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Episode 107 Marinated Grilled Tri Tip

August 31, 2023 by Susie Weinrich Leave a Comment

On episode 107 we are getting the grills fired up. You will learn how to marinate and grill a delicious tri tip. It is a great dinner on the grill!

Transcript Text

Intro: Welcome, welcome everybody to another episode of Let’s Make Dinner, your audio library of amazing dinner recipes you can always get on the table. I’m your host, Suzy Weinrich.

Susie Weinrich: What’s up everybody? We have a great recipe today that is going to be perfect for all of your grilling. If you’re listening to this in real time, it’s starting to transition to fall and a little bit cooler weather. So that’s when I love to get out and get behind my grill. Plus you add football season in there and it’s just a great mix. So today we are going to make a Grilled Tri Tip that is marinated and served with a Mustard Butter. You’re gonna love this one. The nice thing is, is that this is fancy enough for a weekend dinner or serving to guests, but it’s simple enough on the grill to make during the week.

Let’s talk a little bit about what a tri tip is. So a tri tip is a cut of beef. It’s going to be usually around three pounds per cut, per piece. It’s going to be kind of big, and it’s going to be in the shape of a triangle, and that is a tri tip. Now, I think you can also get tri tip steaks, but for this recipe, we’re using an entire tri tip. We’re going to marinate it, and then we’re going to talk about how to slice it. Because tri tip comes actually with two separate grains and with any cut of beef, you want to make sure you’re cutting against the grain so that you can actually chew it. If you cut beef or steak with the grain, it’s going to be incredibly chewy.

If you happen to fall in love with the tri tip, I also have a wonderful recipe for a braised tri tip with a red wine glaze, and I will link that in the show notes for you. We’re going to go over a lot of tips and tricks with this recipe, but we’re going to talk about most of them while we’re going through the actual recipe, so we’re just going to go ahead and get right into it.

Grilled Tri Tip Recipe: When you bring your tri tip home, usually there’s going to be one side that has a very large fat cap, unless you bought it already trimmed. What you want to do is remove the majority of that fat cap and then sometimes underneath that fat cap there’s going to be some silver skin. First to remove the fat cap, you want to just grab at one of the three points, grab that fat cap and take a very sharp knife and slide it under and then just keep working all the way up as you peel that fat cap back.

Now, underneath that fat cap, if there’s some Cloudy parts or shiny parts, that’s probably silver skin. Silver skin is something that you will not be able to cook down or chew through. So do your best to get rid of that. What I like to do is slip the tip of a really sharp knife just right in between the silver skin and the meat and then start to peel it away. Usually that works really well. There are some online videos on YouTube that show how to get rid of silver skin really easily. So you can search on there for visual tips on how to do that.

Now, once you have all of that removed, what I like to do is lay out some large sheets of plastic wrap, pop that tri tip on top of there, because we’re going to marinate the tri tip and then wrap it up really tight in that plastic wrap.

For the marinade, you want to mix together in just a little small bowl, two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, two garlic cloves that are just chopped up roughly, one teaspoon of smoked paprika, or you could use regular paprika here. Two teaspoons of onion powder. One teaspoon each of brown sugar, kosher salt, and coarse ground black pepper. Give that a really good stir, and then you’re going to coat the entire tri tip with that marinade, and then wrap it up really well with that plastic wrap. Then just pop it in the fridge for, you can do 8 hours up to 24 hours, whatever you have time for.

Now, you want to make the mustard butter that you will use for serving. It only has three ingredients. You need six tablespoons of salted butter that’s softened at room temperature. Two teaspoons of Dijon mustard and a quarter teaspoon of black pepper. So you just want to blend that all together just with a fork or a spoon or you could even use a mixer. Then you’re going to scoop that out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Shape it into a one inch log. And then wrap that plastic wrap around it and twist the ends so it’s just enclosed and looks like a log of butter. You can pop that in the fridge and it will be good for a week, two weeks, until you’re ready to use it.

So now it’s actually time to grill your tri tip. So you want to set your grill to have direct heat and an indirect heat side. You want to set your grill up for high heat temperature. While your grill is warming up, you want to go ahead and remove the tri tip from the fridge and just allow it to stand at room temperature for at least about 30 minutes. This is called tempering, and it’s just warming up or bringing to room temperature a large cut of meat so that it cooks more evenly on the grill. So once the grill is ready, you’re going to start that tri tip over direct heat for about five minutes per side on a covered grill. Now you’ll notice that your tri tip is in a triangle and so there’s one smaller little tail point. When you position your tri tip on the grill, position it so that that little tail is closer to the indirect heat side, because that little tip will cook through way faster than the big part of the tri tip.

Now, after you’ve grilled it over that direct heat for five minutes per side, now we’re going to move the tri tip to the indirect heat side, and this is where you want to cook to temperature, not time. So the last time that I made the tri tip, it only took about eight minutes on the indirect side to come to 135 degrees Fahrenheit at its thickest point, which will be about a medium rare to medium rare plus cut of beef. So you want to make sure that you’re kind of watching. It could take anywhere from five minutes up to 15 minutes on the indirect side to get to the temperature that you want.

Now, once it’s done and it’s at the temperature you want, you want to bring that tri tip in and then cut two large, one inch slices of that mustard butter and allow it just to melt over the top of that tri tip while it rests.

Now, this is the part that’s going to be hard to explain verbally. It’s kind of a visual thing. So, when you were trimming your tri tip, you noticed that it had two different grains. The grain starts at one tip of the tri tip and then kind of fans out. When you’re cutting, what I like to do is start up at that point where the grain starts. On the diagonal, cut it against the grain. Then as you’re moving closer to where the grain starts to straighten out, you’re going to start to turn your knife so that you’re always cutting against the grain all the way to the bottom. That will ensure you have super tender and juicy slices of tri tip.

When you serve this, you want to serve it with some mustard butter slices on the side and make sure that the steak is still nice and hot so that mustard butter will just melt over top. One tri tip that’s, I don’t know, two to three pounds is going to serve probably about four or five people.

Some great side dishes to think about with your grilled tri tip are a really nice side salad that has a tangy vinaigrette and I have a great recipe that has a warm balsamic vinaigrette over top. Super easy, super simple and really delicious. Either garlic mashed potatoes or a crispy cast iron potato or baked potatoes would be excellent. Then any kind of green vegetable, like roasted broccoli, roasted asparagus, green beans. Or, in the summer, corn on the cob is perfect. But if you are looking in the fall, you might want to think about adding deviled eggs. Perfect side dish.

So that does it for this episode. As always, I will link all of the recipes that I talked about in this episode right in the show notes for you.

Outro: So until next time, I hope this episode of Let’s Make Dinner makes your dinner time a little easier. See ya!

Alright everybody, now is normally the time that I would do the double dip. But, we are going to take a little bit of a break from the podcast. I think I’m going to take a couple months off here. I am focusing really heavily on video right now, which is consuming all of my time. So if you are enjoying these podcast episodes, I would really encourage you to go over and find me on YouTube and watch some of my actual videos so you can see my face, still learn about all of the wonderful dinner recipes, tips, tricks, kitchen hacks, all of those things that help you feel really successful at dinner time.

I also encourage you to sign up for our newsletter so that when I do start the podcast up again that you will be notified of the latest episodes. So until then, hopefully I’ll see you over on YouTube.

Recipes Mentioned

Stay Connected

This will be the last episode for a few months. I am going to focus on video in the next couple months. I hope you will join me over at You Tube and subscribe.

Also subscribe to our newsletter so you know when the podcast does pick back up!

Episode 106 Refried Beans Instant Pot

August 24, 2023 by Susie Weinrich Leave a Comment

In episode 106 instead of a dinner entrée we are making a killer side dish- Instant Pot Refried Beans. It is an incredibly inexpensive dish to make that is also super easy to make! A pound of dry refried beans will usually be under $3. This recipe makes super creamy and flavorful refried beans.

Serve it up on the side with some Mexican Rice and you will have an amazing dinner.

Transcript

Click for the full transcript.

Intro: Welcome, welcome everybody to another episode of Let’s Make Dinner, your audio library of amazing dinner recipes you can always get on the table. I’m your host, Susie Weinrich.

Susie Weinrich: Beans, beans, the magical fruit. Is it magical or musical? I always said it was the magical fruit, but then somebody on Instagram had a post where they said musical fruit, which would make sense because it’s talking about farts.

Welcome to this episode of Let’s Make Dinner. Alright, so you guessed it. Today we are making a bean dish. We’re making Instant Pot Refried Beans. If you have never made your own refried beans, if you’ve been intimidated or you’ve tried to make them and they don’t really turn out, this is a fool proof, fool poof, fool proof recipe for refried beans that you make in your instant pot, which is so great because it’s mostly hands off and they’re so delicious when I make them, I eat them straight out of the Instant Pot, and then I regret it later because I have a stomach ache.

Tips and Tricks: Okay, so not a ton of tips and tricks here. The Instant Pot that I use is a 6 quart Instant Pot, and so I will link that for you in the show notes. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, I highly recommend getting one. I love my instant pot, especially in the fall when I’m making soups or large cuts of meat like pot roast or shredded beef or shredded pork, anything like that, it is just wonderful for.

Instant Pot Refried Bean Recipe: So let’s go ahead and just get straight into the recipe for your Instant Pot Refried Beans. We are going to start this recipe by taking care of the pinto beans. That is what refried beans are made of. So you need one pound of dry pinto beans. What you want to do is just put those dry pinto beans into a mesh sieve or a colander and give them a really good rinse. If there’s any stems or any weird pieces in there, take those out. and then you can just set them aside.

Now you need to grab your instant pot and we’re going to pop that onto saute mode and you’re going to add three tablespoons of olive oil or you could use a vegetable oil that would work here as well. Then once that’s nice and warm you’re going to saute one white onion, four garlic cloves, and one jalapeno. All of those can just be roughly chopped because they’re going to be pureed down later on.

So saute those for about four to five minutes just to start to enhance their flavors and get them softening. After that, you’re going to add in one tablespoon of chicken base. Chicken base is like a paste form of bouillon and you can find it in the soup aisle. It’s a way more flavorful option than regular bouillon, and we love the brand, it’s actually called Better Than Bouillon. Okay. So that’s a great one to look for in the grocery store.

Then you’re also going to add two teaspoons of chili powder, two teaspoons of cumin. One teaspoon each of onion powder and kosher salt. Just give that all a stir so that it coats the onions and garlic and jalapeno.

Next, you’re going to pour in four cups of chicken broth or stock and one and a half cups of water. If you have any bits that have browned to the bottom of the Instant Pot, you want to scrape those up at this point. Now you can turn off that sauté mode and you can add in those rinsed, dry pinto beans and one bay leaf. Now give everything a really good stir.

Now we’re going to get to the cooking part. You’re going to close the lid on the Instant Pot. Make sure you set that pressure valve to seal. You’re going to set it to cook on just your manual normal pressure cook, high pressure, normal heat for 50 minutes. Then at the end of the 50 minutes, you’re going to do a 15 minute natural pressure release and then finish with a quick release.

Now once you open up your Instant Pot, if some of the very top layer of beans didn’t stay down in the liquid, some of those may have a little crunch or a little dryness to them still. You can skim off that top layer of beans and just use the beans that cooked really well and soft down in the liquid.

At this point, you also want to remove the bay leaf and discard that. Now, some recipes will have you draining the liquid off the beans and then adding it back. We don’t need to do that. There is the perfect amount of liquid in the beans so that they puree up really, oh my gosh, so creamy and so good. You are absolutely going to love these.

So what I like to do is actually use my immersion blender and just start to puree everything up. We like our refried beans really smooth, so I puree them until they are creamy and smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender and you like your refried beans a little bit more chunky, you could just use a handheld potato masher. But if you do like the smooth consistency and you don’t have that immersion blender, you can transfer the beans and the liquid to either a food processor, or a food mill, or a really strong blender. If you’re using the blender, make sure that the beans and the liquid are slightly cooled before you add them, or your blender may explode. No worries. Your Instant Pot’s not going to explode, but your blender might explode.

Okay. So once you’ve got them pureed up, you’re going to squeeze some fresh lime juice into the beans. I usually like to do one small lime and I just squeeze the entire thing in, stir it up, and then give it a taste. See if you want a little more kosher salt. Do you want a little more lime juice? Do you want a little more spice? At this point, if you like them a little bit more spicy, I would put in a couple dashes of cayenne pepper.

So the trick is with your refried beans, if you want to serve them immediately, once they’re sitting, they will start to thicken up and firm up and then the top will also dry out. So if you do need to hold them for a little bit, I recommend putting a little plastic wrap right on top of those beans so it doesn’t get that dry layer on top. So of course, refried beans go excellent with any Mexican dinner. So you’re talking tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas. Think about when you go to a Mexican restaurant, and the side dish is usually rice and beans. So that’s where we like to serve these. I’ll tell you what, these refried beans, leftover, they’re thick and delicious, and they make the most killer refried bean burrito, ever. So you can use the leftovers for that too because this does make quite a few beans. I will link some delicious Mexican dinner recipes in the show notes for you as well so that you can have something to pair these refried beans with.

Outro: So that does it for the full recipe and as always I hope this episode of Let’s Make Dinner makes your dinner time a little easier. See ya!

Double Dip: All right, everybody. Thank you so much for sticking around. Now it’s time for your double dip. Every week I share the recipe that we will be making next Thursday on the podcast so that you can have all of the ingredients ready and cook along with me next week. So we will be making a Marinated Grilled Tri Tip with mustard Butter next week.

This is a great recipe as the temperatures start to cool and you’re ready to get out and cook on your grill again. So for this recipe next week, you’re going to need a 2 to 3 pound beef tri tip, 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, some extra virgin olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, smoked paprika, onion powder, brown sugar, kosher salt, and a coarse ground black pepper.

Then for the mustard butter, you only need three ingredients and you probably already have all of them. Salted butter, Dijon mustard, and black pepper. So, basically what we’re doing is we are marinating a tri tip and you can marinate it in the morning and then cook it in the evening or you can marinate it on Thursday and grill it on Friday for dinner.

The mustard butter can also be made ahead of time, so if you want to make that in the morning and have it for dinner in the evening, or you can make it on Thursday and have it ready in the fridge for dinner on Friday. But that is all you need. So I hope you will join me then. But until that episode, I hope you guys have a wonderful week ahead.

Recipes & Equipment Mentioned

Next Week

I hope you will join us every Thursday for a new episode. Next week we are making Marinated Grilled Tri Tip Steak.

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Cucumber and Onion in Vinegar

August 21, 2023 by Susie Weinrich 4 Comments

Cucumber and Onion Salad is an old fashioned side dish that is a delicious combo of (like the name) sliced cucumbers, sweet onions marinated in a vinegar mixture. It is similar to a quick pickle and it makes a great “vinegary crunch” side dish for any dinner. Very fresh and light.

cucumber and onions in a bowl with watermelon in the background

I grew up in small town Iowa and one thing we have down pat are really, really good side dishes! Think pot lucks, BBQ’s, Sunday family dinner at Grandma’s. This Cucumber Vinegar Salad is a staple recipe that I love to make when we have a gathering that is full of rich dishes! It is tangy, crunchy and fresh, simple, but it hits all the right notes. . Without fail, every single time I make it, someone tracks me down to ask for the recipe.

These cucumbers and onions in vinegar are especially delicious served with anything from the grill or BBQ, like this BBQ Pork Tenderloin or Grilled Tri Tip. When you have heavier side dishes like cheesy potatoes and beans, these cucumbers and onions are a very refreshing addition.

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Cucumber and Onion Recipe Ingredients

Since this Cucumber and Onion Salad is an old fashioned recipe it only has the simplest of ingredients. Aren’t those the best?!

Ingredients for cucumber and onion salad on a table — *Ingredients shown clockwise: onions, cucumbers, vinegar, celery seeds, kosher salt and sugar.*

Cucumbers I recommend using a hot house or English cucumbers for this recipe. They are less watery and don’t have as many seeds as a traditional or garden cucumber. They also have thinner skin so they don’t need to be peeled.

You CAN use garden cucumbers, I just recommend peeling them or partially peeling them (so they look striped).

Onion Choose a sweet onion like yellow or Vidalia onions. I like to cut the onion in half and then slice it into thin strips about ⅛-1/4 inch thick. A red onion can work as well.

PRO TIP FOR ONION: if you have a really strong onion, after cutting it in half lightly rinse it under cool water lightly separating the layers. This rinses away the enzyme that will have the strong onion flavor taking over your whole dish.

Vinegar Rice vinegar is a great choice for this cucumber and onion salad. It has great flavor on it’s own and makes a delicious “marinade” for the salad. If you don’t have rice vinegar you can sub apple cider vinegar.

Sugar Simple granulated white sugar is what you need here. It balances the tang of the vinegar and gives a bit of sweetness to the dish.

Kosher Salt enhances the flavor of the entire dish!

Celery Seed adds a great flavor to the vinegar mixture.

How To Make Old Fashioned Cucumbers and Onions in Vinegar

This is SUCH a simple recipe! It only takes about 10 minutes to put it together, then pop it in the fridge to marinate or pickle until it’s time to eat.

Prep Cucumbers & Onions

Slice the cucumbers and onions about ⅛-1/4 inch thick and place in a bowl or pan. Set aside

sliced cucumbers and sliced onions in a bowl

Boil Vinegar Mixture

In a saucepan over medium heat combine the vinegar, sugar, kosher salt and celery seed.

Bring to a boil (this will happen quickly) and let boil for about 30 seconds.

vinegar, sugar, kosher salt, and celery seed in a saucepan

vinegar, sugar, kosher salt, and celery seed boiling in a saucepan

Pour Vinegar Over Veggies

Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the cucumbers and onions. Give them a good toss to coat.

pouring vinegar mixture over cucumbers and onion

Refrigerate

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 8-12 hours, tossing occasionally if you have time.

sliced cucumbers and sliced onions in a bowl coated in a vinegar and celery seed mixture

Cucumber and Onion Recipe Tips

Don’t wait too long to eat the cucumbers and onions, the cucumbers will get soggy after a few days (although they will still be DELICIOUS).

An English or Hot House cucumber are great options because they don’t have large seeds and have thinner skin.

If using garden cucumbers, the skin is thicker so peel them for a better texture.

Use a yellow or sweet Vidalia onion for the best flavor.

Slice the cucumbers and onions about the same thickness for the best texture.

Serving ideas

Cucumber and Onion in Vinegar is a wonderful tangy side dish that pairs really really well with a rich meal. Here are a few things we like to serve this with:

Storing

Keep the Cucumber and Onion Salad covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. It will last longer but the more time that passes the cucumbers start to become very soggy. Best eaten within 2 days.

More Cucumber Recipes

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Rate This Recipe→

Cucumbers and Onions Salad in a bowl with a fork

Onion and Cucumber in Vinegar

Cucumber and Onion Salad is a great side dish to add to ANY dinner. It is similar to a quick pickle and is simply cucumbers and onions in a vinegar mixture. It makes a great "vinegary crunch" addition to your meals. Very fresh and light.

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 2

Marinating: 8

Total Time: 8 12

Servings: people

Calories: 65kcal

Author: Susie Weinrich

Ingredients

▢ 4 cups sliced cucumber - Hot House or English cucumber (one large or two small should be about 4 cups)
▢ 1 yellow onion - sliced
▢ ½ cup rice vinegar
▢ ½ cup sugar
▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
▢ ½ teaspoon celery seed

Instructions

Slice your cucumbers about ⅛-1/4 inch thick, same for the onions.
If you are using hot house, english or persian cucumbers you don't need to peel them, if you are using traditional cucumbers or garden cucumbers you can peel them completely or partially by peeling stripes.
4 cups sliced cucumber, 1 yellow onion
Place the sliced cucumbers and onions in a shallow bowl or pan. Set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the sugar, salt, vinegar and celery seeds to a boil. Once it comes to a rapid boil, let it boil for about 30 seconds.
½ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ cup rice vinegar, ½ teaspoon celery seed
Pour over the cucumbers and onions. Toss to coat. Then try to have all the cucumbers and onions touching the vinegar liquid.
Cover and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.
If you have time you can toss the cucumbers and onions a few times while they marinate in the fridge.
It is great garnished with black pepper when serving!

Storing

Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
It will last longer but the more time that passes the cucumbers start to become very soggy.

Did you make this recipe?Connect with me and let me know by commenting below!

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Classic Arnold Palmer Drink

August 17, 2023 by Susie Weinrich Leave a Comment

Named after the legendary golfer, Arnold Palmer, this drink is a delightful mix of iced tea and lemonade. It is a perfect drink to sip on, especially in the summer. Whether you’re lounging by the pool or looking for an alternative to soda, this drink promises a refreshing taste that has wooed generations (has become a very popular combo at Chick-fil-A).

Arnold Palmer in a glass with a straw and lemon wedge

Other non-alcoholic drinks that are named after famous people in history are the Shirley Temple (lemon-lime soda and grenadine) or the Roy Rogers (cola and grenadine).

RELATED: Homemade Fresh Lemonade

Ingredients for an Arnold Palmer

You only need two ingredients to make a proper Arnold Palmer drink; ice tea and lemonade! Now whether you want it super sweet with sweet tea, or more bitter using unsweetened tea is up to you (more about that in the next section).

Flavor Troubleshooting

The important part of an Arnold Palmer is the ratio; 1 part lemonade to 2 parts iced tea. If you swap up the ratio 1:1 or half and half you get an “Arnie Palmer”.

However, you can customize the taste and sweetness to your preference by the type of tea and lemonade that you choose.

Less Sweet: choose a “no sugar”, diet, or ½ calorie lemonade. Also choose an unsweetened ice tea.

More Sweetness: Use sweet tea and full sugar lemonade.

Homemade: You can also make a homemade lemonade and Sun Tea to make it as sweet or tart as you like!

Step by Step How To

To make one glass:

Fill Glass with Ice

Fill a tall glass with ice and grab your ingredients- iced tea and lemonade.

Mix Drink

Pour in 1 part lemonade (¼ cup) and then pour in 2 parts ice tea (½ cup).

pouring iced tea over lemonade in a glass full of ice

Garnish and Enjoy

Garnish the drink with a fresh lemon wedge or wheel and enjoy!

To make a pitcher:

Grab a Pitcher

Grab a large pitcher, do not add ice to the pitcher or you will water down the drink.

Mix Drink

Measure in 1 part lemonade to 2 parts ice tea, enough to fill the pitcher.

example:

1 cup lemonade and 2 cups iced tea
2 cups lemonade and 4 cups iced tea
4 cups lemonade and 8 cups iced tea

Refrigerate

You can refrigerate the pitcher for a day or two or until it is time to serve. Garnish the pitcher with some lemon wheels.

John Daly – Adding Alcohol

When you add alcohol to an Arnold Palmer it becomes a John Daly (another famous professional golfer).

Fill a glass with ice
Add 1-2 oz. of vodka or your preferred liquor.
Add in ¼ cup lemonade and ½ cup ice tea.
Stir well and serve over ice with a lemon garnish.

While vodka is a common choice for spiking, some might prefer rum, tequila, or even whiskey.

More Drink Recipes To Try

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An Arnold Palmer in a glass with a straw and lemon wedge

Arnold Palmer Drink Recipe

A perfect blend of Iced Tea and Lemonade that creates a super refreshing non-alcoholic drink. This is a great alternative to soda.

Named after the professional golfer, Arnold Palmer.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate Save

Prep Time: 2

Cook Time: 0

Author: Susie Weinrich

Ingredients

▢ ¼ cup lemonade
▢ ½ cup iced tea
▢ ice
▢ lemon wedge or wheel garnish

Instructions

For One Glass

Fill a glass with ice.
ice
Pour in the lemonade and top with ice tea. Give it a mix with a straw or spoon.
¼ cup lemonade, ½ cup iced tea
Garnish with a lemon wedge or wheel. Enjoy!
lemon wedge or wheel garnish

For a Pitcher

To fill your pitcher plan on 1 part lemonade to 2 parts iced tea. Do not add ice or you will dilute your drink.
Example:
1 cup lemonade and 2 cups iced tea
2 cups lemonade and 4 cups iced tea
4 cups lemonade and 8 cups iced tea

Recipe Tips and Notes:

ARNIE PALMER: change the ratio to 1:1 or half & half.

½ cup lemonade
½ cup iced tea
lemon garnish

JOHN DALY: add alcohol to your Arnold Palmer.

1-2 oz. vodka, whiskey, rum or tequila
¼ cup lemonade
½ cup iced tea
lemon garnish

FLAVOR TROUBLESHOOTING:

More sweet – use sweetened iced tea and full sugar lemonade.
Less sweet – use a diet lemonade and unsweetened iced tea.
Homemade – use a homemade lemonade and sun tea.

Did you make this recipe?Connect with me and let me know by commenting below!

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Marinated Grilled Tri Tip w/ Mustard Butter

August 17, 2023 by Susie Weinrich Leave a Comment

In this recipe, Tri Tip is coated in a delicious marinade and then grilled to perfection over an open flame. The Grilled Tri Tip has wonderful beef flavor and slices up tender and juicy. When it comes time to serve you enhance the flavors with a homemade mustard butter. You are going to love this flavor combination and find yourself revisiting this recipe whenever you want to grill a delicious tri tip!

Grilled Tri Tip sliced on a platter with mustard butter melting over the slices

In this post we don’t stop with the recipe… we are sharing all the tips and tricks from trimming your tri tip to slicing it correctly for maximum tenderness. This is the ultimate guide to Grilled Tri Tip.

After you have tried and loved this Grilled Tri Tip recipe, we highly recommend giving this recipe for Braised Tri Tip with Red Wine Glaze a try too!

Ingredients

There are three sections of ingredients to gather to make your Marinated Grilled Tri Tip: the marinade ingredients, the tri tip, and the mustard butter. Everything is made with simple ingredients you either have on hand or can easily grab at the store.

Just three ingredients to make the Mustard Butter; Dijon mustard, softened butter and black pepper.

Ingredients for mustard butter on a cutting board

What Is Tri Tip

Tri Tip, originally called the California Cut, is a cut of beef from the bottom sirloin. It is called the tri tip because it literally has 3 tips, and looks like a triangle.

It is becoming increasingly popular because it is a lean cut of beef that is still super flavorful AND economical.

This cut is traditionally cooked on a grill or smoked. But, we have found that tri tip cooks up beautifully in a braising liquid too.

It has rich beef flavor similar to a chuck roast. It also has beautiful marbling throughout which lends to the buttery flavor.

Trimming A Tri Tip

Unless you purchased your tri tip already trimmed up, it will come with a decently sized fat cap on one side and possibly some silver skin. You will want to remove both of these before marinating and grilling.

With a really sharp knife start at one tip on the tri tip, grab the fat cap and start slicing underneath of it, being careful not to remove much meat with it. Keep peeling and slicing as you move across the tri tip.

That may reveal some silver skin underneath (see the second photo below). That is a little harder to remove. You will want to slip your knife tip between the silver skin and the meat, slide your knife so it removes the silver skin.

This is a great You Tube video showing how to remove the fat cap from a Tr Tip.

completely trimmed tri tip — *Completely trimmed tri tip.*

Simple Step by Step

Trim the Tri Tip

Trim the fat cap and silver skin from the tri tip. See the section above for more in depth details.

Mix the Marinade

In a small bowl mix together worcestershire sauce, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, smoked paprika, onion powder, brown sugar, kosher salt and black pepper.

Coat the Tri Tip & Wrap

Lay the trimmed tri tip on large sheets of plastic wrap. Slather the wet rub on all sides of the tri tip. Wrap it up completely in the plastic wrap.

Refrigerate for 8 hours up to 24 hours.

a tri tip coated in marinade and wrapped in plastic wrap.

Make the Mustard Butter

Mix together the Dijon mustard, black pepper and softened butter. Pour onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Form the butter mixture into a log by rolling in the plastic wrap.

Twist the ends to close the wrapping. Refrigerate until needed.

mustard butter blended up and piled on plastic wrap

Grill the Tri Tip

Preheat the grill to high heat. Leave unwrapped tri tip at room temperature for 30 minutes while the grill heats up.

Grill the tri tip over direct heat for 5 minutes, each side, on a covered grill.

a marinated tri tip on a grill over hot coals — *The lemons in this photo are for a Grilled Lemon Tequila Cocktail. Would be a perfect drink with Grilled Tr Tip!*

Now move the tri tip to the indirect heat side for about 5-10 minutes. You want to remove the tri tip when it reaches 135℉ at it’s thickest point. This is medium rare to medium. Use an instant read thermometer to check temp.

Cut and Serve

Remove the steak from the grill and top with two pats of the mustard butter. Let it sit at room temp for about 5 minutes.

Slice the tri tip into thin slices against the grain (noting that there are two grain patterns, see section below).

Serve with extra mustard butter slices on the side.

Slicing a Tri Tip For Serving

As always, it is crucial to cut beef against the grain. Doing so ensures the most tender chew on any cut.

Because of where the tri tip is cut from it has two different grains, you will want to take note of this before you grill.

showing the second "against the grain" on a tri tip — Showing the first direction to slice for “against the grain”

showing "against the grain" on a tri tip — Showing the first direction to slice for “against the grain”

Correctly Cutting a Grilled Tri Tip

Start at the smallest tip of the tri tip, cutting 1 inch-½ inch slices. Slice against the grain about half way up, if you look at each slice they will look like dots of fibers, not long strands.

Then turn your knife 90 degrees and continue cutting across the widest part of the tri tip.

This is an AMAZING video from Jess Pryles showing how to cut a tri tip.

Side Dishes for Grilled Tri Tip

You can treat your Grilled Tri Tip just like grilled steak, the same delicious side dishes apply. We love to serve this with a starter of The Perfect Side Salad. Then for side dishes; Steakhouse Mushrooms with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans, or Crispy Cast Iron Potatoes and Baked Beans.

Or course grilled tri tip steak is always great with Baked Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus, just like you would get at a steak house!

In the summer corn on the cob is delicious, and deviled eggs are killer in the fall!

More Popular Beef Recipes

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Episode 105 Pesto Lasagna Skillet

August 17, 2023 by Susie Weinrich Leave a Comment

In episode 105 we are making a Sausage & Pesto Lasagna Skillet that is perfect for back to school time. We all need an easy recipe to get dinner back on track when the routine of school starts. This Pesto Lasagna Skillet is made in one pan, has all the flavors of lasagna, without all the work.

Pair it with a side salad and garlic bread for a great homemade dinner.

Transcript

Click for the full transcript.

Intro: Welcome, welcome everybody to another episode of Let’s Make Dinner, your audio library of amazing dinner recipes you can always get on the table. I’m your host, Susie Weinrich.

Susie Weinrich: What’s good everybody? So if you’re listening to this episode in real time, then it’s either back to school day or it’s back to school time for you. For us, our kids went back to school on Wednesday and the house has been very, very quiet ever since. So now that we’re getting back into the rhythm of schedules and running to soccer practice and swim practice and basketball practice and all of the things, dinner time gets the shaft basically. So what we need now, and I think you’re the same if you’ve got kids, you need easy, quick recipes that are still delicious and nutritious for your family.

So that’s what we’re focusing on today. We’re making something called a Pesto Lasagna Skillet. The nice thing about this is that you get flavors of a full lasagna, but it is made in a skillet. It’s made super quick, like 30 minutes, and it is delicious with very few dirty dishes. So I hope that you like this recipe and that you’ll make it for dinner. If you do and you love it, give it five stars on the actual recipe card and leave me a little comment that you listen to it here on this podcast.

Tips and Tricks: As for tips and tricks today, the only thing I want to talk about really quickly is the pesto. Obviously this recipe has a pesto, Pesto Lasagna Skillet. When you’re looking for pesto, if you aren’t going to make fresh pesto, which actually I will link a fresh pesto recipe right in the show notes for you. It’s actually pretty easy. It’s just done right in a blender. If you’re not gonna make your own pesto, then buy one at the store and your best bet is going to be buying a refrigerated pesto. It’s gonna have the best flavor. It’s gonna be the freshest. Now if you want to go shelf stable, what I recommend is that you look at the ingredients of the pesto bottles and make sure that basil is one of the first at least three ingredients.

The other thing you’re going to need is a large skillet. So whenever I make a skillet lasagna, I use my all clad pan and it is not nonstick. You could use a nonstick pan, but it’s not necessary. It’s about a 12 inch pan. It’s got about two to three inch high sides and then it has a nice tight fitting lid. You definitely need a pan with a lid to trap that heat and steam to cook the lasagna noodles.

Pesto Lasagna Skillet Recipe: With all of that said, let’s go ahead and get into the full recipe for Pesto Lasagna Skillet. The first thing you’re going to do is actually toast a quarter cup of pine nuts. We’re going to actually add those at the end, but before you put anything in your skillet, you want to toast those nuts.

So, take that large skillet, put it over low heat, pop a quarter cup of pine nuts, and just roll them around in the pan until they start to brown, not burn, just brown, and they’ll start to smell really nutty. They actually, to me, when pine nuts start to toast, they smell like bacon. Take them out of the pan and just set them aside in a little bowl. We’ll use those later.

Now set that empty skillet back over medium heat and you’re going to cook and crumble one pound of Italian sausage. You can use hot, mild, sweet, whatever bulk Italian sausage you want, go ahead and use that. Now after that’s browned and nice and crumbled up, you’re going to drain any excess grease from the pan.

Now to that, you’re going to add a half a cup of chopped onions, two chopped garlic cloves, one teaspoon of dried oregano, and a quarter teaspoon of kosher salt to the pan. Saute that around for about four to five minutes.

Now it’s time to get things going. You’re going to need to add one and three quarters cup of water, a 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes that has been drained and then about 6 to 7 ounces of the pesto to the pan. You’re going to give that a really good stir and then bring it to a boil over medium high heat.

As soon as that starts boiling, you’re going to take 8 to 10 lasagna noodles and break them up into 1 or 2 inch pieces and start nestling them down into that hot liquid. Now for the lasagna noodles, you can use either oven-ready noodles or you can use traditional noodles. Both work. But what I’ll say is that I usually prefer the traditional noodles because they’re just a little bit thicker and heartier than the oven-ready ones.

After you have all of the lasagna noodle pieces nestled down into that liquid, you’re going to lower the heat to low and you’re going to pop that lid on the pan and cook for 12 minutes. After that 12 minutes, you’re going to open that pan back up and you’re going to take a half a cup of ricotta and you’re going to just dot spoonfuls all over the top of the lasagna and then you can shimmy them down into the sauce. Then top that with about 4 ounces of shredded mozzarella all over the top. You’ll pop that lid back on and cook for an additional 10 minutes. After that 10 minutes, you remove the lid, remove that pan from the heat, and just let it sit for about five minutes. Then right before serving, you will garnish it with those toasted pine nuts, and it’s ready to eat.

So you can serve this up with a really nice side salad and some garlic bread, and you are good to go. You have a really easy and quick dinner that’s perfect for a weeknight, but also delicious enough for a weekend family dinner.

As always, I will link this full recipe for you in the show notes so that you can take a look at it, you can print it, you can pin it to save the recipe, and hopefully make it for dinner.

Outro: So, until next time, I hope this episode of Let’s Make Dinner makes your dinnertime a little easier. See ya!

Double Dip: All right, now it’s time for your weekly double dip. In the double dip we just go over the recipe that we are going to make next week on the podcast so that you can have the ingredients you need to cook along with me every Thursday. So next week we have more of a side dish that we’re making but such a good side dish. We’re making Instant Pot Refried Beans.

If you’ve never made your own refried beans, this is your opportunity. It’s amazing. Highly, highly recommend. You don’t need much to make them, so let me tell you what you’re going to need to grab.

You’re going to need about one pound of dry pinto beans, three tablespoons of olive oil, a white onion, some garlic cloves, one jalapeno, one tablespoon of chicken base. Chicken base is kind of like chicken bouillon, but way more flavorful. You can find it in the soup aisle by the bouillon. But it usually comes in a tub or a jar, and we like the Better Than Bouillon brand.

From your spice cabinet, you’re going to need cumin, onion powder, kosher salt, and a bay leaf. You need four cups of chicken broth, some water, and then a fresh lime. Then of course, you’ll need an instant pot.

So if you plan to make this, it goes great with any kind of Mexican dinner, enchiladas, burritos, tacos, quesadillas, you know, any kind of Mexican dinner where you would serve rice and beans on the side. I hope you’ll join me next week to make these Instant Pot Refried Beans.

Recipes Mentioned

Next Week

I hope you will join me every Thursday for a new dinner recipe. Next week we are making Instant Pot Refried Beans. Pair this with any Mexican Entrée and you will never go back to canned refried beans again.

You will need an Instant Pot for next weeks episode. We love this 7-in-1 Instant Pot.

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Perfect Side Dish Salad

August 16, 2023 by Susie Weinrich Leave a Comment

When you are planning a delicious meal and you want a side dish salad, this is the recipe you NEED!! A mix of delicate greens is lightly dressed with fresh lemon juice and parmesan shavings, then is drizzled with a warm rosemary and shallot balsamic glaze. It is bold enough to serve with steak, but simple enough to serve with spaghetti.

a large oval platter with a side salad, with dressing being drizzled on

A couple other salads we really love to serve as a heartier side are a Classic Caesar Salad, Apple Pecan Chicken Salad (minus the chicken) and this Big ‘Ol Italian Salad.

RELATED: Fresh Basil Vinaigrette

Side Dish Salad Ingredients

There are two different sections of ingredients for this side dish salad recipe; the dressing ingredients and the salad ingredients.

Salad Greens – In these photos I used a mix of arugula and baby spinach. But use any delicate greens you like: all arugula, spring mix, etc…

Parmesan Cheese – To find really good parmesan cheese look for something that looks dry and craggy, like it was cut from a larger wheel. A good indication is if the rind has writing or markings.

Lemon – This adds a nice bright note to the greens before adding the warm balsamic vinegar dressing.

*dressing ingredients shown clockwise: balsamic vinegar, shallot, orange, rosemary, and butter*

Balsamic Vinegar – The main ingredient of the dressing/glaze. You do not need to get a really expensive balsamic to make this glaze super delish!

Shallots – Are in the onion family but have a much more delicate flavor. You will find them near the onions and garlic in the produce section. Make sure you very finely dice them for your dressing/glaze.

Rosemary – This herb can be swapped with thyme if you like that better. It imparts the most wonderful flavor to the dressing. You will be removing it from the dressing, so don’t chop the rosemary (or thyme).

Butter – Adds a nice viscosity and helps thicken the balsamic.

Orange Juice – Instead of adding sugar we are adding fresh orange juice to balance the flavors and add a touch of sweetness to the dressing.

Simple Step by Step

Make Vinaigrette

In a saucepan add 6 tablespoon of butter, sauté the shallots in the butter for about 2 minutes. Add the rosemary sprigs and balsamic vinegar. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes until reduced. Remove from the heat and let the rosemary steep for another 5 minutes.

Remove the rosemary sprigs and return the vinegar mixture to the heat. Pour in the orange juice and add the 2 tablespoon butter, simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool while you make the salad.

Toss Salad with Lemon

Add the delicate greens to a large bowl or platter. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the leaves and toss to coat.

Drizzle on Vinaigrette

Lightly drizzle the warm balsamic over the greens. Serve additional on the side.

Add Parmesan Shavings

With a vegetable peeler, shave some parmesan over the salad.

Serve!

drizzling warm balsamic dressing over greens

Make Ahead

The dressing for the side salad can be made up to a week ahead and stored in a covered container in the fridge. Because of it’s butter content it will harden in the fridge.

homemade balsamic glaze dressing in a liquid measuring cup

Before serving place the dressing in a saucepan over low heat and warm through for a couple minutes until it is liquefied.

Variations

When I have made this side dish salad the past I will make variations depending on what is for dinner:

Add some black olives, peppers, or tomatoes
Sprinkle on some pistachios
Crispy croutons have made an appearance, especially if there is leftover bread that is too crusty to eat.
Add crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese
Grill up veggies that need to be used up and add to the salad.

Pair This Side Dish Salad With…

This salad is super versatile, it goes with a dinner like Lasagna, Garlic Steak Bites and Roasted Chicken, but is also perfect to pair with a super casual dinner like Grilled Pork Burgers, BBQ Pork Tenderloin or Chicken Salad.

Check out all the Mom’s Dinner Recipes to plan the dinner that is right for you!

More Side Salad Recipes

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Perfect Side Dish Salad Recipe

This side dish salad is a mix of delicate greens lightly dressed with fresh lemon juice and parmesan shavings, drizzled with a warm rosemary and shallot balsamic glaze.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

Servings: people

Author: Susie Weinrich

Ingredients

▢ 6-8 cups delicate greens - any combo that you like: spring mix, arugula, baby spinach, etc…
▢ 1 lemon
▢ good parmesan cheese shaved
▢ 8 Tbsp. butter - divided
▢ 1 large shallot - finely minced
▢ ½ cup balsamic vinegar
▢ 2 large fresh rosemary sprigs - (do not chop)
▢ 2 Tbsp. orange juice - preferably fresh squeezed

Instructions

Dressing – the dressing can be made ahead, see notes.

Melt 6 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Add the minced shallot and cook until translucent (about 2 minutes).
1 large shallot
Add the vinegar and rosemary and simmer until syrupy and reduced to about ½ cup (about 5-6 minutes)
½ cup balsamic vinegar, 2 large fresh rosemary sprigs
Remove from the heat and allow the rosemary to steep for a bit – about 5 minutes.
don't be concerned if the glaze separates a little, it will come back together with a little whisk.
Remove the rosemary sprigs from the sauce and discard.
Now place the saucepan back onto medium low heat and add in the orange juice and bring to a simmer.
2 Tbsp. orange juice
Add the remining 2 tablespoon butter and whisk until the butter is melted and the sauce is smooth. Season to tase with salt and pepper if desired.
Let cool for a minute or two while you make the salad, but it is great served warm on the salad!

Salad

Place the greens in a bowl or on a platter. Squeeze the lemon across the greens and lightly toss.
6-8 cups delicate greens, 1 lemon
Drizzle a little of the dressing over the greens. Serve additional dressing on the side.
With a vegetable peeler shave the parmesan over the salad.
good parmesan cheese shaved
Serve!!

Recipe Tips and Notes:

MAKE AHEAD: The dressing can be made a week ahead and stored in the fridge in a covered container. Because of the butter content it will harden in the fridge. To use, place in a saucepan over low heat and warm until liquefied.

Did you make this recipe?Connect with me and let me know by commenting below!

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Old Fashioned Baked Bean Casserole

August 15, 2023 by Susie Weinrich 7 Comments

This Baked Bean Casserole Recipe is an old-fashioned multiple bean side dish that is baked in the oven. Green beans, baked beans, butter beans and kidney beans are mixed with fried bacon and onions, seasoned with vinegar, brown sugar and dry mustard and baked. Super simple to make- takes about 10 minutes to put together and then bakes for 1 hour!!

This bean dish is an old family recipe that we call “Aunt Doris’ Hot Bean Dish”. Some other SUPER popular recipes that have been handed down in my family are: Old Fashioned Carrot Cake, Ham Balls, and Broccoli Bacon Salad. Aren’t old family recipes the best!?!

Ingredients

Since this is an old fashioned recipe for Baked Bean Casserole, it is made with super simple ingredients that someone would have had available in, say, the 1960’s.

BACON – You just need about 8 slices of bacon for this recipe. I find that the refrigerated, pre-cooked bacon that you can cook in the microwave is the FASTEST AND EASIEST way to prep the bacon for this recipe!!!

GREEN BEANS – Just a traditional can of green beans will do here, you probably have one WAY in the back of your pantry. Make sure you drain the liquid before adding it to the Baked Bean Casserole.

PORK AND BEANS– You will also find these called Baked Beans in the grocery store. This is the only bean you will not drain, you want to use all that flavored syrup in the baked bean can, so buy the one that is flavored just how you like!

BUTTER BEANS- This one can be tricky to find in the grocery store. At some stores it is with the beans (where is should be IMO). But in some stores they put it over by the peans and corn (canned veggies). So before you give up, look in both locations. And if all fails you can order them on Amazon – Butter Beans.

KIDNEY BEANS- Dark red kidney beans or light kidney beans will both work. Just make sure you drain the liquid before adding to the casserole.

Onion, Dry Mustard, Vinegar, Brown Sugar – These are the yummy bits that make up the sauce (combined with the pork and bean sauce) for the Baked Bean Casserole.

Simple How To

Preheat the oven

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then grab a baking dish that will hold the bean casserole. I used a 3 quart oval pan when I took these photos.

Mix beans

In a large bowl, mix together the 4 beans, fried crumbled bacon, chopped onion, brown sugar, vinegar, and dry mustard.

Pour into your baking dish.

a bowl with beans, onion, bacon and brown sugar

Bake for 1 hour

Bake the Bean Casserole for 1 hour, uncovered. Let cool for about 15 minutes before eating.

If your baking dish is full you will want to place it on a rimmed baking sheet so it doesn’t boil over and make a mess in the oven.

bean casserole in a baking dish right after it is baked

For Dinner, Pair With

This Baked Bean Casserole makes an amazing side dish, pair it with any of these entrees:

More Classic Side Dishes

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Grilled Lemon and Reposado Tequila

August 15, 2023 by Susie Weinrich 1 Comment

Grilled Lemon and Reposado Tequila Cocktail is a really delicious cocktail for anyone who loves tequila! Grilling fresh cut lemon brings out their sweetness and essential oils, which mixes perfectly with the vanilla flavors of reposado tequila. Finally, the additional of a little agave balances all the flavors.

grilled lemon and tequila in a glass with a large ice cube and a cinnamon stick

Everything blended together and served over ice gives you one of the best “sipping tequila” drinks EVER!

RELATED: Tequila Hot Toddy & Añejo Tequila Smash

Tequila

Since this is a very tequila forward cocktail, similar to drinking Tequila on the Rocks or a Manhanttan or Old Fashioned, you want to use a quality tequila. For a decent mid-quality Reposado tequila you will be in the $30-$60 per bottle range.

Here are some of the Reposado brands that we have tried and love:

Casamigos Reposado $$$$
Patron Reposado $$$
Don Julio $$$
Cazadores Reposado $ (under $30 per bottle, but is a very decent reposado!!)

More Sipping Tequila Drinks

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grilled lemon in a cocktail glass with tequila and an ice cube

Grilled Lemon & Reposado Tequila Cocktail

A really delicious cocktail for anyone who loves tequila! Grilling the lemon brings out the sweetness and essential oils, mix that with some flavorful reposado tequila and a kiss of agave for balance and you have one of the best sipping tequila drinks EVER!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Servings: drink

Author: Susie Weinrich

Equipment

▢
Grill
▢
large ice cube maker optional

Ingredients

▢ 1 lemon - cut in half
▢ ½ teaspoon light agave syrup
▢ 2 oz Reposado tequila
▢ 1 cinnamon stick - – optional, but recommended
▢ 1 large ice cube - -optional, can use a couple small cubes

Instructions

Cut the lemon in half and grill, cut side down, over direct medium high heat for about 6 minutes until they are nice and charred.
Then flip and grill the lemon rind for 4-5 minutes.
Pull from the grill and let cool.
The grilled lemon can be made a day or two ahead and stored in the fridge.
1 lemon
In a small rocks glass squeeze a grilled lemon half completely. The pulp will be kind of jammy and thick, you want all that in your glass!
Drop the whole lemon half in the glass.
Pour in just a little bit of agave.
(agave is very sweet, so you probably only need about ½ tsp)
Give it a stir with the lemon to dissolve the agave.
½ teaspoon light agave syrup
Add 1 large ice cube or a couple smaller ones.
1 large ice cube
Pour the tequila over the ice cube. Give the drink a stir with the cinnamon stick if using.
2 oz Reposado tequila, 1 cinnamon stick
Sip and Enjoy!!!

Recipe Tips and Notes:

MORE “SIPPING TEQUILA” DRINKS TO TRY:

Did you make this recipe?Connect with me and let me know by commenting below!

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Roy Rogers Drink (mocktail)

August 14, 2023 by Susie Weinrich Leave a Comment

A Roy Rogers Drink is a delightful cherry flavored soda drink. A mix of cola and grenadine, poured over ice and topped with a maraschino cherry, akin to a Cherry Coke. It is a popular drink that kids order in restaurants or have at parties when they want a “mocktail”. You can make it at home with just 2 ingredients; cola and grenadine syrup.

Roy Rogers mocktail in a glass with a straw and cherry on top

Another kiddie mocktail that is similar to the Roy Rogers is a Shirley Temple Drink, which is made with lemon-lime soda and grenadine syrup. And another that is non-carbonated is the Arnold Palmer, iced tea and lemonade mixed together.

RELATED: For Halloween time check out this Bloody Shirley Temple!

Roy Rogers

While its counterpart, the Shirley Temple (a mix of ginger ale or lemon-lime soda, grenadine, and a maraschino cherry), was named after the iconic child actress, the Roy Rogers drink was named after the eponymous singing cowboy of the 1940s and 1950s.

Roy Rogers, known as the “King of the Cowboys”, was a prolific figure in the American cultural landscape, starring in over 100 films and numerous radio and television episodes.

Roy Rogers photo — *Photo of Roy Rogers Courtesy of Wikipedia*

The naming of the drink after Roy Rogers is thought to be a nod to his clean-living image, reflecting the non-alcoholic nature of the beverage. Just as Shirley Temple promoted a wholesome image for young girls, Roy Rogers did the same for young boys.

Ingredients

There are only two REQUIRED ingredients to make a Roy Rogers Mocktail, but it is SO much better when you add a couple maraschino cherries to the glass. It is like a little treat!

Cola: For the soda portion you want to use a “cola”. Coke or Pepsi are great options for the cola, however there are many options when it comes to cola. You can buy everything from a generic store brand cola, up to an organic cane sugar cola.

Grenadine Syrup: Is a cherry flavored sweet liquid that is added to the cola, giving your Roy Rogers a nice cherry flavor.

The most common brand you will find at the grocery store is Rose’s Grenadine Syrup. It is made by Mott’s and consists of high fructose corn syrup and all sorts of terribly delicious ingredients LOL!

Maraschino Cherries: While there are only two REQUIRED ingredients, you would be remiss to not add maraschino cherries to your Roy Rogers Drink! They are candied cherries in syrup that make the most delicious treat before or after you drink your drink.

However, note it is not necessary to buy the really expensive maraschino cherries, like Luxardo cherries. Those are reserved for adult drinks, like the Manhattan! Just the cheap florescent red maraschino cherries will work here.

Step by Step How To

Fill Glass with Ice

Grab a tall, approx. 8 oz glass. Fill with ice.

Cola and Grenadine

Pour the grenadine and the cola over the ice. Give everything a good stir to mix the two.

Garnish

Garnish the Roy Rogers Drink with a couple maraschino cherries. Enjoy!

Roy Rogers Mocktail in a glass with maraschino cherries and a straw

More Non-Alcoholic Drink Recipes

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Roy Rogers cocktail (cherry coke) in a glass with a cherry on top and a straw, coca cola in the background

Roy Rogers Drink Recipe (Mocktail)

A delightful cherry flavored soda drink that makes a perfect kiddie cocktail or mocktail. A mix of cola and grenadine, poured over ice and topped with a maraschino cherry.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 2

Cook Time: 0

Servings: drink

Author: Susie Weinrich

Equipment

▢
Glass
▢
Stir Spoon

Ingredients

▢ 6 oz cola
▢ ½ oz grenadine syrup
▢ ice
▢ maraschino cherries

Instructions

Fill a tall glass with ice.
ice
Pour the cola and grenadine syrup over the ice. Give it a good stir.
6 oz cola, ½ oz grenadine syrup
Top with maraschino cherries and serve!
maraschino cherries

Recipe Tips and Notes:

More Kiddie Cocktails

Shirley Temple
For a non-carbonated option, try this Arnold Palmer
At Halloween try this Bloody Shirley Temple

Did you make this recipe?Connect with me and let me know by commenting below!

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Next Level Frozen Margarita Recipe

August 10, 2023 by Susie Weinrich 1 Comment

This is a really delicious Frozen Margarita Recipe that is a perfect balance of sweet, salty, tart and frosty. It is a quick drink to whip up. Just take some ice and blend it up with tequila, triple sec, agave, and of course fresh lime juice. Pour it all in a salt rimmed glass for a refreshing and frosty drink. Cheers!

Frozen margarita in a glass with a lime wedge and salty rim, tequila and cointreau in the background

We do not take our tequila cocktails lightly around here… they are all (happily) tested and tasted thoroughly! We love everything from a Roasted Strawberry Margarita to Tequila Soda, and everything in-between.

But there is always something special about a classic Frozen Margarita you can come back to again and again.

Ingredients

When you are making a frozen margarita you will need the same ingredients as when you make a traditional margarita, plus ice.

Tequila- traditionally a margarita is made with silver tequila, which is a great option for a frozen margarita too. We have also found that Reposado is nice and Añejo is super delicious (adds a vanilla/sweet flavor in the background). More on brands we like below.

Lime Juice- just one thing to say here… fresh squeezed lime juice, always fresh squeezed. This citrus press makes quick work of squeezing limes and lemons.

Triple Sec- is an orange liqueur that adds a nice sweetness and rounded flavor to a margarita. In the case of most margaritas we recommend using Cointreau, which is just an elevated triple sec. However, for frozen margaritas we find that just the inexpensive triple sec works great!

Agave- is the perfect choice to add sweetness to your frozen margarita. It is easier to use than simple syrup and the flavor blends perfectly with the tequila (both are made from the agave plant). Look for a “light agave” or “light blue agave” it will be lighter in flavor and won’t compete with the tequila and lime.

Kosher Salt- always, always use kosher salt with your frozen margaritas, in the drink and on the rim of the glass. Never, never use iodized table salt. This Diamond Crystal salt is the very best “margarita salt”. It has a snowy texture and light saltiness. But any other kosher salt will work as well!

Tequila

Silver or Blanco tequila is what you are going to use for this frozen margarita recipe. It is the clear tequila. It has a limey, salty flavor that is perfect with the fresh lime juice. When you are making blended drinks there is no need to buy super expensive tequila (that is made for sipping, like Añejo on the Rocks). Here are some mid-range tequila brands we love:

Espolon
Jose Cuervo Tradicional
Cazadores

We have also tried using Reposado and Añejo tequila and I must say that the Añejo is beautiful and delicious in the frozen margarita!!

Classic Margarita on the Rocks

Salty (or sweet) Rim

Traditionally a margarita is served with salt around the rim of the glass. It enhances the flavors of the cocktail and balances any sweetness. Always opt for a kosher salt to use on the rim of your glass. You may also find it called “margarita salt”… which just enables them to charge you more money!

Diamond Crystal Salt is by far our favorite for the rim of a frozen margarita.

Now, if you don’t love a super salty rim, you can also opt for a sweet sugar rim OR a sweet & salty rim using 50% sugar and 50% kosher salt mixed together.

Step by Step- How To

Rim The Glass

Place the kosher salt on a flat plate or surface. Run a lime wedge around the rim of the glass or lightly dip it in agave syrup.

Dip the glass in the kosher salt making sure it adheres to the rim. Set aside.

Mix The Ingredients & Blend

To a blender add the ice, tequila, triple sec, agave, fresh lime juice and a pinch of kosher salt.

Blend for 20-30 seconds making sure that all the ice is pureed.

Pour & Serve

Pour the frozen margarita into the prepared glass and garnish with a lime wedge or wheel. Drink right away before it melts!

Frozen Margarita in a glass with a kosher salt rim and a lime wedge

Flavor Troubleshooting

We think this frozen margarita is perfect, but it your tastebuds are looking for something different, here are some ways to adjust the flavor.

TOO SWEET – squeeze in a little more lime juice and add another pinch of kosher salt, blend again.
TOO TART – add another squeeze of agave syrup and a pinch of kosher salt, blend again.
TOO SALTY – add a couple extra cubes of ice, an extra squeeze of lime, and a dash of agave, blend again.
TOO MUCH TEQUILA – what!?! add a little more ice, an extra squeeze of lime and agave, blend again.
NOT ENOUGH TEQUILA – add more, then call me because I’m coming over.

More Margarita Recipes

All Tequila Cocktails

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Episode 104 Marinated Fish Tacos

August 10, 2023 by Susie Weinrich Leave a Comment

When you have a fish craving on Taco Tuesday, these Marinated Tilapia Fish Tacos are your go-to. On this episode Susie shares the full recipe for marinated tilapia filets that are super quick cooking, and served as tacos with a yummy chipotle lime crema drizzled over top.

Transcript

Click for the full transcript.

Intro: Welcome, welcome everybody to another episode of Let’s Make Dinner, your audio library of amazing dinner recipes you can always get on the table. I’m your host, Suzy Weinrich.

Susie Weinrich: What’s up everybody? What’s good? All right, I am back in the studio today. We had a beautiful vacation last week. We were right around like the Destin, Florida area. I think they call it 30A. It’s like Caribbean water, which is crazy because it’s northern Florida. It’s amazing. Highly recommend it if you need a really great family vacation. It is a wonderful spot to be.

Now that I’m back in the mix, we’re going to make a really easy recipe for dinner tonight. We’re making tilapia fish tacos. I think that my husband didn’t quite get his fill of fish when we were in Florida, so we’re going to take this opportunity to make a super simple recipe that’s going to fulfill that fish craving for him.

The nice thing about tilapia is that it’s a super quick cooking fish and it’s pretty inexpensive, especially as we’re coming off a vacation and we’ve spent all of our money. We need an economical dinner. So this recipe is going to fit that bill.

Tilapia Tacos Recipe: Not a ton of tips and tricks today. You know, everything is pretty much straightforward. We’re going to make a kind of marinated tilapia, and then we’re going to serve it with a chipotle lime crema on tacos. So let’s go ahead and just get straight into the recipe.

We’re going to start this recipe with one and a half pounds of tilapia filets. From what I just purchased, that was about four filets. Then we’re going to marinate them really quickly. So you’re going to generously season both sides of the filet with salt and pepper. Then, in a 9×13 pan or some type of pan that will fit all of the filets, you’re going to mix together 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the zest and juice of 1 lime, 3 garlic cloves that are just chopped up, 3 teaspoons of chili powder, 1.5 teaspoons of ground cumin, 3 quarters teaspoon of smoked paprika, and a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Now if you don’t like it super hot, you can take the cayenne pepper out completely, or if you like it really spicy, add a little bit more. But mix all of that together, and then you’re going to place the tilapia filets in that mixture, and rub that paste onto both sides of the filets. You can cover that up and chill and let it marinate for about 20 or 30 minutes in the fridge.

While that’s marinating, you could certainly get all of your other things ready. So like your tortillas, your lettuce, your salsas, get all of the taco things ready for when it’s time to eat. So now is the really quick part. We’re going to cook the tilapia filets and this happens very quickly. So in a large nonstick skillet, you’re going to heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. You’re just going to cook those filets for about two to three minutes on each side until they’re nice and flaky and cooked through. Fish is cooked through when it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees. You can always check that way. Now what I like to do is let that tilapia cool just a little bit and then I break it apart into one inch chunks.

We said at the beginning, we are going to serve this with a chipotle lime crema, which is so delicious. Super easy to make. So in a small bowl, you’re just going to whisk together half a cup of mayonnaise, a quarter cup of sour cream, three teaspoons of fresh lime juice, three chipotle chilies in adobo sauce. So that’s actually a canned product that you can get in the Mexican food aisle at your grocery store. You’ll need three of the chilies that are in the can. Usually there’s five to six chilies in there. Don’t use all of them because they’re really, really spicy. So you’ll chop those up, put those in the bowl. One large garlic clove and two tablespoons of milk. Just whisk it together and that’s ready to go.

Now that you’ve got everything ready for your tilapia fish tacos, you can let everybody just make their own tacos. Or if you want, what we love to do is take either a corn tortilla or a flour tortilla, warm it up, and then put a little bit of angel hair slaw down the center. Top that with either salsa, corn salsa, esquites is really good in this taco. Then you’re going to put your pieces of tilapia on top of there. Then drizzle it with that chipotle lime crema, do a spritz of lime, maybe some extra cilantro, and it’s super, super delicious.

So that does it for the full recipe for tilapia fish tacos. Of course, I will link every recipe that I talked about in this episode right in the show notes for you so you can click through and you can print it, save it, pin it, share it, whatever you want to do when you’re ready to make these tilapia fish tacos.

Outro: So until next time, I hope this episode of Let’s Make Dinner makes your dinnertime a little easier. See ya!

Double Dip: Alright, now it’s time for the double dip. Thank you so much for sticking around. Every week on this podcast you can stick around for the double dip at the end of the show and know what we’re going to make next week. Then you can have all of the groceries ready to cook along with me next Thursday.

So, next week, we are making an older recipe from my website. It is for a pesto sausage lasagna skillet. We love these lasagna skillet recipes because it’s like you can have all of the flavors and the deliciousness of lasagna, but it doesn’t take you 75 hours to make.

So what you’re going to need to make this pesto lasagna skillet is one pound of ground Italian sausage. You can use any version you like. So spicy, mild, turkey, pork, whatever you want to use. You need some yellow or white onion, garlic, kosher salt, dried basil, 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes, half a cup of pesto and half a cup of marinara. Eight uncooked lasagna noodles, half a cup of ricotta cheese. Four ounces of grated mozzarella and a quarter cup of pine nuts. That’s it.

You’re going to make a super delicious lasagna skillet. So I hope you will join me then and I hope you guys have a wonderful week ahead.

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I hope you join me every week, on Thursday, for a new dinner recipe. Next week we are making Pesto Sausage Lasagna. Grab the ingredients and cook along!

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