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Although no one really knows why, everyone seems to agree that there is something about putting food on a stick that makes it better.  Perhaps it takes us back to our caveman days when skewers of meat were our daily fare or maybe it is reminiscent of childhood when some of the best things like popsicles and lollipops came at the end of a stick.  Wednesday March 28^th was Food on a Stick Day and to commemorate it, here are some great ideas things you can eat on a stick.  Don’t forget to check the grocery aisles and farmer’s markets for local ingredients and enjoy a whole day of eating utensil free.

1.     Meat Skewers

• Grilled Chicken – Grill the chicken in chunks on skewers alone or with your favorite veggies and use the sauce for dipping.
• BBQ Pork Salad with Summer Fruits and Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette – make this delicious salad a little more fun by stacking the different ingredients on a skewer and serving it over a bed of lettuce.

2.     Veggie Skewers

• Angry Hillbilly Sweet Potatoes with Adobo Sauce – Cut up the sweet potatoes and soak them in the cream, then slide them on skewers.  Grill or roast them and baste them with the butter.  Mix up the rest to make a tasty, spicy sauce.
• Garlic Roasted Summer Squash  – Great for serving with any kind of grilled meat, simply slide the pieces of squash on a skewer to grill.

3.     Breaded and Deep Fried Delights

• Fried Zucchini – Use fresh local grown zucchini from your farmer’s market or grocery store and FYP’s recipe to create Fried Zucchini, and serve it on skewers.   This would also be great with fried zucchini blossoms.
• Kicked-up Corndogs with Spicy Green Onion Sauce  – Try this spicy take on the traditional corn dog that uses the flavor of Arizona-grown green onions to make a fabulous dipping sauce.

4.     Breakfast

• Pancakes and Sausage – Think breakfast corndog where the hot dog is a sausage link and the fried dough around the outside is the pancake.
• Boss’s Baked French Toast – Make the French toast as outlined except leave the berries out.  After baking, cut the French toast into square bites and then serve them on a stick with berries alternating between the bites and paired with syrup for dipping sauce.

5.     Deconstructed Salads

• Pennee’s Cucumber Delight – Prep the ingredients the same way you would to make the dish per the recipe, but instead of drizzling the sauce on the salad, create salad skewers with the cucumbers and onions and use the rest as a dipping sauce.
• TABLE Cosmos….on s stick – Mix the sour cream, lime juice, and lemon pepper together to make a dipping sauce and create tasty skewers with the other ingredients.

6.     Dessert

• Red Hot Stuffed Apples – Make the apples as described and mix up the stuffing mixture.  Rather than stuffing the core of the apple with the cream cheese mixture, keep it in a bowl for dipping.  Slice the apples into horizontal wafers and then slide them long ways onto a skewer to make a decorative and interesting dessert.
• Arizona Melon Dessert – Make colorful skewers by alternating different kinds of locally grown melons and use the mint sauce for dipping.

7.     Other Ideas

• Sonoran Hot Dog….on a Stick – Think corn dog with bacon instead of cornbread.  A great way to serve this Southwest specialty.

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• Let’s Talk Tomatoes (fillyourplate.org)