The Milkmaid Cometh

This circa 1950 photo of a girl carrying in milk bottles is my dear friend Rita Mattia.

Rita Mattia circa 1950

Now retired, Rita was a well-known and respected advertising copywriter for years. I had heard her name in passing many times (I too work in the field of advertising and marketing). But it wasn't until about 8 years ago; when Rita decided to downsize her home, that we finally had a chance to meet.

Because Rita is visual artist as well as a talented writer, she has an eye for wonderful things. After years of collecting, Rita decided to sell some of her treasures on the web via what she called, “Ritabay”.

The copy she used to describe her items for sale had me laughing with each post. It was then that I knew we had to meet. Our mutual friend, Susan Higgins, arranged for the three us to meet at a local restaurant for lunch so that she could make introductions. From that day on, Rita and I have been great friends.

People are always striving for “a meeting of the minds”. Rita and I have that, as well as a meeting of the funny bones. I love her intelligence and her sense of humor. But really what sets Rita apart from the rest of the pack are her joy of life and her willingness to make the best of any situation. She has the same spirit today that you see in the photo of the 1950s milkmaid above.

The Milkmaid Cometh to my House.

In 2010, when my partner Jim was off on a business trip, Rita suggested we get together and have a cooking day at my house. We decided to make a dinner comprised of something neither of us had ever made before. Sounded like a great idea to me.

Rita Mattia stirring up some fun while she admires her latest creation 2010

After searching our cookbook collections and the internet, we came up with the following menu:

Bulgur Risotto with Corn and Shrimp

Spoon Bread

Tossed Spring Green Salad

Rose Galletta's Ricotta Pie

Anyone who has ever seen me cook, will tell you that I don't normally consider it a team sport. When I cook, I go into the 'zone" and prefer to be there alone unless I am teaching someone else how to cook something. In other words, I am a cook who prefers to be in control

But when friends decide to cook together, they need to work together, and Rita and I were able to do just that. We had such fun shopping together, cooking and of course enjoying our meal together.

Now it is your turn to try your hand at the dishes Rita and I made and enjoyed. Pick a friend to join you or fly solo.

Bulgur Risotto with Corn and Shrimp

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped

1 Cup Bulgur Wheat

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

12 Ounces fresh or frozen (thawed) Raw shrimp, shelled and deveined

2 Cups fresh or frozen Corn Kernels. If frozen, allow Corn to come to room temperature

1 medium Red Bell Pepper, cored, seeded and chopped

2 Limes (1 juiced, 1 cut into wedges)

1/4 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook Garlic, stirring, for 30 seconds; add Bulgur and Salt; stir 1 minute more.

Gradually stir in 2 Cups Boiling Water, 1/2 Cup at a time (waiting until bulgur absorbs it to add more), until Bulgur is slightly soupy, 8 to 10 minutes. (You might not use all the water.)

Add Shrimp. Cook, stirring constantly, until the Shrimp turns pink, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add Corn, Bell Pepper, juice from 1 Lime and Red Pepper Flakes; stir, adding water to keep mixture creamy.

Cook, stirring, until Corn and Pepper are warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add chopped Cilantro; serve with Lime wedges.

A lot of the pre-prep work can be done ahead (chopping, etc.) making this a very quick, attractive, and delicious “company” meal.

Spoon Bread

Ingredients:

3 Cups Milk

¾ Cup Yellow Corn Meal

3 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Salt

¼ Cup Sugar

4 Teaspoons Baking Powder

3 Tablespoons Butter

Directions:

Heat 2 Cups of Milk with the Cornmeal until it bubbles. Add 1 more Cup of Milk. Remove from heat. Mix in Eggs, one at a time.

Combine Sugar, Salt and Baking Powder and using a whisk, combine these dry ingredients together. Add dry mixture to the hot mixture. Add in butter.

Pour batter into a well-greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serve warm. (Served cold, or reheated in the microwave, this is also great for breakfast the next day).

Serve with spoon bread and a green salad. A perfect trio for a buffet-served meal.

And for dessert, Rose Galletta's Ricotta Pie.

Ingredients:

Filling

1 1/2 Pounds Ricotta Cheese

6 Eggs, separated

1/2 cup White Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon Lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Shell

2 cups All-purpose Flour

6 Tablespoons White Sugar

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/8 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Cup Butter

1/4 cup Milk

1 Egg

2 tablespoons Lemon Zest

Directions:

To Make Shell:

Combine the Flour, 6 Tablespoons White Sugar, Baking Powder, Salt and Lemon Zest. Cut in the Butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the Milk and the 1 whole Egg. Work dough until it forms a ball. Do not knead or over work the dough. Generously Flour a work surface and roll dough out to fit into a 9 inch pie plate. Place dough in a greased pie plate. Poke holes in the center with the tines of a fork. Do not prebake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat Ricotta, Yolks, and Sugar until Lemon colored. Add Lemon Juice, Zest, and Vanilla Extract.

Beat whites until stiff, fold into Lemon mixture. Pour mixture into the prepared shell. Do not over fill the shell, it rises slightly when baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Let pie cool then refrigerate to set, the pie will become creamy and dense. Serve cold.

You Scream, I scream , We all Scream..

When it's over 100 degrees outside and humid as it is today, we all scream:

"OMG it is sooo HOT!

Richmond, VA in the summertime can feel like a day spent locked in a car, parked in the sun with all the windows shut. Only it is waay more humid.

On hot days like this I tend to think more about making cool things than cooking. That does not mean I stop thinking about food though. I just turn my thoughts to cool treats. For my money, nothing cools like a nice cold slice of watermelon.

Natures gift on a hot day

This blog is dedicated to my dad's father John Fechino or Fecchino as it is sometimes spelled (hence the name 1 C or 2?). While my grandfather did many things in his life, he is best known as an ice cream maker. His business was located in New Jersey and was called Creamo Ice Cream.

My grandfather, John Fechino, in front of his store 1930s

My grandfather supplied the finest ice cream to area restaurants and hotels. He would also sell Popsicles and soft drinks and ice, but it is his ice cream that was really his specialty.

My aunt, Loretta Fechino enjoys a cone while her brother Val looks on.

When my dad and his sister Phyllis were together last month, I asked what they recalled my grandfather making. Dad liked his orange pineapple ice cream but both he and Phyllis remarked about his peach ice cream.

I don't have any ice cream recipes to share today, but I do have an Italian Ice recipe (called a Granita) that I hope you will enjoy.

My brother Steve, his wife Cathy and their kids live too far way in Tennessee for my liking. We see them too infrequently, so when they are able to come for a visit, there is always a family gathering. Steve is all grown up now and looks like this to everyone but me.

My brother Steve, how he looks now, is on the left in the white (starched) shirt

But to me, my brother Steve, (I call him Steverino),will always look like this in my mind.

So where is this cart going you might be wondering by now?

I will tell you , but you need to read the next line in a Gomer Pyle accent to get the right affect.

Fans of Gomer Pyle will remember he was a great cook.

Well, Steve and his family, came all the way from Tennessee, for a visit, and well, wouldn't ya just know, it we was smack dab in the middle of the gash-darnedest heat wave we ever did have, so of course I just knew, deep down in my little ol' heart of mine, that I just had to make something cool and refreshing to bring to the family gathering.

Whooo weee. Okay, you can breathe now.

So I got to thinking, hot-= watermelon.

Fechino = ice cream.

So how do I reconcile the two? I didn't want to go through the effort (okay, I'll admit it, or pay the expense) to make enough ice cream to feed everyone at the gathering.

Then the answer came to me! I could make Watermelon Italian Ice (or Granita).

Granita is really, really simple and inexpensive to make for a large crowd and while not ice cream, it does give a nod to our Fechino family's "frozen treat " heritage. (Gee. That was almost a tongue twister!)

Now here's a Fecchino cone that could serve a big crowd

Watermelon Granita ( also known as Italian Ice)

Ingredients:

4 Cups of Ripe Watermelon, cut into cubes with the seeds removed.

Normally a 4 lb watermelon will yeild enough fruit.

1/2 Cup of Sugar

1 or more Tablespoons of Lime Juice. Additional Lime Juice will increase the tang of your Granita.

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. If using a blender you may need to process this in batches.

Pour the puree into a 9 x 9 metal pan, cover with plastic wrap. Set a timer for 60 minutes to remind yourself to check it and then place it in the freezer for 60 minutes.

After 60 minutes, remove the Granita from the freezer. Break up any frozen parts and then stir up any frozen chunks with a strong fork. Cover the Granita again and then return it to the freezer for 2 more hours.

After 2 hours, you will be able to scrape the Granita into flakes using a strong fork. Once the Granita has been flaked, return it to the freezer or serve.

If you prefer a slushier treat, break the frozen chunks into pieces and puree in the blender. Add a banana and you have a great, low fat smoothie.

This recipe can be easily modified. I have even used frozen limeade concentrate or strawberry lemonade concentrate mixed with fresh blueberries for another twist. But be warned: the higher the proportion of sugar (or corn syrup) in the mixture, the more difficult it will be to freeze your Granita. Always give it a taste before you freeze it and modify as needed.

Everyone really seemed to enjoy the Granita that day , which of course pleased me.

My nephew Nick and niece Rebecca Fechino

I don't get to see Steve, Cathy, my niece Rebecca or my nephew Nick as often as I would like, but when we do get together, regardless of how hot it is outside, I still want them to think of me as their "Cool Uncle".

Maybe, just maybe, when I served the Granita on the hot summer day a few years ago, I earned that moniker. Here's hoping anyway.

If you are feeling hot and want a cool treat, consider giving a Granita a try.

Until next time, be cool!

Food for thought...

The Secretary of War Desires Me to Express His Deep Regret...

John Augustus Fernandes 1943

THE SECRETARY OF WAR DESIRES ME TO EXPRESS HIS DEEP REGRET THAT YOUR SON PRIVATE JOHN A FERNANDES WAS KILLED IN ACTION ON TWENTY JUNE IN FRANCE. LETTER FOLLOWS=

These are the words every parent of a soldier fears the most. On August 6, 1944, my great grandmother, Mrs. Marie Fernandes received a telegram that her son had been killed in action.

A copy of the telegram

Julio and Marie Fernandes 1943

No matter what age your son goes off to serve, he is always your boy.

John Fernandes early 1930's

I cannot image the pain and horror that my great grandmother and my great grandfather had to suffer upon learning the news that their only son had fallen in France and would never return. My great uncle sacrificed his life, while those close to him were left behind to suffer the loss.

I never served a day in the military. The closest I ever got to service was playing with my GI Joe or running around in my plastic army helmet as a kid.

My only military experience

Fun times aside, this Memorial Day let us choose to remember all those who really did put their lives on the line for us. My mother's Uncle, John Fernandes, paid the ultimate price of freedom on our behalf, but we also owe a debt to all those unknown soldiers who died for us.

To all who have served in our armed forces or who are serving now, I thank you.

This is a listing of just a few of the brave men who enlisted in the service so that we could live in freedom.

World War I era

Great aunt Alice; great uncle, Fred; great uncle, George; my grandfather, Robert;

great grandfather, John and great grandmother, Margaret Gregson

Served WWI, great cousin, Arthur "Artie" Esposito 1919

Served in WWI

My grandfather, John Fechino

Served WWII

My grandfather, Robert Gregson

Served WWII

Jim's grandfather, Charles Otey

Served WWII

My uncle, Anthony "Tony" Martone

Served WWII

My great uncle, Mario Bernarducci (in glasses cutting hair)

Served WWII

My uncle, Val Fecchino (shown with his wife Nancy)

Served WWII

My uncle, Albert Stark (shown with his wife, my aunt, Franny Fecchino)

Served WWII

Far left, my great uncle, Eddie O' Brien, to the far right my great uncle, Lou Schneidar

And more recently:

Army, Jim's cousin Gregg Wright

My nephews Alex ( Army) and Erik Czajkowski (Marines)

I thank you.

Alda Takes the Cake!

My mother’s mother was Alda Avita Fernandes Gregson. She was really the grandparent that I knew best.

Alda Avita Fernandes Gregson 1940's

My dad’s parents had died long before I was born, and my mom’s dad died when I was really young. So it was my mother’s mother, who my sisters, brothers and I all called Gram (or Gramma), that I knew best.

She was many things other than just being our grandma. As a young girl, she wanted to be an artist. She was glamorous and had a life long love affair of movie stars; she loved clothes and getting dressed up.

Gram looking Glam in the 1980's

I remember her as someone who loved to read, loved getting attention, and loved to laugh. She had a sweet tooth like no one else I knew. She always kept ice cream in her freezer and some sort of pastry on hand. I don’t remember her as being a great cook.

Being a great cook was not her most famous role

One thing I do recall her making was her Lindy’s Cheesecake. But to be honest, it was not really hers. She took it.

Lindy's was a famous New York restaurant that opened in 1921 by Leo “Lindy” Linderman and his wife Clara.

An early shot of Lindy's NYC

The original restaurant was located in New York City between 49^th and 50^th and was frequented by many show people and celebrities in its day.

Lindy's NYC postcard.

Lindy’s was and perhaps still is most famous for it’s cheesecake. Lindy's cheesecake has been described as the “most famous in the United States”.

The original Lindy’s closed it last location in 1969, but it’s legend lives on. In the musical Guy and Dolls, even Nathan Detroit and Sky Masterson sang the praises of Lindy’s Cheesecake. One taste and you will know why.

Call it what you may, Gram's Cheesecake or Lindy's Famous Cheesecake, when I was growing up, this cheesecake was a staple on our holiday table.

As my mother tells it, it was really my mother who first obtained the recipe (and this was long before anyone ever heard of the internet) . It was my mom who gave the recipe to my grandmother.

My mother (Judy) gives it to her mother (Alda)

For as long as I can remember, family gatherings and big meals always happened at my parent’s house with my mom doing all the cooking. Guests were encouraged to bring something to share if they so chose.

Even though my grandmother was not remembered for her great cooking, she did make a great cheesecake, so that is what she brought her cheesecake each time. Today I offer you the recipe she followed.

Just to keep the record straight and in the spirit of full disclosure, remember it was my mom who first obtained the recipe and first made the cheesecake. But it will always be the cheesecake I associate with Gram.

Because of this, with my apologies to Leo and Mom, it is Gram who takes the cake.

Lindy’s Famous… Nah, let’s make that Gram’s Famous Cheese Cake

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 Cup All Purpose Flour, sifted

¼ Cup Sugar

1 Teaspoon Grated Lemon Peel

½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Egg Yolk

¼ Cup Unsalted Butter (softened)

Filling:

5 8-ounce sized packages of Cream Cheese

1 ¾ Cups Sugar

3 tablespoons All Purpose Flour

1 ½ teaspoons grated Lemon Peel

1 ½ teaspoon grated Orange Peel

¼ teaspoon Vanilla Extract

5 Eggs

2 Egg Yolks

¼ Cup Heavy Cream

Pineapple Glaze:

2 tablespoons of Sugar

4 Teaspoons of Cornstarch

2 Cans of Crushed Pineapple (do not drain)

2 tablespoons Lemon Juice

2 drops of Yellow Food Coloring

Directions:

Crust:

Combine the Flour, Sugar, and Lemon Peel. Whisk together. Create a mound in the center of your bowl and then make a well in the mound. I always told my kids you need to make a nest before you add the eggs. Add in the Egg Yolk, Vanilla Extract and the Butter. Mixed together with clean hands until the dough comes away from the side of the bowl.

Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9” spring form pan. Remove the sides of the pan.

Roll 1/3 of the dough and use it to fill the bottom of the pan. Trim off the edges. Bake the bottom of the crust without the sides on the pan for 8 to 10 minutes in the oven preheated to 400 degrees.

Divide the rest of the dough into 3 parts. Roll each into strips 2 ½ inches wide and about 10 inches long.

Once the bottom crust has cooled, put the spring form pan back together and then fill the sides with the strips of raw dough. Be sure that the sides only come up 3/4s of the way up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate pan until ready to add the filling.

Filling:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine 5 packages of 8 oz Cream Cheese, the Sugar, Flour, Lemon Peel, Orange Peel and Vanilla Extract. Cream together. Next beat in eggs one at a time. Don’t try to save time by adding them all at once. When you add one at a time, it allows the eggs to incorporate better and add in the air you will need to keep the cake light.

Add in the Heavy Cream and beat until blended.

Remove pan from the refrigerator pour in filling.

Bake in 500-degree oven for JUST 10 MINUTES. REDUCE oven temperature to 250 and bake 1 hour longer.

Set the cake on a wire rack and allow the cheesecake to cool.

Filling:

In a saucepan, combine the Sugar, Cornstarch and whisk together before adding any additional ingredients or turning on the heat. Next add in the two cans of Crushed Pineapple (do not drain of juice), the Lemon Juice and the Yellow Food Coloring. Turn the stove on to Medium Heat and bring to a boil. Boil one minute or until it thickens and becomes translucent. Allow glaze to cool before pouring over the cooled cheesecake.

If you get invited to a party and someone invite you to bring something for dessert, consider making Gram’s cheesecake. That way you can take the cake.

Pardon Me!! I'm Dressing!

I remember an old joke that goes:

Question: What did the Mayonnaise when the refrigerator was opened?

Answer: PAH-Leeeze. Close the door. I'm dressing!!!

It took me the longest time to understand that joke because I always considered mayonnaise to be, well, mayonnaise. As far as I was concerned, salad dressing always started with vinegar and oil.

On a trip to New York City, I stopped in a restaurant and ordered an Arugula salad. Arugula is a peppery kind of green unlike the less flavorful Iceberg or Romaine lettuces that many of us often think of when making a salad. When the salad arrived, it looked so great I had to snap a photo.

My New York inspiration

It tasted even better than it looked, and that is saying something.

The dressing, unlike anything I had eaten before was lemony with a trace of garlic and mustard. I knew at that moment that I had to replicate it and make it my "house dressing".

My mother-in-law came for a lunch visit one day and I served her my version of the Arugula salad.

Mary Otey Rogers

She proclaimed it the best salad dressing she ever had. And who am I to argue?

I don't know about the rest of you readers, but for me, when I get a compliment from an in-law, no matter how big or small, I chalk that up as a win. To get a FOOD compliment from someone who grew up in the same house as Frances "Rangie" Otey, the grand dame of great food, is a major victory. If course I said merely said, "Thanks" and then proceeded to try to permanently burn the moment in my memory forever.

To be honest, this dressing is so easy, you really don't need a recipe, you just need to know the ingredients and modify as you go. But, just to be fair, I am going to start you off with some measurements for the ingredients.

John's Lemon and Olive Oil House Dressing

(I just made up that name as I typed it, but I think it works)

Ingredients:

Finely grate and reserve 1 teaspoon of lemon zest before juicing.

1/2 cup of fresh Lemon Juice. It normally takes two or more Lemons to yield 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice. Do not use Lemon juice that comes in a bottle if you can avoid it. The bottle is really impossible to get any zest from anyway.

1 Cup of Extra Version Olive Oil

(The Lemon Juice to Oil ratio is One to Two. This means you add in twice as much Oil as the amount of Lemon Juice)

1 teaspoon of finely minced garlic (Or try using a shallot for a milder flavor)

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 Freshly ground black pepper (freshly ground is more fragrant and flavorful than pre-ground pepper)

1 teaspoon of Dijon Mustard

1/4 cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Pour into a container, seal tightly and refrigerate for few hours before serving to allow the flavors to marry.

While in the refrigerator, the salad dressing will thicken and separate. Before assembling your salad, remove the dressing from the refrigerator and allow the dressing to come to room temperature. Whisk the dressing together before using.

Find a bowl for your salad and place a small amount of dressing, (two or three tablespoons at the most) in the bottom. A little dressing goes a long way. Never top dress a salad or you will use too much. Next fill the bowl with your greens. With your clean hands, gently toss the greens to coat them with the dressing.

This dressing is perfect with Arugula or Endive, but I prefer Arugula. When I make a salad, I start off with freshly washed greens. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, the greens are already triple washed. It says so right on the box, but I still rinse them again anyway to revive them from their slumber. My wonderful mother-in-law, impressed by my salad dressing, gave us a salad spinner to make washing the greens easier. Both she and the salad spinner are tops in my book.

I like to add in diced Granny Smith Apples to the salad for the tangy sweetness they add. I sometimes also add in walnuts or pecans for crunch. If I have goat cheese, I will crumble some of that in it. Saying that I crumble the goat cheese might be a stretch. It is after all goat cheese so it won't really crumble as much as come off in small globs. If I have any left over meat, or macaroni pasta, I might throw that in.

Really you can consider the Arugula and dressing as a jumping off platform and then customize it from there. I love beets, Jim hates them. If I am making this salad for myself, I will throw those in. They look great and are tasty.

Time to gather

With summer quickly approaching, the salad days are here. Give this dressing a try. But for goodness sake, once you put it in the refrigerator, please close the door.

It is after all, dressing.

Meat, My Grandfather the Butcher

This is a WWII photo of my grandfather Robert Butcher Gregson. Oddly enough he actually grew up to be a butcher, however he preferred to call himself a Meat Cutter. As a kid, I always thought his parents must have been clairvoyant when they named him that. In fact, the name Butcher comes from a family friend of his grandfathers, who was, (are you ready??) a teacher.

Robert Butcher Gregson

My grandfather tried other professions as well. At one point he sold PEZ candy. He also tried his luck selling insurance. But his real loves were singing and food. When he sang, he took the stage name of Bobby Young. Legend has it, he sang in his high, sweet irish tenor voice on the radio and was billed as "The Singing Butcher from Chatham." Today we are going to focus on the meat part of his career, specifically London Broil. As the weekend nears, I can only hope that at some point I will be enjoying some London Broil myself.

My Uncle, Bob Gregson while in Art School.

My Grandfather died in 1966 when I was not quite 5 years old, so my memories of him while fond, are few and faded.

When I started this blog I asked some family members to share stories about the people they loved and the food they associated with those people. One the first relatives to offer me help was my Uncle Bob. He has not only been a great Uncle to me, he is one of the people I hold most dear.

This is what my Uncle Bob had to say about his cooking abilities and what he remembered about my grandfather's cooking.

My Uncle Bob writes:

I take after my mom. I'm not a good cook but a I am a terrific table setter. I just designed 25 centerpieces for the Creative Arts Workshop.

Bob Gregson with one of his recent centerpieces

The intention was to get people to interact. Some people do that with food and I do that with table settings. Not to say food is not important, in fact I seem to be drawn to people who love to cook.

Growing up in New Jersey in the 1950's and 60's we had the best cuts of meat. Having a father who was a butcher (he preferred "meat cutter"), and was a cook in the Army, was helpful.

My grandfather Bob Gregson grilling in the backyard of his NJ home

I can't tell you how his leg of lamb was roasted but it was smothered in rosemary. To this day I have never had lamb like it.

I also loved Dad's London Broil. He would marinate it overnight in the refrigerator and then he would grill it slowly over charcoal outside. I remember how he surgically carved it on the bias very thin. I could not stop eating those delicate little pieces of beef!

I remember one day at the butcher shop he told a customer how to cook something. I said that he had never done that before. He said "It's just common sense."

Well, for those of us who need to be armed in the kitchen with a little more than just common sense, I offer this easy London Broil recipe:

Top Round London Broil

You might find this cut of meat listed as either "London Broil"or "Top Round Roast". You can also use Bottom Round London Broil. Talk with your Butcher to see what they have on hand that day and what they recommend.

London Broil is an economical and full-flavored cut. For best eating, slice very thinly. Marinate before grilling.

Ingredients:

2 pounds top round London broil; cut 1 1/2 inches thick
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
6 ears corn on the cob
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Instructions:

1. Place meat in zipper locking plastic bag. Prepare marinade by combining oil, lemon juice, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and pour over steak. Remove all air from bag. Refrigerate and marinate 6 to 8 hours, turning frequently.

2. Remove the meat from marinade; discard marinade.

3. Place marinated beef on preheated grill over moderately hot heat. Grill steak to desired doneness. London Broil is best rare. For meat that is medium rare, it should take between 8 to 14 minutes. If you prefer your meat cooked to medium wellness, allow 12 to 18 minutes. Again, ask your butcher to advise you based on the meat you select to purchase.

4. Remove the London Broil from the grill and let it rest 5 minutes before slicing. Be sure to slice across the grain and very thin.

When my Dad makes his London Broil, he has a different recipe. Jim's grandmother has another twist on it (which includes a bit of teriyaki sauce). There is not just one right way to make a great London Broil. But I will say, it all starts with the right cut of meat.

I have to have my London Broil with Potato Salad. They just go together for me like Peanut Butter and Jelly. If you are going to be grilling this weekend, I hope you will try this version of London Broil and pair it with Mom's potato salad.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend.