Here's a simple, yet effective one by James Beard: 1/2 C burgundy wine 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/2 tsp. each rosemary and thyme 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. black pepper The primary function of oil is to facilitate the co-mingling of disparate flavors so as to become homogeneous. You can reduce the oil here by half if you want, but I would also cut the Worcestershire by half if you do. Or, you can try this. It's not a wine marinade but is it *really* good. The meat gets really tender but the flavors remain subtle, at least to my palate. 1 tsp. lemon zest 1/2 C lemon juice 1/3 C canola oil 2 Tbsp. sliced scallions w/tops 1 clove garlic, minced 4 tsp. sugar 1-1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. Worcestershire 1 tsp. prepared mustard 1/8 tsp. pepper courtesy Omaha Steaks Delish! B

I'll admit to making my own salad dressing, because I don't actually like most of the bottled ones (exception being Trader Joe's champagne pear vinaigrette, which I keep for grab and goes), but I buy a lot of jarred sauces, condiments and the like. I don't have the space to store whole canning runs of different flavors of things, nor the desire to do them. I will whip up something from scratch if I have a specific flavor in mind, but just for goop for roasting it's not really worth my bother. I get much more variety, plus ease of use, buying high quality bottles. But part of that is having a great variety of very high quality, chemical free, sauces available to me. Many of our members live where such riches aren't available, or their food budgets don't allow. My guilty pleasure is Trader Joe's enchilada sauce. I make perfectly good enchilada sauce, but TJ's tastes right, is the right amount for one tray of enchiladas (though it's a standard bottle--just a good match with my dish), and is so amazingly convenient. I always have tortillas and some kind of cheese, and with the bottled sauce, random, mismatched leftovers can become a quick, delicious dinner. Please don't be put off into thinking you have to make your own, just because you can. If you want to, do it! But if you're going camping, factory sealed bottles are much easier to pack. Just be careful with changes of altitude. If you're going over mountains, you might want to loosen the tops (losing that sealed advantage), so the pressure change doesn't do something bad.

This one has the marinade and the recipe for the shrimp. Spicy Buffalo Grilled Shrimp Can be made into kabobs also 3Tbs Hooters wing sauce (hot) 1Tbs Vinegar white 1Tbs Frenchs mustard 1tsp jar type minced Garlic 1 sprig finely chopped fresh parsley 1Tbs wishbone carb options olive oil vinaigrette dressing A sprinkle of lemon pepper (to taste) 1lb fresh peeled and deviened shrimp (nice big ones) 1carton fresh mushrooms cleaned *Optional ingredients if making kabobs Chunks of zucchini, onion, yellow squash, small whole tomatoes (cherry) Or veggies of your choice. Mix the first 7 ingredients in a big zip lock bag. Mix it up well. Add the shrimp and coat well in the bag. Put in fridge for 1/2 hour. Then add mushrooms and other veggies to the bag and mix up well. Put in fridge for additional 15 mins or so. If doing kabobs skewer ingredients out of the bag If grilling only shrimp and mushrooms put in grilling basket or some type of grilling pan. Put on grill and baste occasionally with remaining marinade. Cook until shrimp are pink and done and veggies are tender. About 20-25 minutes depending on size of shrimp. If doing kabobs turn during cooking. Basket cooking stir or shake during cooking. This can be done in a large wok style no stick pan on the stovetop also if grilling is not an option. Just saute and cook till shrimp are done and veggies are tender. Or put the kabobs on a broiler pan in the oven set at 350 turning during cooking till done. Serve over a plate of fresh baby spinach leaves with a sprinkle of blue cheese crumbles. (If desired) Serves about 4 or 2 real hungry Cajuns!

Bisteces Rancheros Flank or Shoulder Steaks Braised with Tomatoes, Potatoes & Poblano Peppers From "All About Braising" by Molly Stevens serves 4 to 6 2 mdm poblanos (about 8 oz) 2 lbs Flank steaks Or thin-cut chuck or shoulder Coarse salt and pepper 4 tbsp olive oil 2 mdm white onions 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted/ground 1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted/grounds 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, with juice 1 lb small red or white potatoes 2 tbsp red wine vinegar Heat oven to 325 degrees Roast peppers - directly on gas burner until charred, about 8 minutes) Transfer to a mdm bowl, cover. Peel peppers - When peppers are cool enough, slip off the charred skin with your fingers. Slice the peeled peppers open, cut away stems, remove seeds. Cut into 1/4" strips. Set aside. Prep steaks - Lay steak flat on a large cutting surface. With a large knife, cut the steak crosswise into 8 to 10 thin slices, holding the knife at a very steep angle so you are cutting more horizontally than downward. The steaks should be about 1/4" thick, 3" wide, and a long as the flank steak was wide (about 6 inches). Brown steaks - Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet over mdm high heat until it shimmers. Add 1/2 the steaks and cook, turning once with tongs, until they develop a ruddy brown exterior, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the steaks to a large cazuela or shallow, 3 quart, baking dish. Brown the second batch. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan before adding the steaks. Remove browned steaks to the shallow baking dish Aromatics and braising liquid - When the steaks are browned, pour oil out of the pan. If the skillet is blackened, clean before continuing, but if there is just a chocolate-brown crust of drippings, continue with the skillet as is. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and heat over mdm-high heat. Add onions, season with salt and pepper, stir and saute until limp and beginning to brown in spots, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook for another minute. Pour juice from tomato can into the skillet. Then break up whole tomatoes with your hands and drop them into the skillet. Season with salt and pepper, stir and simmer the juices to thicken them a bit, about 4 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Braise - Slice the potatoes into 1/8" thick rounds, and layer them over the steaks. Stir the vinegar into the tomato sauce and spoon it over the potatoes. Top with the strips of peppers. Cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty foil and slice it onto the middle oven rack. Braise until steaks and potatoes are fork-tender, but not falling apart, about 1 hour. The finish - Remove the foil, increase oven temp to 375 degrees, and braise until tomato sauce is brown and crusty around the edges, another 20 to 25 minutes. Serving - Carry the dish to the table with thick pot holders, and use a large serving spoon to serve. Enjoy. Ann H.