Chicken Marinade

Chicken Marinade

(3 ½ to 4 cups)

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups Canola Oil

¾ cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce

½ cup Worcestershire Sauce

½ Red Wine Vinegar

1/3 cup Fresh Lemon Juice

2 tbsp. Dry Mustard

1 tsp. Salt

1 tbsp. Black Pepper

1 ½ tsp. Fresh Parsley, fine chop

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk all the ingredients together.  Place desired chicken in a 1 or 2 gallon zip-lock freezer bag and pour in the marinade.  Seal removing most of the air and place in a 9x13 baking dish and refrigerate a minimum of 30 minutes to overnight.  Remember to turn the bag over several times while it marinades.

Note:               The chicken can be whole, bone-in or boneless pieces that you use with this marinade.  It is great for grilling, baking or other cooking methods you would like to try.

Note:               Dispose of any used marinade when you are done.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Meat (Beef) Marinade

Meat (Beef) Marinade

(just over 2 cups)

Ingredients:

¾ cup Red Wine (your choice)

1 cup Chile Sauce

1 clove Garlic, pressed

1 tsp. Chili Powder

1 tsp. Yellow Mustard

2 tsp. Salt

1 tbsp. Dry Minced Onion

¼ cup Canola Oil

Directions:

Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium size bowl.  Place the meat in a 1 or 2 gallon zip-lock baggie and pour marinade over meat and seal removing most of the air.  Place filled baggie and a 9x13 baking dish and refrigerate a minimum of 2 hours, although overnight works best.  Remove meat from baggie, pat dry and grill to your desired doneness.  See note.

Note:               This marinade works with steaks, roasts and brisket.  The meat should be between 1 and 1 ½ inches thick.  It doesn’t hurt to use a fork to poke the meat in the marinade.  If you do this make sure not to do it while meat is in the baggie.  You could develop holes in the baggie.

Note:               Your choice of wine will have an effect on the taste.  So use a wine that you like to drink.  Dry or sweet wine can be used.  It will just give you a different finished taste.  The little 4-packs of wine available in many stores work great.  One little bottle is about the ¾ cup you need for the marinade.

Note:               This recipe can easily be doubled or more depending on how much meat you need to marinade.  Remember to throw out any used marinade after you finish with it.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Marinades & Happenings

Yesterday I was on KQ2 television and made "Italian Baked Chicken" from the cookbook.  It went well and as soon as they have the video on their website, I'll put it on my video page of the blog.  Be sure to check on it.

I believe my next column for the Nodaway News Leader comes out this Friday.  I'm doing a two-part series on "Grilling" and some of it comes from the cookbook, some from last year's blog and a little new.  It's a good refresher course if you haven't been grilling since last fall.

I will be in Sioux City, Iowa this Saturday doing a book signing.  I'm at the Hy-Vee store at 4500 Sergeant Rd. (Morningside) by the mall.  The hours of the book signing are 4:00 to 7:00 PM.  If you know anyone in the Sioux City area, please let them know about the event.  Lots of graduations, wedding showers and weddings happening in May and June.

I'm working on some more book signings and other events.  When I have some confirmed, I'll let everyone know.  You can always go to my website www.barrybeacom.tateauthor.com.  Just click on the "Events" page to see what is coming up.

Since grilling season is here, I'll put 4 recipes on the blog this week  Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will be marinades to use for beef, chicken and pork.  I'm going to have the 4th recipe come out on Saturday.  It uses the  marinade recipe from Friday to make "Al Pastor Pork Tacos."  They are very tasty so please try them.

Before I sign off today, "Happy Mother's Day" to all the mothers following my blog.  I hope you have a wonderful day.  Also, a special "Happy Mother's Day" to my mother, my wife and daughter (soon to deliver her first this month).

Have a great week and cook a little something new.

Steak Wheels

Steak Wheels

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 to 1 ½ lb. Flank Steak

1 tsp. Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

1 tsp. Onion Powder

½ tsp. Black Pepper

2 tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped

½ lb. Smoked Bacon, thin sliced and cooked (see note)

1 envelope Knorr Béarnaise Sauce (follow package directions)

Directions:

You want to pound out the steak to an even thickness of about 3/8 inch.  You want to have around a 9x15 inch piece when you are done.  It may be a little bigger or smaller depending on the size of steak you started with before pounding.  Use the flat side of the meat mallet and place the meat so the long side runs away from you.  Once you have finished, score the meat slightly and diagonally to make a diamond pattern on the meat.  Season the top side of meat with the salt, garlic onion and pepper.  Lay the bacon strips on the steak, starting on your left and working to the right, next to each other running away from you.  Now roll the meat up in a jelly roll fashion.  Start with the end closest to you and roll away from you.  When rolled up, secure with toothpicks at one inch intervals.  Slice between the toothpicks to make one inch thick pinwheels.  Grill pinwheels over medium-high heat, turning just once.  It will take about 5 to 7 minutes per side for medium-rare.  A little longer if you want it medium.  Place the pinwheels on a platter and serve with Béarnaise sauce.

Note:               Layout bacon slices on a parchment sheet in a sheet pan side by side.  Place in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.  You want the bacon mostly cooked but not crisping.  Remove to paper towels to absorb any grease before placing on the steak.

Note:               You could use a boneless round steak for a more economical

                        price.

Note:               This steak is best cooked on a gas, charcoal or electric outdoor grill.  It can be cooked indoors on a grill plate, George Foreman or a Panini grill.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken Cordon Bleu

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

4 – 4 to 6 oz. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

As needed - Salt & Black Pepper

4 oz. (4 slices) Ham, each cut in half

3 oz. (4 slices) Swiss Cheese

3 tbsp. Butter, melted

½ cup Bread Plain Crumbs

½ cup Panko Bread Crumbs

Directions:

Take each breast and pound it out to ¼ inch thickness.  Sprinkle both sides of each breast with salt and pepper.  Center the chicken breast in front on you with the longest side closest to you.  The short sides will be to your left and right.  Take one half of ham slice and center on chicken breast.  Top the ham with a cheese slice and another half of ham slice.  Starting with the short side on the left of the chicken breast, pull and fold over the ham and cheese at the point where they meet.  Repeat the process with the right side.  Now take the long side closest to you and fold it over the ham and cheese.  Bring the long side away from you towards you and over the ham and cheese.  This should lap over the other 3 sides and cover all of the ham and cheese.  Using toothpicks secure the bundle and repeat with remaining chicken breast.  Place melted butter in a low sided bowl or pan.  Combine the two types of bread crumbs in another similar type bowl or pan.  Take the chicken bundle and dip in the butter coating completely and then into the bread crumbs.  Be sure to press the bread crumbs all around the bundle and place in a 9x13 sprayed baking dish.  Repeat with remaining chicken bundles.  Place baking dish in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until juices run clear and it has browned nicely.  Remove and let set for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Note:               You can use expensive or inexpensive ham and cheese for this dish.  It depends on your budget and tastes.  Shredded cheese works well too.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Coming Events and a Reminder

This coming Monday I'll be on KQ2 television's "Hometown This Morning" show between 6:45 and 7:00 AM.  I'll be making "Italian Baked Chicken" which is an easy dish.  In fact, all you men out there can make this dish  for a Mother's Day special meal to impress the women in your life.  The recipe for this dish is in my cookbook and will be on the KQ2 website sometime on Friday.

I'll actually bread the chicken in this easy to make coating and lay them out on a cookie sheet and freeze.  This way I can put the frozen pieces in a freezer bag and just pull out the amount I need for a meal.  You can thaw them first or even bake them from a frozen state.  You just need to add a little more time to the baking.

Italian Chicken goes well with pasta and your favorite marinara sauce, a twice baked potato and fresh green beans or any of your favorite starch and vegetable.  You don't have to make it all from scratch.  I know the Hy-Vee grocery stores in the Midwest make a great twice baked potato they sell at their meat counter.  All you have to do is heat it up.  The object is not to kill yourself trying to impress but for everyone to have a good meal, good time and a great memory.  Give it a try.

For anyone in the Sioux City, Iowa area, I'm going to be doing a book signing at the Hy-Vee in Morningside by the mall.  I'll there on Saturday, May 12, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM.  Please tell family and friends in the area.

Now for the reminder.  It's "Grilling Season" coming up.  I always consider Memorial Day Weekend as the beginning of the season for cooking out.  So let's get ready.  Last year on this blog I wrote a 2-part piece on "Grilling" and you can always go back and read it again if you need.  The blogs were on May 18 and 19.  On the right side of any of the blog pages, just go down to 2011 and click on it.  Then click on the month of May and start with the 18th.  That was the first part of the series.

There are several recipes on the "Recipe Index" page for outdoor cooking.  Look for more grilling recipes to come too.  Have fun grilling and eating.

Chicken Cordon Bleu is the recipe tomorrow.  Enjoy!

Graduation & Wedding Seasons Coming

As we start the month of May, the "Graduation" and "Wedding" seasons start to come into bloom just like the May flowers.  In fact, graduation at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri (my home town) was this past Saturday.  It is a huge number of young people that graduate each spring from high schools, colleges and universities.

May marks the start of the normal five heaviest months of weddings in a calendar year.

I know that I sound like a commercial today and I guess it really is.  These individuals (graduates) and couples (weddings) are starting on a new adventure and I believe my cookbook could be a great help for many.  I've already given 4 out myself and signed about a half dozen more already this season.

On the left side of any of the blog pages are the many different ways/places of purchasing a cookbook.  One of the new ways is through my website or my publisher website get the cookbook in an "E-book" format.  The price for the e-book format is only $9.99 and there is no shipping charges.  This current generation is totally tuned into this technology with their cell phones, pads, tablets and laptops.

Enough said for the gifts ideas for graduations, wedding showers and weddings.

I'll have more to talk about tomorrow with upcoming events and a reminder of something I blogged last year.  Thursday and Friday will have a couple of recipes.  The first is for "Chicken Cordon Bleu" and the other for "Steak Wheels."  Remember last week I talked about stuffing and rolling cutlets.  Well, the first recipe is doing a stuffing cutlet.  The second recipe is for the rolling technique.

Have a great week and please spread the word about my blog.  Thanks.