{MONDAY'S MENU}

Since yesterday was Ryan's birthday there HAD to be a delicious Sunday dinner. Me and all of the kids were home from church, because of sickness. Ryan had meetings this morning before church and then again after church (EQ Pres is busy work). I think he was completely starving by the time he finally got home, where he was greeted by a decorated Red Velvet w/cream cheese frosting birthday cake and a gift from Jake.

On the table in less than 10 min from his arrival was this....along with some other goodies.

Before I get to it, just briefly, I had some Flank steak in my freezer. I hate cooking steak that ends up all tough. Flank steak is one of the toughest meats, but it is also one of the most lean. SO, I set out to find a recipe that would tenderize and make this steak divine. I think I did just that.

By the way, Flank is also a cheaper steak to buy. SO, try it out. It was good enough that I might not go back to the others!

GRILLED MARINATED FLANK STEAK

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds flank steak

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

1. Score the surface of the steak with 1/4 inch deep knife cuts, about an inch apart, across the grain of the meat. Combine the marinade ingredients. Place steak and marinade ingredients in a large freezer bag. Coat the steak well with the marinade. Seal the bag and place in a bowl. Chill and marinate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

2. Using olive oil soaked onto a paper towel, coat the grill rack of your grill with olive oil. Preheat the grill with high, direct heat. The grill is hot enough when you hold your hand about an inch over it and you can only hold it there for about a second. I used my George Forman grill and it worked perfectly. It cooked in under 8 min.

3. Take the steak out of the marinade bag and sprinkle generously on all sides with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. The salt and pepper will help form a savory crust on the steak. Place steak on the hot grill. If you are using a gas grill, cover the grill. Grill for 4-6 minutes on each side. Half way through grilling on each side, turn the steak 90° so that you get more grill marks.

4. Flank steak is best eaten medium; well done will make it too tough. When the steak has cooked to your preferred level of doneness, remove from the grill and place on a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil to hold in the heat and to keep the steak from drying out, and let rest for 10 minutes.

5. Make very thin slices, against the grain, and at a slight diagonal so that the slices are wide, but thin. This makes a BIG deal! Don't skip this part. The meat should be pink in the center.

6. Take the excess marinade and bring it to a boil, simmer for several minutes, and serve with the flank steak. (We drizzled this all over our thin slices. It was a must have and made it PERFECT!)