Paul, this one’s for you.

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London Broil (this recipe originally from www.allrecipes.com)

1 minced garlic clove

3 tb. soy sauce

1 tb. Worcestershire sauce

1 tb. ketchup

1 tb. vegetable oil

1/2 ts. pepper

1/2 ts. dried oregano

Flank Steak up to 4 lbs.

Mix up ingredients in large sturdy zip-lock bag. Trim any fat off steak and place in bag. Refrigerate, turning bag occasionally, for at least 5-6 hours.

Marcus’s special grilling techniques: Turn grill on high and sear both sides for about 1 minute per side. Turn heat down to medium, then grill for approximately 7 minutes per side. Note: Grilling time varies depending upon thickness and size of steak. This cut of meat is best prepared medium to medium-rare.

You must serve this steak with sauteed onions and mushrooms. Absolute must. Twice-Baked Stuffed Potatoes are fabulous with London Broil, too, but aren’t absolutely required.

Marcus and I like buy up the steak when it is on sale, trim it, combine it in a bag with the marinade, and freeze it. That way, we just take it out of the freezer and it marinates while it thaws. Clever, huh? Actually, that was a tip from my grandmother, who is an amazing cook. Anyway, that was some of our favorite recipes. Tomorrow, maybe some actual quilt pictures!

My Mom and I had a great time while she was here.

While Mom was here, Marcus and I made two of our favorite recipes, Potato Pancakes and Teriyaki Stir Fry. Mom said she had to have them, so I figured I’d stick them on my blog for a quick and dirty entry for everyone to enjoy.

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Potato Pancakes (This recipe is originally from Taste of Home, Marcus’s favorite magazine.)

4 cups frozen shredded hash browns (The grocery store Aldi’s sells refrigerated hash browns that you don’t have to drain, just open up the bag & dump ‘em in. Much faster.)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley (1 1/2 - 2 tb. dried)

2 tb. milk

2 eggs

1/4 flour

1/2 ts salt (Originally, it was 1 ts. salt, but we decreased it because you can always add some later)

Place hash browns in a strainer and rinse with cold water until thawed. Drain thoroughly; transfer to a large bowl. Add rest of ingredients and mix well. Heat 1/4 oil in large skillet over medium heat and drop batter by small spoonfuls. (You can do bigger spoonfuls, but this way makes them crispier.) Fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Makes 4-5 servings.

Now, Marcus and I like to have these with sour cream, maple syrup, and homemade applesauce. They are delicious!

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Teriyaki Stir Fry Sauce (This recipe originally from www.allrecipes.com)

2 ts. Cornstarch

2 ts. cold water

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tb. & 2 ts. Cider Vinegar (We usually just use white vinegar)

1 hefty ts. minced garlic

1/4 ts. ground ginger

1/8 pepper

Combine all ingredients in small saucepan and simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce bubbles and becomes thick.

Marcus and I usually stir fry the following our wok (in heated vegetable oil and sesame oil): onions, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, corn, and peppers. When the veggies are almost done, we add in the cooked, thick teriyaki sauce and let it all get nice and covered. Sometimes, if it seems a little watery, we add a little cornstarch mixed with water until it is thick enough.

You can add meat, or not, to this stir fry. We usually use boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have either been baked or grilled in the same teriyaki sauce (doubled recipe of sauce, of course). We are going to start cooking a double batch of the chicken, too, and freeze half for later so we can just thaw it and toss it the cooked stir fry for an even faster meal.

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Well, that seems long enough for today. Tomorrow, I ‘ll post our famous London Broil recipe. Yeah, I know, not much fiber stuff lately, but what can I say? I can either write about quilting, or actually quilt!