Grilled Rosemary Chicken Kebabs with Sweet and Sour Orange Dipping Sauce

Tonight I selected grilled recipe #5 to try for the summer.  I'm requiring myself to make a new grilled recipe each week.  I've had two good ones, one great one, one so-so one so far.  Tonight was another great one!

I was pleasantly surprised by the flavoring from the chicken...even without the sauce.  It could definitely stand on its own.  And, I was actually really hesitant about the sauce because I'm not a huge fan of really sweet (and orange flavored) sauces.  But this was delicious!  I did find the original sauce a bit too sweet for my taste.  Nothing a dash of Siracha couldn't cure though!

Grilled Rosemary Chicken Kebabs 
with Sweet and Sour Orange Dipping Sauce
(adapted from Tracey's Culinary Adventures)

In a medium bowl mix together:
     1 1/2  teaspoons minced fresh rosemary     1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
     1 teaspoon kosher salt
     1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
     1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
     1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Cut up 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts into 1" pieces.  Place the chicken pieces in the bowl and evenly coat with the mixture.



In a small pan, combine:
      1/4 cup orange marmalade
      1 tablespoon rice vinegar
      1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
      1/4 tsp Siracha hot sauce (can leave out if you want it mild)

Heat on low and then pour into a small serving bowl.

Place the chicken pieces on skewers, and grill on both sides until the chicken is done.

Remove from the skewers and serve with the dipping sauce. 


To make ahead and freeze:  Place the chicken mixture in a freezer bag, sucking out all the air (or use a FoodSaver).  Defrost and prepare the sauce while the chicken is defrosting.

Honey-Lime Chicken...With a Kick!

4th of July was yesterday.  We brought burgers and marinated chicken to our neighborhood potluck and I must admit I was secretly thrilled that the grill-chef cooked up these chicken breasts dead-last. That meant that by the time they came off the grill, the other folks were already stuffed with burgers, BBQ chicken, and loads of other side dishes.  I knew these were coming and made sure to save room for them.  They were worth the wait!  (And, because they were virtually ignored by the others, there are lots of leftovers!!...WHOHOOO!!!)

The honey-lime-cilantro-garlic flavors came shining through with a kick from the Siracha.  Loved the spicy zest from the Siracha and pepper flakes.  Flavorful AND SPICY (but really, not too spicy!).

And, and added bonus, is that these are great for making ahead and freezing.  Just put the chicken and marinade in a freezer bag, suck out all the air (or use a FoodSaver), and pop in the freezer.  Defrost and grill!

This recipe is a keeper and will be stocked year-round in Beauty, my favorite freezer.  (No, I've never named my cars, but I did name my freezer!)

Honey-Lime Chicken...With a Kick!
(Kitchen Meets...Girl)

Mix together in a bowl:
     3 TB soy sauce
     2 TB honey
     1 TB vegetable/canola oil
     1 juiced lime
     2 minced garlic cloves
     2 tsp Siracha
     2 TB chopped cilantro

Add and combine thoroughly:
     1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Marinate for at least an hour, and then grill until done, about 6-8 min. on each side. 

(On "Kitchen Meets...Girl" she made them into shish kebabs.  Either way works!)

Grilled Chipotle-Rubbed Steaks with Lime Butter

Recipe #2 from my new grilled recipe challenge was the Grilled Chipotle-Rubbed Steaks with Lime Butter from Pinterest.  This one will be a keeper!  It was unbelievably fast and easy, and had a great blend of smoky, spicy, and citrus flavors.  It's a good go-to recipe when you want a tasty steak, but don't have hours (or overnight) for a marinade.  There was about 10 minutes of prep work involved...maybe even less.

Grilled Chipotle-Rubbed Steaks with Lime Butter
Food and Wine

In a small bowl mix together:
     1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
     1 garlic clove, minced
     1 TB fresh lime juice
     1/4 tsp lime zest

In a small bowl mix together:
     1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
     1 1/2 tsp cumin
     1 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
     1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Rub the spice mixture over both sides of
     4 rib-eye steaks*

Grill the steaks (about 6 minutes on each side, until slightly charred and medium rare**).

Top with the butter mixture before serving.

*I kind of gambled on the beef cut.  Last fall I purchased 3/8 of a cow, and so my freezer is stocked with beef.  Some of the cuts are more challenging to me, because I've never used them before....arm roast, cube steak, round steak, and rib steak, to name a few.  The original Pinterest user suggested rib eye steak for this recipe.  After doing a little googling, I learned that rib steaks are a lesser quality steak and should not be confused with the boneless, choice cut of rib-eye. Well, my butcher labels all said, "Rib Steak", so I was pretty darn sure I didn't have rib-eyes.  Since I had 5 packages of these (with 2 steaks a piece) I knew I needed to use them.  I was worried about them being tough, but was pleasantly surprised. While they weren't the best beef cut in the world, they were pretty darn good.  I'm wondering if the kosher salt rub helped tenderize them a bit.  Anyway, I'm so glad I tried them, and will gladly use that cut for these again.  If the "rib steak" was this good, I can't imagine how good they'd be with a rib-eye cut!

**Or to your liking!

Spicy Honey Chicken

My summer pledge:  to try one new grilled recipe from Pinterest each week this summer.  Tonight I chose the Spicy Honey Chicken from Our Best Bites.  The results:  quite good!  It was easy and I'd definitely make it again.  My only complaint is that it wasn't that spicy.  I like spicy.  It was mild enough that our four year old friend gobbled it up.  And she hates anything remotely spicy.  So, yeah, I'd kick the spicy-ness up a notch.

Spicy Honey Chicken

Baste with olive oil:
     6-8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (or thighs...Our Best Bites suggests thighs, but I went ahead with the breasts)

Mix together in a bowl:
     2 tsp granulated garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder, which is what I used)
     2 tsp chili powder
     1/2 tsp onion powder
     1/2 tsp coriander (I crushed     1/2 tsp of whole coriander seeds)
     1 tsp kosher salt
     1 tsp cumin
     1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

Mix together in a small bowl:
     1/2 cup honey
     1 TB apple cider vinegar
(Keep out 1/8-1/4 cup for later)

Once the chicken pieces are covered in oil, put them in the spice bowl and rub in thoroughly.  Grill until the chicken is cooked through.  Just before the chicken is done, pour the honey glaze over both sides of the chicken.

When serving, pour a little bit of the sauce on the chicken....a great blend of sweet and spicy!

Summer Goal: Weekly Grilled Pinterest Recipes

Yes, I love Pinterest.  Who doesn't??  Over the past several months I've collected dozens of recipes to try.  Many are scrumptious looking desserts which will likely never be tried, because, really....we just don't make desserts that much.  But main dishes for dinner?  That's a reality.  Especially grilled food...'tis the season!

So this summer my goal is to try at least one recipe from Pinterest each week (preferably grilled), and then post the recipes and reviews here.  I'm not sure which one I'll start with, or what order...but below are some of the recipes I hope to make this summer.

Do you have a favorite grilled chicken or beef recipe? Please share.... I'd love to know!!

Skirt Steak Korean Marinade from cHow Divine

RECIPE #6:  I kinda' petered out over the summer.  But I made these this week on 10/9/12.  Couldn't find skirt steak, so I just made some with sirloin. VERY good flavor. Will definitely make again. Also, I made the effort to find a good Mirin...not the Aji Mirin sold by Kikkoman. 

Grilled Skirt Steak with Cilantro Chimichurri from Sage Recipes

Grilled Chipotle-Rubbed Steaks with Lime Butter from Food & Wine and  Serious Eats

***RECIPE #2:  Made the Grilled Chipotle-Rubbed Steaks on 6/21/12.  Oh, my goodness these were good!  Great garlic/lime flavor...but not overpowering.  Quick and easy to make at the last minute.  Will definitely make again!***  Click here to read my full post.

Spicy Honey Chicken from Our Best Bites via The Girl Who Ate Everything

***RECIPE #1:  Made the Spicy Honey Chicken on 6/20/12.  Overall impression:  Quite good.  Simple to make.  Will make again.  Not as spicy as I'd like...will kick up the spicy-ness next time.*****  Click here to read my full post.

Afghani Murgh (chicken) Malai Kababs with Cumin Flavored Rice from Look Who's Cooking Too
 

RECIPE #7:  Also made this in the fall, but, heck...I made it!  Good subtle Indian-type spices on the chicken.    For the rice I forgot to buy cumin seeds, so I used a little ground cumin in their place.  The rice also had a subtle flavoring. Overall, no fabulous, but a solid good.

Thai Chicken with Hot-Sour-Salty-Sweet Sauce from Food and Wine

Grilled Rosemary Chicken Kebabs with Sweet and Sour Orange Dipping Sauce from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

***Recipe #5:  Made the Grilled Rosemary Chicken Kebabs on 7/7/12.  Pleasantly surprised with the flavor punch from such a simple (and easy) marinade.  The dipping sauce was great when a dash of Siracha was added to it!  Definitely a winner!  Click here to read my full post.

Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken from The Fresh Plate

***Recipe #3:  Made the Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken on 6/27/12.  It was OK.  The husband said, "Good", but it wasn't an earth-shattering amazing recipe.  Would I make it again?  Well, yes, because I made some for the freezer.  But I don't think it will make it into the regular rotation.***

Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers from  Kitchenmeetsgirl.com

***Recipe#4:  Made the Honey-Lime Chicken on 7/4/12.  AMAZING!  The honey-lime-cilantro-garlic flavors came shining through with a kick from the Siracha.  Will DEFINITELY make this again.  Bonus...you can marinate the chicken and freeze it.  That's my kind of cooking!***  Click here to read my full post. 

Cilantro Thai Chicken from Artsy-Foodie

Pesto Chicken Grill Packets

Today, as I was contemplating what to make for dinner tonight, I remembered that it was the night of our meal exchange. That meant that someone else was cookin'! Whoohoooo!! That "someone else" was my friend, Debbie.

She emailed* a note that said she'd made Pesto Chicken Grill Packets. Well, the name alone just made my mouth water. Pesto. Chicken. Grill. The packet part was intriguing. I didn't really look at the recipe....just the directions, which were 25 minutes on the grill (in the packet) on medium heat.

When the timer went off I went and unwrapped my packet for the first time. It really was like opening a present!! This is what I found inside:

Pure heaven.

Katie & her friend had already eaten, and there was some pasta leftover. So I scooped out the food from the packet and placed it on a nest of pasta. YUM!

So here is the recipe for you to try, if you like:

Pesto Chicken Grill Packets
Victoria Spencer from Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 2-1/4 pounds)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup pesto
  
• 2 zucchini, thinly sliced
• 4 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 8 scallions, trimmed

Side note
Serve with rice. (I think I'd prefer pasta.)

Directions:

1. Preheat a grill to medium. Cut four 12-inch-long sheets of heavy-duty foil. Drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil into the center of each sheet.

2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Lay 1 piece of chicken in the center of each sheet and spread 1 tablespoon pesto on top.

3. Mound one-quarter of the zucchini, tomatoes and scallions over each chicken breast. Dollop 3 tablespoons pesto over each mound. Fold the foil over the chicken and vegetables; pinch the edges to seal.

4. Cover and grill the packets over indirect heat for 25 minutes. Remove from the grill and open carefully.

*(OK...she didn't really send me an email. It was a Facebook message. We are old, but modern!)

Grilled Chicken with Sesame Noodles

Today was a great food prepping day. I made five batches of the Herb Mustard Chicken for an end-of-the-school-year BBQ for Linfield's chemistry department (students, faculty, and families), two batches of Cajun-Curry Chicken, and I tried a new recipe for tonight's dinner.

Tonight's dinner was delicious! It was spicy, yet flavorful. Sometimes that's a hard balance to find. Many times spicy sauces are just a bowl of heat, without much taste. This was a killer sauce: little bit of sweetness from the brown sugar, a bit of nuttiness from the sesame oil and peanut butter, and some zing from the hot sauce.

I like spicy foods, so it's rare that I will suggest using a little less heat. In this recipe, I'd use about 1 1/2 tsp of the hot sauce if you like foods moderately spicy; 1 tsp if you like it fairly spicy, and so on. Feel free to start with a little, do a taste test, and add a bit more until it's to your liking. Now, it might matter what kind of hot sauce is used, because all brands are not equal in their hotness. The above suggestion would work with any brand. Since you're making the sauce, you may as well make it to your liking!

Grilled Chicken with Sesame Noodles
(Cook's Illustrated)

Classic sesame noodles can be a tricky dish, with gummy noodles, dry chicken, and bland sauce. We developed a few techniques to avoid those problems. Here's what we discovered.

* Rinsing the cooked noodles well eliminates lots of starch, which can turn the cold pasta gummy.
* Tossing the pasta with the sauce directly after rinsing keeps the pasta moist.
* Grilling the chicken over high heat lets it cook through before drying out.
* If traditional Asian sesame paste is hard to find, a combination of peanut butter and sesame oil makes an excellent substitute.

If you prefer, you can substitute 12 ounces dried spaghetti for the Asian noodles.

Serves 4 to 6
3 cloves garlic , minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons hot sauce (I used Tapatio Salsa Picante...see above note)
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup peanut butter
Table salt
1 pound fresh Asian noodles
6 scallions , sliced thin


1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil over high heat. Meanwhile, whisk garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, brown sugar, and oil in small bowl. Toss chicken with 3 tablespoons garlic mixture in bowl. Puree remaining garlic mixture and peanut butter in blender until smooth.

2. Add 1 tablespoon salt and noodles to boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain well, rinse under cold running water until cool, and drain again. Toss noodles, peanut sauce, and scallions in large bowl. Adjust seasonings.

3. Grill chicken breasts over high heat until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Slice chicken and serve with noodles.

Honey Lime Grilled Chicken

Today was a glorious day. Pretty much perfect....sunshine, blue skies, lots of warmth. The neighbors were all out. Kids playing together again. The yard got mowed for the first time this season. Lots of yard work (still more to do, as always!). Definitely a day for grilling.

So I went to the freezer to see what I had that could be defrosted and grilled up. I found a bag of Honey Lime Grilled Chicken breasts. I think we made these before and found them so-so. BUT...I forgot to look back at the recipe and add a "seasoning blend" to them, which really makes a difference.

As written, the recipe calls for seasoning the chicken before marinating. Because I froze them, I marinated first, and planned on seasoning just before grilling. This time I remembered, and they were VERY good. The honey/lime/seasoned salt combo was right on.

If you are making them fresh, follow the recipe as written. If you'd like to make them ahead of time, put the chicken in the marinade, and freeze them. When they've defrosted, grill them as directed, and sprinkle the breasts with seasoning. I used Lawry's Seasoned salt, but I suppose you could really experiment and try several different seasoning combinations.

Honey Lime Grilled Chicken

1 lime, juiced
2 tbsp honey
1 rounded tsp cumin
a handful of cilantro, finely chopped, about 1/2 tbsp
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, canola, or corn oil
4 (6-8 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp grill seasoning blend or coarse salt and pepper

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl.
Sprinkle chicken with seasoning blend or salt and pepper.
Coat chicken in dressing and set aside for 10 minutes or longer.
Grill chicken 6 to 7 minutes on each side or until chicken is no longer pink inside.

Vegetables with Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil

When I am making veggies for a group, this is a recipe I often turn to. It's easy and tasty, and people tend to gobble them up. I especially like to bring it camping. The recipe is versatile, as you can make as much or as little as you like. You can also grill, sauté, or bake the veggies.

Though I cook a lot, and have a general idea of what ingredients work well with others, I still hesitate to cook without a recipe. I'm kind of anal in that aspect. There are very few things I'm comfortable just throwing together. This, recipe, however, is one of them that I can put together with ease.

Vegetables with Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil

Slice a variety of fresh veggies. Some that we've used and work well:
onions
red, yellow, orange peppers (green too, if you must)
zucchini
squash
tomatoes (small ones like cherry or pear, leave whole or slice in half)
beans
asparagus
mushrooms
carrots
green onions
snap/snow peas
broccoli

Place in a bowl, and pour equal amounts of balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the veggies. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the mixture (to taste). Cover, and shake it up, covering all veggies. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes (though I have done it overnight).

Now you're ready to cook!

To sauté: This is my preferred method. Heat up a large pan. I recommend medium-high heat. Once the pan is heated, pour a little of the marinade into the pan. You'll know it's ready for the veggies if it sizzles a bit. Place the veggies on the pan in a single layer. If you have too many veggies, you may have to cook in batches. Stir up the veggies frequently on the pan. Sautée until almost tender.

You can also place a single layer of the veggies in the oven, stirring occasionally, or use a wire/basket on the grill.

The recipe above can be used alone, or used as a base for a complete meal. Try adding some thyme, basil, or garlic. Add in some pasta, shrimp, or chicken.

Sesame Chicken Bites

The Sesame Chicken Bites were part of my big batch cooking session this past weekend. Tonight, I really didn't have anything planned for dinner, so I cooked up some rice, thawed & cooked my frozen bag of marinated chicken, and had dinner ready within thirty minutes. This was the first time trying these, and we'll definitely make them again. They were super easy and very tasty. Not too sweet, not too spicy, but a nice sesame/hoisin Asian flavor.

Sesame Chicken Bites (Cook's Illustrated)

Combine
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts , cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 C soy sauce
2 TB grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic , minced

Cover and marinate for 15 minutes. *

Place the chicken pieces on skewers**, and brush with
hoisin sauce (about 1/4 C needed)
Sprinkle with
sesame seeds (about 1/4 C needed)

Place on a baking sheet, and cook at 400 degrees*** until chicken is cooked through (about 15-20 minutes).

While cooking, finely chop
4 scallions (green onions)

Remove from the skewers and sprinkle with the green onions.****

Makes about 24 pieces.

So that's how Cook's Illustrated does it. And who am I to change their tried and true methods? Except I usually change something. Here's what I did a little differently:

* If you're wanting to freeze this recipe, as I did, this is your stopping point. Place your chicken pieces and marinade together in a freezer bag, get rid of all the air in the bag, and place it in the freezer for later. When you're ready to make the recipe, defrost the chicken, and continue on with the recipe.

**I cut mine into thin strips and threaded them onto the skewers, alternating with chunks of red pepper.

***As it's still grilling season here (gorgeous day today) we put the chicken right on the grill.

****OOPS. I forgot this step. I even had them chopped up! Still tasted great!

Now....for my vegetarian version:

Sesame Tofu Slices

Combine:
1/8 C soy sauce
1 TB grated fresh ginger
1 cloves garlic , minced

Lay out in a baking dish:
1 package extra firm tofu, cut in 1/2" slices

Pour the marinade over the tofu slices, let it sit for about 8 minutes. Turn over the slices, and let it sit for another 8 minutes.

Brush each slice with
hoisin sauce (about 1/8-1/4 C needed)

Sprinkle with
sesame seeds (about 1/8 C needed)

Cook at 400 degrees, until tofu is heated through.

While cooking, finely chop
4 scallions (green onions)

Sprinkle the scallions over the tofu.


Added on 9/26/08: Tonight I made them and cooked them as directed. The picture above shows an oven-baked skewer. Either way works fine!

Barbecued Herb-Mustard Chicken from Sunset Magazine

This recipe has been in my husband's family since the 70's when it was first published in Sunset Magazine. I was introduced to it in the late 80's when I was dating Brian and he brought me home for dinner. Ever since then it has been one of our favorite meals. It's the first thing that comes to mind when I have to prepare food for company...whether it's one family or 30+ for a party. It ALWAYS turns out great, and is gobbled up.

A year or so ago when I started getting into freezer meals, I tried this as well. I am happy to report that the raw meat and marinade freeze well, and taste just as great as a freshly made recipe. So, now this is a staple in our freezer as well! Having it on-hand makes it so easy to get dinner on the table in 20-30 minutes (that includes defrost time!). I simply place the frozen bags in a sink of hot water for about 10 minutes. While it defrosts, I pre-heat the grill, start the rice, and chop up any veggies for the shish-kebabs. If we don't have grilling veggies on-hand, I skip that step and just serve it with salad. You can freeze the veggies, but they are a bit mushier than fresh ones.

Anyway, while I've posted about this recipe in other posts it truly deserves its very own post. It is THAT special.

Barbequed Herb-Mustard Chicken (Sunset Magazine)

Combine:
Family Size
½ C dry white wine
2/3 C canola oil
3/8 C white wine vinegar
2 T onion, finely chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp pepper
1/4 C spicy brown mustard (I HIGHLY recommend Grey Poupon's Country Dijon mustard. I've made it with other mustards and it's just not as good.)

(Group Size....the quantities above X 4)
2 C
2 1/3 C
1 ½ C
1/8 C
2 T, 2 tsp
1 T, 1 tsp
12 cloves
2 tsp
1 C

Chop into 1" cubes: 4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (16-24 for the Group Size)

Marinate the chicken in the sauce at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Place on skewers, alternating with chunks of:
peppers (red, yellow, green)
onion
cherry tomatoes
mushrooms
zucchini
asparagus

I freeze the uncooked chicken with the sauce and add the veggies fresh.

Cooking Gadgets: One of my favorite new gadgets are the measuring cups that allow you to look into the cup to measure liquids. It is soooooo much faster and easier than using your traditional Pyrex cup, waiting for the liquid to level out, squat down and look at the line. I bought the complete set from Pampered Chef (including the little bitty one that is sold separately). I now use them exclusively for liquids.

Steak Marinade

Last week I made four marinades from allrecipes.com for petite sirloin steaks. One of them was simply called Steak Marinade. Tonight I defrosted the steaks, which had been frozen in the marinade. I do love these quick and easy meals...it takes about 10-15 minutes to defrost a couple steaks in a sink full of hot water.

Usually defrosting with a cold water bath is recommended for food safety, but that would be for thicker meats that are going to take some time to thaw....like a whole chicken or turkey. You don't want food to be in the 40-140 degree range for more than 4 hours (the 4-4-4 rule). To cool/heat food back to food safe temperatures, food safety experts recommend that food should not be out at room temperature for more than two hours. That gives them the other two hours to chill/heat back to safe temps. Anyway...what I'm getting at, is that it is perfectly safe to use a hot water bath for a couple of steaks!

Moving on...

What I was most worried about was that this marinade would have a heavy A-1 Sauce flavoring...and I was right. A-1 is really not a sauce that I like at all. I can't describe what it is that I don't like, but I just think it's one of the worst flavorings for meat! I really don't get why it's so popular. So, while I liked this steak, I didn't love it. And it's probably not something I'll make again because there are so many other great flavors out there! But, if you're a fan of A-1 Sauce, you will probably like this.

Steak Marinade (allrecipes.com)

In a medium bowl combine:
1 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup steak sauce
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar salad dressing
4 tablespoons soy sauce
5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Add a couple steaks, marinate, and grill.

Beer and Brown Sugar Steak Marinade

Ever since the Big Thaw of '08, I've been working on re-stocking my freezer supply of prepared food. Thanks to a couple good chicken and steak sales, both freezers are nearly full. This weekend I came across a great sale on thick petite sirloin steaks for just $2.79/lb. Needless to say, I stocked up!

We have our very favorite stand-by recipe for steak marinade, but I was in the mood to try some new flavorings. So I turned to allrecipes.com and found four highly rated steak marinades:

• Beer and Brown Sugar Steak Marinade
• Awesome Steak Marinade
• Steak Marinade
• Best Steak Marinade in Existence
  

Before adding the steaks I did a little taste test. By far my favorite was the Beer and Brown Sugar one. My least favorite was the Awesome Steak Marinade. It had too much A-1 sauce in it for my taste. However...I haven't tried it with the steak, so I'll report back once I do more than dip my finger in the sauce!

Since it was also my turn for our Four Family Meal Exchange, I also made this for three other families. We grilled them that night, and WOW! This recipe is a keeper!! It had the right mixture of sweet and salty, being flavorful but not overpowering. I think the key is that you 1) marinate the meat, 2) sprinkle the seasoning on top, and then 3) pour on the rest of the marinade. It's a couple extra (quick!) steps, but it works quite well.

Since the steaks just simply looked like grilled steak, I skipped taking a picture of the final product. But here is a snap of the ingredients I used. I would imagine the type of teriyaki sauce, seasoned salt, and possibly beer could easily change the flavor of the marinade. So below you'll see the specific brands that I used. You don't need to use these, but I promise you'll have a winner steak if you do!

Combine in a small bowl:
1/2 tsp seasoned salt (Lawry's)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Combine in a zip-style bag or plastic bowl:
1/4 C dark beer (Deschutes Black Butte Porter)
2 T teriyaki sauce (Soy Vay Island Teriyaki)
2 T brown sugar

Mix together and add:
2-16 oz sirloin steaks

Marinate the meat for at least 30 minutes.*

Grilling instructions: Place steaks on a heated grill. Sprinkle the seasoning on the steaks. Grill on both sides, until they are cooked to your liking. A couple minutes before you take them off the grill, pour the rest of the marinade over the steaks.

*I marinated them for about 6 hours and it was quite good.

Chicken & Beef Sate

Last weekend I spent a lot of time re-stocking our freezer with prepared meals/meat. I made up several new recipes, including this one, which we made for our dinner tonight. Brian gave me a thumbs-up at the dinner table. We'll be making this again for sure. It was soooooooo good! I can't wait to taste it with beef, though I think I'll prefer the chicken. Brian said the peanut sauce would also be good with Buffalo Wings.

Chicken & Beef Sate
(Good Housekeeping, August 1996)

Slice into 1" thick strips:
2-2 1/4 lbs of skinless, boneless chicken breasts -or- boneless top sirloin steak

In a medium bowl combine:
2 tsp lime zest
2 TB fresh lime juice
1/4 C soy sauce
1 TB fresh gingerroot, grated
2 tsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Add meat strips to the above mixture and marinate for 30 minutes.

Spicy Peanut Sauce
In a small bowl combine:
1/4 C creamy peanut butter
1/4 C very hot tap water
4 tsp seasoned* rice vinegar
1 TB soy sauce
1 TB light molasses
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (more/less depending on preferred spiciness level)

Thread meat onto wooden or metal skewers, weaving it on accordion style. If you’re using wooden ones, soak them in water for at least 20 minutes so the wood won’t burn.

Grill meat for 2-7 minutes, turning once, until cooked through.

Serve with the Spicy Peanut Sauce.

If you want to freeze this recipe, fill 2 separate freezer bags with the meat/marinade and the peanut sauce**. Defrost and prepare as mentioned above.

* I did not have seasoned rice vinegar on hand. The regular rice vinegar worked fine, but I’d like to try the seasoned kind to see how that would taste.

**I successfully froze the meat/marinade, but did not try freezing the peanut sauce. It seems like it should freeze well. If not, it’s quick and easy to make just before serving.

Flank Steak Roulade

This is another dish inspired by a visit to Entree Vous, one of the many meal preparation kitchens. These flank steak roulades, or pinwheels, not only taste great, but they have such a nice presentation on a platter.

One of the most challenging parts is getting the flank steak thin enough to roll. I pound and I pound and I pound. I simply do not make any progress. If the steak is too thick, it won't roll easily. So, taking tips from my chicken habits, I simply slice them in half horizontally. Not only does this make them thinner, it gives me another working surface!

Rolling and tying can be frustrating unless you go into this project knowing you will lose some of your filling. No need to fret. Just stuff it back in there the best you can. It's also a given that no matter how long you cut your cotton string, it won't be long enough. Don't bother starting over. Just tie it off and start again. It may not look as pretty as a professional chef's, but in the end a knot is a knot is a knot.

Flank Steak Roulade

Pound (or slice) a flank steak so it's about 3/8" thick.*

Spread on top**
1/2 C- 1 C Gorgonzola cheese
1/2 C fresh spinach
1/4-1/2 C chopped green onions
1/8-1/4 cup roasted red peppers

Roll up into a long, skinny log, and tie closed with cotton twine.

How to tie it all up? I've found it easiest to cut off a really long piece of common household cotton string. How long? 4-5 feet or so. Seriously. Place one end of your steak roll under the mid-point of the string. Tightly make your first tie. Then let one piece rest on the meat, and wrap the other around. When the two ties meet on top, twist around, and bring the other string around the roll. Each time you come up, pull tightly, twist the strings and continue. (If that confuses the heck out of you, here are some great directions on tying food logs together with pictures!)

Pour Worcestershire sauce over the roll, and sprinke cajun seasoning over the meat.

Place in a baking pan. Preheat oven to 425 degrees cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Bring the temperature down to 350 degrees, cooking for 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the beef is 165 degrees. (Grilling instructions below)

To freeze ahead: Place in a simple (non-zip) bag. Flash Freeze. Then place in a zip-loc bag, removing as much air as possible (or vacuum pack). Place back in the freezer. Thaw (about 24 hours) before cooking.

*Flank steaks are usually thickest in the middle. To cut thin, angle your chef's knife so you are skimming off the thickest part of the steak. Cut with the grain.

**The amounts can vary depending on your taste. I find I don't really measure...I simply spread out the ingredients on the steak.

Sadly, all of these flank steak rolls were part of my freezer disaster last night. So, I cooked them up today, and am hoping that they taste decent once they're re-frozen, thawed, and heated.

I will say that straight out of the oven they were pretty tasty! (After taking the steak rolls out of the pan, there was plenty of tasty drippings. I mixed this with some plain, cooked steak slices -another freezer victim- and served them up for dinner as well.)

Added the evening of 7/21/08: Yesterday I cooked up all but on of the rolls. Tonight, since I was grilling for our "Eat the Meat" gathering, I thought I'd try grilling these to see how that would work. To grill them, I cooked each side (4) on high for a couple minutes each to sear them, retaining the flavor. Then I turned the heat down to medium and just cooked them until they were done to my likeness. I lost track of how long they were on the grill, but it had to be at least a half hour or so.

Flavorwise: I preferred the grilled version to the baked. The ends weren't as dried out, and the cajun flavoring was more subtle. My neighbor, Stacy, who was over, preferred the oven version. She liked the stronger, saltier flavor that the meat absorbed as it was cooked in the drippings.