London Broil Marinade

My husband is very much a "meat & potatoes" kind of guy. And I have made it my life's work to serve meat that doesn't make him reach for the bottle of BBQ sauce. Although, that is a very tall order for me because that boy loves his BBQ sauce... a lot. I try not to be offended when he goes for the BBQ, he just really loves it.

This has been my third attempt at making London Broil and I think it has been turning out pretty great, very minimal BBQ sauce. I made it for Valentine's Day dinner with potatoes and asparagus, Darin loved it! There is nothing more romantic than having a HUGE dinner, right? ... Maybe not... But it was delicious and I will certainly be making it again!

As for ingredients, I really do hate mustard, with the exception of spicy brown mustard. Although, I only use it for marinades, potato salad and deviled eggs. It works as such a great binder for marinades and brings a lot of flavor. This recipe came into creation when I started pulling things out of my fridge and cupboards, mixing them together, smelling the mixture and making adjustments. It was completely spontaneous and this is the way it turned out. The marinade has some great basic flavors that pair beautifully with the meat. You could use this on any kind of steak and it would be delicious. But I really love a good broiled piece of London Broil. I hope you enjoy!! Let me know if you try it out!

YUMMMMM with roasted onions, potatoes and balsamic glazed carrots

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS
Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour marinade over meat in a ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight. Let meat rest out on the counter for about 30 minutes prior to cooking. Broil meat on a foil-lined baking sheet on the rack that is one space down from the very top. Broil for 5-6 minutes, flip it over and broil for another 5-6 minutes for meat that is medium. Shorten or lengthen the time depending on how you like your meat. Use a meat thermometer to check. Remove meat from the oven, loosely cover with foil and allow it to rest for about 15 minutes before slicing.

Our "fancy" Valentine's Day Dinner with London Broil, asparagus and potatoes

The "Melanie" Way of Making Mashed Potatoes

I know, I know... mashed potatoes... They are so simple. But I figured it would be a good idea to put it down on "paper" and make a post for my mashed potatoes. There really isn't anything special about them except the egg. Adding the egg is an idea I got from a Shepherd's Pie recipe a few years ago. The egg makes the potatoes get a little brown on top when you put the Shepherd's Pie in the oven. However, it add such a rich and full flavor to mashed potatoes, that I started doing it any time I make mashed potatoes. So without much of an intro, here are my mashed potatoes:

INGREDIENTS
5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup of butter
1/4-1/3 cup of milk
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1/4-1/3 cup of parmesan cheese
1 egg

DIRECTIONS
Place prepared potatoes in a pot of water and boil on high till the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain the water from the pot and add butter, milk, salt and pepper to the pot. Using a handheld mixer or potato masher, mash all ingredients to the desired consistency (smooth or lumpy). Add the cheese and egg and quickly mix. It is important to mix the egg in quickly so that the heat from the potatoes doesn't make your egg go sunny side up. Once it is mixed in, the heat from the potatoes will "cook" the egg so you aren't eating raw eggs. Serve potatoes plain, with gravy, crumbled bacon... or whatever you like.

Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

DISCLAIMER: I am not any kind of expert with Greek food. In fact, I am pretty new to it. But I love the flavors that Greek food uses so I have started creating some of my own recipes. They may not be authentically Greek, but they are inspired by Greek flavors. So basically, don't be hatin' on me if my Greek food isn't Greek enough for you.

Darin has always been a great facilitator of me trying new cooking styles. And his love of gyros has inspired me in the past few months to try my hand at Greek food. I have made basic chicken gyros a few times and I think it is time to share. There are two parts to this recipe, one for the tzatziki sauce and one for the chicken. If you have the opportunity for grilling, DO IT!! It will be so much better than the way I had to make it. Prepare the chicken the same way, just skewer it with some chunks of onion, artichoke hearts and throw it on the grill! On a side note: I used store-bought hummus for my gyros but I know that it is really easy to make as well. I decided to be lazy and buy some delicious roasted red pepper hummus from the store. Be sure to stuff your gyros to the brim, if its not falling apart while you are eating it, then it's not a real gyro!

YUMMMMMMMM

TZATZIKI SAUCE 

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups plain greek yogurt
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1 clove of garlic, grated or finely minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Juice of one lemon

DIRECTIONS
Mix everything except the yogurt together in a bowl first, then stir in the yogurt. Cover and chill for at least an hour or two to get the best flavor. Stir again before serving. You can use this on your gyros, kabobs or just eat it plain with some pita bread.

GREEK CHICKEN GYROS

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic, grated or finely minced

2 tsp ground marjoram

2 tsp ground coriander

Salt & Pepper

1 cup of marinated artichoke hearts, thinly sliced

Juice of one lemon

Pita bread, hummus, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, chopped olives, feta cheese, tzatziki sauce

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl combine chicken, onions, garlic and toss with marjoram, coriander, S&P until evenly coated. Heat a large frying pan to medium heat and add 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add chicken and pan fry on all sides till almost cooked through. Add the sliced artichoke hearts for the last few minutes until they are heated through. Top with lemon juice after adding the artichokes. Build gyros with a warm pita, hummus, chicken, veggies, cheese and tzatziki.