Hey, I like alliteration, okay?
It had snowed overnight, but on Wednesday morning, there was
less that two inches of new snow on the ground. Plus, temperature was a warm 32
degrees!
The warm temperature, the fresh snow and the salt they had
put down combined to make Plymouth Road a slushey, wet mess, though. I was glad
I had topped off my windshield wiper fluid over the weekend, as I used it
often.
Vicky had gotten stuck several times going home on Tuesday
and then a neighbor plowed her street out this morning. That was good, but in
all the excitement, she forgot her lunch. So, we went to Newburgh Grill. I’m
still not sure why, but this time I ordered breakfast (two eggs over-easy,
sausage links, hash browns and rye toast. The eggs, sausage and toast were
good, but the hash browns were a little too crunchy for me. She insisted on
paying, so I left the tip (Damn stubborn, these Puerto Ricans!)
It started lightly snowing again around 2:00 p.m., but it
mostly melted on the hard surfaces and on top the truck.
However, when I left work at 5:00 p.m., the temperature had
dramatically dropped (it’s supposed to go to 4 degrees tonight) and I had to
scrape the ice off my windows. Then I put the truck into four-wheel drive and
slowly drove to Levan. Levan was no
better! But I-96 will be plowed and salted, right?
NOT!
That was the worst drive home of the winter season. I never
got much over 40 mph and it took me almost twice as long to get there.
When I got home, the trash can was empty. So, after I got
the truck safely inside, I walked back out to fetch it and got the mail,
wishing I’d worn gloves this morning. But, finally safely inside, to what did
my wondering eyes appear but my corrected bike title! I still have the wrong
date on this year’s registration, but I don’t think I care. At least it didn’t
take another trip to the DVM!
In spite of missing work on Monday, I started the Wednesday
night wash. Since it was light, I added bath towels, wash cloths and kitchen
towels to make a full load.
I watched the news until 7:00 p.m. and then started dinner.
Sidebar: I’m sick of eating leftovers or snacks, so I made a
real dinner tonight.
I had just over a two pound top round London broil steak I
picked up on Saturday and I needed to use it or lose it. So, I cut it in half,
wrapped one pound in cling wrap (to avoid freezer burn), marked it on a baggie
and stuck that in the freezer.
The other half I cut into 3/4 inch chunks. Then I prepared
my mise en place. I chopped two tablespoons of shallots and one teaspoon of
diced, fresh garlic. I measured out two cups of wide egg noodles and set a
medium-sized sauce pan of water and salt to boil. I measured out three tablespoons
of AP flour and one tablespoon of soy sauce.
Note: I fudged on the beef broth. The recipe called for 1
1/2 cups (16 ounces) of beef broth. So, I could either open a big box of it and
get it right (but have leftover beef broth that only lasts three days) or open
a 14.5 ounce can of it and call it good. I called it good.
So, I put the egg noodles on to cook. Meanwhile, I sprayed
my 10-inch skillet with canola oil cooking spray. I heated that up to
medium-high and browned the steak on all sides (about five minutes). I put the
steak on a plate and covered it with aluminum foil to keep it warm and set it
aside.
I added a generous tablespoon of butter to the skillet and
when it melted, threw in the shallots and eight ounces of pre-sliced “baby
bella” mushrooms. I sautéed those until they cooked down (maybe four minutes).
Then I added in the garlic and cooked for another 30 seconds (you don’t want to
burn garlic – it turns bitter).
I stirred in the tablespoon of soy sauce and then sprinkled the
flour over the mixture. I stirred that to incorporate the flour and cooked that
another minute, stirring constantly to cook off the raw flour taste. Then I
gradually added the beef broth, still stirring constantly.
I added a 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper, some salt and
some dried thyme.
Note: The recipe called for three fresh thyme sprigs, but I
didn’t have any fresh thyme.
I brought that to a boil and cooked it another two minutes or
so until it thickened. Then I added the beef back in it until it was thoroughly
warmed.
I had already drained the egg noodles, so I plated some of
those, topped it with my “steak tips and peppered mushroom gravy” and ate a delicious
meal!
I checked out my movie choices and was torn between “Pulp
Fiction” and “Robin Hood – Prince of Thieves.” In the end, I went with Robin
Hood, as Tarantino seemed a bit intense for my mood.
When it ended at 11:00 p.m., I was ready for bed.
Dinner looks great!
ReplyDeleteNice job on dinner! But you never pass on Tarantino man...come on!
ReplyDeleteIt looks delicious!
ReplyDelete@ Jake: Oh, it was!
ReplyDelete@ Carla: Thanks! But, I've seen Pulp Fiction WAY more times than Robin Hood, prince of Thieves...
@ Anon: It was. You should try and make it (but rice and beans are probably NOT an appropriate side, LOL!)