My husband says that there are things I don’t do simply because I refuse to — not because I can’t but because I won’t. Grilling used to fall high on that list. For a long while, I hid behind not knowing how to (read: not wanting to know how to) light the thing up.

Not so anymore. Several years ago (um, by several I probably mean closer to 6 years), I sucked it up and started grilling  because, well, I write a food blog. It seemed stupid to continue refusing to grill when it’s an important part of the American cooking experience.

These days I grill a lot and love to.

Recently, I was contacted by Kitchen PLAY who asked if I would be involved in a Progressive Party with the theme “Make This Recipe…Safer,” sponsored by the Ad Council. Of course, I agreed.

This campaign, headed by the USDA, is all about food safety — a topic that’s important for anyone spending time in or out of the kitchen. There’s even a Food Safety website dedicated to these crucial cooking reminders

Basically, the four tenets of safe cooking are clean, separate, cook and chill. What do these things mean?

Clean: Keep your cooking surfaces, utensils and hands clean while cooking by washing them with soap and water. Personally, I am obsessed with keeping my cooking area clean, as well as my hands. I keep soap next to the sink just for this.

Separate: Keep raw meats away from other foods, including using separate cutting boards. I always use different boards for meat, veggies and bread.

Cook: Always be certain to cook meats and seafood to the proper temperature before serving. You can use a food thermometer to ensure that the inner temperature of the food meets minimum safe temperatures.

Chill: Finally, foods should be chilled — both raw, perishable items and cooked foods. Leftovers should be wrapped up and stuck in the fridge shortly after eating to ensure that they remain safe.

Read the rest of this entry…

Pork chops are one of those foods that elicit either really positive or really negative reactions in my house. Some recipes, like Pork Chops Saltimbocca and Rosemary Garlic Pork Chops are total favorites, while others fall completely flat — leaving us silent and brooding. And honestly, whenever I say we are having pork chops for dinner, the statement is met with silence …

Yes, I find pork a challenging meat to work with.

Fortunately, I’ve learned over the years that if I plan ahead and really think about a recipe before I make it, I more often than not meet with pork chop success. That’s the case with these Marinated Grilled Pork Chops. These babies are a little tangy (thanks to the lime!) and definitely flavorful. But it’s not overpowering flavor, instead it’s subtle and light … just right for serving with rice and a big salad.

What is great about this recipe, I think, is that it’s largely a throw-together one. The marinade takes just a few minutes to whisk together, then you set the meat to soak it up for between 30 minutes and an hour, and then you grill it. Easy peasy, and it doesn’t even heat up your kitchen.

So, what did my crew of tasters think? There wasn’t a spec of pork left after dinner … in fact, Paige asked to be excused, leaving some on her plate, but then quickly returned to finish it. Frequency of that happening? Close to never.

Do you have a killer grilled pork chop recipe? Share the recipe (or a link) in the comments! Read the rest of this entry…

On New Years Eve, we had a fun visit from an old and dear friend of mine, and her family. Then we ate Chinese food (Shawn’s tradition) and rang in the New Year watching The Next Food Network Star (I think I want to be the next star!). On New Years Day, Shawn had to work and I had big plans to just relax with the kids — until I realized that no one in the family had planned our traditional dinner.

For my entire life, we’ve had a nice dinner on New Years Day. But for some reason, no one took responsibility for it this year. Bizarre. So I sprung into action at 11 a.m. for the 4 p.m. dinner. First, came the menu – clam stuffed mushrooms, a fruit platter, my amazing Ginger Soy London Broil, mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach, a lentil dish, green beans with brown butter, and hummus for dipping carrots. That seemed like the perfect quick and easy menu for this meal (and I will tell you more about some of the sides at a later date) and it would have been if Paige wasn’t in a HOLD ME NOW! kind of mood. Nonetheless, I was able to prep everything and have it all really for the quick cook when my family arrived. I did have to scrap the clam mushrooms though, but only because my fungus was growing mold. Eww. And I just bought them too!

The funny thing was that Virtual Frolic left me a comment in the past day or two about my time management skills and that was all I could think about as I cleaned the house and prepped the food. Do I have great time management skills? I don’t think so, but I do seem to get everything done. Perhaps it’s time to start taking stock of when I do things and how I fit everything in . . . her suggestion of writing about time management could just be my next big project. (Maybe it will help me too.)

Anyway, the dinner went off without a hitch.

Now, the secret to the quick marinade of this London Broil is to cut slits into the beef so that the marinade really permeates the meat. I like to cut the slits on both sides of the meat too. It also makes it super tender when you go to slice it later.

Ginger Soy London Broil
serves 4

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1-1 1/2 lb London broil

In a sturdy, medium sized bowl, whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, honey, olive oil and ginger until well combined.

Cut slits across the London broil – 4-5 of them – to let the marinade really soak in and then put the meat into a sealable bag and pour in soy mixture. Seal the bag and let sit for 1-2 hours, turning once halfway through.

To cook:

Method 1 – On a George Foreman Grill

Preheat the grill on medium. Remove London broil from the bag and discard marinade. Place London broil on the grill and cook for 6-7 minutes to desired doneness. Slice thinly, against the grain, and serve immediately.

Method 2 – In the Broiler

Remove the London broil from the bag and discard marinade. Place on a broiler pan and into the oven. Set broiler to high and cook for 8-10 minutes, to desired doneness. Slice thinly, against the grain, and serve immediately

Looking for a great red wine marinade? Check out my new Red Wine Marinated Flank Steak recipe too.

Just a quickie today –

I love a tangy, slightly tart, red wine marinade for London broil. This particular recipe is enough for one large London broil, but could be used for two round steaks instead if you prefer.

And don’t toss the leftover red wine marinade! It can be used to make red wine gravy. Simply combine equal parts of marinade and broth or water. Boil for 10 minutes and then thicken with a 1:2 ratio of corn starch to water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Red Wine Marinade

1 1/4 cup red wine
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp savory
1 tsp dried minced onion

Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.

To use: pour marinade into a resealable plastic bag with a large London broil. Let marinate for 1-3 hours. Cook as desired.

Marinades, glazes and rubs are a great way to flavor an otherwise simple meat or poultry dish. Just marinate your protein it in the refrigerator for a few hours, or a whole day. Forget it until it’s time to cook.

See also Marinated Flank Steak.

Rubs are even better if you are short on time. A rub is exactly as it sounds: something that you rub on the meat. Likewise, a glaze is brushed on just prior to cooking.

Now, depending on how you plan on cooking a piece of meat and how much flavor you are looking for, you might choose to use any of these. A marinade will pack a good amount of punch, since the flavor is soaked into the meat. A glaze can be even bolder since it tends to be thicker and stays with the meat. A rub can actually be the lightest, since a lot of the flavor will cook away leaving hints of taste.

In my house, we use a lot of rubs due to the ease of preparation and application. After a long day of being a full time writer and mommy, sometimes I just don’t have the patience to craft an elaborate meal. In those times, rubs like these are my savior:

Country Steak Rub
Serves 2

1 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasonings
1 tsp paprika
¼ tsp garlic powder

Combine ingredients in small bowl.

To use: Sprinkle generously on both sides of meat and massage in. Cook as normal.

Sweet and Spicy Steak Rub
Serves 2

1 tbsp course (sea) salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp marjoram
¼ tsp savory
¼ tsp sugar
¼ tsp basil

Combine ingredients in small bowl.

To use: Sprinkle generously on both sides of meat and massage in. Cook as normal.

Marinades:

• Red Wine Marinade
• Blood Orange-Citrus Marinade
• Ginger-Soy Pork Chops Marinade