London Broil Marinade

This recipe is excellent for a flank steak or a london broil because it makes a pretty cheap cut of beef taste pretty, well, tasty. In my area london broil always seems to be on sale and half a $5 packet will feed more than James and myself for a dinner leaving leftovers for lunch (the other half gets frozen). The key to making this tough cut tender is to let it rest after being removed from the grill and thinly slice it against the grain.

London Broil Marinade
Recipe from allrecipes.com

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon ketchup
2 tablespoon vegetable oil (don't substitute olive oil, the fruity taste is too overpowering)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 teaspoons crushed ginger
4 pounds flank steak

In a gallon zip bag, mix together garlic, salt, soy sauce, ketchup, vegetable oil, black pepper and ginger. Add meat and refrigerate overnight. Flip meat every few hours. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil grate. Place meat on the prepared grill. Cook for 3 to 7 minutes per side and under cook it a smidgen. Remove from grill and tent with foil for about 10 minutes. The meat will continue to cook and the juices will be released. Cut thinly across the grain and serve!

Easy Oven Chicken

After a day of work, usually the last thing I want to do is to be in the kitchen cooking dinner. Cooking creates a mess that creates dishes that creates more work for me. I like when I have recipes that call for very few ingredients, doesn't create a lot of mess and doesn't need to be babysat. Bonus points if it's easy enough for me to remember without having to search for the actual recipe. This recipe meets all of these requirements and is therefore the perfect weekday meal. It's quick to put together and while it's great marinaded for awhile, I've made this without that step and it's still delicious.

Easy Oven Chicken

1/3 cup of oil
1/3 cup of honey
1/3 cup of soy sauce
1/3 cup of water
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a ziploc bag and mix until blended. Add chicken breasts. Marinade for an hour if desired but it's not necessary. Pour the contents of the bag into an ovenproof pan and place it in the oven until the chicken is cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes. Wild rice or mashed potatoes would make great side dishes.

James' Favorite Meatloaf

If there is ever a time that I need to make dinner that I know will be a hit with James, this meatloaf will be front and center. It's really easy and doesn't have all the chunky, crunchy things like in traditional meatloaf that makes it taste like a slab of hamburger. The original recipe called for tomato sauce but I use jarred spaghetti sauce to give it a subtle Italian flavor. I could probably make this every day for the rest of James' life and he will be a happy man.

James' Favorite Meatloaf
Makes one 9x5 loaf


1 cup jarred spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 tbsp barbecue sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 lbs ground sirloin (must use lean ground meat, otherwise it's all grease)
6 tbsp flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Dash garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine the tomato sauce, barbecue sauce and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat the mixture until it begins to bubble, stirring often, then remove it from the heat.

3. Reserve 2 Tbl sauce. In a large bowl combine the remaining sauce and meat until throughly mixed.

4. Add the remaining ingredients to the meat mixture and stir until combined.

5. Place the meatloaf into a loaf pan. Cover with foil and place in oven for 30 minutes.

6.Remove meatloaf from oven, uncover, and carefully drain the fat.

7. Pour the reserved sauce over the top of the meatloaf, in a stream down the center.

8. Return the meatloaf to the oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until done. Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.