Category Archives: Salad

May 08 6 comments
Main Dish, Quick, Recipes, Salad, Seafood, Spring, Summer, Vegetable, Winter

Moroccan-Spiced Tuna Salad

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Tuna salad is one of my go-to meals for when I’m short on time. We are on day 12 of our porch project (almost done, though!) and delicious meals that can be made in a hurry are a must. When I want classic tuna salad, I mix in lemon juice, parsley, onion, capers and mayo, but last summer I came across Kimberley’s Moroccan-spiced chicken salad and it inspired me to create my own version. I’ve been making this ever since.

The savory and sweet spices mixed with the plump raisins make this tuna salad special. It’s a snap to throw together, but tastes like a salad you would buy for a premium at a fancy deli. I add a bunch of Thompson raisins because I think they complement the spices amazingly well, but feel free to omit them if you don’t care for them or add a smaller amount and adjust from there. Make it your own! I like to make a big batch, because it tastes even better the next day for lunch.

P.S. That picture was taken on the railing of our old porch. The paint was getting chalky and flaking away. Updated pictures coming soon!

Recipe: Moroccan-Spiced Tuna Salad

Inspired by The Year in Food

Makes about 8 sandwiches

4 cans of tuna in olive oil or water (5 oz. cans)

3/4 C. mayonnaise or Greek yogurt

3 ribs of celery, finely diced

1/2 of a medium onion, finely diced

1 1/2 C. raisins

1 small lemon or 1/2 of a large lemon, juiced

1 t. ground cumin

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. chipotle chili powder (or ancho chili powder plus 1/8 t. cayenne for heat)

1 t. paprika

sliced bread

lettuce

1. In a large bowl, mix drained tuna and all other ingredients together with a fork. Refrigerate and allow flavors to come together or enjoy right away.

2. Scoop onto your favorite, lightly toasted bread. Top with lettuce, if you wish.

Apr 03 8 comments
Pasta Entree, Quick, Recipes, Salad, Side Dish, Spring, Vegan, Vegetarian

Radicchio and Spinach Orzo

As a lover of food, I really enjoy investigating it. Eating out from time to time provides lots of inspiration when I’m back in my own kitchen. Last Saturday, I was lucky enough to lunch with Cindy and Megan and we shared the prettiest charcuterie plate. I was really digging the olive tapenade that came on the side and was really intrigued by its contents. I’m not quite sure we figured it out because something looked pink and pickled in there, but we had fun trying.

At a birthday dinner recently, I ordered salmon and it came with this orzo on the side. Maybe not exactly, but pretty darn close. I tasted it, loved it and then went to work. I pushed the ingredients around to identify them all. The pops of purple and green from the radicchio and spinach popped out immediately. Oil-plumped and tangy sun-dried tomatoes were easy to pick out, too. I tasted fresh garlic and spied sliced garlic among the orzo. The vibrant vegetables and orzo were glossy from a good dose of olive oil and maybe a splash or two of seasoned pasta water.

I think you’ll love this. Place a pretty scoop next to simply prepared fish or have a bowl for lunch. This dish will also fit right in on your Easter table.

Recipe: Vegan Radicchio and Spinach Orzo

Adapted from here. Serves 8-10

16 oz. orzo pasta

1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil

6 cloves of garlic, 3 finely minced, 3 sliced

4 C. or about 8 oz. fresh baby spinach, packed, cut into thin strips

1 small head of radicchio, quartered and cut into thin strips

pinch of red pepper flakes

3/4 C sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, cut into thin strips

3 T. capers

2 lemons, zest and juice

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Cook orzo in boiling salted water until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain in a fine mesh strainer, but reserve 1 cup of pasta water for later.

2. In a deep skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil (you can use the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes and just add to it if you don’t have 1/2 a cup). Add both the sliced and minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. You want the garlic to be a bit fragrant, but not brown.

3. Add in the spinach and radicchio along with a pinch of salt and a pinch of the red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach and radicchio is just wilted and their color is bright. Add in the sun-dried tomato capers, and orzo and stir for about 30 seconds. If pasta is not moist enough, add reserved pasta water in small amounts until you get your preferred consistency. Remove the skillet from the heat.

4. Add lemon juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Mar 20 9 comments
Gluten Free, Quick, Recipes, Salad, Side Dish, Spring, Summer, Vegan, Vegetable, Vegetarian

Asparagus and Cara Cara Orange Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Michigan is not acting itself these days. This time of the year we could have our streets lined in slush or a blanket of snow on the ground. Marc was born in March during a winter blizzard. However, we are experiencing full sunshine and weather in the 70′s and 80′s. My mind is boggled and my wardrobe is all wrong. I think most of us are a little confused, yet blissfully happy. I went into the Gap and normally I’d linger around the sweaters, but now I can fully appreciate the spring dresses and t-shirts.

If March was being March, I’d probably still be cooking up pots of soup, but I find myself looking for signs of spring in food, too. I found some beautiful asparagus stalks and was still able to pick up cara cara oranges and meyer lemons that are still hanging around.

You’ll love this pop of sunshine on your lunch or dinner table. It would make the loveliest side dish to bring to a friend’s place, too.

Recipe: Asparagus and Cara Cara Orange Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Adapted from Katie Brown

2 bunches asparagus, tough ends removed

2 cara cara oranges, segmented or supremed

1 T. + 1/8 C. extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots, minced

1 T. fresh oregano, minced

1 meyer lemon, juiced (or standard lemon)

1 t. granulated  sugar

sea salt and fresh pepper to taste

1. To remove the tough ends of the asparagus, snap off the end of one stalk and it will naturally break where the stalk becomes tender. Use the one stalk to measure where to cut off the tough ends of the rest of the asparagus. After the stalks are trimmed, cut them in half.

2. Supreme the oranges by cutting off the top and bottom of the orange to make it stable. Then using a sharp knife, cut the skin and pith off from top to bottom. Remove the pith while trying not to take away too much citrus flesh. On the sides of the citrus, you will see the lines where the oranges are naturally segmented. Cut just inside of the segment lines on either side and scoop out the pretty orange segments; set them aside. Take the rest of the orange with the segments removed and give it a good squeeze to get out all possible juice; set aside in a small bowl.

3. In a large and wide pot, add 2 inches of water or enough to cover the asparagus and bring to a boil over high heat. Add asparagus and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the asparagus is bright green and a bit tender. While the asparagus is cooking, prepare a large bowl with ice water. When the asparagus is ready, put right into the ice bath to stop the cooking process.

4. Add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt. Sauté until shallots are soft and translucent, but before they brown. Add the fresh oregano and stir. Cook for 30 seconds more.

5. Add shallots,  lemon juice and sugar to the bowl with the cara cara orange juice. Whisk while drizzling in the remaining 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil until dressing is combined.

6. In a serving bowl or on a serving platter, add the drained asparagus, cara cara orange segments and spoon on the vinaigrette.

 

 

 

Aug 02 8 comments
Gluten Free, Recipes, Salad, Side Dish, Summer, Vegetarian

Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint and Lime

watermelonfetamint4

My watermelon love continues and I was happy to hear from the other watermelon lovers out there!

Marc’s brother turned 30 and I brought this salad to his shindig. Everyone thought it was a caprese salad and were surprised to find out it was not full of tomatoes. The weather was in the high 90′s and this refreshing salad ended up complementing the delicious pulled pork we had very well. The cool watermelon, lime and mint make this a prime side for a barbecue or any summer party.

I have some cheese news to share with you, too!  On a recent episode of America’s Test Kitchen, they recommend sheep’s milk or goat’s milk feta for a more complex flavor. I found a nice sheep’s milk feta and was surprised by how different it tasted. I must have been picking up the cow’s milk feta all of this time. The stronger flavor mixed with the sweet watermelon and zing of lime and mint is just what this salad needed.

I tried my best to measure out the ingredients below, but it is one of those recipes where it’s all about your personal taste. I like a generous amount of mint and made a pretty large salad. Feel free to play around with the ingredients.

Recipe: Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint and Lime

Adapted from The Shiksa in the Kitchen

Serves 12

1 small watermelon (you need about 8 cups of diced watermelon) cut into 1/2″ cubes

10-12 oz. sheep’s milk feta cheese (about 1 1/2 C.) crumbled or cut into 1/4″ cubes

1 1/2 C. fresh mint, roughly chopped and packed

2 limes, juiced and zest of 1 lime

1 1/2 t. freshly ground pepper

1. Cut up your watermelon into 1/2″ cubes. If you are planning on serving at a later time, you can put it in a bowl, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight to collect and discard some of the juice before proceeding.

2. Combine lime juice, zest and freshly ground pepper; set it aside. Cut feta into a 1/4″ dice (or crumble) and chop mint.

3. In a large bowl, add a generous layer of watermelon (about 1/3 of the cubed melon). Then add a handful of feta and mint. Pour half of the lime juice mixture onto the salad. Gently mix with a large spoon. Continue with another layer of watermelon, feta, mint and lime juice. When you have added all of the ingredients,  gently mix the salad, again, without breaking down the watermelon or feta too much.

4. Refrigerate for at least one hour to combine the flavors. Serve cold.

Mar 29 10 comments
Appetizer, Bread, Quick, Recipes, Salad, Vegetable, Vegetarian

Savory Mustard Palmiers

mustardpalmier5

Over at one of my favorite blogs, Turntable Kitchen, Kasey and Matthew teamed up with Foodzie to create a food blogger tasting panel for products in their April tasting box. If you have not heard of Foodzie, it is a marketplace for small food producers and growers to sell their gourmet products. They started monthly tasting boxes where they curate a collection of their goodies for purchase.

I am an enthusiastic supporter of small businesses and I love what Foodzie does for small food producers. When I heard that I would be participating in the tasting panel, I was excited to see what was coming in the mail. I received Horseradish-Dill Mustard from SchoolHouse Kitchen and I put my thinking cap on for a recipe.

Of course, I had to taste it first to help with inspiration. It starts out smooth and sweet, then the horseradish heats up and finally cools down with the taste of dill. I love the creamy texture and the unique flavor. It would be great on a ham and gruyere sandwich and would be a welcomed addition to a classic vinaigrette, but I wanted to make something a little more special. I remembered a recipe I saw from Dorie Greenspan for mustard batons and I thought I could do a twist on that idea.

That twist turned into these savory mustard palmiers. They are beautiful and oh so easy. It took me hardly any time at all to make these, but the results were impressive and delicious. Serve these as an appetizer with white wine or serve them alongside a green salad for lunch.

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Recipe: Savory Mustard Palmiers

Inspired by Dorie Greenspan

Makes about 18 palmiers.

1 sheet all-butter puff pastry (2 come in a package)

1/4 C. SchoolHouse Kitchen Horseradish-Dill Mustard (or Dijon)

1 T. poppy seeds

1. Defrost frozen puff pastry in the refrigerator overnight or let it sit out at room temperature for 40 minutes.

2. Unfold the puff pastry and using a rolling pin, roll the puff pastry out to smooth the seams. Try your best to make the seams come together so your palmiers retain their beautiful shape during baking.

3. Add mustard to the rolled-out sheet of puff pastry and using a pastry brush or back of a spoon, smooth out all over the dough, making sure it is not too thick at the ends.

4. To create the palmier shape, fold one side of the square in a quarter of the way. Repeat on the other side. Go back to the first side you folded and fold it in again until it meets the middle. Repeat on the other side so you now have two rolls of dough side-by-side. Keeping the dough attached at the bottom, now place the one roll directly on top of the other. It will look a bit flat, but they will puff when baking. Wrap the roll in plastic wrap and put in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

5. Prepare two cookie sheets with silpats or parchment paper.

6. After 30 minutes, remove roll from the freezer. Using a sharp knife, cut off excess dough from the ends. Then cut the rest into 1/4 inch pieces and place on the two prepared cookie sheets one inch apart. Sprinkle generously with poppy seeds. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating your cookie sheets top to bottom and front to back half-way through the baking time for uniform browning.

7. Serve warm or at room temperature. They make a wonderful appetizer or look pretty placed on the side of a green salad for an impressive, but simple lunch.

Full Disclosure: As mentioned above, I received this mustard from SchoolHouse Kitchen at the request of Foodzie, but the opinions are my own.

Sep 28 1 comments
Pasta Entree, Quick, Recipes, Salad, Side Dish, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

Sundriedtomatopastasalad

You know how I said a while back that side dishes give me a mini panic-attack? Things have changed and I want to share the recipe that helped change it all. It was time to make a pasta salad for a friend’s gathering and I looked high and low for something interesting. Memories of my first teenage pasta salad came flooding back, where I tried to wing it with terribly bland results. Thanks, memories. I stumbled on this recipe and saw sundried tomatoes-good, garlic-good, pasta-good. Ok, let’s do it. Marc and I loved this salad. Everybody at the party loved this salad. You will love this salad. It is bursting with my favorite flavors and get this…somebody thought the sundried tomatoes were tasty bacon. For some people, that’s the highest compliment they can pay.

Recipe: Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman

1 jar of sundried tomatoes, in olive oil (around 7 oz.)

4 cloves garlic (less, if you like)

3 T. red wine vinegar

3/4 C. extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

16 oz. corkscrew pasta

1/2 C. capers

1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half

10-15 basil leaves, chopped

1 1/2 C. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1. To make the dressing add the garlic to the food processor and chop the garlic well. To the garlic, add the sundried tomatoes, a few grinds of pepper and vinegar in a food processor until tomatoes are chopped. Use any remaining olive oil from the sundried tomatoes to a 3/4 C. measuring cup and fill the rest of the measuring cup with your favorite extra-virgin olive oil. Turn food processor on again and slowly drizzling in the olive oil.

2. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until the past is no longer hot. Transfer to a large bowl.

3. Pour the dressing over the pasta and add the capers and toss together. Add remaining ingredients and toss until combined. Taste for salt at this point because the Parmesan and capers add a nice saltiness on their own. You can sprinkle with more cheese before serving, if you like.

Aug 24 5 comments
Healthy, Quick, Recipes, Salad, Side Dish, Summer, Vegetable, Vegetarian

Horseradish Potato Salad

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Whenever I’m asked to bring a side dish, I have a mini panic-attack. Why? I just don’t know. Maybe I feel like I don’t have enough good side dishes under my belt to know exactly what to bring. I also don’t want to bring anything too boring or expected. At the same time, I love going to a party where everyone brings a different dish and you get this wonderful variety of good stuff to try.

When I first saw this potato salad over at Sassy Radish, I was first shocked to realize that I’d never made this type of classic potato salad and then the addition of horseradish sounded insanely good to me. True to form, I made all kinds of changes to the ingredients and directions. I’m sure Olga’s potato salad is a thing of beauty, but like I’ve mentioned before, I have a rebellious compulsion to mess with these sort of things. Everyone at the pool party seemed to enjoy the salad and I will definitely be making this again. The kick from the horseradish and cool tang from the yogurt is a winning combination.

choppedingredients

Recipe: Horseradish Potato Salad

Adapted from Sassy Radish

Serve 6-8 people

2 lbs. red potatoes, cut into 1″ chunks, unpeeled

6 smallish kosher dill pickles, chopped

1/2 large sweet onion (or red onion or bunch of scallions)

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped roughly

1/2 unpeeled large cucumber, diced small, seeds removed

1/2 C. mayonnaise

1/4 C. plain Greek yogurt (or regular)

2 T. Dijon mustard

2 T. white wine vinegar

3 T. minced fresh dill

2 T. Italian parsley, chopped fine

2 T. horseradish (or to taste)

salt and pepper to taste

1. Place cut potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold, salted water. The water should be an inch or two above the potatoes. Bring to boil and cook for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are soft and easily pierced with a fork, but not too soft. Drain and cool potatoes to room temperature.

2. When potatoes are room temperature or cold, place them in a  large bowl and combine with the pickles, onion and eggs.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, vinegar, dill and horseradish. Pour dressing onto the salad and mix well to coat the potatoes and vegetables. Add a few grinds of fresh pepper and taste for salt and pepper. Add more if needed. You can mix the dressing in just before serving or mix the salad and refrigerate overnight.

finishedpotatosalad

Jun 29 4 comments
Healthy, Quick, Recipes, Salad, Side Dish, Summer, Vegetable, Vegetarian

Grilled Corn Salad

grilledcornsalad

I first discovered this grilled corn salad last labor day and it just tastes like summer. The corn is nutty from the grill, the fresh vegetables are crisp and the easy lime dressing adds a tangy sweetness. Now that summer is here and the barbecue is getting fired up regularly, I’ve made this twice already. Sometimes I have trouble finding a side dish that will please everyone, but this is great for that purpose. My husband loves this salad, even though he doesn’t care for cilantro and red onion. I’ve made it for my parents, brother, sister-in-law and recently for friends and it always disappears quickly. The vibrant colors entice even the pickiest eaters to give it a try.

Recipe: Grilled Corn Salad

Recipe slightly adapted from RecipeGirl

Serves 6

6 ears corn on the cob, shucked

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 small red onion, minced

1/2 C. chopped fresh cilantro

1 medium jalapeno, seeded and minced

1/4 C. mayonnaise

1/4 C. rice vinegar

3 T. sugar

3 limes, zest and juice

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Put dry corn on a high-heat grill with oiled grates. Watch the corn carefully and turn corn frequently until some of the kernels start to blacken. Place on a plate or rimmed baking sheet to cool until you can handle them. When corn has cooled, use a sharp knife to remove kernels from the cob and put in a large bowl. Add red pepper, red onion, cilantro and jalapeno.

2. In a separate small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, lime juice and zest. Whisk to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Pour about half of the dressing over the vegetables and toss. Determine whether more dressing is needed.

This salad is great if made the day before. If I know I’m making it, I’ll make sure we grill something the night before and grill the corn with that meal. I make the rest of the salad and stick it in the refrigerator until its debut.

Sep 21 6 comments
Bread, Cocktail, Main Dish, Pasta Entree, Quick, Recipes, Salad, Summer, Vegetarian

What My Basil Did This Summer

Pesto

Many thanks to Pink Stripes and The Honey Eater for helping a girl out. They answered my plea for basil recipes. The basil plant might as well have been a money tree because I figure if I had to buy that much basil it would be a fortune indeed. Wendy’s idea for basil ice cream was an inspirational one, but I sadly had to use my slowly wilting basil before I read her great suggestion. Next time for sure. The Honey Eater shared her authentic pesto recipe and a link to Gourmet’s recipe. I ended up taking a bit from that recipe and also grabbing a couple of details from David Lebovitz’s pesto recipe. The results were amazing.

Here’s what became of my basil in another desperate attempt to deny summer is over. I love you, fall, you just need to go ahead and wait your turn.

The OK Recipes

Creamy Basil Dressing

Recipe: Creamy Basil Dressing

Recipe from Gourmet

All of the ingredients made this sound like a dressing we would really love, but it just wasn’t for us. The shaved Parmesan made it more interesting, but I felt something was missing. Have I mentioned that I recently fell in love with the wedge salad? I know the lettuce has no nutritional value, but I love how on a weeknight I can peel off the outer layers, wash it, quarter it and have salad for that night and two salads for lunch the next day. It’s especially great with bleu cheese dressing, recipe coming soon!

Basil Corn Bread

Recipe: Basil Cornbread

Recipe from epicurious

This cornbread smells amazing while it is baking in the oven. It was creamy with a true corn flavor, but this recipe made me realize that I’m old fashioned when it comes to my cornbread. I like it crispy on the outside, corny and sadly, without basil. This makes a ton of cornbread, so if this recipe interests you, it’s great for a crowd.

Oh My Gosh, Make This Now Recipes

Pesto Linguine

Recipe: Pesto

Adapted from Gourmet and David Lebovitz

Makes about 1 1/2 C.

3 large garlic cloves

2 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano, coarsely grated (2/3 C.)

4 C. loosely packed fresh basil leaves

1/2 C. pine nuts (some recipes say to toast, I did not and it was still great)

3/4 t. coarse salt

1/2 t. fresh ground black pepper

2/3 C. extra-virgin olive oil (I used Colavita)

1. With processor running, drop in garlic and finely chop.

2. Stop motor and add nuts, cheese, salt, pepper and basil, then process until finely chopped.

3. With motor running, add oil in a stream until incorporated.

Tips: Will keep in fridge for 1 week. Make sure to press plastic wrap against pesto so darkening of pesto does not occur. You can also freeze pesto in an ice cube tray or in muffin tin portions. Simply pour pesto into preferred tray, freeze for a few hours and put perfect portions into a plastic bag or container.

Recipe: Pesto Linguine

Inspired by David Lebovitz

4 servings

1/2-3/4 C. pesto

1 lb. linguine (or your favorite pasta)

kosher salt, for pasta water

3 T. unsalted butter

1. Make above recipe for pesto.

2. Cook linguine in salted water until al dente. Drain pasta.

3. Add 3 T. unsalted butter and pesto to hot pasta. Mix until pesto is fully incorporated into the pasta. Serve immediately.

Basil Cucumber Martini

Recipe: Cucumber Basil Cocktail

Recipe from Food & Wine

This drink is divine! It is so refreshing and delicious. There is a bit of warmth from the ginger and paired with basil, cucumber and Bombay Saphire gin, wow. We had this martini at one of our favorite restaurants and I jumped for joy when I found this recipe online. If you’re trying to cling to summer like me, this is the perfect way to pretend it’s still June.

Sep 10 4 comments
Appetizer, Beef, Quick, Recipes, Salad, Side Dish

The Tastiest Labor Day Weekend

sirloin with bleu-onion sauce and portabello mushrooms

I love how Labor Day just kind of sneaks up on me every year. I try not to think about it too much and then all of a sudden, it’s a welcomed surprise.  I do this kind of mental psych-out with my Netflix queue, too. I’ll put movies I’d like to see in my queue and I do not revisit the synopsis of the movies so that it is almost a complete surprise. Hmm..not sure what that says about me.

Friday and Sunday evening we got together with good friends and really enjoyed the food and company. Friday evening we went to a restaurant with friends that are expecting a baby in about 4 weeks! The husbands took up half our table with their fajitas and giant beers, Lynn had a pasty (the Northern Michigan favorite) and I had grilled buffalo shrimp over rice. Everything was tasty and we were able to enjoy our meals outside because of the beautiful weather. Sunday evening we took a drive to another good friends’ house and had a tasty Labor Day barbecue with a pretty fruit and cheese tray to start. We also enjoyed rum and cokes and white wine on their deck and even got in a couple games of Ladder Ball. The mosquitoes also had quite the feast, compliments of everyone but Marc and we had to take the party inside. Is that weird that Marc never, ever, ever gets bug bites while I’ve had at least 40 bites this summer? At least.

Saturday evening we were on our own and I had a sirloin steak for 2-3 defrosting, 1/2 C. of bleu cheese left over and I had purchased baby portabella mushrooms a few days earlier that needed attention. Ree of the Pioneer Woman made the most delicious looking ribeye steaks with onion-bleu cheese sauce that I knew my husband would love. I thought it would be the perfect way to use the rest of my bleu cheese and if Ree was swooning over it, well then it must be made, right? I just had to pick up some heavy cream and I had the rest of the ingredients. LOVE that. Since my mushrooms were looking at me so sadly from the fridge, I decided to cook those up, too.

So, if you can imagine…Marc grilled a 1 1/2 lb. sirloin to medium rare perfection and then this delicious steak was sliced and  perched on the silky onion-bleu cheese sauce and then I topped it with portabella mushrooms. Oh yeah, that’s right. And I did steam some fresh green beans, too, as some sort of “hey, there are still greens on the plate” moment. I told Marc that this dish is easy and impressive enough that it would be perfect for entertaining a few people. Oh so yummy. I also told Marc that I can’t believe I shut mushrooms out of my life for so long and that this meal made me very sad about that. Until, oh, 6 months ago, I would not let mushrooms near my plate. I’m still not a big fan of the plain white mushroom, but these baby portabellas sauteed up? Whole ‘nother story.

Recipe: Grilled Sirloin with Onion-Bleu Cheese Sauce

Very slightly adapted from the incomparable Pioneer Woman

Serves 2-3

1 1/2 lb. sirloin steak

salt and pepper to taste

4 T. unsalted butter

1 very large sweet onion (or yellow), sliced

3/4 C. heavy cream (I pour it into the measuring cup and let it sit out to take the chill off)

1/2 C.  bleu cheese

1. Grill steaks to medium rare. We used our charcoal grill and it was about 4 minutes per side (depends on the thickness of your meat). You can also do this on the gas grill, in a cast iron skillet or in a grill pan (like Ree). Start making the sauce while the meat is grilling and let it rest for 10 minutes when it is done.

2. Saute onions in 4 T. butter over high heat. Cook for 7-10 minutes until the onion are dark and caramelized.

3. Reduce heat to simmer and pour in the cream. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until reduced by half.

4. Stir in bleu cheese until melted and transfer any accumulated juices from your rested meat to the pan.

5. Slice steak and serve over generous portions of the sauce.

Recipe: Sauteed Baby Portabellas with Thyme

My Recipe

If you want to top your steak and onion-bleu cheese sauce with these, start cooking at the same time as you prepare the onion-bleu sauce.

16 oz. baby portabellas, washed, sliced and stems removed (I know many people say to just wipe with a damp cloth, but Jacques Pepin says that I can wash my mushrooms, so I do)

2 T. butter

1- 1 1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. pepper

1 t. dried thyme

1. Melt 2 T. butter in 12″ cast iron skillet or other large skillet. When butter just melts, add your mushrooms to the pan.

2. When mushrooms just begin to wilt, add salt (start with 1 t. and add more, if desired), pepper and thyme (before you add thyme, rub it between your hands to release extra flavor). Stir. Check for seasoning, make sure it is to your taste.

3. Cook mushrooms until they have become brown and aromatic, about 10 minutes.

Now, you may be wondering what we had on Labor Day, itself. Well, I was in a motivated mood, so while I had Marc organizing his pile of papers in the office, I painted our large front window and a soffet that I’ve been itching to paint for about 2 years. Marc told me he needed to patch around the recessed lighting at least one more time, but I finally asked if  I could just paint it and success! In anticipation of getting some things done around the house, I made most of our feast ahead of time, but sadly, I have no pictures. By the time we got around to dinner it was late, it was raining and we were starving. Not a good situation for photo taking. I will attach links to the recipes I used and when I make these again, I’ll make sure to post the pics!

window painting

Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri (via Rox at Tasty Kitchen)

This was very tasty, but I thought that the 2 T. salt in the marinade made the steak a bit too salty and I love salt! I commented on her post to see if there was a misunderstanding, but other than that, it was very good. The steak was so tender and the chimichurri was a fun new experiment. I made a 1 1/2 lb. skirt steak and there was plenty of chimichurri left over. I’m going to try to pour the rest over pasta and see how that goes. The steak was medium rare after grilling it for 4 minutes per side and a 10 minute rest.

Jalapeno Poppers (aka Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies via Pioneer Woman)

Holy good! This was a lovely start to the meal considering we were starving. Well, we felt like we were. These are head and shoulders above any frozen jalapeno popper you’ve ever had and they are so easy. Not much harder than spending way to0 much for one of those party boxes. The jalapenos have a bit of heat, but they are not too spicy with the seeds removed. Instead of following PW’s oven directions, we put these babies on the grill for about 10 minutes and they were perfection!

Grilled Corn Salad (via recipegirl.com)

Over-the-top yummy and so easy. When Marc grilled our sirloin, I had him throw on 6 ears of corn (I used 6 and not 5 because the cute, older man that sells me his tasty produce sells them in bunches of 6 and I didn’t know what I’d do with the extra). I also subbed in sweet Vidalia onion for the red onion because I had it on hand. When the corn cooled, I assembled the salad and let it sit overnight, as suggested, and my husband was very happy with this dish. Not only do bugs not bite him, he does not like eating corn on the cob. What?!? I know. Since he cuts the corn off the cob every time I make it, I think he loved not having to do any extra work. A beautiful summer dish. Thanks Recipe Girl!