The #HungryHusbandProject - 2nd Edition: Tomato & Basil Pizza, Bacon-Wrapped Steak Kabobs, and Grilled Pineapple with Pineapple Sorbet

It's time for the 2nd edition of the #HungryHusbandProject. I was a bit ambitious today and decided to include an appetizer and dessert. Since spring has sprung and the weather has started warming up, I have been outside cleaning up the patio and getting my tiny little garden ready. I wanted to take advantage of the perfect weather and grill out before the air is thick with mosquitos, pollen, and heat. (A huge thank you to my father-in-law, who so graciously gave David his old charcoal grill, chimney bbq starter, and grill tools.)

I found a recipe for this grilled Tomato & Basil Pizza, which I thought would make a perfect appetizer to hold us over while the kabobs were cooking. I cheated and used pre-made pizza dough and pizza sauce, but I did make the Herb Oil, which smells divine! 

For the kabobs, I used this marinade recipe, but was only able to marinade the meat for 3.5 hours. I made 3x the amount of marinade so that I could marinade the vegetables and pineapple too. I also wrapped the steak in bacon before skewering. (IMHO, everything tastes better with bacon.) 

For dessert, I saved some of the leftover pineapple to grill. I used this recipe for the marinade, and served it with 2 small scoops of pineapple sherbet. (We also took advantage of the fire source and made s'mores.)

I used 1.5 lb. of sirloin, 1 package of bacon, 1 sweet onion, 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 1/3 pineapple, 1 small carton of button mushrooms,  and 1/3 small carton of grape tomatoes. I ate 2 skewers and David ate 2.5. There was enough to feed 4-5 people. Hint: soak the wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes prior to grilling.

Here is the verdict:

Tomato & Basil Pizza

 25/30  Taste
 10/20  Presentation
 10/10  Originality
10/10   Re-heatability
  5/10   Clean-up
12/20   Overall Ranking 
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72/100  Final Score
    C-      Letter Grade

His exact words were "Fail = pizza :) "

Comments:
"I thought it was extremely risky to cook the pizza on a charcoal grill for the 1st time ever. That, and it got charred. Next time use a burner to cook it evenly and monitor it."

I would just like to say that the hubs was in charge of the crust while it was on the grill. ;) Who burned it?! Kidding. The main issue was that the crust burned on the grill. I was able to salvage half of it, then add the tomato sauce, cheese, and basil. I think that this would be extremely tasty if done in the oven or on a gas grill. With charcoal, you're pretty much stuck with one very hot heat source which makes the crust susceptible to burning. David also really dislikes anything charred/burnt. Me, I'm okay with a bit of a char-grilled taste. I thought it was actually pretty tasty. I definitely want to make it in the oven next time.


Bacon-Wrapped Steak Kabobs

 29/30  Taste
 19/20  Presentation
 10/10  Originality
   7/10  Re-heatability
10/10   Clean-up
18/20   Overall Ranking 
----------------------------------
93/100  Final Score
    A       Letter Grade

Comments:
"Nice touch on the bacon. :) "

Even though I was only able to marinade the meat for half the time suggested, it was still very flavorful. I am curious to see how it re-heats. We cooked the steak medium-rare, so hopefully it won't become too well done when re-heated.

Grilled Pineapple with Pineapple Sorbet

 23/30  Taste
 19/20  Presentation
   8/10  Originality
10/10   Re-heatability
10/10   Clean-up
16/20   Overall Ranking 
----------------------------------
86/100  Final Score
    B       Letter Grade

Comments:
"Pineapple was a little spicy for my taste."

The hubs doesn't typically like spicy, so I wasn't sure how he'd feel about the cayenne pepper. I also forgot the fresh mint. I liked it. I would probably cut back a bit on the cayenne (a pinch instead of 1/8 tsp.), but I did like the kick it gave. 

I asked David what he thought of the s'mores and strawberry mojitos I made. He said I got A's on both of those. I'm happy with that. :)

Overall, it was a great meal. We turned the grill into a bit of a "fire pit" after dinner and enjoyed the warmth while we chatted. I'm looking forward to more warm (and mosquito-free) nights like this!

Luv,
the Bride

PS: I used fresh mint and basil from the garden for the mojitos and pizza. Can't wait to use more produce once it starts growing!