Teriyaki Flank Steak

If you have carnivores in your house, there is nothing more satisfying than a down-home meal of steak and potatoes, especially when we are all hankering for some comfort during this stressful time. This marinade for steak has been my go to for years and it never disappoints. We enjoyed this steak last night along with roasted brussel sprouts drizzled with balsamic vinegar and oven baked potatoes on the deck.

Marinated Flank Steak

Marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce (coconut aminos for gluten free)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 green onions, sliced thinly
1.5" knob ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced

1.5-2 pound flank steak

Add all marinade ingredients in gallon sized plastic bag and mix. Add flank steak and marinade several hours or best over night. Grill over medium hot grill until cooked to your liking. Enjoy!

Hot Night Dinner on the Deck

Hot September days and nights have been hanging over us this past week and I have felt very little inspiration to be in the kitchen, hence another easy dinner out on the deck. This was our version of a salad bar with some of our favorite toppings- grilled chicken, hearts of palm, avocado, tomatoes, carrots, garbanzo and kidney beans, black olives a top baby spring mix with a lemon olive oil vinaigrette and garlic bread on the side. Made us all happy to eat a cool meal outside!

Summer Dinner on the Deck

Can you tell my go-to summer family meals often include tasty sausages and whatever lucious fresh veggies or fruit I have in the fridge??? I tell you, it's a winner for all- a quick and easy to prepare dinner that is healthy and tasty!

My absolute favorite are Aidell's Chicken Apple Sausage! Crudite with ranch dip and sliced tomatoes with mozarella and basil drizzled with olive oil are great for a refreshing summer meal.  Add some tasty rich ice cream for dessert and you have the perfect dinner!

Summer Dinner on the Deck

I love when I have all my sweet kids plus my hubby home at dinner time in the summer so that we can dine with one another on the deck. Tonight was one of those lucky nights, so we got to enjoy a dinner of lots of grilled goodies plush some fresh fruit and risotto.
Our meal together turned interesting when a few wasps joined us and were trying to grab bites of the delicious grilled steak on the table and from our plates. By the end of our meal, our kids were in full wasp-hunt mode, trying to trap them in glasses or catch them in the act of nibbling pieces of steak off their plates. So there went our peaceful dinner on the deck---never-the-less, I enjoyed having all my peeps at one table- makes a mama happy!

Perfect Menu for Summer Dinner on the Deck:

• Grilled Marinated Flank Steak (recipe found here )
• Grilled Cauliflower  (recipe found here)
• Garlic Grilled Zucchini  (recipe found here)
• Fresh Raspberries with Diced Mango
• Risotto with Peas

Summer Dinner on the Deck

I love summer time because we get to eat most of our dinners together as a family out on the deck. We grill often, but tonight we enjoyed some Asian Lettuce Wraps , steamed green beans with a little butter and fresh strawberries. Casual and easy, just the way summer should be!

Simple Summer Dinner on the Deck

We just returned from a fantastic July 4th celebration with family in Tahoe. Since we brought all the fresh produce we had to the mountains, when we got back our refrigerator was woefully empty. One of my daughters and I made a quick run to Costco to stock up on basics and also found all the ingredients we needed to make a delicious, easy to make dinner. Since my kids love Evergood Pineapple Sausage, we picked up a pack as well as some shucked corn on the cob, a bag of broccoli florets and ripe roma tomatoes. 

All we needed to do for dinner was grill the sausages for a few minutes, steam the broccoli, cut the corn from the cob and saute in butter with salt and pepper a la Ina (how decadent is that!?), and drizzle the sliced tomatoes with reduced balsamic sauce and fresh oregano. This simple summer dinner on the deck was delicious!

These sausages are awesome!

Easy Dinner Menu for a Hot Night- Sliders and Fruit

Northern Californians have it pretty darn easy as far as weather goes, but we do have occasional hot days and this week there are several over 90 degree days predicated. What do you make for dinner when you have no interest in being in a hot kitchen? Keep it simple and grill! 

Sliders and fruit with a refreshing glass of strawberry lemonade was the perfect answer for us this evening.

Perfect Dinner for a Warm Spring Night

It was very warm this evening and my girls came home from softball practice feeling hot, tired and hungry. 

I grilled beef hamburgers and Trader Joe's Chile Lime Chicken Burgers outside, made Home Fries (recipe below), cut up some water melon, put sliced fresh mozzarella (Trader Joe's Ovoline) on ripe tomatoes with Home Made Pesto (see recipe below) and boiled some corn for a simple and delicious meal on the deck!

Home Fries

      

4 russet potatoes

canola oil

kosher salt

Scrub the potatoes clean and slice.  Mix with 2 tablespoons canola oil on a baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes until brown and a little crispy on the edges.


Home Made Pesto

When I make pesto, I usually start with basil leaves from a plant rather than loose cut branches. I recently bought a Trader Joe's basil plant for $2.99 and harvested the leaves. The key to keeping your plant growing is to cut the leaves just above where you see two sets of tiny leaves growing out of the leaf junctions. It's great to buy the whole plant because hopefully it will continue to produce and you will have another harvest of leaves in a few weeks and be able to continue to make tasty pesto!

4 cups basil leaves
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Mix all in a blender until smooth. Enjoy on tomatoes, cottage cheese, eggs in the morning, turkey sandwiches, pasta... I could put it on most anything!  I even put it on my chicken chile lime hamburger.