A LUAU
This past weekend a group of friends got together to celebrate our "first annual polynesian bbq". I got very full...everything was so good. Jon's pork was delicious and I'm so sorry I didn't take some home...maybe I can get him to make some more in a few weeks. ;-) Michelle made several lemon (and lime) drops for us...I need to keep her in practice. They are the yum.
Heather, Jon's wife, wrote more about the bbq on her blog.
I brought a marinated flank steak (and a few other things). This recipe comes from Bon Appetit and it goes well with rice or potatoes and a salad*.
Grilled Flank Steak with Rosemary
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
4 1/2 tablespoons honey
6 large garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon dried
1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
1 2 1/4-pound flank steak
Mix all ingredients except steak in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Add steak and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours, turning occasionally.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat) or preheat broiler. Remove meat from marinade; discard marinade. Grill steak to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare.
Transfer steak to work surface. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut across grain into thin strips. Arrange on platter and serve.
*my favorite salad to accompany this dish is butter lettuce tossed with a mustard vinaigrette, topped with blue cheese and pears.
SHARING RECIPES WITH FELLOW BLOGGERS
I love when I find a recipe on someone's blog that sounds delicious and is something I can actually make! Average Jane has come through for me on several occasions. Back at Thanksgiving I made her pumpkin pie, and more recently I've made her alfredo chicken pasta something or other and her vegetarian baked ziti. Thanks Jane! (Jane also tipped me off to Joss Whedon's love for Veronica Mars and I need to ask her if she ended up watching it, loving it, or what.)
Another blog that I read belongs to Natalie Dee. I do wish she'd write more. What she does write makes me laugh. Here's Natalie Dee's recipe for ketchup hotdog burritos. I think my body is too old (er, sophisticated?) to enjoy this now but 10 years back, when I was super poor, yum! (Natalie Dee claims to be a picky eater. After reading this entry, OH MY GOD, is she a picky eater, er, supertaster. I would so hate to be her mom...worse than being Zoe's mom, yes!)
A RANDOM RECIPE FROM The Encyclopedia of Creative Cooking (1982 edition) AKA Food Only a Mom in the 70's Could Love
Pork Chops with Butter Noodles
4 loin pork chops, 1 inch thick
2 cups tortellini-shaped pasta
1/4 cup butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 teaspoons rosemary
1 teaspoon sage
Place chops on rack in broiler pan. Broil 8 inches from source of heat 20 to 30 minutes, until chops are well done; turn once.
Cook pasta in large saucepan of boiling, salted water until tender; drain thoroughly.
Melt butter in same saucepan. Add pasta, salt, pepper, rosemary, and sage; heat through, shaking pan frequently. Place on heated platter; place pork on pasta. Garnish with crisp bacon and chopped parsley, if desired. Yield 4 servings.
(If I weren't so lazy, I'd scan the photo. It looks like shiny fat on shiny fat, on shiny pasta fat. Hurts my heart to look at.)
Hiccup.
I've made hotdog burritos in the microwave before. Back when I was in college, and had no money for food. Except I didn't have money for shredded cheese, and I hate ketchup. So mine would be hotdog and Pace picante sauce in a tortilla, microwaved until the hotdog splits open. It's important that the hot dog splits open so that it burns your tastebuds and then you can't tell how nasty it is. The picante sauce really helps here as well.
The sad thing is that it was way better than a Reser's frozen burrito. Which I liked to buy because eating two of them made you want to stop eating for a while, even if they didn't make you full.
I'm glad you've gotten some much enjoyment out of the recipes I've posted!
And to answer your question: yes, "Veronica Mars" is awesome. I've now seen about 3/4 of Season 1 (we couldn't watch the whole season in one day - we tried). It's a great show and I can't wait to finish the first season and watch next season's shows as they air.
Pablo: I could eat a burrito dog* with salsa. I think. I will try.
*may have to be a low sodium turkey dog...beef franks are so damn salty.
Jane: Yay! I keep hearing good stuff from the Veronica Mars viewers (although Michelle and I both watched last week's episode and thought, eh). It may take watching the whole season on dvd to make me feel the love, but I'm willing to do that. I just wish they'd release it earlier. Also, I'd better finish up Buffy and Angel before then...