Steak and Vegetable Kabobs

Summer and grilling. They're like Joanie and Chachi. Or not. But you know what I mean.

I was lucky enough to find some Hatch chiles at the new Whole Foods nearby, and decided on chile hummus. It's absolutely delicious, very spicy, but completely non-photogenic, at least not by me. So pop on over to Taste of Beirut, where you can get the recipe.

I asked my husband what he wanted with the hummus and pita (which was actually Trader Joe's naan, but whatever). He said steak. I said veggies. He said steak. So, I compromised.

I marinated the beef (NY strip, cut into chunks) in a mix of olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper and a bay leaf. The meat went onto skewers along with bell peppers, onions and mushrooms, then got thrown on the grill until the veggies were charred. During grilling, I drizzled some olive oil, salt & pepper on the kabobs. (Be careful, olive oil is really smoky. Cough.)

Amazingly, some of the beef was still pink in the middle (yay!). Next time I'd used a slightly fattier cut of meat, and also bigger chunks, so that the veggies can be completely charred without overcooking the beef.

Random Quotes from the WIP Household, Part XXII

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"You know, the priest, the pasture."
"Not pasture, pastor."
"Whatever, the fat guy with the hat."

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Stop giving my mushrooms nipples.

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This is like a Mexican chocolate boner right here.

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Why are you always killing the Olsen twins?

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What the hell, goat wiener?

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Random Quotes from the WIP Household, Part XXI

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If I had to die and come back as somebody, Derek Jeter would be on my list.

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I've been reading Romans lately, and Paul's kind of a dick.

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"Are you British?"
"Yes, yes I am."
"Well, pip, pip, cheerio!"
"Hey, that's racist."
"No, it's ok, I've got a black President."

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"Dammit, work!"
"Maybe technology knows you're a doucher."

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Quit rubbing your man-meat all over my KitchenAid.

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Spanakopita, Almost

OK, it's not really spanakopita, because I used ricotta instead of feta. But that's what I had on hand, and the end result was delicious.

Making this reminded me how much I dislike phyllo dough. Super-thin sheets of dough that crack if you look at them wrong.

But, it was worth it. Crispy flaky layers, rich cheese and spinach with a hint of nutmeg.

Pierogi with Squash Blossoms

I picked up a couple bunches of zucchini flowers from the farmers market the other day. I could've stuffed them with ground beef, breaded and fried (like my parents do). I could've made a quesadilla. Or tossed them to pasta. But instead, I decided to add them to pierogi.

First, start caramelizing an onion. Low and slow, this takes about an hour. While that's happening, cook up some bacon and crumble it. Cut the squash flowers in half lengthwise and crosswise, removing the reproductive part of the flower. Briefly sauté (more of a wilt, really) the flowers in a little butter. Boil your pierogi, then pan fry them until crispy. Top the pierogi with onions, squash blossoms, bacon, and sour cream.

Heaven in a bowl. Pierogi by themselves are good. With onions, bacon and sour cream, even better. Adding squash blossoms cuts through all the carb and dairy richness, lending a brightness to the dish, "almost like peas", the Husband says. I'm not sure if they taste like peas, but they definitely have that green taste that is a welcome addition. So the next time you have pierogi, add some squash flowers. That way you can say you ate your vegetables.

Tonkatsu Curry

My Youngest is enamored with all things Japanese, and asked for curry. Instead of making my typical curry with veggies and meat, I decided to make an all veggie curry with tonkatsu (panko-breaded pan-fried pork chops).

Tonkatsu couldn't be easier - salt and pepper the pork, coat in panko crumbs, and pan-fry.

Serve with white rice and boxed curry, and you've got a quick dinner that even your picky teenager will love.

Side note: I keep thinking of making curry from scratch, but the Japanese lady I work with says "Why? Too hard. Use box." And since I think she's secretly a ninja, I'm following her advice.

Savory Scones

If you all couldn't tell by now, I'm much more likely to reach for something savory over something sweet. So when I came across Bite My Thumb's recipe for rosemary, parmesan and black pepper scones, I knew I had to make them. (Also, I have about 100 pounds of fresh rosemary that I need to do something with.)

These are delicious just out of the oven slathered with good butter. If you've never had black pepper in a baked goodie before, you're missing out. And, if rosemary's not your thing, you could easily switch it out with dill, oregano, basil, tarragon, whatever.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I hear a scone calling me from the kitchen.