I just love being able to prepare part of what I plan to serve for dinner earlier in the day. And then, like with this entrée, ask Mr. C. to finish the dish by throwing it on the BBQ. This leaves my hands free to whip up or put the finishing touches on the side dishes. And who doesn’t love wonderfully tender and delicious steak? OK, if you’re a vegetarian, you might not feel the same way I do. But then, you wouldn’t be reading this post in the first place. So, assuming that you too are a marinated steak fan, may I highly recommend this recipe.

And I know. Not everyone has the luxury of slowly reading the paper in the morning sipping on an Americano. And then casually fixing breakfast, cleaning up the kitchen and making a marinade in which to allow the flank steak that you defrosted in the refrigerator overnight soak up all the flavors as it once again spends some quality time in the fridge. But there is a solution even if you are still gainfully employed. Make the marinade the night before. Then before leaving for work the next morning, slip the meat into the marinade, cover, put in the fridge, and walk away knowing a good portion of that night’s dinner is well on its way to being marvelous. Sounds easy, right? But, having been a working mom and not an early riser, every blessed minute of my morning ritual did not include anything more than putting breakfast on the table and getting myself out the door in time to not be late for work. So, you might just want to save this recipe for weekends.

But regardless of when you plan to serve this lovely steak, do it. It truly is yummy.

Well, that’s it for today. It has been very rainy the last couple of days because of an “atmospheric river”. And from everything I have read, atmospheric rivers are quite interesting. And no, atmospheric rivers are not a new phenomenon. They were only given this pretentious new name sometime in the 1990s.

This is what I learned about these “rivers” by going to the USGS site. I thought you might also find this interesting.

1. Atmospheric rivers transport water vapor from the tropics towards the poles.
2. Atmospheric rivers are the largest “rivers” of fresh water on Earth.
3. There’s a rating system for atmospheric rivers like there is for hurricanes.
4. Though an atmospheric river can help extinguish fall fires, they can increase the hazard of past and future wildfires.
5. An atmospheric river mega-storm could be California’s other “Big One.”
6. Atmospheric rivers are expected to increase in intensity in California due to climate change.

So, there you have it. But I’m not going to worry. Climate change is not a real thing.

At least that is what certain politicians are espousing even though there is a near-universal consensus among scientists that climate change is happening and is caused by human activity. So, la la la, I’m going to bury my head in the sand too. Not! I’m simply going to keep hoping and praying that congress can put their differences aside and just do the job of serving their constituents by making a better world for not just Americans but by becoming a positive influence for other nations. And that means both sides coming together for the betterment of all. And no, I don’t care if you’re republican or democrat. Do the job you were hired to do. And do it right! Dammit!

Only by congress standing up for “we the people”, and not caving to the whim of certain newly elected officials with only their own interests at heart, can any real, beneficial work get accomplished. Or any possibility for the return of hope rather than despair that many of us feel. We will make it through this. But we must all represent decency, humility, gratitude, and uppermost – civility. If we, as individuals can’t be civil, then we can’t expect it of others.

Peace and love to all.

4 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning (made by McCormick)

1 T. Italian seasoning

freshly ground black pepper

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. granulated garlic

¼ tsp. granulated onion

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil

¼ c. red wine

1-2 lb. flank steak, fat and silver skin removed and lightly scored.

Combine the Montreal Steak Seasoning, Italian seasoning, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, granulated garlic, granulated onion, olive oil, and red wine together in a glass pan. Place the flank steak in the marinade and turn several times to coat every bit of the steak. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or longer for extra flavor and tenderness.

Remove the steak from the fridge about 45 minutes before grilling over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes. (Discard the marinade.)

Then flip the steak and grill until cooked medium-rare. (About 130-degrees when poked with an instant read thermometer.)  

Remove from the grill, cover for about 5 minutes, then thinly slice on the diagonal. Serve immediately.