Happy Tuesday! Wait, TUESDAY?!?! In case you couldn’t tell, I, um, didn’t plan a menu yet this week. This is one of those “keepin’ it real” posts. I’m presently buried in work and, over the last week, have been dealing with sick kids and a certain something that you can find in people’s hair that ryhmes with “mice.” (I don’t even want to say the word because this is a food blog and YUCK…but if you ever happen to find yourself dealing with the same issue, the AirAllé heat treatment is the BEST THING EVER. 100% fooproof. Also, 100% expensive, but 100% worth it in my book.) Basically, it’s been a great week. I am straight up using last week’s menu, including the shopping list that I wrote down over a week ago and has been sitting on my desk ever since. Good times!

I feel like I’m so late with this you probably have all given up on me…BUT…if you DO have your weekly menu ready, please share it in the comments! Thank you thank you!

Hope you’re all having a better week than I am! 😉

I haven’t done Show and Tell in SO LONG. It’s time.

TV Loves

Okay, so Netflix is keeping us busy lately. Here are a few of our recent favorite discoveries:

• Julie’s Greenroom. Julie Andrews is the best person EVER, amiright? I just discovered that she has a new Jim Henson Company children’s show streaming on Netflix called Julie’s Greenroom. I already know I love it and I haven’t even watched it. Here’s an article from The Guardian that gives a nice summary of the show. My kids are going to be watching this show no matter what.
• The OA. Have you watched The OA yet? WHAT DID YOU THINK?!?!?! I’m not even 100% sure I know what I think about it all, but I do know we blasted through the first season in about half a second. It was crazy and fun and mysterious and that-last-episode-what-the-what?!?!
• The Grinder. This comedy series starring Fred Savage and Rob Lowe originally aired on Fox and is now streaming on Netflix. Nate and I cannot figure out why it was cancelled after one season because it’s hysterical. We’re considering watching all the episodes again because we need more Grinder in our life! (Hey, Netflix, maybe a Season 2? Just sayin’…)
• Hap & Leonard. Netflix recently suggested this show to us and Netflix was right again. This Sundance series is great. We’re only about halfway through the first season but we are totally loving it. Also, OMAR. (If you see the name Omar and know what I’m talking about, then you’ll know you need to watch this show.)

Cookbook Loves

One of my long-time blogging friends Robyn Stone just published a beautiful cookbook and I’m so excited for her! Robyn has been blogging at Add a Pinch for many years (seriously, I’ve known her forever in blog years!) and has published her cookbook of the same name. It’s as beautiful as I anticipated it would be and I can’t wait to dive into the recipes she shares in the book. The premise of her book is easy, fast, fresh Southern classics, which sounds just about perfect to me. A big congratulations to Robyn on the birth of her book baby! I am so happy for her and she deserves the very best! You can pick up Robyn’s book on Amazon.

Local Loves

I need to throw out some local love from here in North County San Diego. If you’re local or vacation in North County San Diego, be sure to check out the recently re-opened shop Seaworthy in Carlsbad Village. My talented friend Ashley now owns the store and is doing beautiful things there.

Thanks to Ashley’s store I just now have discovered SAND+GRIT jewelry, made by a local artisan in Carlsbad. I LOVE HER STUFF SO MUCH. I wear my new triangle necklace and copper cuffs every day. The Seven Earring in 14K Rose Gold is next on my to-buy list. Bonus: SAND+GRIT is high quality and affordable, a great combo. You don’t have to be in Carlsbad to get your hands on this awesome jewelry…just visit their website! (And good luck not buying everything.)

That’s it for me today. As you know, Show and Tell is for the whole class…feel free to share anything you like in the comments! (And, if you watched The OA, seriously, I want to know what you thought!)

Hello everyone! So, how’s the weather where you are? Still buried in snow? Or basking in springtime sun? We are currently experiencing the latter, which feels wonderful. HOWEVER…I am a wee bit jealous of winter storms and am crossing fingers SoCal gets at least a few more rainstorms before summer comes along.

It’s time to plan the next menu, so here we go…

MONDAY:
– Tuscan Tomato Soup
– Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

TUESDAY:
– Naan pizzas on the grill

WEDNESDAY:
– Slow Cooker Sweet Korean BBQ Beef Tacos

THURSDAY:
– Leftovers

FRIDAY:
– Grill night! Hot dogs and hamburgers
– Potato Salad and Fruit

SATURDAY:
– Eat out night

SUNDAY:
– Waffles and scrambled eggs

Click here or on the image above for a free printable PDF of the meal plan and ingredients list.

You know the drill, folks! Time to share your menus in the comments, plain or fancy!

So, you know how my sister-in-law Cora is going to start writing for the blog now? Apparently she and her husband (a.k.a. my brother) are on a quest to take over my blog because now HE has written up a recipe to share on the blog. Fine by me…less work for me, more good food for you! Also, the recipe he is sharing is in a competition and we need your votes. It’s easy and you don’t have to sign up for anything, so if you’re bored…GO VOTE! YAY! He’s in the East bracket at the very bottom. Without further ado, here’s Christian! 

This is Jane’s overly bearded brother, Christian. Husband of Cora, whom you might remember from such blog posts as Charcuterie for 500, please, Alex.

We bought a house about 2 years ago, moved in and discovered the kitchen oven didn’t work. Like, at all. (Actually, turns out the gas lines didn’t work either as evidenced by the 3 or 4 fire trucks that greeted us within the first week of living in the house, much to the joy of the then 4- and 6-year-olds in the family.)

In the interest of roasting two birds with one heat source, we went ahead and bought a smoker. With no working oven in the house. My wife obviously has a good sense of humor”¦ and an insatiable desire for smoked flank steak. She saw the irony, but also the perfectly smoked bark and juicy inside of our first brisket. It is an oven after all. It just doesn’t make your house hot in the summer.

Today I’m here to share a spectacular grilling recipe of mine with you, born from that smoker, in hopes of warming up the weather to bring on spring. And if it looks good enough to you to lick the screen, I’d love your vote in the “East” division of this lil’ March Madness-style BBQ competition I’m in, bottom right. It’s a tight race and should only take 1 minute. UPDATE: You can’t vote for Christian because he won the competition! SO AWESOME! Go, Christian!

This recipe has emerged from many a trial-and-error cooks. And it’s my favorite. If I made and sold my own barbecue sauce, this would be sketched in the background of the label. It uses the smoker first and then the grill to finish it off. If you don’t have a smoker, you can skip step 3 and go straight to the grill. It will still be delicious.

But let me tell you. It only takes one smoke to never stop.

If you have even the faintest of a smoke itch, check out a pellet smoker. It makes monitoring the heat source as easy as turning a dial and then you can focus on mastering the craft of BBQ, complete with wood-fueled flavor. And if you’re really feeling the urge to take on Spring with a vengeance, pick up Franklin’s BBQ book. In hardcover; it’s way more fun that way. If you can cook it in an oven, you can cook it in a smoker. Smoking opens up all sorts of culinary opportunity.

With that, enjoy the recipe! And support competitive smoking (I’m the bottom right matchup). It’ll only take a second and then the steak will be spread to more beloved hearts.

Smoke ’n Grill Flank Steak

 

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Get the smokey goodness of the smoker and the searing punch of the grill all in one glorious, marinaded slab of heaven. The smell of the marinade will make you want to pop open a beer at 11:00am, the aroma of the smoker will get the neighbors peaking over the fence, and the fire of the grill that afternoon will ensure your status as BBQ god amongst friends.

Author: Christian Wallin

Ingredients

• 2 lb flank steak
• ¼ cup red wine
• ¼ cup vegetable oil (I don’t use olive so it doesn’t solidify in the fridge)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅛ cup soy sauce
• A little less than ⅛ cup Worcestershire sauce
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 limes, fresh squeezed

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Give it a stir and take a good whiff - it should make you want to lick it. Need some more citrus? A lil' more garlic? Add it. I like a strong garlic presence, solid lime scent, a wave of soy and enough Worcestershire sauce to make it unique (a little less than ⅛ cup).
2. Put it in a plastic bag with the meat. Push out as much air as you can without shooting the marinade across the counter. Toss it in the fridge for 8 hours. I use vegetable oil instead of olive so the marinade doesn't solidify in the fridge.
3. Load up your smoker with your wood of choice. I often use mesquite or hickory, maybe some apple mixed in. Keep it at about 180-200 degrees for 3 hours. If your steak is smaller, shoot more for 2½ hours.
4. In the last 30 min of smoking, fire up your grill. I use charcoal because I can get it HOT. You want it as high as you can get it. Visiting my parents once I set their gas grill aflame getting it to where I wanted it. Not the safest grill moment I've had but had a hell of a good sear.
5. Once your coals and grill are hot (HOT), transfer the steak from the smoker. Grill it about 3 minutes per side. You want to sear the dickens out of it, getting some nice char and grill markage. It will go about a minute faster than usual because the temperature of the meat is higher from smoking.
6. Knowing when to pull a steak off is a bit of an art, but just takes practice. This steak is a little different because it will seem stiffer from smoking, but follow you gut. If you're unfamiliar with steak doneness, Google "using palm to test steak." It's remarkably accurate.
7. Pull the steak off the grill, wrap in foil and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
8. Carve that sucker, against the grain. Pencil-width slices. Adorn with Chimichurri sauce and sides of your liking. Crack a beer or other favorite beverage and bask in the smoky grace of BBQ.

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Chimichurri

 

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Author: Christian Wallin

Ingredients

• 1 bunch cilantro, washed WELL and chopped
• 6 large cloves garlic, minced
• ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 lime, fresh squeezed
• 1 tablespoon diced red onion
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Put all ingredient in a food processor or blender and ZOOT! ZOOT!
2. You're done. Easy. Be a hero and offer it to your guests for their steak.

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Happy Monday! I’ve been sick with an awesome cold the last 5 days. I’m finally feeling somewhat normal again, which means time to plan this week’s menu! The kids were so cute the other night, stepping in to help make dinner on a night when I was stuck in bed. All of that time spent cooking with my kids is paying off!

MONDAY:
– Chicken Stir Fry

TUESDAY:
– Turkey Paninis

WEDNESDAY:
– Carnitas Tacos

THURSDAY:
– Leftovers

FRIDAY:
– Green Noodles (again! the kids love it and requested it for our St. Patrick’s Day green meal!)
– Green Lemon Bars

SATURDAY:
– Eat out night

SUNDAY:
– Cilantro Sour Cream Enchiladas (vegetarian version)

Click here or on the image above for a free printable PDF of the meal plan and ingredients list.

You know the drill! Share your own menus in the comments! And have a great week!

Happy Sunday! I really can’t believe it’s time to plan another menu. Here goes…

MONDAY:
– Roast Beef Paninis
– Fruit

TUESDAY:
– Loaded Baked Potatoes

WEDNESDAY:
– No. 3, aka Green Noodles

THURSDAY:
– Leftovers

FRIDAY:
– Chicken Stir Fry

SATURDAY:
– Eat out night

SUNDAY:
– Breakfast for Dinner: Roasted Vegetable Egg Scrambles and Smoothies

Click here or on the image above for a printable PDF of the menu and ingredients list.

Your turn! Share those menus in the comments! THANK YOU!

You may have noticed Roasted Vegetable Egg Scramble on my weekly menus a lot lately. That’s because that dish is my new favorite go-to dinner. FAVORITE. Since I’ve started going to the farmer’s market every Wednesday, I’ve been regularly roasting vegetables to have on hand in the fridge throughout the week. As a result, we’ve been making these roasted vegetable egg scrambles on busy nights and it is just so darn tasty. The first time I made these eggs, Cate was especially enamored and when Nate walked through the door that night she exclaimed, “You are going to LOVE dinner tonight.”

This is not a precise recipe, more of a jumping off point for you to make these eggs however you want. I recently received an email from a reader asking what vegetables I use for the scrambles. The answer? Whatever vegetables I happen to find at the market that are good for roasting! Since it’s winter time, it’s been a lot of cauliflower and squashes mixed with potatoes and onions. I’m sure when summer rolls around the mix will be different. I have to say, the cauliflower and butternut squash have been my favorites.

One quick note: the reason that this is such a fast and easy dinner option is because I already have the vegetables roasted and sitting in the fridge. I have yet to actually roast vegetables simply to make these eggs. Although, they are delicious enough to be worthy of the effort. BUT…the reason this is my new go-to dinner is because those veggies are sitting there waiting for me. I didn’t use to be a person who roasted vegetables every week, but now that I do, well, I love it. It really is wonderful having them on hand all the time, I highly recommend it!

Roasted Vegetable Egg Scramble

 

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Author: Jane Maynard

Serves: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• ~1/2 cup diced roasted vegetables
• Pat of butter
• 4 pinches salt
• Pepper

Instructions

1. Heat a small frying pan on the stove over medium heat. Once the pan has been heating up for a few minutes, add the butter and roasted vegetables. Stir occasionally as they heat up.
2. Whisk the two eggs with the salt (my rule of thumb is 2 pinches of salt per egg, so if you're cooking more than 2 eggs, just add more pinches accordingly). Note: this recipe is for one serving, but you can easily up the amount of eggs and vegetables and just cook them in a larger pan. Works great!
3. Once the vegetables are heated through, pour the egg into the pan. Let cook for about a minute, then start to "flip" the eggs, turning the eggs and veggies over in the pan evenly. Cook until all the egg is just cooked through, making sure not too cook too long.
4. Slide onto a plate, sprinkle with black pepper and enjoy!

Notes

Click here for an article I recently wrote about roasting vegetables. For these eggs, you can roast just 1 or 2 veggies or a large assortment. There are no rules here! Vegetables that I like to roast that I think are good in the eggs: always a bit of yellow onion, cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, squashes, broccoli, green beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, the list goes on!

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