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Grilled Garlic Chicken

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Since about mid January we’ve had mild weather here in Calgary. It’s very unusual for this time of the year as we typically have tons of snow on the ground. I kid you not. In my world we would have 2-3 months of cold winter and snow with the rest of the year sunny and green.

With warm weather comes serious spring fever. Last weekend we did yard work and cleaned up the yard in preparation for planting and Spring. My rhubarb is popping up and I’m ready to start seeding the lawn and eager to start planting. The kids have already advised they will each be having their own pepper and tomatoe(s) plants again this year. Sun and warmth feels so good. With this warmer weather we find we want to grill all the time. Fish and soy sauce are always on hand here and since we are die hard grillers (we will grill in any weather unless it hits -20), it’s not the first time we fired up the BBQ this year. We served up this chicken with our Green Rice.

I prep the food, my husband tends the grill. We make a good team. The longer this chicken can marinate, the more flavour you get.

The flavours in this chicken shine when allowed to marinate up to four hours or overnight. If you do not have the time, give the chicken at least 30 minutes to get cozy with the marinade.

 

Grilled Garlic Chicken
Grilled Garlic Chicken

Whiskey Marinated Flank Steak

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My man loves his whiskey. But only once in a while. Our liquor cabinet holds quite a few bottles of liquor that rarely gets touched. Especially those little ones. You know how sometimes you buy a bottle of something and it has a little mini me bottle attached, well there are several mini me bottles in the cabinet that are taking up space. So I used one.

And it came down like this….I picked up not one, but two mini bottles of whiskey and set to make a marinade. One I used in the marinade and the other (a Spiced Whiskey Vanilla to be exact) I consumed over ice because it sounded amazing. And it was.

A few more things went into the Ziplock bag followed by the flank steak. We marinated this bad boy for a couple hours and then grilled it up to perfection (rare and tender). The outcome was simple but flavourful. Here’s how I did it.

 

 

Hoisin Ginger Pork Tenderloin

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Pork Tenderloin is a delicious & lean cut of meat you can cook and prepare several ways. Try grilling it with this sticky honey hoisin sauce and end up with a moist, flavourful dinner. We double the recipe making extra for leftovers the next day. Use it in a Vietnamese style sub adding in fresh bean sprouts, cilantro, cucumber, carrots and the leftover sauce, slice it thin and add it last minute to hot broth, or warm it in some leftover BBQ sauce.

Serve with a simple salad, roasted potatoes or fresh veggies.

hoisin-ginger-pork-v3

 

Maple Soy Pork Chops

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When kids come into your lives you have no idea how busy life will become. Schedules, routines, activities, eventually school, playdates, family time, and somewhere in there we need to eat right? As my kids started to get older, and several weekly activities became the norm, we were running like chickens with our heads cut off several times a week trying to grab something healthy to eat and go.

Quick meals solutions were needed. Pork chops are one of those quick, easy and healthy meal ideas that can be grilled, fried, or broiled quickly. Once cooked and cooled you could slice thin and add to sandwiches or wraps if you do not have time for a sit down meal. A bowl of pasta, pork chops and fresh veggies are really that easy to get on the table in 30 minutes or less.

These pork chops are a family favourite, in fact anything that includes Chinese five-spice powder is a favourite here.

 

 

Sticky Hoisin Orange Chicken

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The flavour profile in our Sticky Hoisin Orange Chicken is outstanding.

We prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe but you can use bone in and skin on, or drumsticks if you prefer for this dish. Whatever you decide, you will love it I’m sure.

Do not overcook and continue to baste chicken throughout cooking time. We served ours with noodles (kids), sometimes coconut rice, and steamed broccoli.

Slow Cooker Hamburger Soup

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Here’s another delicious soup for a cold day. Slow Cooker Hamburger Soup has been done many times before so this is a slight variation of an original recipe using onion soup mix. Cooked in the Slow Cooker it makes for a lovely smelling meal to come home to.

We enjoy this soup and admittedly have it a couple of times a month during the colder Fall and Winter months. Top it with a good helping of freshly grated  Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano (a more salty cheese) & some crouton crumbles.