Midwinter Summertime

Making a fairly regular appearance on our dinner scene is grilled steak salad.
It's easy, economical (thanks to frequent BOGO sales at the supermarket) and pretty healthy thanks to all the supporting cast of vegetables.


What you need:
Your choice of steak cut that is your favorite to grill- I used petite sirloin this time around thanks to a Buy1 Get 1 Free sale at my market-

I marinate the steak in Dale's Seasoning. The beauty of Dale's is I can completely not know what I want to cook that night, pull out the steak, pour on some marinade and it has full flavor in minutes, not hours or days. This is most likely thanks to the miracle of msg, so obviously this is not a product for everyone. We only use it on occasion.

Next grill the steak until it is desired temperature and "doneness". I like mine well. I know I am not "supposed" to as most steak lovers feel this is a grave injustice, but it's a carryover from childhood. My mom always cooked everything well done. I think she lived in fear that we would all surely die of biting into a piece of meat that was the slightest bit pink inside.

While the steak is grilling, prepare the salads. I use organic field greens, baby carrots, English cucumbers, red onions, and mini yellow, red & orange peppers, plus a few regular sized green bell peppers thrown in for good measure.


Aren't these peppers lovely?? I wanted to sit and look at them for days. And they're cute to boot thanks to their diminutive size. I am going to try my hand at growing some this spring/summer.

Once your steak is grilled and sliced (I like it very thin) and your vegetables chopped, you can toss everything together and top with feta cheese. A splash or two of your favorite dressing (I use Greek) and you're ready to eat!


And for dessert, this time of year where we live and the strawberries are coming into season,
you absolutely must make Strawberry Shortcake!
I use the Bisquick recipe on the side of the box for the shortcakes. I have tried many shortcake recipes and keep coming back to this one for its ease. Make sure you add plenty of whipped cream and remember to cut those berries earlier in the day so they get nice and juicy for you once you have sprinkled them with sugar.


Fresh squeezed limeade completes the meal. This is a great for making you feel like summer is already here! Happy Eating!