Oh the 80's....

As summer winds down we have been trying to get out and do some fun things before its too late. Soon winter will be upon us and we will be cooped up in our little apartment. When we saw there was a free outdoors 80's concert we knew we had to go. So we packed a little picnic, grabbed a blanket and headed out! I'm glad we got there early so we could nab a good spot! It filled up really quick.

Of course we had to look the part! I even think Charly's shirt is from the 80's. Thank you trhift store!

A Memorable Memorial Day

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I hope you all had a fun Memorial Day weekend- we did! We didn't travel anywhere, but we had fun at home- which is kind of like traveling, since we haven't lived here that long. We still get excited to find out what there is to do in our little town.

Cold Soup on a Hot Day

Cold soup has never sat well with me. I have been intrigued by gazpachos for a long time, but never brave enough to try one. Last week I ran across this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs and decided to give it a go. All the Gazpachos I have seen were tomato based and this one was just calling to me. I have a few suggestions after making this: 1) this soup is better as an appetizer or side and not a main course. 2) I added some homemade croutons on top and added in some sliced grapes and it was awesome. 3) Holli bought me an immersion blender for Father's Day and it was way easier and faster than using a blender or food processor, so if you have one use it. 4) If you are using almonds that have the skin on, they need to be blanched to remove the skin. If you don't know how check this link out http://gourmet.lovetoknow.com/How_to_Blanch_Almonds.

I really liked this soup and making it didn't heat up the house. If you are brave enough to try a cold soup this one is a winner in my book. Enjoy!

White Gazpacho Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of crustless stale bread, broken into pieces

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (use vegetable stock for vegetarian version)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup slivered blanched almonds (must be blanched, the skins are bitter)

2 cups green seedless grapes, sliced in half

2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped

1-3 chopped garlic cloves (depending on how garlicky you want the result to be)

2-3 Tbsp sherry vinegar or cider vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

Chives for garnish

METHOD

1 Heat the stock until it's steamy. Turn off the heat and add to the stock the broken up pieces of stale bread. Let cool.

2 Put the almonds, salt and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the almonds are pulverized. Add the soaked bread and any stock that was not absorbed by the bread into the food processor, then add the grapes and cucumbers. Pulse until the mixture is a rough purée.

3 Add 2 tablespoons of the vinegar and pulse a few seconds to combine. Taste and add the other tablespoon if it needs it – grapes can sometimes be acidic enough to leave out the final tablespoon of vinegar.

4 With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Turn off the motor and taste the gazpacho. Add more salt if needed.

Chill before serving, garnish with chopped chives.

Serves 6-8.

Great Steak Recipe!

Summer is here and it is time to dust off the grill…personally I love to grill year around. I will tromp out in the snow if I have to. This dish is one of my favorites and here are my reasons why: 1) Most importantly it tastes great. 2) It uses few ingredients. 3) It is fast. 4) It is really easy. 5) Least importantly it is healthy. The Veggies give the steak a lighter taste and the balsamic gives it the right kick! It also looks kind of fancy and is a different twist on a BBQ steak!

Here are some tips to grill a great steak. Make sure the grill is clean. If you don’t have a grill cleaning utensil try balled up foil. Heat up your grill ahead of time. When you are ready to put your meat on put some olive oil on a paper towel or old rag and use your tongs to brush it on the grill, this will prevent the meat from sticking. Also try not to turn the meat too often. Try to cook meat on a lower temp to avoid burning the outside and under cooking the inside. Another Helpful hint is to look up online how long you should cook the type of meat you have. One thing I should get is a meat thermometer because I always wonder if my meat is over cooked or not. When grilling the Veggies for this recipe I found it best to put a disposable foil pan on the grill because it is less messy. Enjoy and let me know what you think if you made this.

Grilled Steak with Tomatoes and Scallions

Ingredients

Serves 4

Cook time: 20 min.

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for grates

4 flat-iron steaks (about 6 ounces each)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 pints cherry tomatoes

2 bunches scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions

Heat grill to high. Clean and lightly oil hot grates. Season steaks with salt and pepper and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to a plate, cover with foil, and let rest.

Meanwhile, place a double layer of foil or a reusable foil contgainer. Top with tomatoes and scallions; drizzle with oil. Grill until tender and lightly charred, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a bowl, toss with vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Top steaks with vegetables.