Rosemary Steak Bites

I raided my family's herb garden the other day. Isn't that one of the great pleasures of living near family? Mooching off their stuff? When you've got such beautiful plants to work with, it doesn't take much to make your dinner taste good. So take advantage of these gorgeous herbs before getting sucked down the all-things-pumpkin vortex of fall.

With such big strong stalks of rosemary, it seemed like a waste to peel the leaves from the stem. Big, strong stems... insert your "that's what she said joke here." But seriously, they were woodsy and burly enough to use as a skewer. Like, a delicious flavor-infusing skewer. #SuckItBamboo

The morning before dinner, slice up your steaks into large chunks and toss in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and a few bits of rosemary. Refrigerate and let it get good.

You'll poke a pilot hole through each steak bite with a skewer and then pass the rosemary stalk through, stem end first.

Grill over high-direct heat for about 3-4 minutes per side, taking care not to break the stalk when turning.

I ended up serving with a variation of my summer herb corn salad, this time adding one bunch of grilled green beans. Savor the summer while you still can.

Rosemary Steak Bites

1-2lbs sirloin steak, cut into 2-inch chunks

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

6-8 rosemary stalks

Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Roughly chop 2 stalks rosemary and stir into marinade, along with steak chunks. Refrigerate, covered, for a few hours. 

Remove steak from fridge about 30 minutes before cooking. Use a skewer to poke pilot holes through the middle of each steak bite, and then load 3 onto each stalk of rosemary. 

Grill over direct-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side, taking care not to break the rosemary when turning. Remove from grill when internal temperature of the steak is 120 degrees. Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Caprese Steak Salad

I've made it no secret that my favorite dish in the world is fresh caprese salad. In peak tomato season, it's simply the perfect meal. But occasionally I'm looking for something more substantial. The call of the grill caught me and a balsamic-marinated steak was a tasty addition. And a bit of peppery arugula was just right to balance out the rich steak.

The marinade uses the same ingredients as the traditional caprese dressing, so no special ingredients needed and it only takes a moment.

And a quick grill adds flavor. Tastes like summer.

I always prefer steak on the rare side, but especially so on salads. The last thing you want is the chew of a gray steak on your fresh, crunchy greens.

 Assemble and done.

Isn't she just so gorgeous?

Caprese Steak Salad
1 1/2 lbs tri-tip steaks
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus some for drizzling
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, plus some for drizzling
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
4 cups arugula, washed
3-4 tomatoes, sliced
1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
1/4 cup basil, chopped

Whisk together olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper. Toss steaks in mixture, coating both sides, and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least a few hours.

Preheat grill and remove steak from refrigerator, giving it time to come-up to room temperature. Grill steaks over medium-direct heat until they reach an internal temperature of 120 degrees. They will be rare. Allow steaks to rest for 5-10 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain.

Assemble arugula and top with tomatoes, mozzarella, steak and basil. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and then drizzle desired amount of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!

Strawberry Balsamic Steak Salad

After a lively Sunday Funday in the Wrigley bleachers, we needed something light. I had met my Chicago-style hot dog quota for the day. Luckily I had marinated some steaks in the morning and we took advantage of the seasonal strawberries for spinach steak salad with goat cheese. 

Maybe it was the cool, cloudy day or that the Cubs are inching closer and closer to being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but it felt like summer was drawing to a close. Plus when you're taking pictures of your food, you are hyper aware of the shortening hours of natural light. 

Side bar -- bloggers, any equipment recommendations? I need a flash that doesn't make my dishes look slimey. All natural light photography is just not going to be an option very soon. 

Despite my lamentations... summer is still here. So more reason than ever to enjoy summer-y ingredients. This strawberry salad hit the spot. 

Marinade started simple, with balsamic vinegar and rosemary as the stars. 

Enjoying the fresh herbs from my garden while I still can. Plus I like when my fingers smell like rosemary.

After your steaks have hung out in the marinade for 9 innings, you're ready for salad time (and a nap). Look at these strawberry beauties. They're certainly not going to look this way in January.

Perfectly grilled by the husband.

Summer salad satisfaction with a bit of grilled bread. If not playoff memories, at least we can look back on good produce.

Strawberry Balsamic Steak Salad

For the marinade

6 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon rosemary, minced

S&P

For salad

4 cups baby spinach

1.5-2lbs sirloin 

1/4 sweet white onion, thinly sliced

2 cups strawberries, sliced

1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles

For dressing

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 

S&P

Combine marinade ingredients and pour over steaks. Marinade at least 4 hours or overnight. Grill steaks over medium indirect heat for 6-8 minutes (depending on thickness). Allow steaks to rest before slicing thinly. Combine spinach, onions and strawberries and top with cheese and steak slices. Lightly dress just before serving.

Manly Meal

This Sunday we were host to two of the husband's best friends. This, of course, called for a manly man meal. Steaks to be grilled whilst playing cornhole in the back yard. General grunting and trash-talking.


The Menu: 

• Marinated Ribeyes with Mustard Butter
• Baked Sweet Potato Fries
• Grilled Asparagus

Definitely not the most adventurous meal I've ever cooked, but it's a classic for a reason. 

I started with a marinade for the gorgeous steaks. The Weber Big Book of Grilling is a family favorite and my father claims it taught him "everything he knows" so naturally it was a birthday gift for my husband this year. The recipe is the "Sizzling T-Bones with Mustard Butter." The T-bones looked funky at the store, so ribeyes it was!


Marinade:

• 1/4 cup worchestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 4 teaspoons paprika (I used pimenton I brought back from Barcelona. Killer yummy)
• 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Pour deliciously slow over your steaks and marinade for a few hours. Check out that beautiful marbling. 

Started some sweet potato fries so the steaks wouldn't get lonely. Just love the color. 

To be really luxurious, I made butter to put on top of the steaks... mustard butter. 

• 1 tablespoon whole grain dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon smooth dijon
• 6 tablespoons butter

Combine until lovely.

We were ready to do some grilling. Asparagus was dressed in olive oil and balsamic before hitting the flames. The balsamic caramelizes on the grill until sticky and syrupy.

Steaks sizzled on high, direct heat (pre-heating the grill is key). They were thin ribeyes, so only about four minutes per side until they were perfectly medium rare. While the steaks grilled, I roasted the sweet potatoes with cumin and cinnamon until toasty. 

A classic manly meal, but with some extra special twists.