Recipe For London Broil

Smoky Backyards and Back Rooms

I had a series of grilling moments this weekend beginning with a London broil. Although, the original London broil was made with flank steak, most sold today consist of top sirloin or round steak. It needs to be marinated in olive oil, garlic and lemon juice or vinegar overnight. Next, grilled over high heat to medium rare and sliced as thinly as possible against the grain. The meat will be a little chewy but very flavorful. The following morning I simmered a few slices cut into cubes in pickling spices until very tender and made corned beef hash.  Saturday’s dinner was grilled lobster using Greek seasonings with fettuccini tossed with vegetables marinated in olive oil. While I knew the lobster would be good, the pasta dish was a very pleasant surprise. The marinated vegetables consisted of mushrooms, olives (kalamata and green olives), artichokes, roma tomatoes, cherry peppers with a chiffonade of fresh basil added for brightness. I topped it with cracked pepper and grated parmesan cheese at the table. Sunday, I lightly smoked and then grilled thick pork chops which I glazed with a bourbon barbeque sauce. This was served with sautéed cabbage. I also had an idea for a new ice cream, smoked vanilla with maple candied bacon. I smoked some cream while cooking the chops and then used that for the vanilla base. I then coated double-smoked bacon with maple syrup and brown sugar. It was baked at 350 F until the sugar melted and became like candy. This was finely chopped and mixed with the smoked vanilla cream. The result was fantastic. Gay and I may actually eat it ourselves given the unrelenting Texas heat. However, the recipe of the week is Sautéed Cabbage . It is really good. Enjoy!

Smoke-Filled Back Rooms

I haven’t read anything discussing the raising of the debt ceiling and the impact on IP communications or telecommunications overall. I think it’s because the subject has too many political overtones. After all, the debate is between the Republicans, Democrats and Tea Party activists. Yet, the impact on our industry could be devastating given the long-term debt communications carriers service.

The debt-ceiling deal that will be voted on this week has been preceded by other deals that have not been shared with the members of Congress or the public. It has been eye-opening to hear about these back-room negotiations but know none of the details. Even the so called “agreement" has sections that are very unclear and we will need to wait months before knowing what real changes in spending will result. And that is only if the legislation passes both houses, no certain thing.

How to Capture the Everyday: Family Recipes

So much of our lives revolve around food: eating eat, cooking it, cleaning it up when your kids go crazy with it . Do you remember your grandmother’s famous pie? Or your dad grilling out hamburgers? Or making cookies with your mom?

Food stirs up emotion in us all. And so do recipes.

While you may think your recipes are no comparison for your grandmother’s homemade _______, there’s still worth being writing down and taking pictures of. Even if you don’t cook, it’s still important to capture what a typical week night meal is typically like. Or what you typically eat on Sunday mornings with the family. So many of our family memories revolve around the dinner table so why not remember the food too in addition to the laughs (or the squeals and screams as it so happens at our house right now)?

I put our favorite recipes in a binder. Most of them are printed from recipe sites but some are handwritten.

Handwriting is so important so don’t forget to write some of your favorite recipes out BY HAND (even if you think your handwriting sucks). Also, families pass recipes along to one another. These days it’s often through email. Save the entire email- you may have a little piece of history blended into it. Like that recipe on the top of the right page.

It’s a recipe for a London Broil marinade. One of my sisters emailed it to me for my recipe bridal shower over 10 years ago (she couldn’t come to that shower but she made it to my big one). At the end of the recipe, she mentioned that my nephew just tried baby cereal for the first time. I cherish this email because I sense the new mom excitement in her words. My nephew? He’s 11 now.

Well, really it’s taking picture of FOOD made from recipes. We do this a lot, especially with easy tools like Instagram .

I love seeing food pictures. Wouldn’t it be cool to see your food pictures in 20 years?

These are a family favorite called Gullets. They’re shortbread cookies you make in a waffle iron. And they are delicious.

Daddy Roo likes to make crostatas from fresh fruit (yes, I’m blessed with a hubby who loves to cook). This one was made last Christmas with blueberries from our neighbor’s blueberry bushes.

Big Roo is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to food. He LOVES helping us out in the kitchen. In fact, I attribute him helping us out to the fact that he eats things most kids wouldn’t dare touch (chickpeas straight from the can, anyone?).

Fresh from Dover Canyon, Easy, Elegant Recipes from Dover Canyon Winery

I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening!, Over 150 Ridiculously Easy Recipes for the Super Busy

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Well on a Budget

Almost from Scratch, 600 Recipes for the New Convenience Cuisine

Discovering God's Recipe for a Healthy Body, Heart, and Soul