New Year's Eve

Brett and I have come a long way from our cocktail induced slumber/black out/ dance parties on New Year's Eve in college... or so we thought. Last NYE, Brett was deployed and rang in the new year sleeping in Afghani dirt in sub-zero temperatures eating cold MREs so anything we did this year would have been an improvement. We decided to forgo the lofty bar bill and gather all of our families in our home for a nice meal. Now if you've read my previous blogs then you're probably expecting some variation of chicken and lemons but I decided to make use of the fact that I had very capable grill masters at my disposal in my brother, dad, father-in-law and husband. I also wanted something that could be easily eaten on small plates and carried around the party to play darts, relax on our porch or watch the count down. For cocktails I made a citrus red sangria, mimosas, and assorted wines. I decided on a number of appetizers including a strawberry cheese ball that was to die for, a cheese plate, and chips and salsa; none of which I captured on film. Per usual. For the main course I decided on flank steak with a tomato olive chutney I created which was fabulous. I served it alongside a blue cheese salad and the entire platter was devoured in approximately 5 minutes. I'd say this was quite the hit.
What we'd expected was a rather tame of night of prosecco and sangria toasts with everyone gathered around watching the ball drop. What occurred was significantly more interesting. After our table was cleared of goodies we discovered my sister-in-law's talents of bouncing plastic balls into red solo cups, my brother's ability to mix a mean shot and my dad's unforeseen art of flip cup. Even though our night ended up more frat party then dinner party we had a wonderful time and wonderful meal to welcome 2012.

Marinated Flank Steak with Tomato & Olive Chutney

For the steak:
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup red wine or balsamic vinegar
2 sprigs rosemary
2 tblsp worchestire sauce

2 large flank steaks thoroughly salted and peppered on both sides

For the "chutney":
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
12 - 16 oz kalmata olives, halved
2 tblsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup parsley, rough chopped
Pinch brown sugar
Pinch salt

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a large dish. Thoroughly salt and pepper flank steaks on both sides and add to marinade, turning to coat. Marinade refrigerated ~1-4 hours turning occasionally.
2. Preheat grill to high heat.
3. Grill steaks over high heat for 2 minutes per side to achieve a nice crust on the meat. Turn grill heat down to low and grill for 10-15 more minutes depending on type of steak you prefer. (My family likes well so we grilled for 20 more minutes)
4. Meanwhile in a large skillet melt the butter over low-medium heat. Add minced garlic and saute until soft. Turn heat up to medium and add tomatoes, olives, sugar, and salt. Cook until olives are "crushed," about 7 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in parsley.

To serve, remove steak from grill and let rest for 10 minutes, covered. Slice steak diagonally and spoon on sauce

Serves 8