Get Out of the Kitchen and Enjoy Your Summer!

Summer is in full swing!  We love to use our grill in the summer for quick, easy dinners.  How about you?  One of the ways that I have found helpful for keeping me in the fun with my kids and out of the kitchen, is flash marinating.  See our instructions below for this super easy, very tasty way to make some flavorful meat for the grill.   

Flash Marinade

• Mix marinade in small bowl or open a bottle of your favorite pre-made marinade. 
• Place raw chicken or beef in a freezer Ziploc bag.
• Pour in your marinade.
• Lay bag flat and freeze.  
• Thaw overnight when you are ready to use the meat.  

In the freezing and thawing processes, your meat will be infused with the marinade and will be tenderized at the same time. You are now ready to cook!

Pirate Pork Chops by Beth

Ingredients :
6-8 pork chops, boneless
1 medium onion, chopped
2 T. chopped garlic
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. oil
1/4 c. red-wine vinegar
1/4 c. orange juice
1/2 t. grated orange zest
3 T. packed brown sugar
2 t. ground allspice
3/4 t. ground pepper
1/2 ground thyme
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
5 dashes hot sauce
Assembly:
Trim fat off pork chop; pierce entire chop surface on both sides with fork; pound slightly with meat tenderizer.  In gallon size freezer bag, combine the remaining ingredients.  Seal and squeeze bag until ingredients are well incorporated.  Put chops in bag; seal.  Lay flat to freeze.
Serving Day:
Thaw in fridge several days before grilling to allow the thawed marinade to permeate the meat.  Grill on medium heat until there is no pink in the center.

Sesame Teriyaki Chicken by Jen

Ingredients:
24 oz. bottle of Sesame Teriyaki Sauce/Marinade
3 lb. bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 6-7 halves)

Assembly:
Mix marinade and chicken breasts in large Ziploc freezer bag.
Place in freezer until ready to grill. Or thaw chicken, then refrigerate 30 min. to marinate.

Serving Day:
When chicken is thawed, heat grill to medium heat. Grill chicken 7 min.; turn over. Grill another 6 to 8 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF)

Stubb's Chicken - by Mags

My husband chose our chicken marinade this month: Stubb's Chicken Marinade - "a special blend of citrus, herbs, and sesame." Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 6 Chicken Breasts
• 1/2 bottle Stubb's Chicken Marinade

Preparation:

• Poke holes in your chicken breasts and place 6 in a Zip-Loc Freezer Bag.
• Pour in 1/2 a bottle of the marinade.
• Squeeze out the air, seal the bag, and squoosh around so the chicken breasts are coated.
• Freeze Flat.
• If you are eating this on the same day as you prepared it, make sure your chicken breasts sit in the marinade for 2-6 hours.
  

Cooking Day:

• Thaw and cook, bake, or grill to your liking.

Lemonade Chicken by Katie

Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
6 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder

Assembly:
Place chicken in freezer bag.
Combine the lemonade, soy sauce and garlic powder and pour over the chicken.
Seal out air and freeze flat.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely.
Pour into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Uncover. Spoon juices over chicken and cook another 10 minutes uncovered.
Enjoy with a salad and your favorite side!

Smoky BBQ Chicken by Mags

Still testin' out the marinades at the grocery store...! We've tried the Kroger-brand "Traditional" Barbecue sauce, the "Honey" Barbecue sauce, and now the "Smoky" Barbecue sauce! Amazingly enough, they DO taste different!

Ingredients:
4-6 fresh chicken breasts
1-2 bottles of Kroger Smoky Barbecue sauce

Assembly:
Rinse your chicken. Poke holes through your chicken breasts with a fork. Drop in a good quality Zip-loc Freezer Bag. Pour in 1-2 bottles of Smoky Barbecue sauce. Push out the air from the bag and seal shut. Freeze the bag flat on its side.

Serving Day:
Thaw bag completely - I stick it in a large bowl of hot tap water for a few hours to speed up the process.
Put in a greased 9x13" pan and cook at 350F for 40 minutes or until cooked through.

Enjoy!
:) Mags

Chipotle Pepper Pork Chops by Debbie

Ingredients:
1 - 2 pounds pork chops
Grill Time Chipotle Pepper marinade packet
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water

Assembly:
Combine the marinade packet, water, and oil in a dish. Stir well to combine. Add the meat to the marinade in either a zip lock back or a baking dish. Either place your container in the freezer, or cook immediately.

Serving Day:
Defrost meat completely. Grill, broil, or bake the chops until done. Enjoy!
Place the zip lock bag in the freezer

Honey Teriyaki Pork Chops with Sesame by Mags

Honey Teriyaki Pork Chops with Sesame

I'm thinking "Why RE-invent the wheel?!" - there's an entire aisle in my local Kroger devoted to sauces and marinades so I'm trying them!

Ingredients:
4-9 pork chops (depends on how big they are)
1-2 bottles of KC Masterpiece 30-min. Marinade: Honey Teriyaki with Sesame

Procedure:
Poke holes in your fresh pork chops with a fork.
Drop in a Zip-loc freezer bag.
Pour in your marinade.
Freeze it for later OR bake it after 30-minutes.

If frozen, on Baking Day:
Thaw out baggie.
Spray your glass dish with cooking spray (this stuff is sticky!)
Lay out pork chops and bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes - it really depends on how thick your chops are!
For added flavor, baste with additional marinade during cooking.

Alternatives:
You can baste your vegetables as well - so you could drop in cubed potatoes, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, etc. around your pork chops and bake it all together!

I love rice - so you can also whip a box of Rice-a-Roni to go with it!

Enjoy!
Mags

Mustard Marinated Chicken Breasts by Jackie

Ingredients:
1/4 c. Dijon Mustard
1/4 c. Soy Sauce (lower sodium)
1/4 c. Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp. Thyme
3/4 tsp. Basil
1/2 tsp. Parsley
1/8 tsp. Sage
6 Chicken Breasts

Assembly:
Mix mustard, soy sauce & lemon juice and pour over chicken.
Sprinkle spices over meat. Freeze in Ziploc freezer bag or let marinade for several hours in fridge.

Serving Day:
Thaw. Grill or bake @ 350 for 25 minutes or until chicken is done.

**Also great for marinating beef.