Oh, the little things in life...

There are four summer words in the english language we all love to hear - "Shrimp on the Barbie". Doesn't that sound almost as endearing as, "I love you, please eat"?! It's possibly the easiest way to say these beautiful words; all you need is a Barbie - the fire kind, not one with long blond hair and impossible measurements - shrimp, and a few kitchen staples.

Before I forget, and I do easily forget if a notepad and pencil is not close by, I must tell you about some bacon from a few nights ago... Perfectly crispy, salty and sweet. It's a must try on all accounts, it's bacon with brown sugar, baked in the oven at 375 F. Words actually fail me to describe this phenomenon, it's no wonder Brown Sugar Bacon has, apparently, been all the rave as of late. For one pound of bacon, use 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Place the bacon single file in one or two rimmed rectangle baking dishes. It's a good idea to line the dishes with aluminum foil before lining up the bacon, as brown sugar sure does love to stick! Sprinkle the brown sugar over bacon evenly, bake for 15 - 30 minutes - depending on the thickness of the bacon, and material of the baking dish. I happened to use two different ones: my aluminum pan required just 15 minutes, where the stone pan needed 25. Please do use good quality, naturally smoked bacon. It's not much of a splurge! When finished, drain on paper towels for a minute, then try to hold yourself back and eat only 2 - 3 slices. I am ever so sorry about the lack of photos, I am the first to admit we all need a good photo or two with every recipe. But this one just didn't last, I could hardly hold back the troops, and so not much after the bacon came out of the oven, it was gone. It was just that good.

I bet Brown Sugar Bacon and Shrimp on the Barbie would be amazing together.

Shoot, now I'm hungry. So much for losing a couple of pounds before hitting the beach.

Oh well.

Shrimp! Here's how I love it:

1 lb medium or large uncooked, thawed shrimp, deveined and peeled
3 tbsp grape seed oil
the juice of half a lemon
2 - 3 cloves garlic
pinch white pepper
salt to taste, but only if the shrimp is not already salted (check the package labels)

Combine the marinade, and add the shrimp. Marinade for about 20 minutes at room temperature, then skewer.
Heat the Barbie on high heat. Cook about 1 1/2 minutes on each side, until firm and color has changed. Do not over cook, or these beautiful shrimps will be tough and I love you may only come out as I like you, a little.