Ham and pineapple kebabs with tri-pepper couscous

I really wanted to grill these kebabs, but as I mentioned earlier, the "patio" can only be accessed by climbing over a row of bushes, which are really due for a trim. If you don't have a grill, just put the kebobs under the broiler.

Ingredients

• 1 ham steak, cut into 1" chunks
  
• 1 pineapple, cleaned and cut into chunks
• couscous
• chicken broth
• small red, yellow, and orange bell peppers (1 of each), finely diced
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2T unsalted butter
• freshly ground salt
  

Directions

• Load the kebob skewers, alternating ham and pineapple chunks. Broil for 15 minutes, turning as they begin to blacken.
• Bring the chicken broth, butter, and a little salt to a boil. Don't use too much salt, because the broth has plenty. Turn off the heat, then add the couscous, stir, and cover for five minutes.
  
• When the liquid is absorbed, fluff the couscous with a fork. Add the diced bell peppers and the black pepper and combine. (You may wish to add Tabasco sauce; I often add some to cold couscous.)
  
• When the kebobs are blackened and caramelized, remove them from the broiler and serve over the couscous.

How to Clean a Pineapple

• Use a serrated knife. Accept no substitutes!
  
• Lay the pineapple on its side. Slice off the bottom.
• Stand the pineapple on its bottom. Using the stem as a handle, slice off the peel.
• Use the tip of your knife or a grapefruit knife to dig out the brown "eyes."
• Lay the pineapple on its side. Slice off the stem.
• Quarter the pineapple along its long axis.
• Remove the core.
• Voila! You have a clean pineapple just waiting to be cut into chunks!

How to Eat a Kebob

• Use a fork. Unless, of course, you vacuum your floors more often than I do.
  

Come to the Dark Side, we have pre-made pizza crust

I have a well-known hatred of processed, pre-packaged food. And don't even get me started on the horror known as the chain restaurant.

Let's face it, though: sometimes you don't get home until 7:00, and your hair is crusted in ice, and you can't feel your toes, and you're cold and tired and hungry!

...or maybe that's just me.

Nights like this are the reason pre-made pizza crust exists.

I had previously written it off as lazy people food, and even though I had never tried it, I assumed it would be disgusting. Then I tried some at the last party I went to, where another party-goer used it to make a tasty vegetarian pizza.

Tonight, though, the carnivore inside me won out and I made a Hawaiian pizza.

The ham steak on the left? Came in a 3-pack that The Mr. and I picked up for $11.50 at Costco.


Hawaiian pizza in a few easy, lazy steps!

ingredients

• pre-made pizza crust
• a jar of pizza sauce
• shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese
• ham (for the truly lazy, you can buy some pre-cubed, but save yourself a few bucks and cube it yourself)
• jar of pineapple chunks

Do I really have to say more? Well.... okay. Spread some pizza sauce on the crust. Sprinkle some cheese. Add the ham and pineapple. Bake it. 450 degrees. Until it's melted and gooey. Eat it. You know you want to.

See? Don't you want to eat this?