Let’s talk about steak. But, first, get out your tissues. I have a sad story to share with you all.

Once upon a time there was a girl and she loved steak. She was a pretty good cook, but her steak was never anything great. It was just boring old steak. She was in a steak rut, if you will. A little olive oil, some salt and pepper, and if she was feeling adventurous, maybe some seasoned salt or garlic powder. The girl’s steak was decent, but steak isn’t supposed to decent. It’s supposed to be delicious.

See. It’s a sad story. But, wait! Here comes the happy part.

One day the girl was crying and carrying on about her lack of steak cooking capabilities when the girl’s mother said “Lo, I will fix your substandard steaks but good.” And the girl said “Mom? I’m not sure that sentence made sense.” And the mother said, “Listen to me, for I know of what I speak.”

The end.

Actually, that was just THE BEGINNING. The beginning of great steak.

I’m going to stop telling stories and just tell you how to make some super flavorful steak now, okay? And, hey, I heard your big sigh of relief. That was rude.

The first thing we are going to do is plan ahead. I’m not usually good at planning ahead, but it’s worth it in this case. We’re going to marinate the steaks for at least 2 hours, preferably more, so get this started well before dinner time.

The marinade consists of salt, pepper, garlic salt, water, oil and vinegar. I got a little crazy this time and threw in some of Daregal’s Grilling Herbs and woo boy, it really kicked this marinade up. Don’t worry if you don’t have Grilling Herbs, you can just use dried or fresh rosemary, thyme and parsley. (I do recommend Daragel’s Fresh Frozen Herbs, though!)

In a small bowl, mix together 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt, 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1/4 cup warm water (warm, because it helps dissolve the salt), 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil, and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar.

Whisk it together. Lick the fork if you want. I won’t judge.

Normally I don’t add any seasonings other than the salt, pepper and garlic salt, and the steaks turn out delicious. The flavor really goes all through the meat.

This time I decided to get a little crazy. I added about one tablespoon of Daregal’s Grilling Herbs. If you don’t have this, you can leave it out altogether or you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and 1 teaspoon dried parsley.

Now add your steaks (any kind, 1 to 2 pounds)  to a big ziploc bag and dump the marinade in. Pop it all in the fridge for at least 2 hours. If you think about it, turn the bag over a couple times so that every part of the steak gets a chance to soak in the flavors.

When you’re ready, cook your steaks as you normally would.

Yum.

Salty Flavorful Steak

• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground pepper
• 1 teaspoons garlic salt
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Daragel Grilling Herbs (or 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, and 1 tsp. dried parsley)

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Pour over steak and allow to marinate for 2 or more hours.

Growing up, I hated pork chops. I would eat all the shake ‘n bake coating off of them, but that was as far as I usually went. Then I married my husband who one day said “Woman! Get in the kitchen and make me some pork chops!” So I did. It took awhile, but I have finally found a couple of ways to make pork chops that don’t leave me crying about the injustices of having TWO white meats, why can’t there just be ONE like God intended? Chicken. It should be what’s for dinner, but since it’s not, we’ll have pork and dang it, we’ll like it.

Now that I’ve gone on and on about my dislike for pork chops, I’ll share with you my favorite pork chop recipe. If I can eat it and enjoy it, then it must be good. Just trust me.

First we’re going to make a dry rub. You’ll need  1 tablespoon chopped dried onion (if you don’t have this just use onion powder), 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper. That’s a lot of stuff, I know, but they all play together so nicely.

Get out your thin sliced boneless pork chops and rub the seasoning all over them. Dump the chops into a large ziploc bag and set them aside.

Now we’re going to mix together 1/4 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and dump that in the bag with the pork chops. Squish it all together and let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Grill the pork chops over low heat until they are cooked through. Keep in mind that commercial barbecue sauces usually have a lot of sugar in them and they’ll burn pretty easily. Make sure to keep the fire turned down low to prevent the sauce from burning.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some pork chops to eat.

Southwest Summer Pork Chops
Adapted from AllRecipes dried minced onion

• 1 tablespoon chopped dried onion
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1lb thinly sliced boneless pork chops
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients; rub over pork chops. Place pork chops in a large plastic bag. In a bowl, combine barbecue sauce and lemon juice. Pour over pork chops. Rub bag to coat pork chops in sauce. Refrigerate 2 hours.
2. Grill pork chops over low heat until done.

It’s March. That means it’s almost Spring. Spring means warm weather. Warm weather means being able to grill. Being able to grill means I am happy.

The End!

Oh, no, wait. I had more to say.

I just stumbled across a recipe for chicken cooked in a skillet on the stove, but it TASTES like it’s been grilled. Weird, huh? After months and months of being all cooped up in my house without access to my grill, I just had to try it.

The verdict? Why the heck didn’t I try this sooner? It really does taste like barbecued chicken cooked on the grill! But, even better than that, this recipe is EASY! And simple! And quick! You can get it all ready in the morning before work and then just head home and get it cooking. I love recipes like that.

All you need is a pound of chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins, a cup of italian salad dressing, two teaspoons of lime juice and two or three teaspoons of honey. I know, you’re wondering how the heck THAT is going to turn into gorgeous grilled chicken. I don’t know how it does either. I think it’s magic.

The first thing we need to do is slice up the chicken breast into strips. You can buy tenderloins if you like, but there’s just something I don’t like about them. They are stringy and the texture is just, well, not right. So I just slice up my chicken breasts and call it a day. I am using two large breasts for this recipe, which should be just about one pound of chicken. I sliced each breast into thirds.

Set those aside and we’ll make the sauce.

In a small bowl, whisk together one cup of italian dressing, two teaspoons of lime juice and two or three teaspoons of honey, depending on how sweet you want your sauce. After you’ve got that all mixed up, place the chicken strips into a bag and dump the sauce on top. Squish it all up and stick it in the fridge for at least one hour. I mixed mine up in the morning and let it sit in my fridge all day long.

When you’re ready to get dinner started, just drag out a large skillet and turn the heat to low. Dump in the bag of chicken and sauce and let it cook. You’ll want to stir it every 5 minutes or so.

I know, I know. It doesn’t look like that sauce is going to turn into anything but a soupy mess, but it will. Promise.

Let your chicken cook over low heat until it is cooked all the way through. If the sauce is still milky looking, just take the chicken out and set it aside. Keep cooking the sauce, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown and then pop the chicken back in the pan.

Start rubbing the chicken around in the sauce and get every last bit of it covered. The sauce is pretty darn yummy. I’d hate for you to waste any of it.

I don’t know how it happens and, really, I don’t care. This tastes like grilled barbecue chicken. Have I mentioned that I like grilled barbecue chicken?

Grilled Chicken on the Stove
Adapted from RecipeZaar

• 1 lb chicken breasts
• 1 cup Italian dressing
• 2 teaspoon lime juice (fresh or bottled)
  
• 2-3 teaspoons honey

Slice chicken breasts into strips and place in plastic bag. Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour into bag. Allow to marinate in refrigerator for at least one hour. Dump into large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until chicken is done and sauce starts to brown. Stir to coat the chicken in sauce.

What would you all say if I told you that I had never, NOT EVER, eaten a meatball until October 25, 2008. It’s true. October 25. I’ll remember that day fondly for as long as I shall live.

(Okay, so I should mention that my first ever taste of a meatball was at a wedding and THAT is how I remember the date. I don’t generally remember the dates of the first tastes of food.)

I’ve made meatballs quite a few times since then. I like meatballs. Teryiaki meatballs. Served on a toothpick. Because I’m fancy.

I made these meatballs for a New Year’s Eve get together and then I ate them all. You should make them for your next party. But save some for your guests. Or just make them for dinner like I did the other night.

Let’s get started.

Let’s start with a pound of ground beef.

Alright now. Hold on to your hats. When I make meatloaf or meatballs, I don’t use bread crumbs. I use Stove Top Stuffing. That’s right. Stove Top. It is SO good. Measure out about a cup of dry stuffing and add just enough water to moisten it. You don’t want it soppy wet, but you don’t want it dry either.

Dump that on top of your meat.

You can make your own sauce if you like, but that’s too much work for me. I LOVE this teriyaki sauce, so that’s what I use. Use whichever brand you like most. Or make your own, you over-achiever.

Dump in about 1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce and crack one egg right on top. You can sprinkle in a bit of garlic powder or any other spices you like right about now. I usually keep it simple and go for salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

If you don’t live with a bunch of picky eaters, you can also add in some chopped onions at this point. Or some bell peppers. Or some grated carrot. It’s all good. Unless you are married to my husband and then it’s all bad.

Now go ahead and stir everything together. At this point I decided that I had too high of a meat to stuffing ratio and so I threw in some oats. Oats make me feel healthy. If you prefer you can add a bit more stuffing. But the oats are good too. I promise. I added about 1/2 of a cup.

Mm, mm. Raw meat. (Gag.)

Now get your hands back in there and gently form it into little balls.  I shoot for golf ball sized meatballs, but you can make them a bit smaller or bigger if you prefer. Just remember, the bigger they are the longer it will take to cook them.

If you have a bright yellow plate, use it. Arrange your meatballs in the shape of a smiley face. It’ll make you happy. I promise.

Add about 1/4 inch of oil to a deep 10-12 inch round skillet. Get it good and hot and then add your meatballs.

Fried meat. It’s good.

I believe I cooked these for about 8-10 minutes, flipping them over once halfway through.

When they are finished cooking, put them on a paper towel lined plate and let them drain for a minute or two.

If you’re like me and you have a good, healthy fear of raw meat you can crack one of these open and check to be sure it’s done. If it is, go ahead and eat it. If it’s not, weep.

Add another batch of meatballs to your skillet. While those are cooking you’ll need to keep the others warm. I like to dump about 3/4 cup of teriyaki sauce into the bottom of my crock pot, set it to low, and add the cooked and drained meatballs to that. It keeps them warm and it lets them soak in the teriyaki sauce. Trust me…a teriyaki sauce bath is a good thing.

Serve ‘em on a bed of rice. Or next to rice. Or with a toothpick stuck in the middle of them. Or with a fork. Or just get a shovel and start scooping them right into your open mouth.

Teriyaki Meatballs

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 cup Stove Top Stuffing for Chicken
• water, to moisten stuffing
• 1 cup teriyaki sauce, divided
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• oil for frying

1. Mix together all ingredients except oil.

2. Form into golf ball sized balls.

3. Add meatballs to hot oil. Don’t overcrowd pan. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until meat is fully cooked.

4. Drain on a paper towel and transfer to a crockpot (or dish in the oven) with 3/4 cup teriyaki sauce. Roll meatballs around to coat in sauce.

5. Serve as an appetizer (with fancy toothpicks!) or as a main dish.