Jazz up ordinary beef and pork with these lively marinades. Each main dish soaks up flavor for four or more hours, but then requires only minutes to cook and bring to the table.

Menu 1

• Pineapple-Teriyaki Beef
• Hot-cooked rice (drizzle with some of the sauce)
• Steamed pea pods
• Lemon sherbet and fortune cookies
  

Pineapple-Teriyaki Beef
Japanese teriyaki sauce is a natural partner for sweet Hawaiian pineapple. Use the leftover marinade to sauce the meat before serving.
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Menu 2

• Mediterranean Beef Kabobs
• Hot cooked spaghetti
• Wilted spinach salad: Toss torn spinach, yellow pepper strips, and cucumber slices with heated balsamic vinaigrette dressing
• Apple cake drizzled with caramel ice cream dressing

Mediterranean Beef Kabobs
Lemon and garlic shine in this marinade that's just right for tender cubes of beef.
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Menu 3

• Fajita-Style Flank Steak
• Pepper cheese biscuits: Add 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese and 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper to packaged biscuit mix
• Honeyed oranges: Peel and section 5 or 6 oranges; drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons honey, and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Fajita-Style Flank Steak
A good long soak in this lime-salsa marinade will make a semitough cut of beef, such as flank steak, tender and terrific.
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