BY MARGARET MORGAN

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

July 4th is only three days away and, unfortunately, this year the celebration falls smack dab in the middle of the week. Unless you had planned to take this week off, there will be no long weekend soirees, lazing around the day after; it's back to work as usual on Thursday. So plan your holiday barbecue to make it easy and effortless, yet enticing and totally delicious. This menu is the perfect solution to your mid- week 4th of July celebration:
 

Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Mango Salsa Marinade and Peach Salsa
Grilled Peppers and Tomatoes
Green Salad

Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Mango Salsa Marinade

Ingredients:

2 pounds chicken breast tenderloins

¾ cup Paul Newman Mango salsa, medium heat

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. McCormick’s Lemon Dill Butter

2 tsp. La Victoria Green Taco Sauce

½ tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag set in a deep bowl. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the salsa, the olive oil, garlic, Lemon Dill Butter, Green Taco Sauce and lemon-pepper seasoning. Seal bag; turn to coat chicken. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally, about every ½ hour.

2. Thread chicken onto eight 12-inch-long skewers,* leaving a 1/4-inch space between pieces.

3. Place skewers on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, turning to grill evenly and brushing with the remaining 1/2 cup salsa during the last 2 minutes of grilling.

*Tip: If using wooden skewers, soak in enough water to cover for 1 hour before using.