As the More is More Mom®, I’m all about…….. loving more delicious dinners on the grill! I’m always so inspired by the fresh and beautiful flavors of the summer, especially sweet and juicy tomatoes. One of my favorite memories of my grandfather is eating the tomatoes we helped him pick right off the vine from his garden. Maybe that’s why I am so partial to this Flavorful Flank Steak with Tomato Relish.
Just like the Boy Scouts, I love to be prepared! This dinner is so tasty and simple; you’re going to love it too.
Flavorful Flank Steak
Serves 4-6
1 – 2 ½ lb flank steak
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cracked black pepper
Salt
Place flank steak on a foil lined, rimmed baking sheet
To make the rub, in a small bowl, mix;
Sugar
Cayenne pepper
Cracked black pepper
Rub the rub all over the steak on both sides
Cover and refrigerate
Tomato Relish:
1 cup chopped red onion
3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 – 10 oz containers of grape tomatoes halved
½ cup chopped green olives
2 Tbsp olive brine
2 Tbsp horseradish
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
A couple dashes hot pepper sauce
½ tsp celery seeds
¼ cup olive oil
In a medium size bowl, mix;
Onion
1 Tbsp vinegar
Allow the flavors to blend for about 10 minutes, mixing often
Add;
Tomatoes
Celery
Olives
In a medium bowl, whisk;
2 Tbsp vinegar
Olive brine
Horseradish
Worcestershire sauce
Hot pepper sauce
Celery seeds
Slowly, whisk in oil
Add the liquid mixture to the tomato mixture
Season to taste with salt and pepper
Cover and refrigerate until dinner
When you’re ready for dinner, pre-heat the grill to medium-high
For medium-rare, grill for approximately 5-7 minutes per side
Allow to rest for approximately 10 minutes
Cut steak against the grain and serve with Tomato Relish
My family loves a piping hot bowl of creamy mashed potatoes on the side
If you’re lucky enough to have a little relish left over, it’s awesome as a topping on a grilled hot dog, served…..Chicago Style!
More reminiscing, more fresh ingredients, more do ahead dinners, more mouth watering meals………
To schedule and Interior Design appointment, a Life Style consultation or a speaking engagement, please email me at moreismoremom@aol.com
As the More is More Mom®, I’m all about…….more maple pork chops! I’m sorry; nothing says summer like the beautiful blend of sweet and savory on the grill. While I’m not particularly a briner, whenever I do think of brining, Thanksgiving turkey is the first thing that comes to mind. However, these Maple-Brined Pork Chops served with Maple and Butter Glazed Grilled Peaches were to die for!
Brining is meant to make the meat moist, and boy did it ever! The beauty is that the meat is prepped in the brine the night before and when you’re ready for dinner, you just toss the chops on the grill, which is easy and awesome.
Maple-Brined Pork Chops
Maple and Butter Glazed Grilled Peaches
Creamy Homemade Risotto
Maple Brined Pork Chops
3 cups of water
¾ cup chicken broth
2 tsp allspice
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bay leaf, crumbled
2 Tbsp salt
3 Tbsp maple syrup
4 boneless pork chops
In a sauce pan, pour;
Water
Broth
Allspice
Garlic
Bayleaf
Salt
Syrup
Bring to a boil, stirring until salt is dissolved
Allow the liquid to cool
Place pork chops and the liquid into a re-sealable baggie
Chill over night
Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat
Remove pork chops from brine, discarding the liquid
Sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper
Grill for 3-5 minutes per side, or until cooked through
Remove from the grill and set aside
Maple and Butter Glazed Grilled Peaches
I chose 3 peaches and 3 plums. While the plums were very nice, the grilled peaches struck a perfect note with the pork.
3 peaches
3 plums
Slice in half and remove pits
Pre-heat grill to medium-high
Combine;
2 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp maple syrup
Sprinkle peaches and plums with a little salt and pepper
Brush butter and syrup generously onto peach and plum halves
Place fruit face side down on the grill for approximately 3-4 minutes
Creamy Homemade Risotto
This is one of my favorite sides. It’s elegant and delicious!
1 – 32 oz container of chicken broth
8 Tbsp butter
¾ cup diced onion
1 cup of Arborio rice
¾ cup white wine
1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
In a sauce pan, heat broth and reduce to simmer
In a skillet, melt 6 Tbsp butter over medium heat
Add onion and sauté for approximately 3 minutes, until nice and tender
Add rice, stirring to coat with the butter
Add the wine, simmering for approximately 3-4 minutes, until the wine evaporates
Add the broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring until the broth is absorbed into the rice
It should take 25 minutes or so until all of the broth has been absorbed
Remove from the heat
Add 2 Tbsp of butter
Stir until well combined
Add the cheese, stirring until nice and creamy
Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste
Serve and enjoy a sweet and savory sensation!
More maple syrup, more summer grilling, more pork and peaches, more delectable dinners……
To schedule and Interior Design appointment, a Life Style consultation or a speaking engagement, please email me at moreismoremom@aol.com
As the More is More Mom®, I’m all about……more summer grilling! It’s absolutely amazing to me that there are so many ways to prepare a fabulous chicken dinner. Braised, baked, roasted, smoked, fried, grilled; the possibilities are endless. However, with family life in the summer being so unpredictable, I’m a huge fan of streamlining my meal plans whenever possible, which is why I love to marinate!
Because more of everything is always better, when I know we’ll have a particularly busy week, I like to make enough of a dish to serve as two meals. On day two, just pop it in the microwave and dinner is served in a snap!
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken
Garlic Roasted Broccoli
Classic Mashed Potatoes
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken
Not only is this a delectable dish to serve for dinner, but it’s great for a party as well. Marinade your chicken and make the tasty drizzle the day before. Bring the drizzle to room temperature and toss the chicken on the grill. How easy is that?
Because the kids had friends over for dinner, I made 8 chicken breasts and 10 drumsticks with this recipe……
Chicken and marinade:
In a large bowl, combine;
1 cup lemon juice
½ cup fresh flat parsley, chopped
2 cups olive oil
14 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp fine ground seas salt
2 tsp cracked black pepper
Place 8 chicken breasts in a 2 gallon re-sealable plastic bag
Place 10 drumsticks in a 1 gallon re-sealable plastic bag
Divide marinade between them to completely cover
Place bags of chicken on a rimmed baking sheet or pan and refrigerate over night
Drizzle:
8 garlic cloves, minced
4 heaping tsp of kosher salt
4 Tbsp lemon juice
¾ – 1 cup olive oil (depending how intense you want the flavor, more oil dilutes the impact a bit)
In a mortar, using a pestle, mash the garlic and salt to create a nice and thick paste (You can always use a small bowl and mash the garlic and salt with the back of a spoon, but a mortar and pestle is a great addition to your kitchen arsenal)
In a bowl (preferably with a nice lid), add;
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Garlic paste
Whisk together, cover and refrigerate over night. Bring to room temperature before using.
Meal prep:
I made 5lbs of mashed potatoes, peeling, cubing, washing and placing in a large stock pot, before I started the grill. Once I got the chicken going, I cooked the potatoes.
Pre-heat grill and reduce to medium-high
Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and place on the grill rack.
I like to place the breasts skin side up first so I can gage how quickly the grill is working. I like to avoid scorching the skin side especially because the grill is going to be smoking like a son-of-a-gun because of all of the oil in the marinade. Make sure your chicken is cooked all the way through (salmonella is always a huge drag, even if you’re merely enjoying a family dinner). Insert an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken, checking until it registers at 165°. It may take a good 30 minutes or so.
Remove chicken from the grill and tent with foil until ready to serve.
Garlic Roasted Broccoli:
I thought we should live on the edge by roasting our broccoli rather than blanching it in boiling water for a change of paste. It was light and tasty.
This recipe serves 4
12oz bag of broccoli florets
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
Dash of crushed red pepper flakes
Pre-heat oven to 425°
In a small bowl, combine;
Olive oil
Garlic
Crushed Red Pepper
In a large bowl, combine;
Broccoli
Oil mixture
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil
In a single layer, place broccoli on baking sheet
Roast in oven for about 15 minutes, watching to make sure the florets roast, but don’t burn
Remove and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper
On a plate, place a heaping, helping of mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli and grilled chicken, drizzling the drizzle all over the chicken……enjoy, floss, brush and repeat!
More easy marinades, more summer grilling, more meals for family and friends…….
To schedule and Interior Design appointment, a Life Style consultation or a speaking engagement, please email me at moreismoremom@aol.com
As the More is More Mom®, I’m all about…….more tuna steaks for dinner! While Chuck is a huge fish fan, there is not a chance that I could possibly get our kids to eat fish (not even fish sticks dipped in ketchup, and my people consider ketchup one of the food groups…… right next to chocolate.). Every now and again, however, I throw caution to the wind and make them hamburgers so we can enjoy a delicious and healthy dinner full of fresh fish.
Tomato and Onion Smothered Tuna Steaks
Grilled Vegetables
Brown Rice – Who doesn’t love a little Uncle Ben’s long grain brown rice?
Tomato and Onion Smothered Tuna Steaks
As a rule, summer makes me dream of grilling, but this recipe is quickly whipped up in a skillet right in your kitchen.
Serves 2
2 ahi tuna steaks, approximately 1” thick
5 Tbsp olive oil
½ large onion, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
4 garlic cloves minced
3 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 1 ½ – 2 cups)
½ – 1 cups of rough chopped basil
1 Tbsp capers, rinsed
In a large skillet, heat 3 Tbsp of oil over medium heat
Sauté onions, until tender, for approximately 5 minutes
Add garlic and sauté for an additional 3-5 minutes
Stir in tomatoes, basil and capers
Simmer for approximately 15 minutes, until the mixture thickens
In the meantime, heat 2 Tbsp oil in another skillet
Sprinkle fish with course sea salt and cracked black pepper
Cook until golden brown on each side, approximately 6 minutes total
Remove tuna steaks and place in pan with tomato mixture
Simmer until the fish is opaque in the center, about 5 more minutes
Plate fish and smother with tomato and onion mixture
Grilled Vegetables
This is super easy and super tasty. Slice and dice your favorite veggies and marinade in a balsamic vinaigrette for a few hours or overnight. I like to use a Zip-loc baggie for quicker cleanup.
Pre-heat grill to medium-heat
Place vegetables on grill, horizontally, to make nice char marks. Grill until cooked through, approximately 10-15 minutes (beware that your grill may smoke like a son-of-a-gun because of the salad oil).
You’re in for a real treat if you sprinkle your grilled veggies with a little crumbled feta cheese. With any luck, you’ll have leftovers!
Plate your fish, veggies and rice for a Heavenly summer treat!
More tasty meals, more fresh fish, more summer dinners……
To schedule and Interior Design appointment, a Life Style consultation or a speaking engagement, please email me at moreismoremom@aol.com
As the More is More Mom®, I’m all about……..more Home-gating! Why head to the stadium to tailgate with the kids piled in the car, packed with everything but the kitchen sink, when you can enjoy the big game in the comfort of your very own home? My mantra is more of everything is always better, especially time spent with family and friends. What better way to re-connect than nibbling and noshing over a tasty buffet while cheering on your favorite team……
I absolutely love entertaining and Homegating provided the perfect party inspiration! As an Interior Designer, I crave authenticity, which is why I was crazy about all of the little details that went into making our Homegating party a huge success.
Homegating Dinner Buffet
Popcorn, peanut's and Cracker Jack's
Charming decorations strike the perfect tone; a blue plaid stadium blanket, blue and gold rooter poms, home-made felt pennants and an apothecary jar filled with gumballs in our team colors graced the buffet and bar. A picnic basket, brimming with popcorn, peanuts and Cracker Jacks made for an inexpensive and delightful centerpiece.
Cold Beverages; soda, wine and Miller Lite....
To get the party rolling, I set up a little bar so our guests could help themselves to cold sodas, wine and long neck bottles of Miller Lite.
Wrigley, 92lbs of fun!
For a pre-game warm up, the teenagers amused themselves by playing running bases and Bago’s, while keeping the ball away from our 92lb Chocolate Lab, Wrigley, was the real challenge. To make the day a little more festive, we brought my homemade Wrigley Field replica scoreboard out to the yard so the kids could manually score the game.
With the concession stand serving as such great inspiration, the menu was easy….
Homegating Party Menu
Popcorn, Peanuts and Cracker Jack’s
DiGiorno Pizza
Homemade Nachos
Hot Dog Bar; Chicago Style, BLT and Philly Cheese Dogs
Ooey-Gooey Chewy Bars
It’s not delivery, it’s DiGiorno!
DiGiorno Pizza....
DiGiorno has so many great toppings to choose from, but my people are total meat lovers. They were so crazy for the sausage and pepperoni pizza that there wasn’t a slice left on the tray!
While nachos at the ball park are fine, nothing beats those that I make at home (and for a fraction of the price!). The beauty is that everything can be prepped in advance and tossed in the oven 10 minutes before you’re ready to serve. Ole!
Nachos:
Pre-heat oven to 400°
2 lbs of ground beef, browned.
2 packets of Taco seasoning, combined with the browned beef according to the package directions.
Refrigerate until ready to use. Warm up in the microwave for 2 minutes when it’s nachos time.
1 large bag of your favorite tortilla chips
1 – 8 cup bag of shredded cheddar cheese
Your favorite toppings, such as;
Diced tomatoes
Diced onions
Sliced olives
Coat a 13×9 baking dish with non-stick spray
Place a layer of tortilla chips in the baking dish
Smother with cheese
Pop into the oven for 3-4 minutes, until the cheese starts to melt
Add another layer of chips
Cover with browned beef and more cheese
Generously sprinkle with tomatoes and onions
Cover with more cheese
Top with sliced olives
Cook for another 5-7 minutes, or until cheese melts
Hot Dog Bar;
Grill hot dogs, slide into a hot dog bun or brat roll, and place on a serving tray
Offer a variety of condiments to build your favorite hot dogs
Cheese sauce ~ Bell pepper and onion strips (sautéed in olive oil until tender, about 10-15 minutes) ~ Dash of hot sauce
And for dessert…….
Ooey-Gooey Chewy Bars (with Nestlé’s chips)
Pre-heat the oven to 350°
In a large bowl, mix together;
3 cans of sweetened condensed milk
1 box of graham cracker crumbs
Add;
1 bag Nestlé’s milk chocolate chips
1 bag Nestlé’s butterscotch chips
Blend well
Line a 13×9 baking dish with parchment paper and coat with non-stick spray
Spread mixture into the dish
Cook for 30 minutes, or until a light golden brown
Cool until easy to handle
Lift parchment paper out of dish, place on a cutting board and remove the parchment paper (no stick! No mess!).
Cut into bars (I prefer to remove the edges so the bars are nice and even)
Place on a serving dish and enjoy…….
The only thing that beats a visit to your favorite stadium is enjoying a Homegating party with your closest family a friends! Let’s play ball…….
To schedule and Interior Design appointment, a Life Style Consultation or a speaking engagement, please contact me at moreismoremom@aol.com
I’m excited to have been asked to be a part of this campaign for Collective Bias and DiGiorno; a Homegating Game Time Party! Hosting family and friends, enjoying our buffet and playing games as we cheered on the home team was a blast!
