Liven Up Your Meals with Marinades!
Fresh herbs are perfect for marinades; adding a freshness to any meat or seafood. Remember to be safe and discard the marinade after it has been used. You can double the recipes and use half for marinade and half for basting. Some recipes do allow you to boil the used marinade and then use it as a baste. Always go with discarding if you are unsure! It's better to be safe than take a chance on making your family or guests ill.
Citrus Pork Marinade
Ingredients:
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup beer (or water)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon snipped cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Combine ingredients, pour over pork and refrigerate for 3-4 hours before cooking. Enough for about 1 1/2 pounds of meat.
Hawaiian Beef Marinade
Ingredients:
2 cups pineapple juice
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup chopped green onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
Blend ingredients and marinate steak whole or cut into cubes for kabobs in refrigerator for 1-3 hours. Enough for 2-3 pounds of meat.
Herb Marinade for Shrimp
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Blend all, add one pound of shrimp and marinate for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator.
Kebob Marinade
Ingredients:
Juice of two lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons grated onion
2 tablespoons ground chili peppers
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon turmeric
dash of salt
Mix together all ingredients. This will marinate about 3 pounds of kabob beef. Place in marinade for about 8 hours in refrigerator.

Greek Marinade
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 2 teaspoons fresh
Combine and pour over thin boneless pork slices. Marinate in refrigerator 1-8 hours. Grill or roast meat.

Spicy Beef Marinade
Ingredients:
1/2 cup picante sauce
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup oil
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, snipped
1 clove crushed garlic
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Pour marinade over cooked sliced beef. Marinate for 4-24 hours in refrigerator. Use in salad, for pita sandwiches or in tortillas. Enough for 1 pound.
Brenda Hyde is a wife, mom, freelance writer and editor at Old Fashioned Holidays.com (http://oldfashionedholidays.com) and Seeds of Knowledge.com. (http://seedsofknowledge.com) Visit her sites for more family recipes, crafts, traditions and historical tidbits. She also has a wonderful newsletter with more recipes and cooking tidbits. Subscribe to Tea Time Tidbits by sending any email to teatimetidbits-subscribe@egroups.com.