Dining With Stephani Renbaum

Laurie Legum

For Stephani Renbaum, a Reisterstown mother of two and public relations professional, food has always played a central role in her family’s life. Her grandfather, Martin Lev, was the founder of Pikesville’s Edmart Deli. “I learned to appreciate good food at an early age. All my life I have been surrounded by great cooks,” says Renbaum. She learned many basic cooking techniques from her mother and grandmother, as well as their style of healthy, classic cooking.

Stephani’s husband, Mark, and their children, David, 11, and Sarah, 7, share her passion for food. “Dinner time is sacred in our house. It’s when we take a break from our busy schedules to catch up with one another. My kids and my husband are great eaters and make it easy for me to prepare a variety of recipes. I try to cook with fresh ingredients and I enjoy cooking seasonally – comfort foods, soups and heartier meals in the fall and winter, and lighter meals and a lot of grilling in the warmer months,” says Renbaum.

Renbaum credits her father for teaching her the art of grilling. “I like to think I learned to grill from my dad, who always seems to get it just right. One of my family’s favorite meals during the summer months is shish kebab, either chicken or steak, with fresh vegetables, rice or quinoa. When we visited Israel several years ago, we ate a lot of shish kebab and my kids have enjoyed it ever since. It’s pretty simple to prepare, not requiring a lot of time or preparation, so it is a healthy meal that works well on busy days,” says Renbaum.

Shish Kebab

Cube chicken or steak

Place the following ingredients in a glass jar with a lid:
1⁄3 cup of soy sauce
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1⁄4 teaspoon of fresh pepper
Minced garlic
2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
Lime juice
1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt to taste

1. Shake mixture in jar well and pour over meat. (Reserve some marinade to baste skewers while on grill.)
2. Marinate for several hours in the refrigerator.
3. Skewer chicken and/or steak alternating with chunks of vegetables (peppers, squash, onion or mushroom).
4. Preheat grill.
5. Cook skewers of shish kebab for no more than 3-4 minutes. Turn and cook 3-4 more minutes.
6. Baste skewers after turning. Meat can easily be overcooked, so watch closely.
7. Serve over rice or quinoa with a salad and you have the perfect summer meal!

July 2012