Burning Flesh

It's not lunchtime yet but I'm already thinking ahead: skirt steak. A few days ago something possessed me to buy one (Trader Joe's again). Now I face the dreaded use-or-freeze-by deadline (January 9). So we either eat it tonight or stick it in the freezer.

It would be good to grill it on the barbecue, but it's a bit cold for that. Still, if it takes only a few minutes a side, I could do it. The other thing I'm thinking is to do it on the griddle in the middle of the stove. Of course, that will stink up the house with the stench of frying meat, but who cares, really? I don't except I don't want it stinking my clothes and my hair. Well, we'll see. I Googled for recipes and came up with something from Epicurious.com -- marinated in balsamic vinegar and such.

… Right after lunch, I put the steak in to marinate. It's a small one, but just as well, since the kids just got invited spur-of-the-moment to a birthday party, so they'll be stuffed full of pizza and cake. It was a nice diversion, espicially for my oldest, still mourning the postponement of his party (yesterday being the worst day of his life, he told me more than once), and for me -- after more than 2 weeks with both kids at home. I'll be relieved to have the routine of school start again in a couple of days, even though it means a return to the inevitable grind of getting up early and making lunches. (Maybe I should write 365 Afternoons of Lunch?).

7:15 pm - Well, I did it -- broke out the barbecue in January. It was a great success, although, as predicted, the kids ate next to nothing. Ha. More for me. The long marinating, as indicated in the recipe, did tenderize the meat. I could have grilled it a couple minutes longer on each side; it was pretty red when it came out -- too red for Dave, I had to microwave his for a couple of minutes. But it was still tasty, nice and tangy, just chewy enough. I'd do it again.

And I don't stink like burning flesh.

Marinated skirt steak recipe from Epicurious.com.