Breakfast

This is new for us.  I don't know that I have ever posted a breakfast recipe.  And we are on a huge feta cheese kick right now.  So I had all the ingredients for a terrific breakfast, sans Paul, because well, he doesn't eat eggs.

2 eggs, beaten
a few cherry tomatoes (as many or as few as you wish), quartered
a dash of white wine
a shake of basil
feta cheese

Heat up a tablespoon or so of olive oil and warm up the tomatoes.  Over medium heat, add the egg mixture and let it cook until it starts to firm up.  Add the cheese.  Cook until done, depending on how you like your eggs.

You see how my cooking style differs wildly from Paul's precise measurements. I'm a 'this looks good' kind of cook.   Oh, and this is a "Samson Approved" breakfast dish.  I like it too.

Grilled Flank Steak with Rosemary and Vinegar Marinade

Grilled Flank Steak with Rosemary and Vinegar Marinade

6 servings

1 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

2 tablespoons dried rosemary

2 cups olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 pounds flank steak

1. In a large bowl combine the red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar,

Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, mustard, rosemary,

both olive oils, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together until

thoroughly blended. Reserve once cup of marinade for later use.

2. Add the steak to the remaining sauce in the zip-lok bag and

marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

3. Prepare a fire in the grill. Cook the flank steak to desired

doneness. 4-6 minutes per side for medium rare.

3. Remove the steak from the grill and place on a cutting board.

Loosely cover the steak with aluminum foil and allow the steak to

rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice the steak along the grain

into half-inch slices. Serve at once with the reserved sauce.

Cook's Notes: I made the marinade on Friday night and placed the steak and the marinade in a zip-lok bag. The steak marinated overnight and cooked it last night for dinner. The marinade permeate the steak and I will definitely make this again. I drizzled a little of the reserved marinade over the sliced steak and it complimented the meat well.

BBQ Curried Shrimp

This meal was sorta thrown together. We had about half a pound of frozen uncooked shrimp that we needed to cook at our cottage. A few weeks ago at an event in Oscoda called Art on the Beach we wandered by a booth with a person named Mickey who sold his personal line of rubs and seasonings. We purchased a few bottles of his stuff and we found them to be fantastic. We bought more of spices and one of them was called "A Taste of India." It was essentially a curry seasoning. We decided to use this seasoning with the shrimp and we were not disappointed. Here is the recipe:

- 1/2 lb uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

- 1 tablespoon Mickey's "A Taste of India" seasoning

- 1/4 cup olive oil

- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

- Crushed red pepper flakes to taste

In a small bowl, combine the seasoning, olive oil, red wine vinegar and the red pepper flakes, if used. Mix the ingredients well until the oil and the vinegar emulsify. Place the shrimp in the bowl and mix to coat the shrimp. Cover and place in the fridge for at least an hour.

While the shrimp is marinating, place 4-5 skewers in water and let them soak for at least an hour.

Prepare a fire in your grill.

Remove the shrimp from the marinade and discard the marinade. Skewer the shrimp and when the grill is ready, place the skewers on the grill. Cook the shrimp, turning every 2 minutes until the shrimp is done. Remove the skewers from the grill and serve immediately.

Cook's Notes: This was an incredibly easy meal to make. Next time, I will add more of the Indian seasoning. I cooked the shrimp for 6 minutes. They were fantastic! I would also recommend that you poke around Mickey's website. While his website is not the slickest on the planet, his seasonings are amazing!

BBQ NY Strip Steak Recipe

Deirdre found this recipe yesterday. Technically, it was e-mailed to her, but she found it nevertheless. We had a couple of rib eye steaks in the freezer, just East of the Equator, so we thought we would give this recipe a try. We were not disappointed. The steaks were amazing. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup minced garlic

1/4 cup steak seasoning

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 (1/2 pound) New York strip steaks

Directions

- In a bowl, mix the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, steak seasoning, red wine vinegar,

basil, and Italian seasoning. Pour into a large resealable plastic bag. Pierce steaks on all sides

with a fork, and place in the bag. Gently shake to coat. Seal bag and marinate steaks a minimum

of 2 hours in the refrigerator.

- Preheat grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Discard marinade. Place steaks on the

grill, and cook 7 minutes on each side, or to desired doneness.

Cook's Notes:

I used McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning as the "steak seasoning" ingredient. Also, I marinated the steaks for 6 hours and cooked them for about 5 minutes per side. The flavor of the marinade permeated the meat and I will definitely make this dish again!

Grilled Teriyaki Marinated Pork Chops

It has been a busy week here, just East of the Equator. I am making an easy dish tonight for our dinner: Grilled Teriyaki Marinated Pork Chops. Here is the full menu:

- Teriyaki Marinated Pork Chops

- Tossed Greens with Croutons and Creamy Ceasar Dressing

- Long Grain & Wild Rice

- 2009 Crios Torrontes wine (Argentina)

I am using a store bought teriyaki marinade. I put the piggies into a large Ziplok bag ~9AM and poured the teriyaki sauce into the bag. The chops have been quietly marinating for the past 9 hours. I will take them out of the bag ~7:30PM and put them on the grill.

Post-Ex on the Ribs

I am happy to report that the ribs served last night were fantastic. The Rib Rub was a perfect compliment to the sauce I applied the last few minutes the piggies were on the grill. I would recommend the Rib Rub from Mickey & T's Rubs and Spices anytime.

BBQ Pork Ribs

What is more fitting for a Fourth of July weekend meal that BBQ pork ribs? That is what will be cooking in the Cafe later tonight. A few weeks ago, Oscoda had its annual "Art on the Beach" at the Oscoda Public Park downtown. There were lots of artisans selling their wares, but there were also a few people selling cooking stuff. One of those people selling cooking stuff was Mickey. I was intrigued by his spices, so for a mere $20 I purchased 6 bottles of his spices. Two of the bottles were "Rib Rub." I am giving his rub a try with the piggies tonight. First, I purchased a package of ribs from Sam's Club, then I cut the ribs into approximately 8 inch sections. Then I liberally applied the Rib Rub to the piggies:

From BBQ Blog Pics

From BBQ Blog Pics

Here is a picture of the Rib Rub:

From BBQ Blog Pics

And here is the finished product:

From BBQ Blog Pics

The piggies are quietly marinating with the Rib Rub in the fridge. I will fire up the grill ~6PM and put the piggies on when the charcoal is ready. Once the ribs are done, I will add KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce to the meat. Deirdre will make her world famous Chopped Salad and crusty bread will also be served. Updates to follow as conditions warrant.