4-Ingredient Steak Glaze Starring Oyster Sauce

Almost a month. A motherlickin’ month. Where have I been?

First, it was completely out of my hands. After our one week staycation at the beginning of the month and after my 30th birthday, I tried to come back to you on here. But no. On Labor Day my site went down and I didn’t notice for 4 days. 4. What the what? I almost took it as a sign just starting my 30’s. Did it mean give up on this blog after 3 plus years? Was it a welcome to 30 thing? Was it telling me to lose weight? Does whatever/whoever above/around/within enjoy messing with me?

So, skip some moments of cursing and trying to figure out which thing made it do it (plugins not playing nicely together, a widget, server update, etc.). Not a clue this time. In the process of trying to pinpoint the problem, my bro-in-law mentioned that he is no longer going to host because his servicer is doing something funky and ridiculous with the server. He’s been a saint to do it for free and put up with my issues. Thanks, Ted!

This began the switch from registering this domain with another company from Go Daddy (whom I’ve grown to dislike) so that both my sites could be registered under one company. Then transitioning to a new host for both of my sites. Just making it easier.

Well, the other company (which is a reputable/highly rated place) took weeks to get the transfer through when it was to take a few days according to them. The Dabble was still up but I couldn’t log-in to my dashboard to post, approve, respond or change anything. Wunderbar. (Wonderful.)

That puts us up to 3 weeks since going down, life has been happening and I’ve been unable to share on the Dabble although my other blog, the Wits, has been fine and dandy. If you’d like to know, visit this link because after all this probably boring-to-you info I am not about to sum up a month in the life of Annie. It’s thrilling, a page-turner, not to be missed…would say my mom.

In the process of all this, without much if any help from that domain registering company, the computer began performing horrendously slow and downright weird. It’s never been great. I know I was mega-excited about getting this one and people love their macs (and I loved my past Apple) but since we bought this one it’s been nothing but headaches.

We got a dud. It’s not me. I swear. Even though pretty much every computer we get somehow doesn’t function as swell when it finds out it will be my daily workhorse. (“Oh her, Annie (disgruntled/disappointed noises), why me?~computer). I’m fairly savvy so I’ve credited it to my luck. The last laptop started doing pretty well after a warm up period then our puppy knocked a glass of wine on it and killed the thing which is why we even switched back to an Apple.

This mac has been tested and labeled “something off.” Just last night we couldn’t take some of the new off-putting things it was doing and called support. I don’t know what they fixed exactly but whatever it was made it so that Safari would work. It used to crash when you tried to open the browser…after we took it to the Apple store for repairs of my iphoto. Hmmm. I’ve used Chrome for a while but it’s not functioning very well any longer.

Get this though. Safari now works and my WordPress dashboard now works-not on Chrome still-so that’s why I can write you guys. (Hey you guys…you’re right, someone did watch the Goonies recently.) And you’re lucky enough to be welcomed back with a drawn-out explanation of my absence. Just what you wanted. As I was saying…

Being not pleased to any degree -who doesn’t have phone support on the weekends and even when you call during the phone support hours you get to leave a message and no one gets back to you or responds to your emails and why do techs close or “deem” something solved when they haven’t answered your email then send out a survey but don’t follow up when you say you had bad service…for weeks, at least 4 incidences)-with the service of my domain registering company (I was going to use them to host as well), I’ve been looking for a new host. Think we’re going with Amazon. Phew. A mess. It’s about to get deeper in muck with this host transfer. If I’m gone again for more than a week bet your sweet bippy it’s due to these issues.

At least the computer will allow me to get some work done without having the spinning pinwheel of death. The day is still young (I write these in the morning).

Soooo, how’ve ya been? How’s the family? Let’s chat about food finally. I’m gonna hand it to you straight. This is good. You should make. Ug. Guttural responses. Cook now. Grill while you still can. I’m speaking to my fellow Midwesterners there. Anyone else with weather of the glorious variety-warm and not expecting snow in a month-make this whenever you want. It’s simple. It’s amazing. Changed my life.

Mostly because it uses oyster sauce and I’m all about that sauce. Sweet, salty, smoky and when you grill something with it, in a glaze or marinade, the sauce caramelizes making a beautiful thing and flavor. With balsamic vinegar that is. I wouldn’t recommend a substitute for either. Look in the ‘ethnic aisle’ of the grocery store for the oyster sauce. Again to my smaller town, Midwestern friends cause I know how difficult it is to find certain ingredients. I can’t find white miso paste right now and I really want to use the stuff. For the last 4 years I couldn’t find flank or skirt steak or something comparative to those cuts in southern Minnesota. When we watch a cooking show and they say go to your local butcher, I make Greg hold me back. Fightin’ words.

We marinated this mix on 1 1/2lbs. of flank steak (skirt works too) and grilled until the steak was just medium rare at best. Bits of juicy with crispy goodness outside. With what we didn’t just pick up and chow down on, after tenting and waiting for the steak to rest at least 10 minutes, we tossed atop a spicy Caesar salad with blue cheese. You’re going to love this part-4 ingredients (you probably have most in the kitchen) make up this marinade.

My heart grew fonder during my absence. Let’s never part again (cue something to stop working). We should move in together. Scared you, didn’t I? Reminded you of that one clinger of a partner you broke up with? But seriously, I missed it here.

4-Ingredient Steak Glaze starring Oyster Sauce adapted from Gourmet
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
1/4 cup oyster sauce
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp grainy mustard ( I had Spicy brown only)
1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes (or some garlic chili sauce)- to your chosen level of spiciness
1 1/2 lbs. flank steak (or skirt steak)

Stir the oyster sauce, vinegar, mustard and pepper flakes together. Add this marinade to your steak and marinate for 4 hours (overnight or somewhere in-between works too). When ready to cook, prepare your grill for direct cooking to medium-high heat. Oil the grates. Add the steak with some marinade attached and cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning over once, perhaps brushing any leftover marinade on to glaze. Cook time will vary with your grill and heat so keep in mind how you like your steak and that flank is best around medium rare (hint of red and pink inside). Let the steak rest for about 10 minutes on a cutting board, with aluminum foil tented over it, then slice across the grain and serve.