london broil and buttermilk mashed potatoes w/ caramelized onions*

Hey everyone, I'M BACK!! Bet you didn't even know I was gone! I was going to blog last Saturday night, but things got too hectic and I couldn't find any time. I just got back from a cruise late last night!  My husbands mom, dad, 2 brothers, sister and her husband, and Landon and I all went! We had the time of our lives and took the Bahamas by storm! Wanna see some pictures??

Here we are mini golfing on the top of the ship!

Playin some BINGO!

All dressed up for the formal night!

Hanging out in Grand Turk!

And finally, swimming with the dolphins at the Atlantis Resort in Nassau, Bahamas!

We had the BEST time, but we were excited after one long week to come back home and play with our little puppy, Tank, who had to stay back at the puppy hotel.

LOVE my little guy!!

I was really excited because on the last night of the cruise that we went on for our honeymoon they had a big display of different foods and carved fruits and ice sculptures and so many amazing different things, and I was going to take tons and tons of pictures and put it up on my blog! They only give you a schedule of the day to day events the night before, and when we got our schedule Thursday night for Fridays events there wasn't a food display!! I was so mad! Then, for dinner each night we ate in the fancy dining room and all of the food had the best presentation and was so cute, but it was so dark in there my pictures either turned out pitch black, or pure light if I had the flash on. So unfortunately this trip did not have the food picture taking potential I was hoping for :(

Anyway, I am back and better than ever :). Nicely relaxed, tanned, well fed (don't tell my biggest loser team) and ready to get back to work! Tomorrow is Valentine's Day so remember to check back to see what cute dessert we are going to be making for the kidos!!

The week before I left on vacation we made this meal and it was a big hit! Now, I have a confession to make - I don't like meat. Not really anyway. I like chicken...turkey...yep. I can eat an occasional hamburger if it is BBQ'd, not cooked on a flat grill. But really I could live without beef, pork, seafood of any kind (but I do like fried shrimp), and definitely anything out of the norm (buffalo, deer, lamb, duck, etc. etc.). So, to be honest I am not the biggest fan of this meal. The sauce smells AMAZING, but I would rather marinade a chicken breast in it rather than a big piece of steak. However, the mashed potatoes are AWESOME! SO good!! And most people like the steak, too. At least those who like steak :). The marinade has a bazillion ingredients, and one time I didn't have all of them and the sauce still turned out really good. So in my opinion you can sort of pick and choose your ingredients. But if for some reason it doesn't turn out very good, I never said that so don't blame me!

London Broil

adapted from Dixie Regional Medical Center

Yield:  8 - 4 oz. servings

Ingredients

1/2 Tbsp.  ginger root, grated

1 tsp.  garlic, chopped

2 1/2 Tbsp.  rice wine vinegar

1 1/2 Tbsp.  light soy sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp.  ketchup

2 Tbsp.  cilantro

1 Tbsp.  lime juice

1 Tbsp.  brown sugar

1 Tbsp.  hoisin sauce

1 tsp.  sesame oil

2 lbs.  beef flank steak

Directions

Mix all of the ingredients (except steak) together to make a marinade. Pour marinade over flank steak and coat all sides.

Broil marinated flank steak on "broil" until just pink in the middle (however, we have to cook it to well done). Slice at an angle across the grain of the steak.

Now, for the mashed potatoes! These are so yummy!! I don't know what I was thinking because my cook made everything, but I caramelized the onions and didn't even take a picture. Who knows...

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes w/ Caramelized Onions

adapted from Dixie Regional Medical Center

Yield:  6 servings

Ingredients

6  Idaho potatoes, peeled, diced and cooked

1/2  onion, diced

1 pint  buttermilk

1/2 cup  milk

2 Tbsp.  butter

Directions

In a hot frying pan, coat the bottom with oil and throw in onions. Cook on medium heat until they turn brown and start smelling yummy! In the pan of cooked potatoes, place buttermilk, caramelized onions, milk and butter. With an electric mixer, blend all of the ingredients together until it is at your desired consistency (I like mine smooth and creamy). Garnish with chopped parsley.

Now combine the two and throw in a yummy whole wheat roll and you've got yourself one yummy meal!!

ENJOY!! Remember to check back tomorrow for a Valentines goody!

-alyssa*