Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Casual Comfort and a Recipe for London Broil Marinade

That lived-in look!
We've settled in and become really comfortable in this beach house.  This  morning starts the mid-point of our week here, and I'm still in "we're here" mode and pushing away any thoughts of this ending any time soon.  We have today, Thursday, Friday, and all day Saturday to enjoy, after all.  That's a whole vacation in itself!

Yesterday was a lovely day.  The weather has been perfect.  Though the weather man says it's been unbearably hot in North Carolina, out here along the Crystal Coast, the days have been perfect.  Yesterday we enjoyed a light breeze by the ocean.  Kristin and Will went for a 5-mile walk to the pier and back.  Jack and Patrick ran that distance. John went for another bike ride.  Anne and I relaxed under the canopy in our spot on the sand, and jumped in and out of the waves a few times. 

Early yesterday, while I was making cheesecake swirl brownies, the kids went shopping at Food Lion and brought back two London Broil steaks for last night's dinner.  On the menu was marinated London Broil, ratatouille, and corn-on-the-cob.  My boss, Mary Lou, had shared a number of recipes with me for this trip (she's an excellent gourmet cook) and I was wise enough to bring them with me, especially her recipe for London Broil marinade.  I whirled the ingredients up in the blender, poured it over our two steaks, and let it marinate all afternoon.  After showers and a happy hour on the deck with delicious appetizers made by the kids (Kristin's guacamole and Ben and Megan's Buffalo Chicken Dip) we gathered for dinner around 8:00 p.m., and stayed long at the table, until after 9:00.  It's been so completely casual and comfortable, producing big dinners doesn't seem like a chore, at all.  Tonight we may take a break and order pizza and have a salad - we like to do that to give the cook a little rest (though I love these dinners)! 

I had a little scare with my camera last night before dinner -- the lens wouldn't retract and the camera wouldn't work, which was the fatal blow to my last camera.  I thought, "Oh NO!  I can't take pictures here in this beautiful place!!!"  It really made me sad for a while, and I was so grateful later when John was able to fix it.  I can't imagine being without a camera while I'm here.  Phew, glad that didn't turn out to be the disappointment it could have been...

We ended last night with a game of Cranium, which was so much fun and had us laughing in hysterics. Ben and Megan won, handily, and the night was over, for me (the kids stay up much later!). I'm usually one of the first to turn in, and fall asleep in a matter of seconds, I think!  Just loving every second here.

Here is a collage of photos from yesterday:

A day of delicious sights, sounds, and flavors...

As today gets off to a quiet start, John is doing a little bit of work-away-from-work (conference call), Jack and Will just left for an early run, I'm here blogging at the dining room table, and everyone else is yet to be seen.  I love early mornings here -- the quiet ease of a true vacation.  This morning I read in bed before I got up.  I've had a copy of The Help for a while now, and am finally getting into it.  As someone who enjoys writing, it's a great book for me, a story about a writer and her process, and so much more.  So grateful to find time, here, to settle in to a good book...

Can't end this post without the recipe for London Broil Marinade.  It's so simple, and made for a very delicious dinner. 

LONDON BROIL MARINADE
from my boss, Mary Lou, who copied it from one of those old community cookbooks
(I'd credit the cookbook, but all I have is a photocopy of the page and the name of the contributor: Mary S. Grimm)

1 c. soy sauce
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, halved
1/4 c. Gravy Master (we couldn't find any locally, so I didn't use it - used 1/4 c. olive oil, 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar instead)
2 t. Beau Monde seasoning or other salt seasoning (Beau Monde can be hard to find - Wegmann's might have it).

Puree onions, garlic, and soy sauce in blender until smooth.  Add the rest of the ingredients and blend.  Use 1/2 cup of this marinade for each steak.  Marinate in glass pan 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.  The rest may be saved in a covered container in the refrigerator.

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I hope you are enjoying these posts from EI, NC.  I promise to bring you more good stuff every day!

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