if you couldn't tell from the soaring temps or lingering smell of barbecue, summer is in full swing. 

wes usually works sunday evenings and we do not have air conditioning, so i've started retreating to my parents house to cook, catch up over cocktails and swim in their pool. 

my parents have a beautiful large yard and plenty of beautiful herbs growing. since i can't seem to grow chives, they are usually a sunday ingredient in one way or another. 

after a busy work week, and a saturday spent cleaning my house, for sunday's dinner i needed a fool proof, low maintenance dish that would deliver in flavor but leave us free from dishes. basically the goal was to spend as little time prepping and cooking in a hot kitchen and the maximum time swimming and enjoying the summer evening. 

this marinated steak and quickly blended herb sauce takes almost no prep time, about 10 minutes on the grill and less than a handful of dishes. 

and it's freaking delicious. win. win. 

herb marinated flank steak
serves: 4
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes + 10 minutes to rest
ingredients: 2 lbs flat iron steak (about 1 inch thick). 1 c red wine vinegar. .5 c soy sauce. .25 c olive oil. 2 tbs roughly chopped chives. 2 tbs roughly chopped oregano. 5 garlic cloves, smashed. 2 tbs brown sugar. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper.
chefs note: you can easily sub any cut of steak that takes a marinade well. if you can't find flatiron you could use, flap meat, flank steak, hanger or london broil. 

start by patting your meat dry with a paper towel. place the steak in a flat dish and season both sides well with the salt and the pepper. 

in a medium sized bowl, combine the herbs, garlic, liquids and brown sugar and whisk well to combine. 

pour the marinade over the meat, cover and set the meat aside to marinate for 1-24 hours. note: if you are going to marinate the meat for longer than 1 hour, marinate it in your refrigerator and take it out 1 hour before cook time. 

preheat your grill to a nice high heat.
when the grill is nice and hot (400-425f) remove the steak from the marinade and place it on a hot part of the grill. close the grill and sear until the meat has good grill marks. 4-5 minutes. 

flip the steak, cover the grill and sear the other side for 4-5 minutes.

at this point your steak should be medium rare in the middle with some more done parts on the thinner/smaller ends. if you desire your meat a little more done, move the meat to a cooler part of the grill and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes covered. if medium rare is how your prefer your meat, remove the steak after you have seared both sides. when your meat has been remove from the grill, cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for 7-10 minutes. 

while the meat is resting, assemble your chimichurri. 

chive chimichurri
serves: 1 cup
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 tbs roughly chopped chives. 1 tbs roughly chopped thyme (mine had blossoms and they were beautiful so i included them). 1 tbs roughly chopped oregano. .75 c olive oil. .25 c red wine vinegar. zest of 1 lemon. juice of .5 lemon 2 garlic cloves, smashed. 

in a food processor or blender, combine the herbs, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and vinegar. blend until everything is minced and well combined. if you are with out a food processor or blender, you can mince the ingredients by hand and whisk them together in a bowl. with the processor on, pour in the olive oil. once combined, serve over the grilled protein or vegetable of your choice. 

after you meat has rested and the juices of settled, slice the meat into .5-1 inch slices against the grain. drizzle with chimichurri and serve. 

xoxo
a

herb marinated flat iron steak
serves: 4
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes + 10 minutes to rest
ingredients: 2 lbs flat iron steak (about 1 inch thick). 1 c red wine vinegar. .5 c soy sauce. .25 c olive oil. 2 tbs roughly chopped chives. 2 tbs roughly chopped oregano. 5 garlic cloves, smashed. 2 tbs brown sugar. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper.
chefs note: you can easily sub any cut of steak that takes a marinade well. if you can't find flatiron you could use, flap meat, flank steak, hanger or london broil. start by patting your meat dry with a paper towel. place the steak in a flat dish and season both sides well with the salt and the pepper.
in a medium sized bowl, combine the herbs, garlic, liquids and brown sugar and whisk well to combine.
pour the marinade over the meat, cover and set the meat aside to marinate for 1-24 hours. note: if you are going to marinate the meat for longer than 1 hour, marinate it in your refrigerator and take it out 1 hour before cook time.
preheat your grill to a nice high heat.
when the grill is nice and hot (400-425f) remove the steak from the marinade and place it on a hot part of the grill. close the grill and sear until the meat has good grill marks. 4-5 minutes.
flip the steak, cover the grill and sear the other side for 4-5 minutes.
at this point your steak should be medium rare in the middle with some more done parts on the thinner/smaller ends. if you desire your meat a little more done, move the meat to a cooler part of the grill and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes covered. if medium rare is how your prefer your meat, remove the steak after you have seared both sides. when your meat has been remove from the grill, cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for 7-10 minutes.
while the meat is resting, assemble your chimichurri.
after you meat has rested and the juices of settled, slice the meat into .5-1 inch slices against the grain. drizzle with chimichurri and serve. 

chive chimichurri
serves: 1 cup
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 tbs roughly chopped chives. 1 tbs roughly chopped thyme (mine had blossoms and they were beautiful so i included them). 1 tbs roughly chopped oregano. .75 c olive oil. .25 c red wine vinegar. zest of 1 lemon. juice of .5 lemon 2 garlic cloves, smashed.
in a food processor or blender, combine the herbs, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and vinegar. blend until everything is minced and well combined. if you are with out a food processor or blender, you can mince the ingredients by hand and whisk them together in a bowl. with the processor on, pour in the olive oil. once combined, serve over the grilled protein or vegetable of your choice. 

the hubs works nights, so the bulk of our time together is spent hanging out in the morning.
we are big believers in enjoying our morning routine. we start with the news or netflix food documentary as we sip our french pressed coffee. we spend some time scoping out our small side yard garden and then cooking up some breakfast before we go our separate ways for the day.
wes found a great deal on eggs so i'm currently working my way through five dozen eggs.
the garden is booming so we had some great fresh ingredients to inspire us. the jalapenos, bell pepper, oregano and basil we picked fresh really took this bold breakfast to another level. 

chorizo baked eggs
serves: 2-4
prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 40 minutes
total time: 1 hour

ingredients: 4-6 eggs. 2 tbs olive oil, divided. 1 small bell pepper, diced. .5 onion, diced. 1 jalapeno. 1 c vine tomatoes, diced. 8 oz chorizo. 5 garlic cloves, minced. .25 c basil, chopped. 1 tbs oregano minced. 1 tsp cumin. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. 1 c sharp cheddar, shredded. .25 c parmesan, grated. cilantro and your favorite crusty bread for serving. 

start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f.

in a large, oven safe skillet, combine the bell pepper, onion, tomato and jalapeno and 1 tbs of olive oil. saute over medium high until the onions are translucent. about 5 minutes. 

cook, stirring every few minutes until the chorizo is browned and the garlic is fragrant. stir in the fresh herbs. 

turn off the stove and make small nests for each egg you are using. fill the nest with a handful of cheddar. 

crack and egg onto each cheddar nest. 

top the eggs with parmesan and bake for 15-18 minutes until the eggs are set. 

serve hot with fresh bread or tortillas.
xoxo
a

chorizo baked eggs
serves: 2-4
prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 40 minutes
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: 4-6 eggs. 2 tbs olive oil, divided. 1 small bell pepper, diced. .5 onion, diced. 1 jalapeno. 1 c vine tomatoes, diced. 8 oz chorizo. 5 garlic cloves, minced. .25 c basil, chopped. 1 tbs oregano minced. 1 tsp cumin. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. 1 c sharp cheddar, shredded. .25 c parmesan, grated. cilantro and your favorite crusty bread for serving.
start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f.
in a large, oven safe skillet, combine the bell pepper, onion, tomato and jalapeno and 1 tbs of olive oil. saute over medium high until the onions are translucent. about 5 minutes.
push the veggies to the side of the pan and add in the chorizo, salt, pepper and cumin. cook, stirring every few minutes until the chorizo is browned and the garlic is fragrant. stir in the fresh herbs.
turn off the stove and make small nests for each egg you are using. fill the nest with a handful of cheddar. crack and egg onto each cheddar nest.
top the eggs with parmesan and bake for 15-18 minutes until the eggs are set.
serve hot with fresh bread or tortillas.