The perfect marinade.
February 13, 2013 § Leave a Comment
It really was perfect, y’all. And not many things are.
Over the weekend my husband decided to try out his new gas grill. It wasn’t freezing outside (thanks, North Carolina!) and we had a fire going in our patio firepit, too. I love a man who can grill and make fires!
We’ve used a Weber charcoal grill for the two years we’ve been in our home, and while we love the added flavor, it makes grilling time consuming and a little annoying. So, with the beautiful new gas grill (a wonderful Christmas gift for my man from my parents) fired up and ready in 10-15 minutes, we were ready for some filets.
I’ve been on a make-your-own-salad-dressing kick lately, so I thought: “Why not a DIY marinade for these juicy steaks?” I had no idea where to start, so I turned to Real Simple. Duh. The first marinade recipe I found turned out to be a winner! And so easy. I modified it a bit from the original recipe because I ran out of red wine vinegar and didn’t have fresh oregano on hand. Oh well!
Rosemary Garlic Marinade
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 fresh garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and soak those steaks (up to two pounds) for at least 30 minutes, covered in the fridge. Voila! Bam! So good. Jason basted the steaks throughout the grilling process with the marinade as well to give it some extra flavor. We were not disappointed with the result!
And to go along with our perfect steaks, we threw some chopped zucchini, sweet onions, red peppers, jalapeños, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper in some tin foil and grilled it alongside the steaks (about 20-30 minutes for the veggies.) The end result was to-die-for. And I even made that recipe up and everything!
Love
Anna
A simmer pot.
November 20, 2012 § 3 Comments
This time of year is almost always accented by amazing smells. Scents can conjure up fond memories, nostalgia, and just plain make us happy. Think: turkey in the oven, cookies baking, cinnamon buns – all delicious and warming to the soul.
Besides cooking and baking, I like to add some extra cozy to our home throughout the autumn and winter months. Candles are a great option, but I’ve found that a simmer pot really does the trick, and hey, it’s cheaper!
The other night I tried a variation of a simmer pot I found on Pinterest. All of the ingredients were those I had on hand, or, cut fresh from my garden.
Rosemary Vanilla Simmer Pot
Rosemary Vanilla Simmer Pot
- 1 pot of water, about half full
- 5 sprigs of fresh rosemary, cut to fit the pot
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (I really just threw some in the pot, use as much as you’d like.)
- 8-10 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
Add all of those ingredients in a pot, place it on the stove, and simmer away!
After about 30 minutes I could smell the soft aromas wafting upstairs as I put in a load of laundry.
Stay cozy!
Anna
Baked Salmon with Rosemary and Pecans
June 11, 2012 § Leave a Comment
This was delicious. And it smelled so good while it was cooking! Super easy too. And yes, I love anything that lets me use the herbs I grew myself.
I got the recipe from the Paleo Plan Recipe Site. As I’ve mentioned, hubby is on the pale diet and I’ve been trying to find stuff that we’ll both like to eat, that I can cook for him. I love salmon, so I try to cook it once a week to every other week. Really good stuff.
The recipe was super simple, and I had most of the ingredients on hand. Except for one. The recipe called for coconut oil (had never heard of that, but man does it smell good.) I found it at Trader Joe’s.
Here’s the recipe. I kind of didn’t go by the measurements. I just put it what I felt was enough:
- Salmon Filets (Skin On) (Also available at Trader Joe’s. I snagged the frozen ones. They’re just fine and not to expensive!)
- Coconut Oil
- Rosemary
- Pecans
- Salt (Optional)
Basically, grease a baking sheet with coconut oil (I put foil down first) and place the salmon filets, skin side down, on the sheet. Cover the top with chopped rosemary (fresh if you have it, so easy to grow!) and chopped pecans, and bake at 350 for about 12-15 minutes or more depending on how many filets.
I served it with a kale salad (recipe courtesy of EmmyCooks.com!) for me, and sautéed asparagus (hubby’s fav.)
Voila! Delish!
