Quick Tip Follow-Up

In my post on London Broil I showed you how to take a cheap, tough cut of meat and make it as tender and delicious as an expensive steak. Here's a quick tip for another tough, cheap cut of meat. Buy some lean (or not) stew meat. It comes together in a package for about $5, sometimes less. One pack will more than feed 2 people, two smaller packs will feed a family of four with leftovers. Treat it the same way you did the London Broil--marinate the stew meat in homemade Italian dressing for two days. After the first day cut up as many green peppers (or yellow, or red, or orange) and onions that you like and marinate them in a plastic bag with more homemade Italian dressing. After the second day, alternate the meat an veggies on skewers...



and grill! Easy peasy.



I neglected to take a picture of the shish kabob on a plate, sorry. I thought about not posting, but it's just such an easy idea for a cheap, awesome meal. We had some leftover skewers, so we added some shrimp to the grill. We just seasoned them with a little Old Bay. And for those of you who are watching your carbs...this whole meal is low carb and low on the glycemic index.

Enjoy!

London Broil

London Broil has a reputation for being a tough cut of meat, but it can be as tender as an expensive steak. Add that to it being super inexpensive and you have the makings of an impressive, flavorful meal. You will need to grill it, though. I don't have any idea how to bake it to get the same results. To get it really tender you also need to plan it a couple of days before. But we are talking less than $10 to feed a family of four. As anyone who has to watch their budget knows, meat is expensive. London Broil is the perfect choice when you want to feel like you are splurging on a decadent meal, but are feeling the pinch of the economy.

You will need:

one London Broil (Top Round Roast)
Italian dressing (I highly recommend Good Seasons mix)
plastic bag



Since I keep mentioning my preference for Good Seasons Italian dressing I figured I should post some pictures of how easy it is to make.

You will need:

Good Seasons Italian dressing envelope (about $2 for 2)
1/4 cup vinegar (white or apple cider)
3 T water
1/2 cup oil (your choice)



Mix the vinegar and water in a bowl or bag. I think the recipe actually calls for apple cider vinegar, but I used white. (I had just made BBQ sauce and used up all my cider vinegar. I buy white in monster bottles for $1 and put it in everything. I put a T in pots that I am soaking, 2 T in the laundry and it whitens better than Oxy Clean, and it is indispensable for cleaning the coffee pot.) Add the envelope of seasoning.



Mix thoroughly.



Now add the oil and mix.



Pour over whatever you want to marinade or use in salads. It's fantastic!! It also comes with two in a box with a cruet. The bottle actually has lines for the vinegar, water, and oil, no measuring. I have about six cruets, but use them for other things. (homemade vanilla, cinnamon, taco seasoning that was bought in bulk, etc.)



Now here comes the prep time--you will need to marinate this guy for two days. Yep, two. You can grill it after one and it will be tasty and delicious, but give it the full two days and you won't be sorry. So tender, so juicy. You'll think you are dining in the finest of restaurants with expensive meat. Trust me. (Flip the bag a couple of times a day to keep the marinade evenly covered over the meat.)


Grill your London Broil on medium heat (away from the direct heat) for 7 minutes per side, 5-6 minutes if you have a thin cut, 8 minutes if you like less pink in your meat.





Let it sit for a full 15 minutes. If you cut into it before that you will lose all of your great juices and end up with dry meat. That's a hard and fast rule that applies to all meat. Leave it alone and let it rest for 15 minutes.


The last, but very important part of having London Broil is cutting it on the diagonal against the grain. This step makes the London Broil super tender. It can be unchewable if you don't cut on the diagonal. Turn your steak at a 45 degree angle and slice thinly.



Don't be surprised if you family groans in pleasure at the flavor of this meal. Pretend you spent a ton of money on the cut of meat, exaggerate how long it took to prepare, and give your self a pat on the back for being cheap and easy...wait, that didn't sound right! The meal is cheap and easy, not you. Buy yourself a little something for spoiling your family on a budget! :)



Enjoy!

3-2-1 Chicken

3-2-1 Chicken is a recipe handed down from six generations of the Sunshine family...just kidding. Some woman in a grocery store told this recipe to my mom when she was buying Montreal Steak Seasoning one day. :) It is ridiculously simple, but crazy flavorful. Best of all, no oven. It is crazy, sticky hot here and I refuse to turn on my oven. Which means I have not been baking and have had to look for other stress relievers...like playing Lego Star Wars with Tinker Bell.

For this ludicrously easy recipe you will need:

3T mayo (I use Miracle Whip, which is called mayo in the South)
2T Italian dressing (I make my own)
1T Montreal Steak Seasoning (lower sodium if you are watching your salt intake)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 3 strips each

(I usually double all of the ingredients so that we have lots of leftovers. I love to feast on cold chicken out of the fridge.)




I make my own Italian dressing using the Good Seasons dressing mix. Two mixes come with a free cruet, which I use for my homemade vanilla. Works perfectly and then I just mix up the dressing in a bowl. But any Italian dressing will work.




After I clean and cut my chicken I put it all into a plastic bag. I mix up the mayo, dressing, seasoning in a bowl and then pour it over the chicken and let it marinade for at least a few hours, overnight is not necessary.



I used to make this on my George Foreman grill, but it started smelling like burning plastic every time I turned it on so I threw it out. I miss it, tho. Now I make the chicken in an electric skillet on medium high heat, about 5 minutes on each side.



You can make this in the oven (350 for 20 minutes) or on the grill outside. So easy, so quick, and SO tasty no matter how you cook it.



Enjoy!