This weekend, we wanted to try something new with our Kansas City strips. We were feeling adventurous so we put the kids to bed and began our journey.

Little did we know our grill had already decided it had grilled its last steak — the LAST TIME we had steaks.

So after many attempts to light it we decided to call our neighbor Eddie and beg to borrow his grill. He wasn’t home but he said it was okay to use it. So my husband braved the darkness and grilled our strips by flashlight in our neighbor’s yard.

It was around 9:30 pm by this time.

I prepared the rest of the meal and when he came back with our steaks it all seemed worth it.

We used the Citrus-Maple Marinade I mentioned in yesterday’s post. It was so yummy and the fruit flavor was not overwhelming. It was just right.

Here it is in all its glory . . .

There’s not much we wouldn’t do for a steak. It is a good thing we asked permission first because it could have been ugly when Eddie came home and saw a dark figure grilling in his back yard.

All’s well that ends well, right???

Frances wrote us to ask if we had any ideas for a steak marinade that DID NOT include soy sauce, garlic, packaged marinades or fresh ginger root.

The answer is a resounding “Yes!”

There are so many options to create sensational flavors for your steaks. Below, I’ve posted 8 links to some marinades that have amazing ingredients — other than the ones Frances is concerned about.

Also, check out the “Marinades” link in the Categories box to the right. There are lots of great ideas there. And click on “Recipes” and “Rubs” to find even more.

The marinades below run the gamut from citrusy to spicy and everything in between.

Stay tuned tomorrow and I’ll show you what marinade I used this weekend. Mmmmm.

Mango Curry Marinade & Sauce

Citrus-Maple Marinade

Spicy Steak Marinade

Tender and Tasty Marinade

Jen’s Marinade

Pineapple-Rum Caribbean Steak Marinade

Mikey’s Smokin Steak

Balsamic Bliss

Your steaks deserve only the best. But rather than putting them on a pedestal, why not put ’em on a stick?

Yes, “Steak on a Stick” does somehow sound like state fair food, but it’s really quite classy.

And tasty, I might add.

This Steak on a Stick recipe combines sliced sirloin strips and a tasty brown sugar, garlic and onion marinade.

Check out this recipe from the folks at BetterRecipes.com:

Steak on a Stick

Sirloin steak strips are marinated in a mixture of brown sugar, garlic, onion, oil and chili powder, skewered and cooked.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup onion, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• Sirloin steak (about 1 lb.)

Method

Mixed together brown sugar, garlic, onion and chili powder. Then add extra virgin olive oil until a thick gravy-like consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Slice sirloin steak across the grain. Marinate about two hours. Put steak on wood skewers and you are ready to cook.

Notes: Be sure to soak wood skewers before adding steak, to prevent burning on the grill.

Number of servings: 2-3