Red Meat-o-Rama; Part 2

Tonight I tackled the tri-tip.  Rather than going for a snazzy recipe, I decided to simply season the meat and cook it.  Since it's about 200 degrees outside here in SC, I opted to broil it rather than hanging out on the patio with a gas grill.  So, I went to my favorite old stand-by: garlic salt and pepper. I sprinkled it liberally on both sides of the meat, rubbed it in and let it sit for about 45 minutes.  I then broiled it for about 7 minutes per side and let it rest under foil for 10 minutes before slicing.

I think this look gorgeous!

Result?  Happiness and thumbs up.  I can see why this cut is often used for steak sandwiches.  It slices so nicely and because it's tender, you can totally use it in a sandwich preparation:  Philly, French dip, shaved deli-thin.  The key here is the tenderness.  I, for one, am hesitant to order any kind of steak sandwich in a restaurant because frankly, I don't trust them to give me the right kind of meat.  I've had these problems when I've ordered a steak sandwich and 1) the meat is sliced so thick that you need a chain saw to get through it...not sandwich material or 2) the meat is naturally not a tender cut and no one has made an attempt to tenderize it and finally, the worst 3) it's such a bad cut of "steak" that I get [insert polite language here] "stuff" caught between my teeth such as fat, sinew, or other unpleasant "stuff." I mean, really, if you need to ask your server for dental floss, you've not been served a good cut of steak. Period.


But, back to my tri-tip.  Neil and I both really enjoyed it. The Wunderkind wasn't hungry due to a late afternoon snack of pizza at Grandma's house.  However, later in the evening she wanted to try some.  I sliced it thin and served it to her from the fridge and she loved it.  Isn't funny that my child is "snacking" on steak?  I think so.  This wacky tri-tip thing is awesome.  You slice across the grain and get tender slices of well flavored meat.  I think garlic salt and pepper are always natural pairings for beef, so I appreciate their contribution greatly.  I'll experiment with different methods as I continue to buy these tri-tips. I'm glad they are finally showing up in my local markets!

 

Good, Satisfying & Simple Meal when you just need a Short-cut!

I have had a cold this whole week.  I expected maybe a day or two under the weather; no big deal.  I've had 'em before.  But, this did not turn out as expected.  No, this cold was more ferocious, more evil, more intent on doing me in.  It teamed up with 2011's massive Pollen Invasion to try to conquer me.  But alas, I have prevailed.

So, in the midst of this epic health battle, I still had to be the incredible, amazing, to-be-awed Super Mom that I am known to be, right?  That included taming the laundry beast (this damn thing cannot be beaten; it keeps coming back), having Neil out of town for 2 nights (extra "mommy, mommy, mommy" questions as I'm sick as the proverbial dog), working and performing feats of genius and cooking.  So, by the time last night rolled around, I was a little ragged around the edges.  But, guess what, my foodie-licious little buddies?  I loaded up on cold  medicine, poured a glass of wine and hit the kitchen.  Result?  The ridiculously easy,  yet SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS open-faced roast beef sandwich.  Oh yeah!  

It looked a lot like this! 

But, remember, I was sick, so I'm going to be going all "Sandra Lee" and "Semi-Homemade" on ya.  Actually, I cooked very little, but the point I'm trying to make is that you can crank out a hot, homey, satisfying, old school dinner even when you feel like sticking your head in the oven.  (that's a funny story I'll have to tell you sometime...).

Ok, get ready.  You will not need to take notes here.  I took deli roast beef and sliced it into strips.  Then I warmed some olive oil in a pan and gently cooked some minced garlic, not so much to cook the garlic, but to flavor the olive oil.  I added the roast beef and cooked it on low just to coat with the garlic oil and warm.  Then, here's the hard part...I poured in a jar of "Homestyle" gravy from the grocery store.  (I know, I know... my mother-in-law, Mimi, the homemade gravy Queen is looking down at me shaking her head right now, but hey...I was sick!  Probably a high fever, I bet!)  I added freshly ground salt & pepper and spooned this yummy stuff over toast points.  It was fabulous.

And, the good news is that today, I am 400% better than yesterday.  The healing power of deli meat and jarred gravy?  Hmmm, something to think about.  Of course, it could have been the medicine I guess.