The Fun Continues…and Marinated Tri Tip

Mountain Village, accessible by gondola from Telluride. Our home base. See the airport in the distance?

Where I have I been, you might have wondered.  On one hand, I feel like I’ve missed so much–blogging has become such a big part of my life over the last year that I’ve found myself immersed in some aspect of it everyday.  On the other, the last few weeks have been so fun that each day I was away from it I felt less and less guilty for my break from the blog.  I had to ponder this for a moment before sharing with you.  I hope this doesn’t make me a bad blogger; I think it was time to unwind and let go–just for a bit–of my competitive tendencies about blog stats and minimum number of posts per week.  Besides, I haven’t cooked for a few weeks.  This is perhaps the most practical reason for my absence.

I’m happy to say, however, that I missed my interaction with my readers and the blogging community.  My cooking mojo has also returned in the last couple of days so I’m once again excited to jump into blogging which I enjoy so much!

My last post left you with some highlights from Sun Valley, Idaho.  A few days after returning from that trip, my husband and I flew to Telluride, Colorado for an annual visit with another set of good friends.  We’ve been visiting nearly every year, this, one of my favorite places in the world, for almost 10 years.  The mountains surrounding the towns of Telluride and Mountain Village are beautiful beyond words.  I’ve been fortunate to visit many beautiful places but Telluride takes my breath away each time I visit.  The airport sits at over 9000 feet, it takes a couple of days to get acclimated to the altitude but the time spent there is always well worth it.  There’s no shortage of summer activities to participate in–summer jazz concerts, film festivals, river rafting, mountain biking, rock climbing, jeep tours, hiking–there is truly something for everyone.  And have I mentioned the views? It’s worth a visit just for this.  Here are just a few images from my phone to show you what I mean.

I might have over 100 photos of this scene alone and my phone camera does not do it justice. From the center of town, the mountain and the waterfall are truly awe inspiring.

Yes, this is me rock climbing. Love it!

Since returning home a week ago, my time has been spent trying to return to my normal routine (including catching up at work) but I haven’t had much time in the kitchen.  From mountain activities to a coastal excursion, this past Sunday was spent mountain biking along one of my favorite spots closer to home, the ocean.

That's the husband in red, always ahead of me. I love this image.

In short, I’m back and more excited to blog than ever.  A couple more adventures are in store before we see the end of summer but I promise not to be absent so long.  To seal this promise, here’s a plate of tri tips that I prepared when my family came to visit a few weeks ago.  I threw together some of my favorite spices to create a loose paste and marinated overnight.  The pieces were grilled to tender, flavorful (near) perfection the next day.  I’m no grilling expert; I left the meat on the grill about 3-4 minutes longer than I should have (distractions) but you don’t have to make this same mistake.  I was also experimenting so my proportions below are approximate.  You can’t go wrong, though.  There’s plenty left of summer to try this marinated tri tip.

Marinated Tri Tip

* Approximate measurements only. Adjust according to your preferences

• 4 tri tip pieces
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons sumac
• 2-3 tablespoons onion flakes
• 2-3 tablespoons granulated garlic (or use a few cloves fresh garlic, minced)
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup no-salt seasoning blend
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• cayenne powder, to taste
• 2-3 tablespoons paprika
• 1-2 tablespoons kosher salt
• Several grinds black pepper
• 1/4 cup sugar

Combine all the seasoning ingredients to form a paste. This will be a bit runny.  Adjust seasonings by adding or omitting according to the flavors you prefer.  Put the trip pieces in a resealable bag and divide the marinade evenly.  Toss to ensure even coating.  Marinate overnight in the refrigerator or even for just a few hours.  Grill to preferred doneness.