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. 

after a much needed weekend with some of my favorite ladies, i'm spending this week settling into my thirties.

and a major part of my new routine is cooking dinner for my husband. wtf? serious adulting going on over here.

when living with my girlfriends and even with my parents, i was always striving for light meals. lean proteins, whole grains and salads as a meal were common. 

but wes is a growing boy. not really.he eats whatever he wants and stays consistent or gets skinnier?! 

so while he is managing the restaurant late night and i'm working from home I try to whip up some meatier meals.

his go to request is bolognese, but i've quickly grown tired of the classic version so I decided to spice it up. literally. using chorizo in addition to beef adds great heat and zest. subbing prosciutto for the classic bacon or pancetta helps reduce the grease factor.

beef + chorizo bolognese
serves: 8
prep time: 30 minutes
cook time: 1 hour
total time: 1.5 hours

1.5 lb ground beef. 8oz chorizo sausage. 2oz prosciutto. 4 tbs olive oil, divided. 1 onion, diced. 3 carrots, diced. 2 stalks celery, diced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 1c white wine. .25c tomato paste. 1lb vine tomatoes, diced. 2tbs fresh basil, finely chopped. 1tbs fresh oregano, finely chopped. c2c whole milk. 1tbs salt. .5tbs fresh ground black pepper. 2lbs of your favorite pasta cooked to instructions. fresh basil & grated parmesan for serving.

special note: in cooking, unlike baking it is important to season each ingredient as it is added in as opposed to adding it all in at the end. every time you add an ingredient into the pot, season it with a few pinches of salt and about half as much pepper. this way your food will be FLAVORFUL instead of SALTY. 

in a large pot, heat half the olive oil over medium heat and add in the onions, carrots and celery. cook until the the onions are softened and translucent. about 5 to 8 minutes.

add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. about 1 minute. 

push your sauteed veggies to the side of the pot, add the remaining oil and add your ground beef, chorizo and prosciutto to the pan. season the beef well with salt and pepper. let all the proteins cook with out moving for 4 to 5 minutes so it gets a nice brown. 

break up the chorizo and beef with your spoon and stir to combine all the meat and veggies. 

when most of your meat is browned, pour in the white wine. allow the alcohol to burn off and the liquid to reduce till it is almost gone. about 2 to 4 minutes.

add in the tomato paste and stir till everything is lightly coated. 

pour in the tomatoes and herbs and stir well to combine. let the tomatoes cook till they start to break down. about 5 to 10 minutes. 

stir in the milk and bring the pot to a simmer. when bolognese is simmering, reduce the heat so that it gently simmers and cover. stir occasionally while the sauce simmers for 20 to 30 minutes until thick and saucy. 

serve over you favorite pasta and top with fresh cheese, basil and pepper.

xoxo
a

beef + chorizo bolognese
serves: 8
prep time: 30 minutes
cook time: 1 hour
total time: 1.5 hours

1.5 lb ground beef. 8oz chorizo sausage. 2oz prosciutto. 4 tbs olive oil, divided. 1 onion, diced. 3 carrots, diced. 2 stalks celery, diced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 1c white wine. .25c tomato paste. 1lb vine tomatoes, diced. 2tbs fresh basil, finely chopped. 1tbs fresh oregano, finely chopped. c2c whole milk. 1tbs salt. .5tbs fresh ground black pepper. 2lbs of your favorite pasta cooked to instructions. fresh basil & grated parmesan for serving.
special note: in cooking, unlike baking it is important to season each ingredient as it is added in as opposed to adding it all in at the end. every time you add an ingredient into the pot, season it with a few pinches of salt and about half as much pepper. this way your food will be FLAVORFUL instead of SALTY.
in a large pot, heat half the olive oil over medium heat and add in the onions, carrots and celery. cook until the the onions are softened and translucent. about 5 to 8 minutes.
add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. about 1 minute.
push your sauteed veggies to the side of the pot, add the remaining oil and add your ground beef, chorizo and prosciutto to the pan. season the beef well with salt and pepper. let all the proteins cook with out moving for 4 to 5 minutes so it gets a nice brown.
break up the chorizo and beef with your spoon and stir to combine all the meat and veggies.
when most of your meat is browned, pour in the white wine. allow the alcohol to burn off and the liquid to reduce till it is almost gone. about 2 to 4 minutes.
add in the tomato paste and stir till everything is lightly coated.
pour in the tomatoes and herbs and stir well to combine. let the tomatoes cook till they start to break down. about 5 to 10 minutes.
stir in the milk and bring the pot to a simmer. when bolognese is simmering, reduce the heat so that it gently simmers and cover. stir occasionally while the sauce simmers for 20 to 30 minutes until thick and saucy.
serve over you favorite pasta and top with fresh cheese, basil and pepper.