Sunday, April 12, 2009

Sunday Cats and Marinated, Grilled Steak Tips

Food first. Mmmmm, steak tips. This is the way we always made steak tips when I was a kid, just marinate them in zesty Italian dressing for a couple hours and toss them on the grill. Sometimes my dad would grill, but once I got to be about sixteen I kind of took it over. There's a whole sordid tale, full of action and intrigue behind it and... ok, no there isn't. I don't really remember how or when exactly I started doing the grilling, but I did. And it was fun, my dad had a big gas grill that I could do all kinds of stuff with. I wish I had it now, I could do even better stuff with it.

Anyway these were made at my brothers on his charcoal grill. I like both gas and charcoal, gas because you have more control over the heat and charcoal because it makes things tastes awesome. We also took a one inch thick slice of red onion (looks kind of like the green lantern symbol, doesn't it?), rubbed it with olive oil and slapped it on the grill when the tips got turned. It was wicked good. Had a nice wine with it too, Charles Shaw Shiraz. It was three buck chuck from Trader Joes and worth every penny. Although it's one that wants to breathe a bit before you drink it.

But it's Sunday, so I'm sure you all want cats. I've been trying to learn how to use my camera a bit more, even though I can't find the manual. So instead of using auto for these pictures I used the setting that looks like a crosswalk sign guy skanking and the head in profile setting. Heh, hope that wasn't too technical for any of you. And the lighting was terrible, but if you can ignore that they are kinda cool. Here we go, close up face shots!They were quite patient with me. Heh.

15 comments:

Dewi said...

Such a beautiful kitty! the steaks look really delicious too.
Cheers,
elra

Mel @ bouchonfor2.com said...

That looks really yummy. I've never had steak tips. What would you compare the texture to?

Shelby said...

Oh my, Grumpy would be in heaven with your steak tips! They look delish! Happy Easter!

P.S. Love the cats too!!!

vanillasugarblog said...

Wait your TJ sells wine? Not fair, ours does not.
But I do love TJ steak selection, it wasn't that bad actually.
Marinating is a good idea, I do it as well, but I've never used italian dressing. Must try that (I know I must be the only one).

noble pig said...

That looks amazing...holy, holy cow.

And the kitty ain't bad either!

Bob said...

Elra: Heh, thanks. :)

Mel: The thing about steak tips is they are pretty varied, depending on what cut they came from originally. What they are is the big scraps leftover from cutting fancier cuts. They are usually around mid range of tender and beefy flavored though. They are one of my favorite pieces of beef, very versatile.

HoneyB: Thanks!

Dawn: Heh, I wish I had a TJs, let alone one that sells wine. My brother gave the wine to me, he has one near him that sells it. Apparently it's the only one is Mass that does.

noble pig: Thanks. :)

Van Santos said...

The steak tips look great! I wish I still had my grill. When I bake salmon, I do something similar.

I take Zesty Italian, pour over the salmon that is sitting in a foil pouch, add a bit of shredded parmesan, and back for about 25 mins at 350.

Good stuff.

And the cats are adorable. I'm a cat fan myself.

Reeni said...

Such pretty kitties!! Your steak tips look delicious, and mmmm grilled onion. I love that smoky flavor that charcoal gives food, especially meat. I love it when it gets a crispy, charred crust! Yummmmmmmmmm

Donna-FFW said...

Cute kitties.. The steak looks absolutely amazing and delicious..I have never tried steak tips.. must add this to my to try list..

Bob said...

Van: Yeah, cats rule. Heh. Doing the fish with Zesty Italian sounds interesting, but doesn't the dressing overpower the fish? I don't eat much fish, so I don't know much about it.

Reeni: Yeah, that crust is the best. Man I miss having the space to grill.

Donna: Steak tips rule, they are inexpensive and I've always had great luck with them.

Unknown said...

Mr.Bob,

Happy Easter to you! Hope you are having a good one...did the cats get an Easter basket? lol

much love

Christine

The Brutal Gourmet said...

Around here "steak tips" are generally sirloin trimmings. They have a very strong grain, and lots of easily converted connective tissue. When you grill them, especially after an hour in an acidic marinade, they produce a ridiculous amount of gelatin and they get wonderfully tender and unctuous.

Unknown said...

the page opened up and I could almost smell those grilled steaks!! Italian dressing is the best marinade ever! (I think its the vinegar...great tenderizer)

Bob said...

Christine: Heh, no basket for them. They wouldn't appreciate it properly. :)

Danielle: Yeah, it's one of my favorites too. Especially grilled. Mmmm...

KennQ29 said...

i love grilled foods. :)

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