Steak Sandwich and a Reflection on Leftovers

When I came home from work yesterday, I opened the door and suddenly the unmistakable scent of burning charcoal came drifting towards me.  I followed the scent and found my parents in the front yard grilling up some some steaks and vegetables for dinner.  After a hearty meal complete with some delicious red wine, there was still some steak that remained uneaten. Leftovers are an opportunity to make a completely different dish the next day and still enjoy the deliciousness from the day before.  I love leftovers, and today I decided to make a steak sandwich.  After throwing this into the oven at work for 10 minutes it'll be delicious, crunchy, gooey, chewy goodness.  Really you can make whatever sandwich you want with as much of each ingredient as you want, but this is what I made.

Pan-fried Quinoa Balls

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is an ancient grain that is amazingly versatile and very delicious.  It is gluten-free and rich with protein and also has a fair amount of the essential amino acids.  You can eat it hot or cold, and it can be mixed with just about anything.  Make sure you always rinse your quinoa before cooking otherwise it was have a very bitter taste to it (due to a coating of bitter saponins). Tonight I decided to make it into balls stuffed with cheese and pan-fried.  The result was delicious and also healthy.

Vanilla-Lemongrass Infused Simple Syrup

Basic simple syrup is one of the easiest things in the world to make.   It is a combination of sugar and water (usually in a 1:1 ratio) that allows you to sweeten things without having to worry about trying to dissolve the sugar.   It is a great way to add flavor to drinks especially if you infuse it with other flavors.  Today I decided to make Vanilla-Lemongrass simple syrup.  It has a fruity/floral scent that adds that extra pop of flavor to whatever you choose to use it on.