For my entire life, we’ve had a nice dinner on New Years Day. But for some reason, no one took responsibility for it this year. Bizarre. So I sprung into action at 11 a.m. for the 4 p.m. dinner. First, came the menu – clam stuffed mushrooms, a fruit platter, my amazing Ginger Soy London Broil, mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach, a lentil dish, green beans with brown butter, and hummus for dipping carrots. That seemed like the perfect quick and easy menu for this meal (and I will tell you more about some of the sides at a later date) and it would have been if Paige wasn’t in a HOLD ME NOW! kind of mood. Nonetheless, I was able to prep everything and have it all really for the quick cook when my family arrived. I did have to scrap the clam mushrooms though, but only because my fungus was growing mold. Eww. And I just bought them too!

The funny thing was that Virtual Frolic left me a comment in the past day or two about my time management skills and that was all I could think about as I cleaned the house and prepped the food. Do I have great time management skills? I don’t think so, but I do seem to get everything done. Perhaps it’s time to start taking stock of when I do things and how I fit everything in . . . her suggestion of writing about time management could just be my next big project. (Maybe it will help me too.)

Anyway, the dinner went off without a hitch.

Now, the secret to the quick marinade of this London Broil is to cut slits into the beef so that the marinade really permeates the meat. I like to cut the slits on both sides of the meat too. It also makes it super tender when you go to slice it later.

Ginger Soy London Broil
serves 4

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1-1 1/2 lb London broil

In a sturdy, medium sized bowl, whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, honey, olive oil and ginger until well combined.

Cut slits across the London broil – 4-5 of them – to let the marinade really soak in and then put the meat into a sealable bag and pour in soy mixture. Seal the bag and let sit for 1-2 hours, turning once halfway through.

To cook:

Method 1 – On a George Foreman Grill

Preheat the grill on medium. Remove London broil from the bag and discard marinade. Place London broil on the grill and cook for 6-7 minutes to desired doneness. Slice thinly, against the grain, and serve immediately.

Method 2 – In the Broiler

Remove the London broil from the bag and discard marinade. Place on a broiler pan and into the oven. Set broiler to high and cook for 8-10 minutes, to desired doneness. Slice thinly, against the grain, and serve immediately

I love a tangy, slightly tart, red wine marinade for London broil. This particular recipe is enough for one large London broil, but could be used for two round steaks instead if you prefer.

And don’t toss the leftover red wine marinade! It can be used to make red wine gravy. Simply combine equal parts of marinade and broth or water. Boil for 10 minutes and then thicken with a 1:2 ratio of corn starch to water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Red Wine Marinade

1 1/4 cup red wine
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp savory
1 tsp dried minced onion

Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.

To use: pour marinade into a resealable plastic bag with a large London broil. Let marinate for 1-3 hours. Cook as desired.

Now, depending on how you plan on cooking a piece of meat and how much flavor you are looking for, you might choose to use any of these. A marinade will pack a good amount of punch, since the flavor is soaked into the meat. A glaze can be even bolder since it tends to be thicker and stays with the meat. A rub can actually be the lightest, since a lot of the flavor will cook away leaving hints of taste.

In my house, we use a lot of rubs due to the ease of preparation and application. After a long day of being a full time writer and mommy, sometimes I just don’t have the patience to craft an elaborate meal. In those times, rubs like these are my savior:

Country Steak Rub
Serves 2

1 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasonings
1 tsp paprika
¼ tsp garlic powder

Combine ingredients in small bowl.

To use: Sprinkle generously on both sides of meat and massage in. Cook as normal.

Sweet and Spicy Steak Rub
Serves 2

1 tbsp course (sea) salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp marjoram
¼ tsp savory
¼ tsp sugar
¼ tsp basil

Combine ingredients in small bowl.

To use: Sprinkle generously on both sides of meat and massage in. Cook as normal.