And if you do not have an outdoor grill or cannot grill outside, this recipe just might work for you:

Onion Chuck Steak
1 1/2 pound boneless chuck steak or London broil
2 envelopes Lipton's Onion soup
1 2 1/2-oz. jar sliced mushrooms, drained


Preheat over to 375 (F).  Place meat on foil in shallow baking pan.  Sprinkle both sides with the Liptons Onion soup; top with mushrooms.  Wrap loosely, sealing airtight with aluminum foil, double fold.  Bake one hour.  Makes about 4 servings.


Serve it with banked potatoes and broiled tomato slices.

Here is a simple yet delicious recipe that I used to make all the time when I had an outdoor grill (Weber Kettle):

Marinated London Broil 


2 1/2 to 3 pound London broil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 to 3/4 cup your favorite Italian dressing (not creamy)


Combine the soy sauce, the brown sugar, and the Italian dressing.  In a large baking dish, place meat...and cover with the dressing mixture.  Marinate a minimum of 3 hours, turning occasionally.  You can prepare this the night before your barbecue and let it marinate overnight.


Broil steak over hot charcoal to desired doneness.


Makes about 6 servings

As the temp passed 90 (F) here in SF, all thoughts regarding food turn to ideas of those things that are cool and refreshing.  The first thought that comes to mind is a Pina Colada...but that is not quite a food.  Although one could argue that it is!

Here is a more practical and less intoxicating idea:

Dilly Avocado Soup

• 1 avocado, halved, peeled and cut into chunks (about one cup firmly packed). The pit preserved.
• 2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock
• 2 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch lengths (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 tablespoon finely cut fresh dill, or 1/2 teaspoon dried dillweed
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dill sprigs for garnish (optional)

Put the avocado chunks, yogurt, stock, scallions, cut dill or dillweed, mustard and salt in a blender or food processor and puree the mixture until it is completely smooth.  Transfer the soup to a non-reactive container (include the avocado pit if you like) and tightly cover the container.  Chill the soup in the fridge for at least one hour.
Makes about 6 servings.  Garnish each serving with a small sprig of dill.
(Leaving the avocado pit in the soup while it is chilling will keep the avocado from darkening.  Remove pit before serving)

Ingredients:


6 slices day-old bread, broken into small pieces
4 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1/2 cup glazed pecans
1/2 cup shredded coconut
5 eggs beaten
2 cups milk
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 (F)
2. Layer 1/2 of bread in bottom of buttered 8-inch square baking dish.  Sprinkle on top of this layer 1/2 of the raisins, cranberries, pecans and coconut.  Drizzle with one-half the melted butter.
3. Repeat with the final half of the ingredients in #2 above.
4. In medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.  Beat until well blended.  Pour over bread mixture and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up egg mixture.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched.

Enjoy!

To the left is a picture of the pan you will need in order to make this recipe.  You can find them easily enough...mostly at high end cooking stores such as William's Sonoma.

These little ball-like (about the size of a small baseball) pancakes are truly delicious.  It takes a few tries to learn how to flip them...but hey...if I can do it so can you.

Here is the traditional recipe:

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, separated
1 tsp. baking soda.

Mix flour, salt and sugar.  Beat together buttermilk and egg yolks, and add the flour mixture.  Add baking soda and fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.  Heat pan and put melted butter in each hole in pan.  Pour batter into holes, but do not quite fill them.  Place over low heat and turn quickly when half done.  Serve very hot sprinkled with powdered sugar:  jelly, applesauce, or syrup.

Now if you are really adventurous...this recipe is a tad more complicated but also a tad more delicious:

Blueberry-Filled Ebelskiver

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Zest of 1/2 lemon
3 egg yolks plus 5 egg whites
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 pint blueberries
Confectioner's (powdered) sugar for dusting

In a batter pitcher or bowl, whisk together the flour, egg yolks, baking soda, baking powder, granulated sugar, salt and lemon zest.

In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry peaks form.  Using a rubber spatula, gently stir the whites into the batter in two additions.

Put 1/2 tsp. butter in each well of the Ebelskiver pan.  Place over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble.  Pour 1 tablespoon batter into each well, place 4 blueberries in the center of the batter and top with 1 tablespoon of batter.  Cook until bottoms are golden brown and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes.  Using 2 wooden skewers (tines of a large fork), turn the pancakes over and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes more.  Transfer to a plate.  Repeat with remaining batter and blueberries.

Dust the pancakes with confectioner's sugar and serve warm.  Makes about 30.