The land of BBQ

Ah, the season has arrived! As you walk through the neighborhoods you can smell grills in the back yards and it makes you wonder what they are preparing. Is it pork, beef, chicken? Soooo many possibilities. We recently bought a pork cut called 'husker chops', it's a thick cut of pork, like a chop. I found a marinade recipe that turned these into super magnificent pork chops! Here it is:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh is best)
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp pepper
Combine all ingredients with a whisk, cover and refrigerate 1/2 cup of this for basting the meat you plan to grill. The rest can be poured into a large resealable plastic bag to which you will add your chops, or whatever you are grilling. Refrigerate for 8 hours, drain and discard marinade and you are ready to get jiggy with the grill. *This was enough marinade for 5-6 lbs of meat, feel free to cut it in half for smaller quantities.

Another thing that adds a nice touch to a grilled steak is a slice of herbed butter. If you think about it, when you go to a steak house you often get your meal presented to you with a small pat of butter on the steak melting and oozing onto the steak and plate. Mmmm, I'm making myself hungry. It's so easy to make, you should really try it!

HERB BUTTER

4 tbsp. butter 1 tbsp. fresh herbs, chopped or 1/2 tbsp. dried herbs Cream butter and herbs together. Store in small container. Cover and refrigerate. Will keep up to three months. Use with vegetables or a sandwich spread. Good herbs to use: Parsley, sage, or a combination of parsley, chives, basil, thyme and tarragon. What an extra POP of flavor, especially if you grown your own fresh herbs!! I've been very poor at posting lately. My wonderful husband has been home from work lately because of a little medical thingie, I've been wearing a nurse hat instead of a chef hat, so forgive me please. I promise to be better at posts. I hope you are trying new recipes, you could send me some :-). TTFN