Marinated London Broil

I really like marinated cuts of meat that are them grilled and cut across the grain.  This transforms them from tough pieces of meat into something quite delicious to have.  We had this with some grilled vegetables, a green salad, and the delicate squash recipe I posted last month.  Quite delicious.

• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1 (2 to 2 1/2 pound) London broil

• To make marinade: In a bowl, whisk together marinade ingredients until combined well. Put London broil in a large resealable plastic bag and pour marinade over it. Seal bag, pressing out excess air, and set in a shallow dish. Marinate meat, chilled, turning bag once or twice, for 8 hours.
• Remove meat from the marinade, discarded the marinade, and pat the meat dry.
• Preheat a grill and on an oiled rack set about 4-inches over glowing coals, grill the meat, turning each once, 9 to 10 minutes on each side, or until it registers 125 to 130 degrees for medium-rare meat.
• Transfer meat to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes. Cut meat diagonally across the grain into thin slices.

Me Before You (2016)

My family was not all that happy with this movie.  I had read the book, and so I knew the outcome, but suffice it to say that while there are most definitely elements of Pygmalion here, it is not a Happily Ever After story.
Will is  devil may care man.  He has grown up in a privileged home, and while he would most certainly acknowledge that, he has absolutely no interest in leveling the playing field.  His world is irrevocably changed when he is hit by a motor scooter and left a quadriplegic.  Now everything is a struggle for him and he wavers between pain and depression.  Enter Louisa.  She is hired by his mother to cheer him up and provide him with entertainment.  She is much more successful than others have been in her role, but she does not change his mood.  The story is about their growing friendship, the role of care giver, and then what happens when it is all just too much to bear.

Without You There is No Us by Suki Kim

This book was the book that the Iowa City read as a community this fall.  It is a first hand account of a woman of South Korean ancestry who worked in North Korea as a teacher.  You might think that as a journalist she was bent on exposing the seedy underbelly of a totalitarian dictatorship, that she would convey her experience in a very unflattering light in order to reinforce what our preconceived notions are.  And some of that does happen but the overwhelming take away message that came through for me is that of just how sad a country it is.  Kim is teaching the children of the North Korean elite, the best of the best in the north, and they are hopelessly behind the times.  They have absolutely no concept of what the world outside their borders holds.  Their world view is provincial to the point of being almost unbelievable, and Kim does an excellent job of making it believable to us.  A very eye opening read.

Bayonet and Black Horse, Seaside, CA

I was recently on the Monterrey Peninsula for work, but still managed to enjoy quite a bit of the beautiful views that are so famous in this part of the world.  The regimen that our team was on left us pretty hungry and without a clear culinary opportunity, when one of the project engineers suggested that we go to this country club for lunch.  It was an uncharacteristically clear day and the sun was shining bright.  We sat out on the deck, which overlooked a recently renovated golf course, but beyond that was the gorgeous Central California coast line dotted with cypress trees.  The lunch was sandwiches that are the large size you associate with clubs, and the side salad was enough for a meal in itself.  The price was reasonable, and I had enough left over that I had it for dinner, and the meal was memorable for both the view and the company.

Wolf Hall (2015)

I loved the book by Hilary Mantel of the same title, and the BBC miniseries based on the book is exceptionally good.  that is based on the outstanding acting of Mark Rylance as Cromwell.  He is a great foil to the demands and idiosyncrasies of King Henry (who is also ably played).  The story is a well known one, that of King Henry VIII ditching his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who was unable to produce a son for him and marrying the calculating Anne Boleyn.  She knew based on her sister's treatment as a concubine that while you got some privileges, it was a life where people talked about you behind your back and it made returning to your husband a bit of a challenge.  Anne would have none of that, and while there was some movement in Europe as a whole away from the Catholic church, it was a very bold move on her part.  She does not come off looking all that great in this version, but she is mother to one of the greatest monarchs of all time.  It was the beginning of the British Empire.

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

This is an unusual book, and while there were certainly parts of it that I didn't care for, overall I would recommend it.  The story takes place in the aftermath of WWI, which sets it up perfectly for the story that it tells, and  much of it focuses on the profound social change that was going on at the time.  The two main characters come from very different social classes.  Frances and her mother are left without financial resources after both father and brother are killed in the war.  The brother in battle and the father from illness but Frances is quite sure there is an element of both grief and regret at play as well.  Frances works like mad to clean the house, fix it up, and to cook on a shoestring budget for their boarders, who are a middle class couple seeking work in the city.  So it is a role reversal, but that is more of a backdrop to the story than the tale itself.  Suffice it to say that there is a torrid lesbian affair that alludes to the changing social norms, and then there is an accidental death that leads to a moral quandary.  Never a dull moment, you can say that.

Grilled Broccoli

I usually roast broccoli, but recently we were having grilled steak and I thought while it was up and running, maybe we should do the broccoli that way too.  It is a bit more work, and I am not sure that you can tell by the end result, but certainly during the summer months when it is hot, and you might want to keep the oven off, this would be a very good alternative.

 

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 head broccoli, approximately 2 pounds, cored and cut into 1-inch florets
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
• Flaky sea salt (optional)         

1. Build a fire in your grill, leaving about 1/3 of grill free of coals, or set a gas grill to high.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the tamari or soy sauce with the vinegar. Add the olive oil while whisking vigorously. Add the broccoli and toss to coat. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.
3. Place a grill basket on the grill and add the broccoli to it. Grill, tossing frequently, until the florets are crisp at the edges and tender within, with just a little bit of bite to them, approximately 10 to 12 minutes

Hank and Asha (2014)

Yes, this is an unusual romantic comedy, but if you are a fan of the genre and do not feel that every movie had to adhere to a strict formula in terms of outcome, this is a good option.  It has the added benefit of being available for free download on Amazon Prime, which is a plus for me when I am traveling and do not want to pay for either wi-fi or content.  I have found that I have seen some very pleasant movies this way that I might have skipped otherwise.  This movie is one such.  An Indian film student is studying in Prague for the year and she sees a movie that intrigues her.  The filmmaker is not at the festival so she does a video of herself asking questions about the film, and so begins a charming love affair.  The film is told almost entirely within the context of these videos, and as their friendship deepens, Hank wants to meet Asha.  She guiltily and reluctantly tell shim that she is in fact engaged to be married to a man when her year in Prague is up, and that it is an arrangement made between their two families.  It is yet another variation on the theme that once someone makes the choice for you, you see other possibilities.  Charmingly done.

Chaata and Curry, Sunnyvale, CA

I was on a trip that was planned in a hurry and that I was added to at the very last minute in northern California.  The short story is that for no good reason we ended up staying in Silicon Valley, and because we needed to find a place at the last minute and we all wanted to stay together, we were not at an establishment that would have been any of our first choices.  Then, to make matters worse, the majority of the people that I traveled with did not have food as a priority.  What?!?  How can that be?  We were also putting in very long days so that when we were finally done we were not really all that energetic.  So despite superb dining within shouting distance, that was not my fate.  I ordered take out food from this place and it was excellent.  Really good, and very reasonably priced.  The thing that I liked about it is that the dinner came with rice, naan, dal, and a side dish, so that as a person dining with only one other person I could actually get exactly what I wanted.  It was spiced appropriately (on the edge of what is too hot for me, which is perfect and hard to attain), and weirdly, if I was in the neighborhood, I would go back.

The Book of Mormon

I know that I am late to seeing this show, but in my defense, I was not alone.  The eight shows that ran recently in my small college town were sold out each and every one, so there is still interest in this wildly entertaining musical.  I knew remarkably little about the show.  All that I really knew was that it made fun not just of Mormonism, but really all religions, because for any given part of the play you can substitute some other tenet of some other religion and it sounds just as far fetched.
So imagine my surprise when I loved it.  Not that I am one to be offended by irreverence, I am not, but I usually do not find it funny.  This play is all about playfulness and while it uses some language that falls well within Donald Trump's much touted foul mouth repertoire, that doesn't offend me either.  I was very much entertained throughout the show, and a little bit let down when it all came to a well drawn conclusion. I would really recommend this and was quite pleased that I ventured back into the realm of the touring Broadway play (something I have not done in at least a decade, I am afraid).