• Asian Kabobs
  • 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, trimmed of any fat and cut into large cubes
  • 1 cup hoisin sauce
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • Sesame Rice
  • 2 cups basmati rice
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 1/2 cup sliced scallions
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

I know you all can relate to this. Mere words simply cannot describe the depths of love I have for my family. My husband Michael has been my biggest fan and his support and encouragement has fueled my desire to succeed in everything I do. Over the years Michael has given me the opportunity to stay home with our children, to homeschool for eighteen years, to pursue any and all interests any of us have had, and of course to pursue my dreams of encouraging every family in America and beyond to make memories in the kitchen while making meals eventful. My boys have also encouraged me in so many ways and I have used this experience to teach them how to dream big and reach for the stars. You can read more about how “Cooking with Elise” got started here. You never know what is possible, and trying never hurt anyone. Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Love, love, love that! Words to live by!

After being a weekly culinary contributor for the My Carolina Today show for over a year, Charlotte Today invited me to be a part of their live show. I made my first appearance on Charlotte Today last week. I know you can imagine how excited I was! My family was equally excited and they happily accompanied me to Charlotte. My oldest son Nathaniel works at a dental office, so was unable to join us, but I knew he was thinking about us and he and his dear Amanda had a surprise for us when we got home. You guys will love seeing what they made for us! Nate and Amanda, twenty-two and days away from being twenty-two, have been courting for five months. Both had chosen not to date until they found THAT person. They both have many friends up at school and are very active in ministry work, but they have waited for the right individual to come along. I think it’s pretty serious, and after praying for my boys future spouses since they were my born, Amanda has found a huge place in my heart.

We left our home in Raleigh at 5:30 am and our trip to Charlotte was a total of six and a half hours there and back. We discussed how far I had come and all of the opportunities that have been set before me. During those six and a half hours we chatted about what the future might hold as we enjoyed thinking up all of the possibilities.

Doing a live show was very different than my appearances on the My Carolina Today show and I, always excited about a challenge, eagerly awaited this opportunity! We arrived at the station and were nicely greeted by everyone. My Green Tomato Spice Cake with Brown Butter Icing would be featured on the show. We really enjoyed seeing what it takes to put a live show together. It was fascinating and fast! I spent most of my time on set in the beautiful IKEA kitchen with gorgeous Viking products (napkin please – I’m salivating) prepping my ingredients and equipment. We did “teasers”, which were basically moments when the hosts would talk about the upcoming cooking segment and I’d wave to the viewers at home while cutting a tomato or stirring butter on the stove top. It was really fun! I enjoyed featuring the cake I made for NC Secretary of State Elaine Marshall.

The most meaningful experience of the day was the love and encouragement my family demonstrated. Several times I’d look over at my guys while prepping for my segment and my heart would almost explode with gratitude as I thought about the time they spent to come with me, their time away from busy schedules and important meetings to support me. Their excitement warmed my heart beyond words.

I made three cakes so that everyone at the station could enjoy some of my Green Tomato Spice Cake with Brown Butter Icing…I was so proud of that darn cake! I love feeding people, so I was very eager to get started sharing! This young intern came back for seconds (which you know I love) and what a delighted young man he was. I wish him all the best in his career!

Mike and I Alex stood by my station the entire time grinning ear to ear. We had a blast! It was such a great experience to share together as a family. It woudl not have been the same without them. I don’t even care that this picture is a bit out of focus. I just love it! I wish I had a picture of my hubby at the station, but he was busy taking pictures for me! Love him!

The guys said I did a great job and we had so much fun, so it was a success!

Our son Nathaniel called while we were on our way home. He and Amanda made dinner and they had made enough to feed an army. After a day of traveling, we had a wonderful homemade meal made with love waiting for us.

We arrived home to find Nate and Amanda grilling these beautiful chicken and vegetable kabobs. Nate made three types of marinades for the chicken. All were delicious, but everyone agreed that the Asian Chicken Kabobs were definitely our favorite! Nate is sharing his recipe with everyone and we hope you all enjoy!

Simply marinate all of the ingredients in a large Ziplock bag in a bowl. The longer the chicken can be in the marinade the better it is. Nate allowed the chicken to marinate for five hours. As you can see in the picture, the kabobs had a beautiful red color … and the flavor? Amazing!

Place on a grill and cook for ten minutes just until the juices run clear. Nate is so much better at grilling chicken than I. He knows exactly when to take it off. It is always juicy and moist with a beautiful grill flavor. Well done! We invited our friends the Bradley’s over last night for a quick weeknight meal and Nate made this for them. I made my Steamed Dumplings

… and we cooked rice in our rice cooker:

Place all ingredients in a rice cooker and cook.