Grilled Beef Gyros and other flavors of life

This Recipe is compliments of my own Auntie Julie.
GRILLED BEEF GYROS

Marinade
1 Medium Onion Chunked
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Tbs Sugar
1 Tsp Ground Mustard
2 Tsp Fresh Ginger Minced
1 ½ Tsp Ground Black Pepper
½ Tsp Cayenne Pepper
½ Cup Soy Sauce
¼ Cup Water
Blend until smooth in blender or food processor.

Meat
2 Lbs Cubed Lean Sirloin or Round Steak
Mix marinade & meat & marinate for 24 hours.

Cucumber (Tzaziki) Sauce
1 Medium Cucumber Peeled, Seeded & Cut Into Chunks
4 Garlic Cloves
½ Tsp Sale
1/3 Cup Cider Vinegar
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
Blend until smooth in blender or food processor.

Instructions:
Drain meat & skewer on shish kabob skewers.
I add vegetables that will hold up on the grill. Tomatoes & potatoes are risky.
Cook on grill until done.

I use the Cucumber Sauce as a dip for the meat & veggies. You can also stuff pita halves with the meat & add tomatoes & onions & top with the Cucumber Sauce.
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Abbie's variation (because she did not have time to follow the recipe prep exactly):
Buy 1 container of Trader Joe's Tzaziki Sauce (similar to Aunt Julie's but chunkier).
Buy 2 4oz Omaha Sirloin Steaks.
Defrost the Sirloin in bowl of hot water. While it's defrosting, Preheat the George Foreman Grill AND get a small bowl and shake the following spices into the bowl - it's all to taste, no measuring.
-Dried Minced Onion
-Ground Ginger
-Ground Black Pepper
-Cayenne Pepper
-Garlic Powder
Then get the Mustard and Soy Sauce out of the fridge for the next part.
When steaks are mostly defrosted, but still cold to the touch - lay them on a plate or in a flat bowl. Squirt a small amount (maybe a nickel size) Mustard, then soy sauce (use about 2 tblsp) on top the steaks. Massage with your fingertips. Use pressure so that not only will the flavors rub in, but the meat is getting tenderized. Turn steaks over and do the same on the other side.
Sprinkle dried spice mixture (from above) on to the steaks. Massage in the spices. Turn steaks over, repeat.
Put Steaks on George Forman Grill, cook to desired level of done-ness. Unplug Grill.
Place cooked steaks on plate, spoon Tzaziki sauce on side or on top of steaks.
Serves 2.
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I did side salad of spinach leaves and strawberries in balsalmic vinagraitte dressing, and glass of Lodi Zinfandel Wine.
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Enjoy!

How to please your man in 15 minutes

Photo Credit After our trip to NYC, we desperately needed to go shopping for groceries, so I hit Trader Joe's on the way home. As usual, I found some amazing items that weren't on my shopping list, so I treated Matthew to a delicious dinner of Scallop Linguini with Pesto in a garlic butter sauce. He practically licked the pan dry. Here is a rough recipe (I hate measuring anymore, I just cook by sight and tasting:
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1 bag of Trader Joe's Frozen Scallops (roughly $5.99)
1 pkg of Trader Joe's Garlic Basil Linguini Noodles
2 large spoonfuls of Trader Giotti's Basil Pesto (sold in a jar)
1/2 stick (or a thick slice from a brick) of unsalted cream butter
Olive Oil
Chopped Garlic
Dried Basil spice
Garlic Powder
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Instructions al la VSLane: Slowly thaw the scallops in the fridge (it says on the pkg NOT to thaw them at room temp. - and btw this is the only step that WILL take longer than 15 mins. However, once already thawed, the rest of the recipe goes QUICKLY).
Pat the scallops dry with papertowels then put into a plastic container - season with salt (I used Dulse instead of salt), dried basil, garlic powder. Mix gently with spoon.
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In skillet, add generous pour of Olive Oil and spoonful of chopped garlic - heat on low, add seasoned scallops, cook for 4-5 minutes until scallops are opaque (ie: not see-through). Add some of the butter while cooking.
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Meanwhile, in saucepan, boil water, add the linguini, cook for 5-6 minutes, turn off burner, drain water off, but keep linguini in the pan (it's hot and this helps the rest of the recipe work), add the rest of the butter, toss gently as the butter melts, but don't break the noodles. Add pesto, toss gently again.
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Add cooked Scallops to Linguini, toss gently. SERVE immediately before it gets cold.
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VIOLA! you just pleased your man in about 15 minutes (assuming he likes Scallops).