Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken

INGREDIENTS

•  Juice of 1 lemon, approximately 3 tablespoons 
•  2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil 
•  1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 2 medium cloves 
•  1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt) 
•  1/4 teaspoon pepper 
•  1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 
•  1 to 2 pounds chicken breasts (see note) 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Whisk together all the marinade ingredients. 
2. Place chicken in a ziploc bag or shallow dish and pour the marinade over chicken, tossing to coat the chicken evenly with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours but up to 18 hours. 
3. Preheat grill to medium- or medium-high (I use about 375 degrees on my pellet grill) and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until an instant read thermometer registers 165 degrees at the thickest part of the chicken. (The chicken can also be cooked in a skillet on the stove or broiled in the oven.) 

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

California Chicken Marinade

1 C soy sauce
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C melted butter
1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 C water

Combine ingredients, and add 2 to 4 boneless chicken breasts, marinade and grill.

*I got this from Maria.

Tender Grilled Pork Chops

FROM MEL'S KITCHEN CAFE

Ingredients

• 4 boneless pork loin chops
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon steak seasoning (such as Montreal Steak Seasoning or make your own*)

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix olive oil, soy sauce and steak seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and pour into a one-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork chops and set the bag in a baking dish in a way that the pork chops get a healthy dose of the marinade (it may be advantageous to flip the bag over halfway through the marinating time). Marinate in the refrigerator for 3-8 hours (no more than 8).
2. Heat the grill to medium and grill the chops 6-8 minutes per side (depending on how thick they are) until they are no longer pink in the center. Remove the chops from the grill and tent them with foil and allow them to rest for 5-7 minutes. Slice the chops in 1/4 to 3/8 inch slices across the grain and serve.

*Here is a pretty good copycat recipe I found and seriously adjusted for Montreal Steak Seasoning:
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon kosher/coarse salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon dill
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

Combine all the spices in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container and use as needed.

Maria's notes:  I made these for our Memorial Day get-together at Jason and Kierstin's.  My family loves them.

Honey-Lime Chicken

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• juice of one lime (or 1Tbs. lime juice)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• 2 tablespoon cilantro
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine your ingredients, through the cilantro. Mix thoroughly.
2. Pour marinade over chicken breasts and turn to coat. Cover and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour.
3. Grill on medium high heat for 6 to 8 minutes per side, until juices run clear.
4. Or cook for 30 min on broiler pan at 400.

Dodson Tri Tip Marinade

Tri-tip is a cut of beef. Costco has really good tri tip. They come two to a package.

3/4 cup soy sauce (I use low sodium)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup pineapple juice

2 tsp. peeled, grated fresh ginger root

1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced (I like lots of garlic)

This is enough marinade for one tri-tip roast. Slice the tri-tip thinly (about 1/4 inch) along the grain of the meat. Put in a gallon-size ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the meat. Make sure all of the meat is covered. Let marinate at least 24 hours. Grill.

We love this. It is really good cold the next day, too.