Beef Fajitas & Grilled Corn Salsa

The three of us are huge fans of corn on the cob.  I get giddy when I start seeing it in the grocery store - especially at the super low price we get around here.  A few weeks ago, though, Bridget brought some "real" corn - fresh and juicy.  As much as I love the corn on the cob from the grocery store, this was night & day different.  I decided to grill the corn and make some salsa to go with fajitas.  Frankly, I could eat fajitas on a weekly basis.  Now that we're in the dead middle of summer, I feel like this recipe will come around again and again at our house.

Beef Fajitas adapted from Southern Living

• 2 sirloin steaks, removed from the bone & fat trimmed, sliced into thin strips
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• zest of one lime
• 2 1/2 T lime juice
• 2 T Worchesterchire sauce
• 1 1/2 t ground cumin
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 t dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 14oz can beef broth
• 1 handful of cilantro, rough chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and rough chopped
• onion, sliced
• bell pepper, sliced

In a large zip-lock bag, mix the olive oil and next 10 ingredients (through the jalapeno).  Add the steak and marinate for 4 hours, or overnight, in the refrigerator.  Turn the bag occasionally.

Grill the fajitas, onions & bell peppers over a medium-high heat.  Serve with corn or flour tortillas, grilled corn salsa & sour cream.

Grilled Corn Salsa

• 5-6 ears of corn, shucked
• 3-4 large tomatoes, seeded & diced
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1-2 jalapenos, seeded & diced
• 1 handful of cilantro, chopped
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 t olive oil
• salt & pepper

Grill the corn over medium-high heat for 15 minutes, or until done.  Cut the corn from the cob.  Mix in remaining ingredients & season to taste.

Bruschetta

Bruschetta is probably my favorite appetizer.  It is also one of those things I do fairly well without following a recipe.  If we're tossing around the idea of a snack or appetizer, I'll pick up a few tomatoes and a loaf of french bread and voila - instant appetizer.

Bruschetta

• 3 Roma tomatoes, diced small
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, pressed
• about 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• salt & pepper
• balsamic vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil
• shredded parmesan cheese

This is a good mix for the two of us.  I guess on all of it, though.  Bruschetta is one of those recipes that tastes a little different everywhere you go, but you probably have an idea of what it should taste like to you.  Sliced a baguette about 1/4" thick, brush with EVOO and bake in the oven until crispy.

Grilled Artichokes

If you'd asked me 5 years ago if I liked artichokes I would have probably said no.  Or something more like "Ew."  Since then, I've had artichoke hearts a few times on pizza and in pasta...to thankfully realize that I do like artichokes.  And last spring when we took a trip to San Francisco we took a risk and ordered an appetizer of grilled artichokes.  Jason and both liked it and since then I've bought artichokes a few times to grill ourselves.  They're usually pretty expensive, so I wait until they go on sale for $1 each.  They can also be a little intimidating, but with a little help from Google, I figured out how to cook them properly.

Grilled Artichokes from myrecipes.com

2 artichokes
1 lemon
Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Plunge the artichokes in cold water repeatedly to clean them.  Trim the stem and cut about 1" off of the top of the artichoke.  Slice off the bottom loose layer of leaves.  Using kitchen shears, trim about 1/4" off of the top of the remaining outer leaves.  Slice the artichokes in half.

Slice the lemon and drop into a pot of water to boil.  Using a steamer basket, steam the artichokes for 15-20 minutes, until the stem is tender.  Remove from the basket and let the cool slightly.  Use a spoon to remove the "choke."  Brush with olive oil and season with salt & pepper before grilling them.  Grill for 5-7 min on medium heat.

Garlic Lemon Mayo adapted from myrecipes.com

1/2 cup mayo

Lemon zest

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 clove garlic, pressed

crushed red pepper, to taste

Combine all of the ingredients and chill for 15-20 minutes before serving with the artichokes.