandma is my grandpa, Roosevelt, who went by Ted. Every time he ate an olive, with a wink of his eye he would say “Olive my baby.” As a little girl, I thought this was hysterical! Even as we kids grew older, he was still saying it and we said it too. This is my dad, John, who went by Jack to his family, at age 17 in 1942. He had just graduated high school and enlisted in the Army and headed off to the European theater for WWII. He was the barbeque king in our house.
So, naturally, I assumed when I married Curt (pictured at age 19 or 20 on his LDS mission to the Philippines,) he would be the barbeque king. If your only reference to what husbands/dads do is your father, you think your dad is right. Curt grew up with a different set of expectations. In our first few barbeques, I handed him off the meat and utensils and waited. He wasn’t into it. He took out a book to read, burned an item or two and didn’t seem to be enjoying his inner cave man at the fire pit. The slow learner I am, it took several meals to realize my expectations needed to shift. I took over at the grill.
But the dear father of my son (Jack is pictured here at age 4,) does love his barbequed food. At the beginning of this grilling season, we bought a new grill to replace the tired one that was mutilated in our move North. Curt mentioned, more than once, how I would need to try new, innovative barbeque recipes to blog about. (Always thinking, that man!)
So, for Father’s Day, I presented him with this grilling tool for veggies. Then, I immediately claimed it back, because it was really for me to use and he would just be able to reap its benefits. For his Father’s Day dinner, I marinated petite sirloin steak pieces and skewered them for shish kabobs. Then, I cut up red potatoes and veggies, mixed them with spices and oil and grilled them up along with the shish kabobs. What did I use for both the marinade and the veggies? Olive Oil. Why? Olive my baby!
Happy Father’s Day!

p.s. This is my father-in-law, Boyd, in his senior high school picture. He is another non-griller.
Beef Marinade
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
Marinade for at least one hour. Discard marinade after placing beef on skewers.
Grilled Veggies
3-4 red potatoes, scrubbed, skins on, cut in small pieces
onions and peppers cut in larger slices
green veggie, such as fresh green beans, asparagus, or broccoli, cut in 3 inch pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste (I used garlic pepper)
Mix in large bowl and place on grill in a aerated pan. Toss often. *Potatoes take the longest to cook, consider a quick pre-boil