Chicken Lollipops

Children love almost anything if you call it a lollipop or popsicle, and the beautiful thing about that is just about anything can become stick food if you want it to be! I have used 4-inch cocktail toothpicks, small, medium, and large bamboo skewers, and hefty metal kabob forks (in both straight and circular shapes), and every time, no matter what's on them, they're a hit. Tonight I made Chicken Lollipops just by marinating breast strips in my favorite teriyaki sauce (see below for the recipe), threading them onto water-soaked, foil-wrapped wooden skewers, and grilling until done (you can also bake them at 425 degrees about 15 minutes).

Some other ideas for skewered foods include:
~Fresh Fruit Kabobs (alternate chunks of your favorite fruits)
~Caprese Shooters (a cherry tomato, a chunk or ball of fresh mozzarella, and a leaf of fresh basil)
~Grilled Veggie Skewers (alternate chunks of assorted veggies and brush with your favorite dressing or sauce and grill)
~Watermelon Popsicles (place a large chunk of seedless watermelon on a popsicle stick and freeze)

A few years ago, I was looking for a really good teriyaki sauce. I tried every commercial variety and came close a few times, but each one seemed to lack something (and was super salty to compensate). I started to experiment with my own, and through much research and trial and error, I came up with the following recipe. It's fabulous on chicken, beef, pork tenderloin, or veggies, and the recipe yields enough for at least two dinners. I like to marinate the meat for several hours, occasionally overnight, and I'll baste the veggies with the teriyaki sauce while they're grilling. For food safety concerns, discard any leftover marinade after soaking meat in it and use some fresh that you've set aside to brush the food that's cooking (or already cooked).

Teriyaki Sauce

Bring 2/3 cup mirin to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. (Mirin can be found by the soy sauce in the Asian Foods section.)

Add:
1 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
5 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup sugar
7 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
dash red pepper flakes
black pepper, to taste

Simmer 5 minutes. Store sauce in a glass jar in the refrigerator; stir or shake before using.

Variations and additions:
~Sometimes I'll add in a few tbsp of sesame seeds
~I like a thicker teriyaki sauce at times, so I'll add some cornstarch. To do this without lumps, add it before you add the soy sauce and other ingredients by mixing one or two tablespoons with a little of the soy sauce. Stir in the remainder of the 1 cup soy sauce, and proceed, simmering just until it coats the back of a spoon and appears less runny and slightly "thicker." (But you don't want a teriyaki gel, so don't add more! Yuck.)
~Add a pinch of grated orange zest, if desired, for a fruity flavor
~Try substituting 1/3 cup frozen pineapple juice concentrate for the sugar