About a week after my father’s funeral my brother called to say he had dreamed about Dad.

 “He was standing beside a barbecue grill” my brother told me.

How appropriate. While my mother was the everyday cook, my Dad was the holiday cook in our family- not only Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, but the summer holidays, too- Memorial Day, the 4th of July and Labor Day. I like to think the holiday cooking gave him an outlet to be creative and nurturing away from the marketplace he left our home to enter every morning.

While I cooked along side my father at Christmas and Thanksgiving, I don’t remember ever barbecuing with him. That was his domain. I jump at chances to man the grill, now, though.

It’s a truism, of course, that men love to barbecue, so I offer this simple marinade recipe in honor of my father, and all the other weekend barbecue nurturers out there- and their daughters.

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Marinade for Grilled Meats

I‘ve used this recipe for both flank steak and butterflied leg of lamb. It’s perfect for those, and I’m other cuts of meat.

½ Cup Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Fresh Orange Juice
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 ½ Tablespoon Soy Sauce
3 Large Garlic Cloves 
½ Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1 Teaspoon fresh Thyme Leaves

Pound the Red Pepper Flakes and Garlic to a Paste with a Mortar and Pestle.

Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over meat. Let the meat marinate for up to 24 hours, turning once to evenly coat.

Brush the meat and grill with a teaspoon of oil and cook over hot coals.

Enjoy!

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 Ms. Gisele Perez was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, so she comes by her innate love of food and good times quite honestly. She is currently and has been the owner of small pleasures catering in Los Angeles, for 9 years. You can catch her occasionally blogging about food, New Orleans, Los Angeles and related matters as the: LA to LA Chef at http://painperdu@blogstream.com. She can be reached at: gisele@smallpleasurescatering.com.