My daughter is making Flank Steak!

A little over a year ago my daughter married the love of her life. She became a bride. And, with that, became a home cook. She texted me today asking how to marinate a Flank Steak. I texted a marinade idea and a thought for how to finish it. I floated backward into my history and remembered the day my friend Melinda took a few of us for a fun cooking lesson at Sur La Table in Fashion Island. I'd never been. My intro to Sur La Table was the chock-a-block floor to ceiling rabbit warren of a store in Pikes Market, Seattle. It was, to say the least, magical. All the tips for piping, all the spatulas, offset, straight, giant, small, everything a cook could ever want and a stand to put it on! SLT Fashion Island was quite different, we wound our way through the store to a back room with all the space, a few table, prep and dining and a huge stove with ovens. A different kind of magic. There, the cooking teachers showed us how to make flank steak with an improptu marinade (quick and on the fly) then to stuff it with cheese, breadcrumbs and mushrooms, rolling it into a pinwheel for browning and roasting. It was quite good.

My girl marinated in minced red onion, olive oil, garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, red wine vinegar and a little apple cider vinegar. We'll see how it turns out after it sits for a couple of days in the fridge. Then, it will be pan roasted and oven finished. Makes me a little hungry! We're talking about another cucumber salad. After all, somedays you have to eat a whole cucumber as the man says! More on that later. Happy marinating.

Tis the night before Thanksgiving and Make Ahead Gravy

I love, love, love the genius of make ahead gravy.
Love it.
I was raised watching my Grandma Edith, mid-western native and loving home cook, making Turkey gravy with pan drippings. I've done it myself of course, and learned the deglazing technique in school. The trouble is, gravy, the kind you want to enjoy, takes time.
One day the lovely words: Make Ahead Gravy (by Ina Garten) came into my world. Eureka!
It's a beautiful thing to saute a red onion in butter, add stock and a few other delicious ingredients, strain it, cool it and save it over night for the magic of simply deglazing the roasting pan and adding the liquid gold elixir to the base from the night before. Here's the best part, it happens quickly, deliciously and unlumpishly.
And, you'll finish the gravy with ease and without concern of anything other than perfection.

Try it.
Next year.

Thanksgiving, shall we? Cranberries, making ahead.

I've certainly never tried to document the Thanksgiving recipes. They are varied and wild. But, as they say in places where things get done, "Why not?"

We're two days ahead and I've already made the glaced cranberries. They are delicious, not so saucy and pretty to boot. Simple. I forgot to mention simple. They are quite easy to make. Here's the recipe.

Glaced Cranberries

Ingredients
12 oz bag organic cranberries
1 cup sugar

Directions
Set the oven to 300 degrees.
Wash cranberries in a bowl of water or colander. Pick out damaged berries. Rinse in the same casserole dish you'll bake in. Drain but don't worry about draining well.
Add the sugar and gently stir in, covering all berries.
Place in the over for 1 hour.
Don't open the oven. Don't stir.
Remove and let cool.
Refrigerate.

You'll see some sugar on the top and you can mix it into the berries carefully. It's not that they're so delicate, but in this cooking style, they have cranberry flavor and maintain their berry shape rather than settling into sauce.

They're particularly lovely on that turkey sandwich you'll be eating Friday.