Meat, Part 2

K, so we like meat around these parts--what's it to you? Neither one of us had ever made a London broil before (or even heard of it), so we looked up a few recipes online and then did our own thing. But wow it turned out good. Tender, full of flavor, and did I mention it only took 20 minutes total? The perfect fast sunday dinner.

And now, here's Chef T. to guide you through the process.

London Broil a la Tingey

Dry Rub
Mix these together:

• 1 Tablespoon of each: rosemary, thyme, and marjoram
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons of each: kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Liquid Goodness
Mix these together:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of each: lemon juice and red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves crushed garlic

Buy a top round roast that's about 1 1/2 inches thick the whole way through. Rub the Dry Rub into both sides of the roast. Layer it on thick, and use all the seasoning. Then drizzle half the Liquid Goodness on the top. Broil on high for 5-8 minutes (we did 6). Flip the meat, drizzle the rest of the liquid on this side, and broil for another 5-8 minutes (we did 6 again). It should be a nice pink color on the inside. Slice it thin against the grain and enjoy!

Happy Texas Independence Day!

(and thanks to Talida, my best friend in 6th grade, for the reminder and following quote)

"I have said that Texas is a state of mind, but I think it is more than that. It is a mystique closely approximating a religion. And this is true to the extent that people either passionately love Texas or passionately hate it ... For all its enormous range of space, climate, and physical appearance, and for all the internal squabbles, contentions, and strivings, Texas has a tight cohesiveness perhaps stronger than any other section of America. Rich, poor, Panhandle, Gulf, city, country, Texas is the obsession, the proper study and the passionate possession of all Texans."

John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

I'm on a killing spree

There's something very attractive to me about growing and using your own fresh herbs. I've always dreamed of having one of those cute windowsill mini gardens full of herbs to use each night. But, in light of recent events, this dream is fading fast, so I need your help.

I bought a potted basil plant at Target last week for 2 bucks. It looked something like this:

And it smelled like heaven. A week passes. Now it looks something like this:

And by "something like," I mean "probably even worse than" since I took that photo half an hour ago. Is our home really so bad that plants try to kill themselves just to escape it? Well I've got news for you, basil plant. You're sticking around as long as I can still puree you into pesto. Those dried leaves don't scare me. The way I figure it, I get fresh AND dried basil all in one plant.

But in the meantime, if any of you gardening gurus have figured out the right water : sunlight ratio for basil (or any plant, for that matter), send me a line. I'd appreciate it.

The Forty Day Project

In an ideal day, I would:

• Wake up early
• Read scriptures and pray
• Exercise
• Make a delicious breakfast
• Pack a delicious lunch
• Get to work early
• Come home early
• Make a delicious dinner
• Work on novel/short story
• Read a novel/short story
• Pray
• Go to bed early

Currently, I probably do 4 or 5 of these things on a regular basis. And thus begins my Forty Day Project. They say to start out small, so for the next forty days, without fail, I'm going to add two things to my daily routine. Just two. Read my scriptures and exercise. Since I'm a wimp, I'm starting with things I already do semi-regularly but know I'd be a lot better off if I did them daily.

So, if you're up to it, pick a couple things from your own ideal day that you can add to your routine. You'll be that much closer to living the dream :)

A brisket to boast about

I swear I grew up eating brisket as often as we ate roast and potatoes. Nothing beats a good, juicy, slow cooked, smoky brisket. For any of you who have purchased this cut of meat before, you'll know it's usually the size of a small child. So when I saw one at Target that I could actually fit in my nice little roasting pan (2 lbs, people), I knew that cut was meant for me.

Usually we just slather it with BBQ sauce and let it simmer for 6 hours, but for lack of BBQ sauce, I scavenged this recipe online. And it's seriously good. It even turned Ryan into a brisket believer. Give it a try.

Barbequed Beef Brisket (as the website said "for those stormy, tornado-watch Texas days")

• beef brisket (no more than 4 lbs)
• 1 cup of white wine (I used chicken broth)
• 3 cups of apple cider (we had 2 scoops of hot apple cider mix and one scoop of wassail, so we improvised...)
• 1/4 cup of honey
• 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of whole coriander
• 2 tablespoons of firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger powder
• 1/8 teaspoon sprigs of fresh thyme (I used dry)
• 1 chopped chipotle chili in adobo sauce (if you like it spicy... we do)

Combine all the ingredients, minus the brisket, and put it into your roasting pan. Then put the brisket in the pan, fat side up (do NOT trim the fat beforehand). Put the lid on, heat the oven to 275, and stick that sucker in for at least 5 hours.

When you're ready to eat, put the roast on a cutting board (there will be TONS of juice in the pan), and scrape off all the fat on top. It should easily slide off. Then slice the brisket across the grain and smother it in juice from the pan. And put that Bull's Eye away. You won't even need it.

Back in business

Today the sun came out full force, and it hit 61 degrees. It's winter in Utah, and I drove with the windows down--a special treat. It was beautiful!* I'm already dreaming of BBQs and biking (as soon as I find a nice strong pair of chain cutters**).

This past week, Ryan and I were in the basement, and I heard the first sounds of spring--a bird chirping. Or a mouse squeaking. We couldn't be sure, but I'm pulling for the bird.

Anyway, since the weather has decided to awaken from it's winter slumber, I decided I oughta come out of hibernation myself. I'm tired of seeing the link to my blog on yours with an "updated 2 months ago" underneath it. So here we go.

*I'm trying not to get too excited by this bout of nice weather. Spring is such a tease. Every February, he (or she, if you prefer) walks into our lives and invigorates us, flirtatiously treating us to sunshine and hopes of summer. And then one morning, you wake up and he's gone quick as he came, leaving only the ice on your windshield to scrape and a promise that he'll return. Sigh.

**My bike is chained up safe and sound at an apartment I haven't lived in since last summer. Apparently I lost the key to the lock and am now in the market for either chain cutters or an incredibly strong pair of garden shears. Or a new bike.

Done deal

And it really was a perfect day.
Take a look at our wedding slideshow here. (Thanks again, Justin!)