I don’t know whether to say I am getting closer to a standard style kabob or further away…

This is Day 4 in my weeklong Kabob Party. Up until today I have limited my skewers to one ingredient and brought a bit of razzmatazz to the stick with well-chosen condiments. But not today. This party is getting fully integrated and it's starting to rock!

We started the series quietly with a Turkish Style Lamb Kabob made with ground meat and exotic spices; it was served alongside of a soft herb salad. Next up we threaded Brined & Marinated Shrimp onto wooden skewers. I showed you my trick to keep those little shrimpies in line too. No more twirling all over the skewer. This version comes with a tangy tomatillo and avocado salsa.

Just yesterday we had summer skewers at their simplest. Italian Style Chicken Spiedini with a Cucumber, Arugula and Olive Tapenade. Truly an al fresco treat.

It's not that I am a timid party guest, but I have to admit that one-ingredient simple skewers are how I most typically make kabobs. I like the control in cooking that comes from having some uniformity on the stick.

But I hear the boom of the bass. I feel the rhythm in the vibe. I know there are many of you who believe it’s not a Kabob Party without a little mingling! You are such a naughty bunch! You like the idea of having a few select beauties stuck on your stick!

I guess it’s no secret by now. I like pickled things.

Remember Pickled Rhubarb? How about Pickled Shrimp? Just last week I featured a pickled fish known as Escabeche. I have a vinegary Filipino adobo coming to these pages very soon.

Well, pickled things are also a staple in Turkish cuisine. I have been reading quite a bit about Turkish cooking lately and will soon start featuring a few of my finds every once in a while.

So, with my love of pickles I was naturally very intrigued when I read that in Istanbul there are entire shops devoted to pickles. The photos I have seen are very inspiring. Shop windows filled with stunning displays of pickled things gleaming like jewels in the sunlight. It’s common to see brined cucumbers, peppers, cabbage, beets and stuffed eggplant in these shops. But there can also less expected versions of the plain ol’ pickle too. Things like whole ears of corn, unusual fruits and even pinecones!

I like the romance of a picnic.

But I also like to break the rules. So my picnics usually stretch beyond fried chicken confines. Because there are a lot of great choices that are perfectly suited to eating outdoors, slouched up against a tree with both hands held in front of your face, inhaling the experience of really good food served in a simple manner.

But picnics are more and more rare in my life. Maybe it’s the big city where I live, maybe it’s my age or our big city schedule. Maybe the ground is just further away than it used to be, but I don’t eat outdoors nearly as much as I should.

It seems half my childhood meals were enjoyed on a blanket, even if that blanket was haphazardly strewn across the lawn behind our suburban Michigan house. Could these memories stem from the simple fact that air-conditioning was a luxury not yet enjoyed by our family? Could that be the reason I associate summer with outdoor dining?