BBQ Pineapple Chicken Skewers & Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today in Emerald Isle, North Carolina, the sun and humidity reached its finest peak--97 degrees which felt like a mere 105 degrees. What a scorcher! All I could do was stay cooped up inside all day. When dinner time rolled around, I started the grill, and instant sweat began to pour off of my skin. Despite how uncomfortable it was to stand in front of that propane-fired machine, I pulled it off:

BBQ Pineapple Chicken Skewers
1 C ketchup
1/4 C soy sauce
1/4 C honey
1 T mustard
Less than 1/4 C brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t lemon juice
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
Skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
fresh pineapple, chopped

Add ketchup, soy sauce, honey, mustard, brown sugar, garlic & lemon juice together in a small pot. Cook for 20 minutes over low heat, stirring often.
Thread the chicken and pineapple pieces on the skewers. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Brush skewers with BBQ sauce & grill 2-3 minutes on all four sides. Reserve some BBQ sauce for dipping.

Want some dessert? Funny story--I made these cookies before I grilled out...so we indulged in our dessert before we ate dinner. I guess that's the luxury of being a grown up!

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 C flour
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 C unsalted butter, melted
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C white sugar
1 T vanilla
1 egg, room temperature
1 egg yolk, room temperature
1 bag semisweet chocolate chips
1 pint strawberries, washed and cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 325. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. In a small saucepan, melt butter & continue to stir for about 8 minutes. Cool.
Mix brown sugar and white sugar. Add butter and beat until mixed. Beat in egg, then egg yolk. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Gradually pour in flour and beat until just moistened.
Toss in strawberries with a tablespoon of flour to keep them from becoming too wet while baking. Add chocolate chips. (if dough isn't firm, refrigerate for 20 minutes)...Roll into 2 Tbsp sized balls and place 1'' apart on a greased sheet. Bake 12-18 minutes.