BeccaMelt

Grilled London Broil with Broccoli

London Broil with sauteed broccoli and fresh garlic is a wonderful meal all year!

One of my favorites, it doesn't take a lot of time and fairly easy to grill!

What you need:

London Broil

Broccoli

3 cloves Garlic

Butter

Broccoli!

Start the broccoli first since it takes a little to get nice and soft.

Wash and cut into bite sized pieces, or however you like your broccoli.

Add butter to the pan, and allow it to melt.

Put the broccoli in the pan and keep the heat to a low medium, I use a 2 1/2 - 4, depending how often I check on it.

Shake and stir the broccoli so they won't stick to the bottom and burn!

Using a garlic press, add the garlic just before you remove from the heat so the garlic isn't bitter.

You can also turn the broccoli down to a low or 1 setting once the broccoli is almost finished, and leave the garlic on top for a while and not have to worry about the bitter factor.

London Broil!

Unwrap the London broil and throw it on the cutting board!

Season your wonderful London Broil with salt and pepper.

To the grill!!

On high heat, sear both sides of the steak. About 450° for a short time on each side, about 5 minuets

Turn down the heat on the grill and cook at 400°

Flip the steak every 8-10 minuets. Check the temperature on the steak to see how it is doing

Once it is cooked to how you like it, cover with tin foil and let the steak rest for 10 minuets.

Set the timer!

Add the crushed garlic to the broccoli stir and remove from the heat.

Slice the steak thin, soak up the steak juices and serve piping hot with the broccoli!

Broccoli sauteing in the butter, not cooked enough yet, the color will get darker as it cooks down and becomes soft.

This is how hot you want the grill for the searing.

This is a relativity quick process, be sure to turn your grill down after the searing is done!

One side of the London broil is seared, now the other side

Both sides are seared and cooking like normal, this steak still needs some time.

Thin slicing is clutch for the ultimate best taste. Juicy steak

Finished steak!!

Penne with Vodka and Chicken in a Pink Sauce

I used parts of this recipe from the New Best Recipe as well as a few videos and various other web based searches and my own creativity http://www.cooksillustrated.com/bookstore/detail.asp?PID=265

What you need:

Diced chicken breast

7 Cloves Fresh Garlic

1 Cup Vodka

1 Pint Heavy Cream

1 Can Whole Tomatoes

1 Can Diced Tomatoes

Half Onion, diced

Olive Oil

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Oregano

Basil

Salt

Pepper

THE SAUCE

Start your sauce earlier in the day, so the sauce has time to cook.

At least 2 hours on the stove.

Low to medium heat, stirring occasionally.

You want light bubbles in the simmering sauce not a big huge splattering messy sauce all over your wall style!

Using both cans of tomatoes, I purred them in a small food processor, for about 2 minuets.

You want the tomatoes in the sauce to be smooth, not chunky for this recipe.

Add to a large pan, and season with salt, crushed red pepper flakes, pepper, basil, oregano, diced onion and 3 crushed garlic cloves.

Dice up the chicken and store in the fridge until a little later on.

THE VODKA SAUCE, AND CHICKEN----- I suggest using a wooden spoon for this garlic and chicken section.

Start the stove on a low setting, adding olive oil to the saute pan.

Add in the rest of the garlic, thin sliced into the oil.

Cook until the garlic is strong, bold and fragrant. DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC!!

It will be too bitter to eat.

A light golden brown you want to look for, and soft when you move the spoon around.

Thus the low heat for this section.

Next, add in your diced chicken!

Cook the chicken until it is white throughout.

Once the chicken is good and cooked, add the vodka and stir!

Some people are skilled enough as to light the vodka on fire, I was not so I did not light the vodka on fire.

I would like to try it sometime.

After about 5 minuets, add all of this into the sauce that has been nicely simmering on the stove.

Add in the heavy cream to make the pink sauce!

Also add in some crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Start the pasta on the boil!

Let the sauce cook for at least 10 minuets minimum and 20-35 minuets maximum, stirring occasionally.

Cook the pasta to how you like it ( typically al dente (to the tooth, is preferred for this recipe ), drain, and add the pasta into the sauce and mix well!

Top with Parmesan cheese and bread on the side if you so desire!

My neighbor provided the bread in the bowl!

Serve it up!

Simmering sauce

Chicken with olive oil and garlic

This chicken still needs some time.

Simmering sauce, now with chicken, garlic and vodka!

Heavy Cream added to the sauce!

Time to eat!!

Extreme Hot Peppers Anyone? Update!!

There might be a cross breed between the Habenero and the Bhut Jolokia.

The Habenero seems a lot hotter than usual, heat intensifies over time rather than going away,which is what the bhut jolokia does and they are growing right next to each other