Inside My Mid-life Crisis

I can't believe it is August already! The summer is flying by. Here is a recent grilling adventure; super easy and fast and ingredients most will have at the ready.

1 lb sirloin tip or round steak (great use for these less expensive cuts)
2T Olive Oil
3T Red Wine Vinegar
1 clove garlic-minced
1t fresh rosemary (use less if not fresh) finely chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cut the meat into 1 inch squares (tip-Cutting meat when still partially frozen yields more even cuts)
Place meat in zip bag or plastic container with lid, add other ingredients- toss to coat. Marinate in fridge at least 2 hours--4 is even better. Don't freak out if the meat turns a little brown on the edges during a longer marinade--the vinegar is "cooking" the meat--won't hurt a thing.

After marinading for 2-4 hours, skewer the meat shish-ka-bob style. If you want to add some veggies, skewer away! (tip-skewer meat and veggies separately as they cook for different times-this way you don't get mushy peppers waiting for the meat to get done). Grill Away!

We have a new favorite way to enjoy Walla Walla Sweets. these came out of our garden and since they were smallish and oblongish I cut them "longways". If you buy nice round fatties at the market, cut them into 1 inch slices the other way.
Spray the top/cut side with spray olive oil, seasoning as desired; I like garlic salt and pepper and/or Cajun but try any of your fav's--don't be scared!
These were longways cuts and placed on the grill cut side down- I would season both sides if I had "rounds" cut. You want the sugars in the onion to caramelize so start these off med heat to get them going. You do want a bit of char on them too...Every grill is different so you will have to experiment with time and temps. Yum check out the grill marks!

As for Wine Corner I have 2 from my wine club at Steppe Cellars; a red and a white.

2008 Steppe Cellars Syrah from the Stone Tree Vineyard-Wahluke Slope AVA WA.
This one showed purple-black in the glass (and on the tongue) and the aroma led with spice and black cherry. Taste was traditional Syrah peppery-spicy with a nice long finish, nice balance not to acidic. Very much enjoyed and around $25 bucks a bottle.

2008 Steppe Cellars Riesling--Rattlesnake Hills AVA WA
This one was a light straw yellow with an almost tropical nose. I found it to be medium sweet apple-pear-pineapple. It was a good way to offset my rich and spicy Verde-Blanco Crab Enchiladas.
* Note--Steppe does a DRY Riesling that is much more to my liking but this one was good too and around $18 a bottle!