Try your own healthful ingredient sauces and marinades and achieve a new level of cool in the kitchen. What better way to flavor your family life than with a great marinade or sauce? You can customize everything to your family’s taste and make dinnertime fun again.

Get the whole family involved in choosing ingredients for marinades or sauces. Let the kids help put it together. Mine couldn’t wait to taste whatever we had made.  I found letting him in on some of the decision making and some of the work helped him be more adventurous. As an adult, he is a very good cook and not afraid to try new flavors. (He still doesn’t like cooked zucchini, but that’s another story).

Please be careful about cross contamination. Don’t bother to save any marinades after the meat comes out. Although you can cook it and use it to pour over the meat, it usually is too salty or strong for general usage. Just take a little of the mixture out ahead of time (before meat is placed in it) and add more neutral liquid to it such as water, wine, or broth. Cook that reserved portion with the added liquid and save it for table service.

Below are some recipes that we hope you will make your own. Feel free to make them as written or change them. That’s what life is about. Sometimes, change is good.


NEW! Tartar Sauce
1 soft boiled egg (about 4 minutes), chopped
3/4 C. Sourcream
3/4 C. Mayonnaise
3 T. chopped Capers
1 T. chopped Dill Pickles
1 t. Honey
1/2 Lemon, juiced
dash of Hot Sauce or Tabasco
1 T. Olive oil
2 T. chopped Green onion
1 T. chopped Parsley
1/2 t. Guldens mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate. This mixture keeps for a month or so.

NEW! All Purpose Rub
This rub is great for all meats.

1T. Garlic powder
1T. Celery seed
1 t. Cumin
2T. Smoked Paprika (regular paprika if you don't have the smoked variety)
1/2 t. Black pepper
2 t. Salt
1 T. Onion powder
1/4 t. Ground Red Pepper
1 T. Brown Sugar
1 T. Lemon Pepper
Mix all the ingredients together and keep in an airtight container till used.


Barbeque Sauce
1 cup catsup
1/4 tsp ginger (powdered,or 2 Tbl. freshly grated)
1 1/2 Tbl vinegar
1 Tbl prepared mustard (whatever you usually use)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbl red pepper jelly (1 Tbl orange marmelade can be used)
2 Tbl brown sugar
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1 Tbl worchestershire sauce
1tsp cocoa powder
Combine all ingredients in a microwave friendly bowl or large pyrex measuring cup, stirring very well. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, microwave for 30 more seconds, stir and set aside to cool. Refrigerate sauce for up to a month if not used right away.
If you add freshly grated onion, garlic, or ginger, the sauce can be simmered on the stove for 20 to 30 minutes as well though it isn't necessary.
This is a very tangy/sweet mixture. We know you will love it. We WOW everyone when we take this to barbeque parties. Make enough to share! Fair warning!!!


Basic Asian style Marinade:

1c. Light sodium soy sauce
2tbl. Vinegar (any type you like)
1tsp. Dry mustard
1tbl. Honey
1tbl. Grated fresh ginger
2tbl. Sesame oil (dark)
2tbl. Sesame seeds (toasted variety)
1pinch or so Red pepper flakes (to taste)
1-3 Green onions, chopped
2 Cloves of garlic, chopped or grated

Place all of the above ingredients into a microwave safe container and “cook” them for just a few seconds, maybe 20-30 or so. Place the meat into the marinade and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  4 hours is better and over night is total marinade heaven. Hint: leave out the dry mustard and add 1/3 cup of orange juice to make it a teriyaki style marinade.
Enjoy!