Day 345: Proof That I'm Kind of Over It

I'm just 20 days away from wrapping up 365daysofdinner.com and it shows.  For the second time in a week, I forgot to take a picture of my dinner tonight.  Fortunately, we had leftovers that I could capture to help tell the story of this meal.

We had a couple of houseguests leaving late tonight and new ones arrived early in the day so we had a big dinner together.  To satisfy everyone, we grilled up a bunch of different things:  chicken breast, pork tenderloin, and spicy turkey sausage.  I also made a big salad with baby greens, cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, and blanched zucchini that was leftover from the tart I made on Friday. 

Everyone enjoyed the meal, which was of course accompanied by lots of wine and a delicious local SF treat, It's-It ice cream sandwiches.  Friends, good wine, and tasty food.  What more do you need in life??

Day 343: An Oldie, But a Goodie

The recipe for this tart is from the May 2006 issue of Saveur magazine.  I made it several times for dinner parties when the magazine first came out, but then forgot about it.  Tonight we were having some friends over, so I brushed the dust off the issue and made this delicious tart again.

I'll warn you - this recipe isn't difficult, but it takes a long time to pull it together.  But it is so yummy, so it's worth it, especially if you're making it for people who will appreciate it. 

The main course tonight was flank steak (2 lb), marinated for 6 hours in this delicious mixture and then grilled:

1.5T freshly squeezed lime juice

1T olive oil

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1t hot chili paste, like Sambel Oelek

1/2t grated or minced ginger

1/2t honey

Finally, we had some grilled figs, which are a seasonal specialty that I absolutely love.  Fresh figs are lightly coated with olive oil, then seasoned with S&P, and grilled for a couple of minutes over medium-low heat.  Simple, but amazing.

I encourage you to try any or all of these recipes!

Day 326: How to Get Out of Cooking Without Even Trying

Here's a tip.  If you get tired of having to cook and clean up, just cause some serious bodily harm to yourself and your wonderful hubby is bound to step in.  At least that's how it works in my house!

Last night I cut my thumb rather badly while preparing dinner.  24 hours later it's still sore and generally in rough shape so there was no way I could cook tonight.  So, we picked up a couple of NY strip steaks and some two types of orzo salad.  My husband grilled up the steaks with a simple seasoning of S&P and dinner was ready lickety split.

I love to cook and so expect this whole thing to get old kind of fast.  But I think another few days of having dinner cooked for me instead of by me is going to be quite okay.

Day 317: Summer!

Our dinner tonight reflects the summery weather we've had here this weekend.

First of all, we had our first corn on the cob of the season! I saw it at the farm stand and just couldn't resist it.

We also had some yummy roasted asparagus. I cut the stalks into 2 inch pieces and tossed them with some olive oil, S&P, and 2 shallots which I had peeled and cut into sixths. All of this was spread out on a baking sheet and cooked for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

For a colorful pop (and lots of good vitamins and minerals) I made a slaw: half a head each of red and green cabbage (sliced thin), 3 large carrots (shredded), and a large red bell pepper (julienned). The vinaigrette I made was 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/3 cup canola oil, and some cracked black pepper. This was whisked well together and poured over the top of the veggies. I then tossed it all together with my hands. It's ideal to make this several hours before you are going to serve it, to allow the veggies to soften up a little bit and absorb the flavors from the vinaigrette. Just before serving, sprinkle some thinly sliced green onions over the top.

The final element of our dinner, and unfortunately - the most disappointing - was our grilled herb crusted turkey breasts. We had made this very dish for Thanksgiving and it was wonderful but tonight - not so much. It was SO dry!! We think we made the dish the same way we did the first time and the only thing we can think of is that we had a gravy to go with it last time. Maybe the turkey was dry then too and we just didn't notice because of the gravy.

Fortunately for us, our kind guests (my in-laws and a friend) ate every bite and didn't flinch. Not sure if that was out of politeness or because we'd filled them up with so much good wine that they didn't care. In any case, we thank them for their great company!

Day 311: Asparagus & Peas Part 2

A couple of days too late, I was craving red meat tonight.  So, I picked up a strip steak, seasoned it well with S&P and grilled it for 3.5 minutes on each side (for medium temperature meat).

I plated it on top of some leftover asparagus and pea puree from last night and sauteed some broccolini with garlic (2 cloves, minced) and white wine (approx. 3T) for the perfect side dish.

The whole meal took about 15 minutes to make and it was delish!  

Day 276: Farmer's Market Flavor

Anticipating several late nights at the office this week, I cooked up some food yesterday that would lead to some quick and easy dinners.

For tonight, I did the prep for pork tenderloin with kumquat-jalapeno marmalade.  I had been seeing kumquats at the farmer's market recently and was determined to try to cook them.  This recipe was very easy.  I made the marmalade yesterday and then tonight, my husband warmed it up and threw the pork tenderloin on the grill while I made my way home.  Perfect teamwork!

Our sides were steamed asparagus (also fresh from the farmer's market!) and some white bean salad that we purchased this weekend at a lovely little Italian cheese shop in our neighborhood.

Being spontaneous is fun, but during a hectic work week full of long days, nothing beats a flavorful, healthy, quick dinner on the table.  Let's hope the rest of this week goes this smoothly.

Day 263: Hi, Jeanne's Mom!!

We were very fortunate to have a wonderful house guest tonight, my college friend Jeanne.  Like me, she likes to eat healthy.  Lucky for us, we had a nice sunny day today and with the time change, we can use our grill in the daylight!  Woohoo!  And since Jeanne's mom is a loyal follower of this blog, I am dedicating tonight's entry to her!  Hi, Jeanne's mom!

I pounded three boneless chicken breasts so they would cook more quickly.  I placed them in a Ziploc bag with the following marinade:  1/4 cup orange juice, juice of 1/2 a lemon, 5 smashed cloves of garlic, 2 T olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 onion cut into large chunks.

The chicken marinated for about an hour - certainly, it could have stayed longer, but by then it was after 7pm and we were hungry!  As usual, my husband took care of the grilling, cooking the chicken for 18 or 20 minutes.

I made a quinoa salad as a side dish.  See entry #247 for tips on how to steam quinoa.  I mixed the quinoa into the juice and zest of a large lemon, 1 tsp sugar, and 2 T olive oil.  I also added half a bag of frozen spinach (defrosted with all liquid squeezed out), half a diced yellow bell pepper, and about 1/4  cup of toasted pine nuts.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  If it needs a little more bit or saltiness, try sprinkling in some rice vinegar.

A midweek house guest is a joy, especially one that we love so dearly.  The good food was just icing on the cake tonight!

Day 249: Dinner in (Practically) an Instant

Believe it or not, this dinner took about 15 minutes to put together.  And it was healthy.  And tasty!

I purchased some marinated pounded pork tenderloin at a fantastic store in my neighborhood and my husband grilled it up.  Because it had been pounded, it cooked up quickly and because it was already marinated, it was full of flavor.

To go with the pork, I sauteed some zucchini, yellow bell pepper, and mushrooms and mixed them with some leftover quinoa from the other day.  To flavor and season the dish, I ran about 1/4 cup of leftover chimichurri sauce through a fine strainer and mixed the resulting liquid into the quinoa and veggies.  I also added two chopped vine ripened tomatoes for some freshness and additional color.

Before we knew it, dinner was ready!  You've gotta love that on a work night - especially if you work late or want to get to the gym after leaving the office.  The key is having some good staples and leftovers in the house to make things quick and easy so always make extra and be creative about how you use what's left.

Day 243: Guilt Free Beef

Just because you're trying to be healthy, doesn't mean that you can't eat beef.  Prepare it the right way, and it can be a tasty AND good for you.

The first tip is grill, baby, grill.  Grilling adds so much great flavor without adding any extra fat.

Next, make a sauce like chimichurri, from olive oil (good fat) and loads of herbs and spices.  Put all of the following ingredients in a bowl, whisk them together, and drizzle the mixture over your steaks prior to serving.  This recipe is enough for 4-6 steaks.

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you want it spicy)

2 tsp dried oregano

1 cup of chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

The side dish I chose to make with our steaks was roasted bell pepper and cauliflower in lemon caper vinaigrette.  The simple recipe from Epicurious.com takes advantage of fresh vegetables and paired really well with the steak and chimichurri sauce.

If you read last night's entry, you know that we had a barely edible meal.  Tonight I redeemed myself, much to my (and my husband's) relief!!

Day 206: A+ for Plating!

Finally!  Plating that I can really be proud of!  And this dinner was as easy as it is beautiful!

It all started with a ham steak.  These come in packs of three at Costco and just need to be re-heated.  We usually do this on the grill, but have also chopped it up and cooked it in a skillet before adding it to an omelette or a frittata.  These steaks are perfect for work-night dinners as most of the work is done for you.  Plus, they are low in fat and therefore offer a good dose of lean protein.

Our side dish also had a good head start with a roll of polenta that we purchased at Trader Joe's.  For easy preparation, you just slice it up into discs and pan fry them in olive oil or butter.  But as much as I love polenta, I admit that it relies heavily on the flavors infused by other ingredients.  So, I made a delicious tomato-mushroom mixture to go with it.

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil

1 T butter

3 gloves garlic, pressed

1 T fresh thyme leaves

1 dozen large cremini or white button mushrooms

1/4 cup white wine

2 vine ripened tomatoes, chopped

S&P to taste

Heat olive oil and butter in a non-stick pan over medium-low heat.  Once hot, add garlic.

Saute garlic for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add thyme, mushrooms, and white wine and turn heat up to medium-high.  Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms have softened (approx. 5 minutes).

Add tomatoes and S&P and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until tomatoes are softened and mixture is to desired consistency.  Taste to make sure you have the desired amount of S&P.  Remove mixture, separating solids from liquids and set aside.

We added a little more oil to the pan to fry the polenta cakes.  Once they were browned on both sides, I stacked the mushroom & tomato mixture with the polenta cakes in alternating layers, starting and finishing with the mushroom/tomato.  You can then drizzle the stack with the liquid you set aside - if it's thin, consider reheating it and simmering it until it's thickened up.

I was really happy with the visual effect and by the way - it isn't just pretty, but tasty too.  I will definitely make this again next time we entertain.

Day 204: All Hail California Wine Country!

After a full afternoon of wine tasting, I needed a hearty dinner tonight.  I thought about ordering a pizza but after just a couple of seconds, I was able to convince myself to find a healthier option.  We went with a grilled steak and roasted veggies.

I took a head of fennel, chopped off the top, and cut the bulb into wedges.  I did the same with a couple of bulbs of shallot, threw it all into a bowl, and tossed it with enough olive oil to coat and some S&P.  All of this was laid in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and placed in the oven for 10 minutes.  

At that point, I turned the fennel wedges over, added about a pound of haricot vert, mixed everything up, and placed the baking sheet back in the oven for another 10 minutes.  Then, I added about 1.5 cups of defrosted frozen peas and baked everything for another 10 minutes.

The steak was prepared simply - S&P and grilled just long enough for beautiful medium rare meat.

Of course, we had some wine.  I mean, why slow down the momentum of the day?  My husband pulled a bottle of Joseph Phelps 2005 Cabernet out from our wine fridge.  It was a great pairing and a lovely way to top off our day of wine consumption.  All hail California wine country!!

Day 201: Celebrating the Return of LOST!!

Oh, how I have been awaiting this day.  Finally!!  Lost has returned!!

In celebration, I made a Lost inspired dinner:  grilled shrimp skewers with pineapple salsa, sauteed bok choy, and a side of seaweed salad.  I thought this reflected Lost quite nicely - people stranded on a tropical island and the show is filmed in Hawaii.

I marinated peeled and deveined shrimp for 10 minutes in the following mixture:

Juice of 1 large lemon

2 large garlic cloves, smashed

1 T olive oil

1/8 tsp salt

Cracked black pepper to taste

Once marinated, I threaded the shrimp on skewers and my husband grilled them up.

To accompany the shrimp, I made a pineapple salsa:

1 cup chopped fresh pineapple

1/2 jalepeno, seeded, pulp removed, and finely minced

1 shallot, minced

Juice of 1 lime

I also sauteed some bok choy.  First, I heated up some olive oil on low heat.  Once hot, I added 2 minced cloves of garlic and sauteed that for a few minutes.  Then I trimmed the bottom off of 3 heads of baby bok choy, sliced them in half lengthwise, and tossed them in the pan with 2 T of white wine and a generous dose of salt.  I jacked up the heat to medium-high, stirred everything together, and threw a lid on the pan.  Make sure you check it frequently and give it a stir.  If it seems to need more liquid, throw in another splash of wine.  After 5-7 minutes, the leaves should be wilted and the stems should be softened and the bok choy is ready!

The final touch was just a bit of store-bought seaweed salad.  We're still picking it out of our teeth, but it was damn tasty.

Oh yea - and I crushed up some roasted cashews in the food processor and sprinkled them over the whole plate.  They added some more protein and a nice crunch to a plate of otherwise soft food.

This was a very good meal and of course, Lost was awesome.  Maybe I need to be inspired by TV more often!

Day 191: Fennel Killer

I adore fennel - cooked, in salads - doesn't matter.  I always love it.  Tonight I cooked it myself for the first time and I nearly totally killed it - not in good, stand-up routine kind of a way.

I used an Epicurious.com recipe as a starting point but made a couple of changes.  I reduced the oil content dramatically, using only about 2 T to coat the fennel and shallots prior to roasting.  I also left out the haricot verts and added frozen peas instead.  I defrosted them and added them to the baking pan in the last 5 minutes of cooking.  Their sweetness was a perfect compliment to the fennel - but I missed the part of the recipe where it said to mix the veggies every 10 minutes.  I let them cook for a good 20 minutes before I even checked on them and so parts of the fennel were charred, as were most of the shallots.  I picked off the burnt bits and what was left was delicious. 

Our main course was also from Epicurious.com - grilled chipotle stuffed pork tenderloin.  It was fabulous.  The recipe had recommended eating the pork with store bought guacamole, but of course I made it from scratch.

Guacamole:

1 avocado

Juice of 1/2 a lime (or more if required)

1 headping tsp of lowfat sour cream

Normally, I would include a healthy dose of hot sauce as well - but since this was to be eaten with pork that had been liberally rubbed with chipotle peppers, but skipped this step tonight.

I want to give my husband credit for pairing tonight's dinner with the perfect wine:  Heitz 2005 Zinfandel.  It married wonderfully with all of the flavors of the meal.

Tonight is all about healthy cooking and we were off to an excellent start tonight.  Stay tuned for other tasty meals as the week goes on!

PS - Note my brand new food processor - purchased this weekend to replace the one that blew up while I prepared our New Years Eve dessert.  I can't wait to use it!!

Day 184: It's Pronounced KEEN-wah

Quinoa has been all the rage for the past year or two.  This protein packed whole grain is totally up my nutritional alley but oddly enough, I had never given it a taste until tonight.

I get the feeling that quinoa doesn't offer up much flavor of its own but that its tastiness depends on how and with what it is prepared.  Luckily, I found a really good recipe on Epicurious.com and my quinoa dish was infused with lots of yummy fresh lime juice and tossed with black beans and tiny, sweet pear tomatoes.  If you try the recipe yourself, note that I replaced the butter with olive oil and skipped the vegetable oil.  This increased the healthfulness of the dish while not decreasing the delish factor.

Our other side dish was fresh spinach, sauteed in butter with freshly minced oregano and half a sliced shallot.

I mention our main course last because frankly, it wasn't all that.  We had purchased a whole whack of limes recently and I was looking for a way to use them and so I prepared tequila lime chicken.  What saved this recipe was that I soaked the chicken in only half of the marinade and reduced the other half into a sauce that added a ton of extra flavor when drizzled over the dish.

So that was our dinner - the highs and the lows.  And while this is not 365 Days of LUNCH, I do want to mention Michael Chiarello's new restaurant "Bottega" in Yountville.  We had an absolutely lovely and memorable lunch there today.  If you find yourself in wine country, I highly recommend you give it a try for lunch or dinner.

Well, I'm halfway through this blog project now and am looking forward to another 181 days of good food ahead!!

Day 181: Have Hangover. Need Beef.

On a hang over scale of 1-10, 10 being death, I woke up at a 6 today and it was a long, slow recovery.  Days like these call for hearty meals.

I had every intention of making a light and healthy meal for my first 2009 dinner entry.  But I got to the butcher and new knew that fish and chicken wouldn't do.  I needed beef!!

My husband took care of grilling up the NY strip steaks I purchased.  He simply seasoned them with S&P and grilled them to medium rare and they were juicy, tender, and so delicious.  Just what the hang over ordered tonight.

The side dish was roasted brussels sprouts and pancetta with garlic.  The recipe came from Epicurious.com and I found them tasty but not spectacular.  They did the trick, though, and went well with the steak.  I feel better already!!

Day 174: Merry Christmas to All!

If you grew up in a Jewish household in the US, you likely celebrated Christmas just as I always did.  Say it with me now - Chinese food and a movie!

Having married someone who is not Jewish, the Chinese food dinner has been replaced with a gourmet Christmas dinner, usually prepared at home.  But I'm not ready to abandon my idea of a traditional Jewish Christmas and so we switched things up this year and went out for a Chinese food lunch.  Or, I should say, we tried to.  I was saddened to find our local Chinese restaurant closed - especially since we phoned them up yesterday to make sure they'd be open.  And so, no Chinese food for me this year - instead, I had a tuna melt.

Fortunately I had an amazing meal in which to drown my sorrows tonight.  Late in the afternoon, we began with sparking wine, shrimp cocktail, and goat cheese with baked whole grain crackers.

After we had enjoyed that, my husband lit up the grill and began to cook a 4-rib rack of pork - low and slow.  We saw this cut of meat prepared by Guy Fieri on the Food Network a couple of weeks ago and decided to give a try as something special for our Christmas dinner.  The best part?  My husband was more than eager to be in charge of this meal - after all, it involved a huge piece of meat and the grill.  A man's dream!

My husband created a yummy homemade marinade last night and the pork bathed in it for about 20 hours prior to cooking.

Marinade:

3 T honey

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder

1/4 cup whiskey

Prior to putting the meat on the grill, he strained the marinade to avoid burning the garlic, added 3 T olive oil, and used that mixture to baste the pork every 20-30 minutes.  In all, the pork spent nearly 3 hours on the grill until it reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

To accompany the pork, I made a simple side dish of sugar snap peas and shitake mushrooms.  The peas marinated for about an hour in the juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1 T white wine, 1 T olive oil, 1 tsp honey, 2 smashed cloves of garlic, and two shakes of cayenne pepper.  I added the mushrooms to the mix about 15 minutes before I was ready to cook them.

The whole mixture - marinade and all - was sauteed in a heavy saucepan, preheated with about 1 T of olive oil.  As they were cooking I added S&P and cooked everything for 6 or 7 minutes.

All of this was enjoyed tree-side.  Who needs Chinese food.  Merry Christmas to all - and to all a good night!

Day 138: Withdrawal Symptom?

The headache I was suffering from yesterday hung on throughout the day today.  I started thinking that perhaps it was a withdrawal symptom caused by lack of seafood in my diet.  Perhaps my body got used to a daily dose of fish during my Florida vacation.  Hey - I know it's a long shot - but after 37 hours of headache, I was willing to try anything.

I bought a beautiful swordfish steak and prepared it as I always do - simply.  I patted the fish dry with a paper towel, and then sprinkled both sides with salt & pepper, and squeezed about a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and drizzled a little olive oil on each side.  Then, my husband grilled it - feel free to leave a comment regarding the gorgeous grill marks he created.  

To go with the fish, I sauteed bok choy and shitake mushrooms in lemon juice and garlic.  I made this recipe up:

I trimmed the bottom off of 3 bok choys and then sliced them across at approximately 1/2 inch intervals.  Once I got to the leafy part, I just cut the leaves in half and then I submerged all of it in some cold water and swished it around to make sure it all got clean.  Bok choy hides a lot of dirt inside, so you have to really give it a good rinse.

I cut the stems off of about a dozen shitake mushrooms, and then cut the caps into quarters.

I heated some olive oil & a couple of shakes of red pepper flakes in a large saute pan on medium-low heat and then sauteed three cloves of chopped garlic for a couple of minutes until they were soft.  I added the mushrooms, which of course sucked up all of the moisture that was in the pan.  To make sure nothing burned, I added a couple of tablespoons of chicken broth to the pan.  Once the mushrooms had softened up, I added the drained bok choy and cranked the temperature up on the burner to medium-high.  I added the juice of a small lemon, some S&P, mixed everything together, and mixed frequently for the next 10 minutes or so.

For a hot dish, this side was pretty refreshing because of the lemon juice and really complemented the fish.  I drizzled some of the liquid from the pan over the fish and sprinkled lemon zest over the whole dish.  Yum!

Whether or not this is a secret headache cure is yet to be determined.  Tune in tomorrow to find out!

Day 133: Pre-Wedding BBQ

If you have been following along this week, you know that we're in Key West, Florida for the wedding of our friends Jeanne and John. Because it's such a long haul from Northern California, we arrived a few days early to have a little vacation time on our own. Tonight, the wedding festivities began.

We attended tonight's welcome dinner at the Key West Garden Club, a beautiful setting underneath palm trees and surrounded by an enormous variety of flora. We had the place to ourselves tonight and kicked off J&J's wedding weekend with a lowkey BBQ, featuring hamburgers, veggie burgers, salmon burgers, and hotdogs. Off course, there were the usual BBQ accompaniments: potato salad, macaroni salad, pickles, chips, and veggies.

We had a great time in this unique setting and are exciting to attend the main event tomorrow. Come back and see the first every wedding dinner entry on 365daysofdinner.com!

Day 124: Election Week Special Part 3 (Chili Dogs)

Credit for tonight's entry goes to my friend Tom.  As I was getting ready to leave the office tonight, he asked me what I was having for dinner tonight.  This question had actually been plaguing me all afternoon.

If you've been reading the blog this week, you know that I made a big vat of chili on Sunday.  I knew I should either eat that up or stick it in the freezer, but I have a great track record so far off not repeating dinners within the same week, so I was hesitant.  Tom suggested that I make chili dogs - brilliant!!

Believe it or not, I had never actually cooked a hot dog before, so my husband stuck them on the grill.  I know now that I could have just boiled them, but as you know, everything tastes better when grilled!

To stick with this week's All American theme, I probably should have chosen Nathan's Famous Franks.  Do hot dogs get anymore American than that?  However, I went with Hebrew National.  I literally eat about 3 hot dogs a year and I know that HN are tasty - so sorry for not sticking with the program 100%.

We did, however, have some Tillamook Cheddar from Oregon and a nice red wine produced by BV, here in California.  I know - wine and chili dogs?  

Day 113: Saturday Night Feast

99 times out of 100, we go out for dinner on Saturday night (oddly, this is highly provable now that I am into the second hundred days of this blog!).  Tonight, however, I had a strong desire to stay home so we prepared a feast on the grill.

30 days ago, I wrote an entry called "Farewell Fig Season :-(" but tonight we discovered that late season figs (or those that were picked awhile back and somehow stored) are quite good if cooked on the grill.  Just lightly coat them in olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and cook for a few minutes, turning frequently to prevent them from bursting.  We mixed them into a salad with fresh arugula, blue cheese, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

The grill also provided us with yummy steaks and veggies tonight.  We marinated some mushrooms, a red bell pepper, half a large zucchini, and an onion in my favorite bottled salad dressing for a couple of hours.

We also peeled a sweet potato and cut it into wedges which we marinated in olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt, and red pepper flakes for a couple of hours.

The steak marinated for 5 hours in a homemade Chimichurri sauce.  This recipe came from a Williams-Sonoma cookbook called Essentials of Grilling: 

1/4 cup olive oil

2/3 cup sherry vinegar

3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

3 T chopped fresh oregano

6 large cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

3/4 tsp salt

All ingredients were mixed together in a dish just large enough to hold the steaks.  We made one porterhouse and one rib-eye, just to see which was better (I preferred the strip side of the Porterhouse).  The meat should marinate in the fridge and be flipped every hour or so to ensure both sides have a chance to suck up the yummy flavor of the marinade.

Quite a feast indeed!  I'm thinking we should do this more often - like, at least once every 50 days or so!