Recipes to celebrate a special birthday -- or a championship

My husband, Scott, and our son, Ross, are absolutely consumed with the NCAA basketball tournament. They watch their brackets very carefully and tease each other about wins and losses.

In addition, Scott is celebrating his birthday right in the middle of all this basketball madness. The good Lord must have planned it this way, that he would celebrate his birthday every year during his favorite time of the year.

In honor of his birthday, and the tournament, I will share a few recipes today that Scott would very much approve of. Happy birthday, Scott!

Beef Steak Marinade

This is one of our favorite marinades for flank or top sirloin steak. Grilling just to perfection makes it even better.

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon dry instant minced onion
• 1 flank steak or top sirloin

If using flank steak, score the steak into a diagonal pattern and place in a plastic zip-top bag or a flat glass dish. Combine all remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour mixture over steak and refrigerate overnight. Grill steak about 8 minutes per side, keeping pink on the inside. Slice on the bias into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Pork Tenderloin Teriyaki

We really like this pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon before it is grilled. I wrap slices of bacon around and secure the ends with toothpicks and grill as directed. It is so good and Scott really likes it.

• 2 pork tenderloins (9 ounces each)
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon dry instant minced garlic or 1 clove fresh, minced

Place pork tenderloins into a plastic zip-top bag. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over pork. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Grill over medium-hot coals for about 20 to 25 minutes, turning occasionally. Brush with marinade occasionally at the beginning of grilling time. Grill until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees. Remove to serving platter and cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice diagonally into slices. Yields about 6 servings.

Tasty Chicken Tenders

• 1 pound chicken breast tenders
• 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing, drain and discard spices
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoon honey

Mix dressing, lime juice and honey together. Pour over chicken tenders, making sure all tenders are covered; marinate for 1 hour. Braise tenders in a hot nonstick pan or grill to lightly golden in color, but not dry.

Charcoal Grilled Ham Steak

I often do not have horseradish on hand, so I will just use mustard in place of the horseradish and lemon juice. I cover the steaks with mustard and spread around and then cover with brown sugar and grill until hot and brown sugar is caramelized. It doesn't take too long.

• 2 fully cooked center cut, smoked ham steaks, about 1 inch thick (about 3 pounds)
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 tablespoons horseradish
• 1/2 cup lemon juice

Score each side of ham 1/4-inch deep in a diamond pattern. Combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Place ham steaks on grill, 3 inches from medium-low coals. Cook 10 minutes on each side, basting frequently along with the brown sugar mixture. Yields 4 servings.

Steakhouse Famous Chicken

For the honey mustard:

• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons mayo
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

For the chicken:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves seasoned with salt and pepper
• 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled into large pieces
• 6 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
• Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

In a small bowl, combine Dijon mustard with honey, mayonnaise and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Pour half the sauce into a small bowl, cover and reserve for later.

Place the chicken in a large zip-top bag. Pour the remaining marinade in the bag and toss the chicken to coat. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a small skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add the mushrooms and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and just starting to turn golden brown. Heat a skillet or grill pan to medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and season each piece with salt and black pepper. Place the chicken in the preheated pan. Cook for about 4 minutes, then when the chicken is golden brown, flip the chicken and cook for an additional 4 minutes. The goal here is to just sear the chicken and get a nice golden brown color on the outside.

Transfer the chicken to an oven-safe casserole dish. Spoon some of the mushrooms on top of each piece of chicken. Break bacon into large pieces and arrange the bacon over the chicken. Divide the Monterey Jack cheese and the cheddar cheese evenly and sprinkle over each piece of chicken. Place the chicken in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes (possibly longer if your chicken is really thick), or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees and the cheese has melted. Serve with remaining honey mustard sauce on the side that has never been in contact with raw chicken. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley for garnish.

Butterfinger Pie

The great thing about this recipe is that you can use any flavor of ice cream and any candy bars or candy pieces. I am sharing the Butterfinger version because it is Scott's favorite flavor blend.

I don't even have a recipe for frozen Butterfinger ice cream pie, so I will wing it.

• 1 prepared Oreo pie shell
• 1 carton good quality vanilla ice cream
• 5 large Butterfinger candy bars
• 1 carton frozen whipped topping, thawed
• Jarred or bottled chocolate syrup

Remove ice cream from the freezer. While ice cream is softening, crush all of the candy bars in a plastic zip-top bag using a rolling pin, or you can use a food processor. In a large bowl, scoop out the ice cream and add nearly all of the crushed candy bars, reserving some as garnish on top. Using some arm strength and a large spoon, smash and stir the ice cream and candy pieces together. Spoon into pie shell. Quickly cover with thawed whipped topping and top with reserved candy crumbs. Cover with plastic wrap and put it back into the freezer as quickly as possible. Slice and serve with a drizzling of chocolate syrup on the plate and across the piece of pie. This serves more than you think because it is tall and so rich. Cover and freeze any remaining leftovers.

Have a great week and, until next time, happy cooking.