My friend has had a tough year. One in which a divorce figured prominently. There were days, he told me, that he wouldn’t have even gotten out of bed in the morning—-except for Ricky. Ricky’s urging and obvious need to get out. Then when my friend returned home from work each evening, it was only to collapse on the couch with Ricky close by his side. Comforting him.
Ricky’s thirteen, which is getting up there for a big black hound and when my friend told me Ricky had cancer, I guess I wasn’t that surprised. Or maybe I had been waiting for the other shoe (after the divorce) to drop.
He had to take Ricky to the vet when the cancer got too painful and hold him while the vet put Ricky to sleep.
Food’s not that comforting by itself, but being with friends who care about you is . Especially when they feed you too.
So when I ran in the store that morning, I knew Guy was coming over that night for dinner and I needed something quick and delicious.
London Broil was on sale for $3.99 a lb. Great! Green beans looked fresh and I was able to pick out what I wanted. I got two Russet potatoes, some shiitakes and I was finished.
When my husband and I lived in Huntsville, AL, the local butcher shop carried bottles of this marinade called Dale’s Steak Seasoning. The butcher told me to use it on tenderloin I bought from him and, wow, was it ever good!
I found a bottle in one of the supermarkets here (forgot where) and have been using it sparingly. But I knew this was perfect for the London Broil. This is what the bottle looks like. It’s really salty so don’t marinate stuff for too long. The London Broil was about 1 ½ inches thick and I let it sit in Dale’s for 2 hours only.
Potatoes were scrubbed and baked at 375 degrees and then stuffed with cheddar, sour cream, chives, horseradish and pepper mixed with the insides. 
Beans were trimmed and blanched and then lightly fried in olive oil and sprinkled with red pepper flakes.
Shiitakes were sauteed in butter with a little garlic added at the end and finished with salt and lemon juice.
I grilled the steak rare, let it rest for 20 minutes and then sliced it thinly and piled the slices on a plate.
Last, I made a salad of iceberg with a homemade blue cheese dressing (one of my favorites altho picture is fuzzy).
When Guy got there, we opened a bottle of red wine and sat around the table, eating, talking, laughing and silently toasting Ricky.
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