This delicious marinade is also perfect for barbecues. Smother lean chicken drumsticks or thighs (with all the skin removed) with the marinade until you’re ready to barbecue. Check that the chicken’s cooked all the way through before enjoying this finger-lickin’ flavour!

Why add vodka to a marinade (I almost always do)? Just like salt, alcohol brings out the flavor in food. Alcohol does this by evaporation and molecular bonding. Food is also the beneficiary of alcohol’s ability to bond with both fat and water molecules. In this way, alcohol bridges the gap between our aroma receptors (which respond only to molecules that can be dissolved in fat) and food (which consists primarily of water). This is very important because most of the great “flavor” in food comes from aromas in the nose rather than tastes in the mouth. In terms of a marinade or a brine with both water and fat soluble ingredients, by taking the flavor compounds in certain aromatics such as garlic, herbs or other fat soluble ingredients, alcohol helps carry those compounds into the meat that’s soaking in the marinade or brine. But alcohol also helps carry water soluble flavor compounds into the meat as well. Water soluble flavors would include sour, sweet, salty and bitterness. With alcohol’s effort, the result is more flavor and aroma into the marinated food. Even one tablespoon of a neutral-tasting vodka considerably improves the flavor penetration of any given marinade.

I used all sugar for this pound cake, but I’ve used Truvia Baking blend with great results as well. If you’re looking for a less sugar version I highly recommend giving it a try. Just use half as much Truvia Baking Blend as you would sugar. For this recipe it would be 1 – cup + 1/2 tablespoon.

I have to give props to Alton for adding the Philly Cheesesteak to his collection. However, a real cheeseteak uses American Cheese. I would skip wrapping the steak in aluminum foil, it will only get the roll soggy (unless you toast the roll first).

Don’t forget to slice open the roll half way so the top doesn’t come off the roll completely. After the meat cooks, pile it up in long rows, layer cheese over meat, and then put the roll over the meat so all you have to do is scoop up the meat into the roll in one motion. Let the roll sit over the meat for a few minutes to soften and toast it.