Man Food! Grilling At It's Best!

Cooking for a man is serious business! 

They want hearty, hot, and delicious food.  To me, some food just screams "man food".  Especially if it's grilled.
Most men love to do the grilling, but what's sexier than his woman grilling for him?

Here's a gathering of my favorite "man food" dishes.  There's something for everyone, with most types of meat covered and even a pizza.  These recipes are the way to win any man's heart!

Enjoy!

(starting in the upper left and going clockwise)

Pineapple Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu

Grilled Turkey with a Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Cowboy Salad

Grilled Pita Pizza

Grilled Flank Steak in an Adobo Tomato Sauce

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Strips

Have you ever had someone that impressed you so much that many years later you still can recall that special moment, idea, or gift they brought to a relationship...even many, many years later?

Well I can clearly recall one such person.

In my 20's I ran around with a big group of friends and I had a thing....ok a major "infatuation" for one of the guys we hung with.  He was hot, and...he could cook!  I mean I could count the guys my age that could cook on one hand.  Oh, and did I mention he was hot?

But what left an impression on me all these years was the dinner he cooked for a group of us.  Succulent chicken strips that are coated in a garlic parmesan marinade, breaded and baked until crisp and juicy.  

I may not have gotten the guy...but I've been making his chicken strips for years. 

Enjoy!

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Strips

Serves 6

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (or use tenderloins)
½ c garlic parmesan bottled dressing (such as Bernstein’s or Newman’s)
1 c panko or regular bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Set up you breading station by placing the dressing in a dish, and the bread crumbs in another dish.

Remove any skin or fat from chicken breasts. Cut up the chicken breasts into strips. Dip the strips into the dressing coating both sides. Then dip them in the bread crumbs. Place strips on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately.

Fresh Sweet Corn with Lime Butter

There are few things to me that are ‘must haves’ for our annual 4th of July grilling fest.  Burgers and Hot Dogs, Homemade Ice Cream…and Corn on the cob!

Gotta have the corn!  In fact we eat corn all summer long, almost every week, since it grows right here.  One thing I’m known for (especially since I became a food blogger) is that I frequent food markets and farmers markets multiple times a week.  I really try to stick to my once of week shopping but can’t seem to help myself.  I invariably find something I need a few days later and off I go again!


Needless to say the staff at the markets and I are “friendly”.  Even the coffee barrista swap stories often!  She’s such a sweet person to talk to and the stories she can tell…phew!  She has me rolling.

So my local produce guy at this one farmer’s market suggested that I try this wonderfully sweet corn on the cob with a compound butter of lime juice and zest.  Just for a little extra zing!  He encouraged me to prepare the corn any way I liked grilled, sauteed, steamed, or boiled!).  
  
So I took his suggestion and created the butter, which is now known as “the Limey Butter” in our house.  Cooked up some corn and slathered it on….Wow! Pow! Bam!  He was soooo right.  What a nice zing to the sweet corn.

This is PERFECT for a 4th of July cookout.  This is a staple in our grilling menus.  Try it soon and you too will experience the Wow! Pow! Bam! of this butter.

Enjoy!


Fresh Sweet Corn with Lime Butter

serves 8

8 ears of corn, cooked (method is your choice)

For the Butter:

1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1. Combine butter, rind, juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. After corn is cooked immediately brush with butter mixture.