Archive: June 10, 2008

I’ve been writing a lot of food posts lately, has anyone else noticed? Anything to avoid working on the Crete Quilt, which is starting to become my albatross. Not quite sure my skill level is up to the task yet, so I’m distracting myself with other things.

Like these! That is the best crust I have ever gotten on a piece of beef. Who cares if I filled the entire house with smoke that made Adam choke a little? I got used to it. Is it my fault I chose to make these indoors in the middle of an atrocious heat wave that meant opening windows let out all the precious air conditioning? It’s fire and meat, the smoke just builds character.

Last Christmas I gave Adam a copy of Bobby Flay’s Boy Gets Grill. We’d just moved into the house the month before, and I was imagining a summer filled with cookouts and a novelty apron for Adam. That summer is upon us, but since we’re still trying to figure out our backyard layout I jumped the gun and did some inside grilling. Despite nearly burning the house down, these were perhaps the best steaks I’ve ever made. And I make a lot of red meat.

Behold! The magic glaze ingredients.

For the Glaze (this is for 4 steaks, I halved everything):

6 tbs Dijon mustard

1/4 cup honey (I was out of honey and used 2 big tbs of molasses)
2 tbs prepared horseradish, drained
6 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped (Of course I had plenty of fresh mint and molasses on hand but no honey. Who runs out of honey??)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Read more on Black Pepper-Ancho-Crusted Beef Filets with Hot-and-Sweet Mint Glaze…

Before I Die is a superb YA debut from British author Jenny Denham. I really didn’t expect to like this book. Stories of beautiful, poetic teens dying young is a staple in novels and movies. Let’s not forget Ali MacGraw in Love Story or the absolutely excruciating Here on Earth with Leelee Sobieski. And it’s always leukemia, which fiction would have us believe is a beautiful and heroic death. Those afflicted still look stunning or sound soulful and selfless during their final hours. They’ve accepted their fate and are more worried about the feelings of everyone around them.

Read more on Before I Die by Jenny Denham…