Grilled Whiskey-Marinated Pork Chops with Green Bean Salad

This is a nice marinade that can be used with a variety of grilled meats.

Pork Chops

· 1/3 cup whiskey
· 1/3 cup soy sauce (Low sodium)
· 3 tbsp Brown sugar
· 2 tbsp cider vinegar
· 3 cloves garlic
· 1 tsp black pepper
· 1 tsp red pepper flakes

· 1 tbsp cornstarch


Mix first seven ingredients together. Save ¼ cup of the mixture. Pour the remaining marinade over the pork chops in a sealed plastic bag. Refrigerate the pork chops overnight.

Before grilling the chops, mix cornstarch into the ¼ cup of unused marinade. Gently heat until bubbly and thickened into a golden sauce.

Serve the grilled pork chops with a spoonful of the sauce over the top.


Hot Green Bean Salad With Potatoes

This is a great recipe as a side dish to your favorite grilled entrée. It can also be used as a hot or cold side dish for your summer picnics. The green beans and potato make a great combination.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small or ½ medium onion, chopped
1 slice onion finely chopped
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp corn starch
1 to 1 ¼ cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
32 oz Green beans, cooked
2 to 4 medium potatoes, diced and cooked
4 slices of bacon, crumbled


Cut bacon into small pieces with a kitchen shears. Fry the bacon until crispy. Place the bacon on a paper towel to drain the bacon fat.

In a clean deep fry pan add olive oil, small chopped onion, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until the onion has a slightly golden color.

Continue cooking the onion and add the corn starch and mix into the onion thoroughly. Add the sugar and mix again.

Add the vinegar to the entire mixture and keep stirring over the heat until all the ingredients have melded together. Allow the mixture to cook until hot and bubbly. When the sauce has thickened, remove from the heat.

Cook the green beans and potatoes together until both are tender. Rinse and drain in a colander.

Place the beans and potatoes into a serving dish. Pour the warm sauce over the beans and potatoes. Sprinkle the finely chopped onion on top along with the crispy bacon bits.


Low-Budget Tips: This is a great summer dish because it can be made with your home-grown green beans. If you don’t have a garden, don’t worry. Fresh market beans or frozen green beans will work well, too. I prefer to nip the bean ends and keep the beans whole. Some stores also have whole frozen green beans.

Pick the beans when mature, but still thin. The beans get tough when their seeds get too fat. Cook the beans until tender. Make sure they are no longer crisp. For variation you can also use fresh yellow beans. I prefer the color contrast of the green beans and white potatoes.


Lean and Healthy Tips:

This dish can be made with the bacon fat instead of the olive oil. This will produce a stronger bacon flavor. I replace the bacon fat with olive oil to keep the calories and fat to a minimum. White flour will also work in place of the corn starch. This will give the sauce a milky appearance. The corn starch creates a clear or translucent appearance. I find that many prepared bean salads are too sour. You can add more or less sugar to the sauce to suit your personal taste. (Kids will like this better with more sugar.)