This is really good, and very zingy. The recipe is from America’s Test Kitchen: 30-Minute Suppers, and it’s another great recipe from that booklet.

I served this with my Macaroni and Cheese, which I’ve tweaked after making it for the cookout and for dinner last night. I might not do that again, it’s kind of a heavy meal to have steak AND mac ‘n cheese. I could eat the pasta as dinner itself, but Adam thinks of it as a side dish and needs something else with it. Next time I make the steak I’ll serve it with some simple orzo or roast potatoes or something. Anyway, the macaroni and cheese page is updated with more photos and some more refined directions. I found this crazy Bacon Cheddar cheese block at Whole Foods this week; cheddar with bits of real cooked bacon dotted throughout.

I used it in the mac ‘n cheese last night, and it was pretty great. I learned 2 other things about my mac ‘n cheese last night: 1) Adam prefers it off the stovetop, not baked and 2) when you completely forget to buy whole milk, you can use a mix of heavy cream (1.5 cups) and 2% milk (2 cups) in a pinch and it gets just as creamy. Oh, I also learned that a full dish (9 x 13 pan makes 10 big side dish portions) of my macaroni and cheese is pretty much the highest calorie thing on earth. Possibly the universe. You really have to plan your day around it, but once in a while it’s so worth it.

Okay, here’s the beef recipe.

Spicy Molasses-Glazed Steak Tips (from 30-Minute Suppers)
Serves: 4 (I halved the beef but made the full amount of sauce and just had extra to drizzle after)

1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1.5 pounds sirloing steak tips, cut into 2″ chunks (I used 3/4 lbs. of sirloin steak and cubed it myself)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Whisk molasses, vinegar, pepper flakes, and 1/4 tsp salt in medium bowl.

Pat steak tips dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Cook meat until it’s browned all over, 6 to 10 minutes (the longer it cooks, the more well-done it gets).

Transfer to a platter and tent with foil.

Add molasses mixture and any accumulated meat juices to the empty skillet and simmer, scraping up any brown bits with a wood spoon, until slightly thickened (3-5 minutes).

Spoon sauce over steak and serve.