Garlic Steak

It has been hot here in Kansas lately.  How hot?  Really hot.  It's been over 100* for the past several days, with 100's forecasted for the next week.  The heat index has ranged from 105*-120*.  As a side note, even though I'm complaining about the heat, I know that I am lucky to have air conditioning.  I'm not working outside.  I can wear shorts, tank tops and sandals.  I'm not wearing 60 or so pounds combat gear walking patrols in the Middle East.  So while it's hot in Kansas, it's really not that bad.

http://www.goarmy.com/
 
So anyways...it's hot in Kansas.  Too hot to fire up my oven...even too hot to use my stove.  So last night for supper we had garlic steak, potatoes, corn on the cob...cooked on the grill.  We also had broccoli and cauliflower salad and cole slaw.  Yum! 

Garlic Steak
1/2 c. butter, softened

4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. Worcestershire Sauce
1 T. parsley
1/8 t. pepper (fresh ground is great!)
Steak (your choice...we usually have ribeyes)

Preheat your grill for high heat.  Mix the softened butter with the garlic, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, parsley and pepper.  Sprinkle both sides of the steaks with salt and pepper.  (I like Penzey's Smoky 4/S Special Seasoned Salt)  Grill steaks 4-6 minutes per side, or to desired doneness.  Baste each side of the steaks with the garlic butter while grilling.  When steaks are done, remove from grill and brush the steaks liberally with the garlic butter.  Allow to rest 2-3 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!  


The garlic butter is also really great on bread, potatoes, or anything that you want a garlic-y taste! 

Watermelon and Feta Salad

So I should be writing my dissertation, but here I am blogging instead.  It's writing, right??? 

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/images/watermelon.jpg

A few days ago, I stumbled across a recipe for Watermelon and Feta salad.  I didn't really look at the recipe, and I have no idea where I saw it.  Magazine?  Internet?  Cookbook?  Last night I figured I'd experiment.  I googled Watermelon and Feta salad, I googled the ingredients, and in the end, I decided to just to play around with the flavors.  I was expecting something that was OK, but when your 9 year old son is yelling about how good it is and asking for more, I knew I had something to share!  It is sweet, salty, creamy and crunchy, with a little minty-ness going on.  YUM!

http://ceuco.elementality.biz/feta.jpg

Watermelon and Feta Salad

2 cups chopped watermelon
1/3 c. diced feta cheese
2 T. diced red onion
1-1/2 T. dried mint (fresh mint would be fabulous in this dish...but all I had was dried.)
1-1/2 T. olive oil
1-1/2 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. honey
pinch of salt
1/8 t. pepper

In a bowl, mix the watermelon, feta, red onion and mint together.  In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, honey and salt/pepper together.  Pour over the watermelon mixture and chill until ready to serve.  Enjoy~


I can't wait to make this again!  This is not my picture, but it looks like what I made!

Drink of the Summer...Spiced Limeade

I think I've found my new drunk drink for the summer!  It is so good, so refreshing, so easy and once you make it, you'll be making it over and over again!  It is hot, hot, HOT in Kansas right now, and this adult beverage will cool you down.  Just be careful (speaking from experience here), it goes down very easy.  All you need are four ingredients:  ice, water, frozen limeade concentrate and Captain Morgan Spiced Rum. 

Did you know that Captain Morgan was a real person?  According to http://www.captainmorgan.com,

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"In 1654 a young Henry Morgan left his native Wales for the West Indies. He never looked back. A born leader, he quickly made became Captain Henry Morgan and became famous as a legal pirate or Buccaneer, defending British interests and generally rocking the Caribbean.  Captain Morgan’s awesome exploits on the high seas earned him a knighthood and by 1680 Sir Henry Morgan was a plantation owner and Governor of Jamaica. There he lived out his final days until his death in 1688.
Centuries later Henry Morgan became the figurehead for a company that became as famous as the man himself… The Captain Morgan Rum Company."

www.minutemaid.com

 OK, OK, I'm finally getting to the recipe...

Spiced Limeade
1 can frozen limeade concentrate
1 can water
1 can Captain Morgan's Original Spiced Rum

In a pitcher mix the limeade concentrate, water and rum together.  Chill.  When ready to serve, fill a glass completely with ice (this is important!)  Pour the limeade mixture over the ice.  Garnish with a slice of lime.  Enjoy~

Although I haven't tried this, I'm sure it would be great...fill a blender full of ice, pour the limeade mixture over the ice and blend!  Frozen Spiced Limeade!

Now that I've spent the last 37 minutes writing this post, I guess I should get back to writing my dreaded dissertation.  pffftttt...