There is no more perfect gift to give to those you love, than the gift of food. This holiday season, try sending a home-made gift basket to those relatives or friends that you haven't seen in some time. Maybe they'll even invite you over to enjoy it with them!

I sent some of my relatives a gift of prime steak, so I am including my favorite home made steak marinade in this blog. Once this steak is grilled or pan-seared and finished in the oven, you won't need any steak sauce before savoring this soft, succulent steak!

Jody's Steak Marinade

1 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce

1 cup good red wine, preferably a Cabernet or Pinot Noir (but anything left over from the night before will work)

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1 Tsp Balsamic Vinegar (white vinegar will work too)

10 cloves minced garlic

1/2 onion chopped (if you have any left over from last night's salad, throw that in)

2 Tbsp Liquid Smoke

1 tsp dried thyme

Mix all of the ingredients together in a glass lasagna pan. (Metal will react with the ingredients, so only use glass or ceramic). Lay defrosted steaks on top of the marinade, then flip them over. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator while the steaks marinade. After two hours, flip the steaks over, and continue marinating for another two hours. (You can marinate the steaks overnight, as well). Grill your steaks as you would and enjoy! The wine and vinegar in the marinade will tenderize the meat and the soy sauce and smoke will add all of the flavor you'll need to complement the steak.

Tip: I use liquid smoke in a lot of dishes. You can find liquid smoke in the aisle with the Worcestershire sauces. I highly recommend this when grilling, and when cooking indoors when you need to add a smokey flavor to your dish.