Steak Rub / Marinade

Yield: 3 1/4 tsp. (dry)

1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. dry minced onion

3 tsp. lime juice
3 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbs. orange juice

For dry rub, mix dry ingredients together and rub all over steak.

For marinade, mix dry ingredients with lime, lemon, and orange juice and add to a Ziplock bag.  Add steak and marinate at least 1 hour.

BBQ Chicken Marinade

1/4 cup Jack Daniels BBQ sauce
1 Tbs. cider vinegar
3 Tbs. brown sugar
3 Tbs. ketchup
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. (or dash) cayenne pepper
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dry minced onion
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 Tbs. canola oil

Mix all ingredients together.

To marinate chicken, place in a Ziplock bag.  Add 2 Tbs. marinade for each chicken breast or 1 Tbs. for each drumstick.  Seal bag, pushing out air, and place in a bowl.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Reserve 1/2 remaining marinade for serving.  Use the rest for basting chicken on the grill.

Tangy Lime Chicken for Two

Story: One night Matt said to me, "You know what sounds really good? Lime chicken." From that small dinner suggestion, this delicious creation was born! I've already made it again, but with modifications (example: I left soy sauce out of the sauce--it's so much prettier when it's green instead of brown). I'll let you know if I make any more changes . . .

2 chicken breasts, cut in half

1 Tbs. honey

2 tsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. lemon or lime juice

1/2 tsp. grated/minced fresh ginger

Zest from 1/2 lime

Juice from 1/2 lime

Microwave lime zest, all juices, ginger, honey, and soy sauce on high for 10 seconds. Mix well.

Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 Tbs. oil over medium heat. Add chicken. Pour half of above mixture over chicken pieces and cook for about 8 minutes. Flip chicken and coat with remaining mixture. Cook until chicken is done, approximately another 8 minutes.

Lime Sauce:

1 Tbs. honey

1/2 Tbs. butter or margarine

1/2 Yoplait Light Key Lime Pie yogurt

1/2 tsp. grated/minced fresh ginger

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Zest from 1/2 lime

Juice from 1/2 lime

1/2 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. flour/water mixture

Several drops green Tobasco sauce

Salt & pepper to taste

Cook first 7 ingredients over low heat. Add butter; once melted, mix into sauce. Add flour/water mixture and turn the heat up slightly. Stir to keep from burning. Once thickened, add Tobasco sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle over chicken to serve.

Notes:

- If you have time, marinate the chicken for about an hour before cooking it.  You could also put it in a ziplock bag in the freezer to use another time.

- I also want to try making the chicken on the grill instead of in a skillet.

Spicy Refrigerator Dills

From AllRecipes.com, submitted by FairyFahrenholz.


Prep: 15 min. / Total: 10 days 2 hours 15 minutes

4 (3 to 4 inch long) pickling cucumbers
2/3 cup water
½ cup + 1 Tbs + 1 tsp. white vinegar
½ cup chopped fresh dill weed
2 Tbs. + 2 tsp white sugar
2 ¾ cloves garlic, chopped
1 ½ tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. pickling spice
½ tsp. dill seed
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 1/3 sprig fresh dill weed

In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, water, vinegar, chopped dill, sugar, garlic, salt, pickling spice, dill seed, and red pepper flakes. Stir, and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, until the sugar and salt dissolve.
Remove the cucumbers to three 1 ½ pint wide mouth jars, placing 4 cucumbers into each jar. Ladle in the liquid from the bowl to cover the cucumbers. Place a sprig of fresh dill into each jar and seal with lids. Refrigerate for 10 days before eating. Use within 1 month.

Original recipe quantities:

12 (3 to 4 inch long) pickling cucumbers
2 cups water
1 ¾ cups white vinegar
1 ½ cups chopped fresh dill weed
½ cup white sugar
8 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ½ Tbs. coarse salt
1 Tbs. pickling spice
1 ½ tsp. dill seed
½ tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
4 sprigs fresh dill weed

Double Cheese Pasta Primavera

From Kraft Foods.

Prep: 10 min. + optional marinating /  Cook: 20 min.
Serves 4.

1 pkg. (12 oz.) Shells and Cheese dinner
4 Tbs. Italian dressing, divided
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup chopped red or green bell pepper (about 1 medium)
1 cup frozen baby peas
1 chicken breast, diced or sliced
¼ tsp dried basil
2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese

Marinate chicken in 2 Tbs. Italian dressing for 30 min (optional).

Cook over high heat until no longer pink. Prepare Shells and Cheese as directed on package. 

Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbs. Italian dressing in a large skillet on medium heat with chicken. Add broccoli and peppers; cook and stir 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Stir in peas; cook until heated through.

Add Shells and Cheese and basil. Mix.

Top with Parmesan cheese.

Notes:
- If you don't have time to marinate the chicken, it's okay to cook it up in the dressing instead.
- If you have fresh basil on hand, use 1 Tbs. instead of dried.
- Meatless Version: Omit chicken.  This recipe didn't originally call for it anyway!

Sizzling Chicken Skewers

Prep: 10 min. + marinating / Cook: 5-7 min.
Makes 4 servings, 3 skewers each.

1/3 c. hot water
1/4 c. teriyaki barbecue sauce
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
2 T. honey Dijon mustard
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 12 thin strips

Mix all ingredients except chicken in medium bowl with a wire whisk.

Pour half the mixture into a large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken; seal bag. Shake gently to coat chicken. Refrigerate 1-2 hours to marinate.

Refrigerate remaining sauce for dipping.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto 12 skewers in ribbon fashion. Discard any remaining marinade in bag.

Grill 5-7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with reserved dipping sauce.

Honey Lime Grilled Chicken

From Quick Cooking (July/Aug. 2000), page 38.

Prep: 5 min. + marinating / Cook: 15 min.
Yield: 4 servings

½ cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
¼ cup lime juice
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

In a resealable plastic bag or shallow glass container, combine the honey, soy sauce and lime juice; mix well. Add chicken and turn to coat. Seal or cover and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes. Drain and discard marinade.

Grill chicken, uncovered, over medium heat for 6-7 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.

Note:
- I didn’t discard the marinade. Instead, I boiled it, using part to baste the chicken and served the other part with it.
- Use reduced-sodium soy sauce.

Walnut Chicken Skillet

From Quick Cooking (Jan./Feb. 2000), page 19.

Prep: 5-10 min + marinating / Cook: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings.

2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided
3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¼ inch strips
1 tablespoon water
1½ teaspoons vinegar
1½ teaspoons sugar
Dash hot pepper sauce
½ cup walnut halves (I’ve used pecans)
3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ teaspoon ground ginger
Hot cooked rice

In a bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon soy sauce until smooth; add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine water, vinegar, sugar, hot pepper sauce, and remaining cornstarch and soy sauce; set aside.

In a skillet, sauté walnuts in oil until toasted; remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

In the same skillet, stir-fry chicken until juices run clear. Remove and keep warm.

Add green pepper and ginger to skillet; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until pepper is crisp-tender. Stir cornstarch mixture; add to skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Return chicken and walnuts to pan.

Serve over rice.

Nutrition Facts:
1 cup = 321 calories, 21 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 63 mg cholesterol, 746 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 27 g protein

Flank Steak with Orange Sauce

From Quick Cooking (Jan./Feb. 2006), page 8.

Prep: 15 min. + marinating / Broil: 15 min.
Yield: 4 servings.

¾ cup orange juice
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh gingerroot
1 beef flank steak (1 pound)

In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Cover and refrigerate ½ cup for serving. Add oil and ginger to the remaining orange sauce; pour into a large resealable bag. Add the flank steak; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Drain and discard marinade. Place steak on a broiler pan. Broil 4 inches from the heat for 7-8 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, warm reserved orange sauce until heated through. Thinly slice steak across the grain; serve with sauce.

Notes:
- Use reduced-sodium soy sauce.

Apricot Almond Chicken

From Simple and Delicious (Sept./Oct. 2006), page 12.

Prep: 10 min. + marinating / Cook: 20 min.
Yield: 6 servings

Apricot-Mustard Sauce
½ cup lemon juice

¼ cup Dijon mustard (or whatever mustard you have)

2 teaspoons minced garlic

½ teaspoon white pepper (black works, too)

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup apricot preserves or jam (try experimenting with other flavors)

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons butter

1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 cup sliced almonds
Hot cooked rice

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, pepper, jam, and ½ cup oil.  Pour ½ cup marinade into a large re-sealable plastic bag; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.

Drain and discard marinade from chicken. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in remaining oil for 8-10 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine cornstarch and broth until smooth. Stir in the preserves, butter, cornstarch, and remaining marinade. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Spoon over chicken; sprinkle with almonds.

Serve with rice.

Notes:
- The recipe makes a LOT of sauce, but it would also be good on other white meats and possibly meatballs (appetizer).