Thad and Abbie came over for dinner tonight, which gave us yet another excuse to fire up the grill. The marinade for the lemongrass-skewered shrimp was based on what we had in the kitchen and what “sounded good” — you really can’t go wrong with lemon and garlic! Lisa prepared a delicious Orzo salad made with spinach, basil, lemon, and cherry tomatoes, and we grilled some pineapple after quartering it and brushing it with melted butter, honey, and brown sugar. Turned out to be quite the tasty combination!

Grilled Shrimp on Lemongrass skewers
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1 lb shrimp
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 green onion, chopped
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp capers
3 stalks lemongrass, cut in half, dry outer layers removed

Peel shrimp, leave tails on. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add shrimp, and marinate for 2 hours. Soak lemongrass in water for 15 minutes, and then use to skewer shrimp. Cook shrimp on medium-heat grill for 4-5 minutes or until opaque in center.

The orzo recipe: Orzo with Spinach and Tomatoes