Steak...As Promised!

I was happy for a meal that didn't take a lot of work last night! This was certainly one of the easiest meals I've made in awhile. When I walked in the door last night, I immediately began marinating my steaks in the Tequila-Ginger-Lime marinade that I had in the fridge. It was a bottle of marinade I'd purchased at a gourmet shop awhile back, and wanted to use it up. I poked some holes in the steaks with a fork, allowing the marinade to seep into the meat a little bit quicker, and then left it to sit in the fridge for the next 45 minutes while I did a little bit of relaxing.

While my husband heated the grill on our back patio, I cut a head of cabbage into wedges. Because there were only two of us, I only used half the head, but the plan was to grill these cabbage wedges. Grill...leafy things...do these two things go together, you ask? Well, yes, they do, and they sure are delicious. I had a recipe, from that blog I like, called The Kitchn: Grilled Cabbage Wedges with Spicy Lime Dressing. It looked easy, it looked delicious, and best of all, the flavors sounded like they would pair quite nicely with the marinade I had chosen.

I brushed my cabbage wedges with canola oil, and set them to char on the grill, for about 5 minutes on each side. When I checked on them, they were blackening around the edges nicely, and so I went back upstairs to prep the dressing...which is SO easy to make. All you have to do is throw everything in a food processor, and voila, spicy dressing, to be drizzled over deliciously-blackened cabbage wedges. We've got ourselves a side dish, people!

Not only were the steaks delicious, and the cabbage a perfect accompaniment, but I think I'll add cabbage to my shopping list for our summer camping trip. It made for a great, easy vegetable to add to any meal, and all you need is a grill, and some dressing, any dressing will do!

Ready To Go!

I'm going to be going "off the grid" for a few days, readers! I will miss every single one of you very much, but it is time for our annual camping trip, and, boy am I excited!! I look forward to this weekend every year because it's four days of relaxation with many of my favorite people. I always find myself referring to things that happened during these trips, because there are always funny tales to tell! I usually find myself laughing so much on this specific weekend that I come back with stronger abs...and sore ones at that! :)

The first night is always a hodge podge of different dishes that each person puts together to bring to the table where we all congregate. I like to go all out for this night because we usually go pretty simple the other nights, or end up eating out. (I didn't say we "roughed it," I said we camped!) So, today was spent in the kitchen, getting ready for the feast we'll have tomorrow night. I thought I'd leave you with a few photos of the finished products before I sign off for the weekend!

Grilled Steak Kebab Pitas with Ginger and Garlic Dressing

Shrimp Salad Rolls with Tarragon and Chives

Buttermilk and Herb Cole Slaw

Roasted Potato Salad with Shaved Fennel and Salsa Verde

I plan on documenting this trip through the food I eat, so be on the lookout for a lengthy post, with lots of pictures on Monday night! I hope to have lots of stories to tell, and lots of pictures to share! Wish us good weather, good eating, and good company!

Bon Appetit, my friends!

Crafting a Menu

This weekend, I worked on a menu for the coming weeks, and decided that I wanted to do something a little different this time around. We're going to go on a little trip around the world, with each menu item hailing from a different corner of the globe. Sounds fun, right?! Different cuisines, and different ingredients, and along the way, we'll learn about the traditions of each nationality as well. Obviously, I won't even hit on a small percentage of the different kinds of cuisines out there, but it's a start! I really enjoy learning about new places, and eating the local food is one of the best ways to do it because you learn about local ingredients, the reasons for certain traditions, and more!

from Flickr - by Ben Bunch

We didn't go grocery shopping this weekend, because we'll be leaving for our annual camping trip in a few days! It's us...and 15 of our closest friends, and it's always a great time! I had to come up with a small menu for our trip as well, since I prepare in advance for the first night's meal...a giant potluck where everyone brings different dishes and we all dig in as we set up our tents and crack the first beers of the long weekend! These are friends from near and far, and getting together on this weekend each year is very special to me! This year, I tucked into a magazine that "The Best of Fine Cooking" produced, all about Tailgating, for my menu.

Shrimp Salad Rolls with Tarragon & Chives

Grilled Steak Kebab Pitas with Ginger & Garlic Dressing

Roasted Potato Salad with Shaved Fennel & Salsa Verde

Buttermilk & Herb Cole Slaw

I think this little menu will make for a nice assortment of things to add to the table during the first night of our camping extravaganza. We'll pair the menu with some nice cold, frosty brews from the cooler and that sounds like my kinda night! 

from Flickr - by sew~amy

Check out the Current Menu tab for the trip around the world that will take place when we return from our camping trip!