Grilled Triptip

Marinade:

4 T of Worchester Sauce
2 T of Red wine vineger
2 T Ground mustard
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Beef Bouillon granules
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Ground cumin

 Mix up the marinade.  It makes sort of a liquid mud type concoction.  Get messy.  Pour it and rub it on your meat.  You should cover that baby like the naked piece of meat it is.  Pour the rest over the triptip.  Put it in a bag or otherwise sealable container and pop it in the fridge.

Let it marinate for at least 6 hours (I prefer letting it sit overnight before grilling)


When you are ready to cook it up, let it sit out for an hour at room temperature. 
Preheat your grill to about 300 degrees farenheit.
Sprinkle both sides of the tritip with Montreal seasoning. Put it on the grill over indirect heat, you wouldn't want to burn it.


Grill over indirect heat for 30 minutes.  Flip and grill another 15 minutes.

 

Now for the best part: EAT IT UP!!
 

Tender Mercies

19 years ago today my baby brother Tanner was born.  It was an exciting time.  I remember his bith the most out of my siblings because I was so much older than him.  We shared a room.  When he'd cry during church I'd take him out in the hall and hold him until he fell asleep in my arms.  He didn't learn to say a lot before he died but he did start calling me Titan.  I didn't correct him.  I'd lay in bed reading, he'd come in, climb up on my bed, bound up and down on my stomach and then leave.  Five minutes later he'd do it again.

Earlier this month I visited a Phoenix area hospital.  My sister-in-law was pregnant at the time with my newest nephew.  There were complications so she was on bed-red and under the watchful care of specialized doctors.  My little miracle of a nephew, Caleb, was born not too long ago. 

As I stood in the hospital my mom mentioned that it was the same hospital, possibly the same floor where Tanner had died.  It brought back the memory of it.  I never doubted that God had the power to save Tanner from death.  I prayed for the faith to accept His will.  Perhaps for the first time, without saying the words, my prayer fell along the lines of "Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief."

I remembered, and my mom mentioned this so perhaps the Spirit was working similar thoughts on both of us.  I remembered how for my Eagle Scout project I helped organize a gymn full of people and together we made hundreds of quilts.  Those quilts went to provide some measure of comfort to grieving families struggling as they watched their sick little ones fight for their lives.  I didn't make the delivery but in a beautiful tender mercy, there in that place of life and death, I felt the grattitude of those families and of the little children that God had called home.

During that trip I learned from my younger brother Dustin the "rest of the story" about a family I had home taught.  My companion was in the bishopric and we spent hours every month talking and teaching this family.  They were awesome.  I learned so much from them.  That sister is part of the reason why I love traveling.  The rest of the story: the son, who was a few years younger than me, served an honorable mission.  He was sealed in the temple and was still good friends with Dustin.  Somehow I had played a small role in that.

There was a family I hometaught.  I didn't really visit them for very long in the grand scheme of things but I sure love them.  I will always feel a strong connection with them.  It has now been years since we moved out of that congregation.  Yet my wife recently received a facebook message from our friend.  Their children still talk about some of the things I shared while I visited with them. 

There are eternal bonds of friendship that are formed through shared sacrifice, spiritual experience and Christlike love.  God teaches us that the same relationships we form in this life continue with us after death and our resurrection.  In many ways, I can't wait for that joyous reunion when time and distance no longer seperate me from my loved ones.

I remember two singular moments growing up.  One, when I was a Freshman in High School, the homecoming king, captain of the football team and all around awesome guy made me feel like I belonged.  He went out of his way, he remembered my name and he brought me in.  The other, another older teen I looked up to treated me like an equal, like I mattered, like I was important.  Those small moments were such tender mercies to me.  I have tried to pattern my life after their example.  I have tried to see the good in others, even when it took a while to spot it.  I am not perfect, far from it.  Yet I declare without hesitation that there is so much that is good and right and beautiful in this world.

I declare with Nephi, with Elder Bednar and with many others, that the tender mercies of the Lord truly are over all those whom He has chosen through their faith. 

I learned a beautiful lesson.  The day after my 17th birthday I prayed and asked to say goodbye to my brother.  I felt I had never gotten the chance.  The answer was no.  I learned a powerful lesson that day and the Spirit has seared it upon my soul.  Families are forever.  Have no fear, don't you cry.  No need to say goodbye.  Don't you know the ones you love will always be nearby.

I share with you my knowledge the God lives.  Jesus is the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world.  If we will look to God, we will live.  I know this because the Spirit has whispered to my soul of its truthfulness. 

I pray that whoever reads this may find the faith to allow God to bless their lives forever.

SOOC Photos: Snow and Train

The world seems so much more peaceful when it snows.  Stay away from the chaos on the roads and there is something so comforting about a soft snowfall. 

When I took these pictures it was 10:30 at night.  I was waiting to catch the commuter train to work.  I love how there is so much light even late at night, all thanks to the snow.

I love the contrast between this picture and the previous.  Here I focused on the 1st lamp.  In the previous I focused on the snow covered walkway. 

Chicken or Paneer Tikka Masala Recipe

Making This recipe was a lot easier than I thought it would be.  Don't let all the spices fool you into thinking this is hard.  If you can melt butter and dump in ingredients, you can make the sauce.  With the paneer, just be patient.  If you try it out and recommend any adjustments let me know.  Sorry I didn't take any pics of the finished product.  I ate it before thinking about it.  I tweeked slighlty recipes from Food network and Mattawamum's blog  They looked good but I thought they needed slight adjustments.  I thought it turned out really well.  I bought Lamba Tikka Masala from my favorite Indian restaurant and I thought it was pretty comparable.  The restaurant's tasted like it had a little bit of beef stock in it.  That could be from the lamb though.  I'm definitely making this one A LOT.

Let me know what you think if you try it.  My only complaint is that the first time I made it I didn't double or triple the recipe.  It is seriously so good.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Lbs chicken tenders, chopped into bite size pieces

(Marinade)
1 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp red pepper (I use less when cooking for my low-heat tolerante loved-ones)
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger

(Paneer)
8 cups whole milk
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tsp salt (more or less to taste)

(Sauce)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, minced
2 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (add more for more “heat”)
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1 c heavy whipping cream

(Garnish)
Cilantro to taste

Chicken
- Cut the chicken bite size.
- Mix all the marinade ingredients in a dish, add chicken.
- Coat the chicken.
- Let marinade in the fridge (at least 30 minutes, no longer than 24 hours)
- Stovetop: Add 1tblsp olive oil (uh oh, extra ingredient, can you handle it?) to a skillet with high sides. Heat the oil, add the chicken. Try not to add all the marinade. Cook on med-high for about 8 mins.
  - Grill: Use a grill plate with small slats so smaller pieces of chicken don’t fall through. (I haven’t tried this method yet. Though my guess: 3 mins each side on med-high)

Sauce

- Measure all your spices into a bowl (so you can dump them in all at once)
- Open up your can of tomato sauce
- Melt the butter over medium heat

- Add garlic and jalapeño and cook for 1 minute.
- Dump in the spices. Stir. (it should look pasty)

- Enjoy the amazing smell (seriously, if you don’t, why are you cooking?)

- Add tomato sauce. Stir and cook on medium for 15 minutes. It should be thick when you’re done

- Add in the cream: 1 cup is the standard. You can add more to dilute the heat (you pansy).

Paneer

- Line a large colandar with cheese cloth (I bought mine at Wal-Mart in the fabric section.  I ignored the weird looks I got going up and down the fabric/craft aisles) Then end goal is to dump cheese curds in this thing and twist and tie it off so make sure you leave enough cloth to make tying easy.

- Boil the whole milk in a non stick pot (because it will stick) over medium heat.  It takes a while for it to get all foamy.  That foam is what you want.

- Add the 1/4 cup of lemon juice.  It will almost immediately seperate into curds and whey.

- Turn down heat to simmer/low
- Stir, trying to clump the curd together

- Pour out the curds. 

- Rinse with water (It is bathed in lemon juice after all)
- Squeeze the water out

- Add salt and mix (seriously please salt to taste.  The first time I made it I didn't add salt.  It tasted like milk.  Only more bland)
- Wrap tightly in the cheesecloth and try to squeeze out even more water. 

- Tie it and hang it over your sink and leave for 15 mins.  Hopefully it will drain some more
- Give it another squeeze to try and get out any more moisture

- shape into a flat wheel with the knot/twist on the side, lay on a plate, put another weighted plate ontop and let it sit in your fridge for 20+ mins