Blue Ribbon Grilled Turkey Breasts

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State fairs have been taking place across the country since August and will extend into October in those states where the weather is more warm.  In my home state of Iowa, the fair is always held in August.  Here in South Carolina, the fair is taking place right now, and yet to begin in Arizona, where I used to live, the state fair takes place in October.

When I was growing up, my parents would take us to the Iowa State Fair for one full week!  They would take our pop-up camper and let us loose on the fair grounds to discover all of the animal exhibits, shows and competitions, go to the Midway for the crazy rides and games, and visit the various agricultural, home and garden venues.  We'd come back for dinner that my mother prepared on the park grill on our camp-site and we would sit around and tell the tales of our adventures for the day . . . and then when it got dark, we were able to go back to the Midway to see all of the amusement park rides all lit up!  It was such an innocent time and so much fun!

Each and every day my siblings and I would take the old rickety wooden boats and drift along the rushing water stream through the dark and chilly Tunnel of Love!  It was the only cool place at the Fair in the middle of those scorching August afternoons!  We rarely saw anyone smooching because it was so dark in there, but we sure were looking to see if we could see some stolen kisses between lovers!  But to a future foodie, along with my siblings, I was able to indulge in eating endless and huge amounts of FUN FAIR FOOD!  Giant size breaded pork cutlet sandwiches, corn on the cob, funnel cakes, caramel apples, ice cold root beer, cotton candy, the list goes on and on.  And since the Heartland state of Iowa is blessed with some of the richest soil on the planet, the food bounty is simply incredible.

One year some friends treated us to this blue ribbon winner from the state fair:  Delicious grilled turkey breasts that soak in a 2-hour bath of a flavorful marinade.  It's so easy, you'll make this quite often!  Plus turkey is so good for us in replacement of too much red meat in our diets.

Iowa State Fair Grilled Turkey Breasts (Tenderloins)

2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Canola Oil
1/4 cup Dry Sherry or Red Wine
2 Tablespoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground if possible)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (this is double the amount of the original recipe, but I'm garlic-crazy)
1 pound turkey tenderloins, sliced to your desired widths.

Wash your hands thoroughly.
In a bowl or pan, combine all of the marinade ingredients except the turkey breasts.
Pour the marinade into a self-sealing freezer storage bag.
Add the turkey breasts to the bag and seal it shut.
Place in the refrigerator and marinate for several hours (about 2 hours is good enough).
Remove the turkey breasts from the marinade and grill on direct medium heat for 8 minutes per side or until a meat thermometer registers 170 degrees F, and the turkey is no longer pink.
Discard the marinade.
Serve with your favorite side dishes!
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A richly flavored, aromatic marinade.

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Place the turkey breasts in a self-sealing plastic freezer bag, squeeze it tightly, twist the top so the marinade is completely covering the turkey.  Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

State Fair Marinated and Grilled Turkey Breasts
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