BBQ Flank Steak Marinade

• 1/2 cup sherry (cooking sherry is fine)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2-3 cloves crushed garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Montreal steak spice
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. In a glass jar shake together all ingredients.
2. Put 1 or 2 flank steaks in a large zip lock bag and pour marinade into bag. Seal and marinate in fridge 6-12 hours.
3. BBQ until done to your likeness. Some like it rare and others like it well done. Bast as it BBQ's with the marinade.

MENU IDEA

Tonight I will serve this with . .

SMASH POTATOES (see recipe on this blog)

Layered green salad

Fruit salad

Rustic bread

Fresh Strawberry Pie

It's Canada Day tomorrow and we are celebrating tonight with family. What a privilege we have to live in this great country. God has blessed us with much. Lets not forget to thank Him tomorrow.

Raspberry Crunch Bars

I made Raspberry Jam recently and the taste brought back a memory 

of these bars that my mom used to make.  

I've lost her recipe over the years and went hunting to find something similar.

I found a jam bar recipe in an old school cookbook from the 1970's and doctored it up 

to match my mom's delicious Raspberry Crunch Bars.

I tested them out on the guys at our office and they all gave it a huge thumbs up.

They loved the fresh raspberry taste and the crunchy topping.

Base:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk

Topping:

• 1 cup Raspberry Jam or Jelly  (approximate amount)
• 1 beaten egg
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sweetened coconut
• 1 cup crushed cornflakes

1. Prepare base: cut cold butter into flour, baking powder and salt.  
2. Mix egg and milk and vanilla and add to flour mixture, mixing lightly like you would for pie dough.
3. Roll or pat into an 8 inch square pan.
4. Spread raspberry jam over base.
5. Beat sugar, egg and vanilla with melted butter.
6. Add coconut and crushed cornflakes mix with a fork.
7. Spread lightly with a fork over jam.
8. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 25-30 minutes or until topping is golden.
9. Cool and cut into squares.

Tortilla Roll Ups

I got the recipe for these appies from a friend, I tweeked the recipe a little and Ellen took the above photo of the plateful I brought to our MGCC Christmas party.

You could use any tortilla shells, I make mine from scratch - gluten-free.
The advantage of making them from scratch is that I can roll out the tortilla shells in a rectangle shape, rather than the traditional round, so that they roll up better into an even roll.
As soon as I have cooked my tortilla shell I roll it up while it is still warm - treating it like a jelly-roll, unrolling to spread the filling, then re-rolling.  You could also  put the cold tortilla shell into the microwave for a few seconds to soften it for rolling with the filling.

Recipe for the filling ...  and you don't have to be too 'accurate' with the ingredients... the old Mennonite grandmother's saying works here,  "just so it looks/tastes right" !!

• 3/4 cup chopped fine cooked chicken breast
• 1/3 cup fried and crumbled bacon
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/3 cup Ranch dressing
• 1 - 8 oz package of cream cheese (softened to room temperature) 
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 
• salt and pepper (optional) 
• tortilla shells

1. Mix together chicken, bacon, green onions and shredded cheese - set aside 

2. Mix the Ranch dressing into the cream cheese until well blended. 

3. Stir the chicken mixture into the dressing mixture and stir well.  If it looks a little too dry just add 

    a little more Ranch dressing or a little whipping cream or milk. 

4. Spread filling  over a tortilla shell and roll up, slicing into 1 inch rolls. 

**  Since this posted this morning, I have been asked to include my recipe for the tortillas ...
It is as follows ....

Gluten-free Tortillas

• 1 1/3 cup milk 
• 1 tablespoon oil 
• 1 3/4 cups tapioca flour/starch
• 3/4 cup Julie's flour
• 1/4 cup white bean flour 
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
• sweet rice flour (for handling dough) 

**NOTE - you can adjust the two flours - Julie's flour and the white bean) -  as you wish - if you have a favorite GF mix that you use , try that.  Leave out the xanthan gum if your mix has it included. 

1. Pour milk and oil into bowl of mixer
2. Blend dry ingredients well and add all at once to the liquid 
3. Mix on low until blended, then on high for 2 minutes - if it seems liquidy add a little more flour - but it will be much softer than a regular dough ..
4. Turn dough onto working surface dusted with sweet rice flour
5. Knead lightly until dough is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky (It will take less sweet rice flour than you expect) 
6. Form into a roll and cut  into 11 pieces. Cover with a piece of damp toweling (the tapioca flour dries the dough quickly) 
7. Roll each piece into circle (about 9 inch)  - I use a plate to cut around to keep the circles uniform) Add cut-off excess to next ball to be rolled. 
8. For easier handling fold each circle into half and then half again ... and unfold in skillet. 
9. Heat skillet with a small amount of oil ..  I use a piece of paper towelling dipped into oil to 'wipe' skillet ...  I also use a dry towelling piece to wipe out skillet after each torilla to make sure there is no flour remaining that will quickly  burn when I fry my next shell. 
10. Fry each tortilla until it begins to turn golden/then flip to fry other side .
11. Stack on a plate, cool - then store covered in fridge .  Will keep for several days.