grilled steak and potatoes

MENU Grilled Steak Skewers Grilled Potatoes Steamed Edamame Fresh Fruit

I was at a hotel and had the late night munchies, so I took it upon myself to order grilled steak skewers to my room. It came with a custard dish full of blue cheese dipping sauce; if I had had a spoon in my hand I would have thrown all the steak right in the sauce and renamed it soup on the spot---it was that good.

When I returned home I made Grilled Steak Skewers w/ Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce. Grilling potatoes happened b/c---although my habit is to roast or saute potatoes---Seattle had hit over 100 degrees midsummer and we melt here (even though many of you are used to higher temps!). There was no way the oven or stove-top were contributing more heat to my already hot home. So, there I was with a pile of potatoes. I washed them, sliced them in half the long way (or thirds if they were bigger, creating slices of about 3/4 inch each), lubed them in olive oil, course salt and a sprinkling of herbs. They only take a few minutes on the BBQ (grill both sides).

Steam edamame---soybeans---right in the shell for a few minutes, then toss with big grains of kosher salt (or black sea salt, Hawaiian red sea salt, etc.: big grains of salt are all the rage these days). Use your teeth to slide out the beans and discard shells/skins. Perfect for healthy eating AND that salt-fix, I first enjoyed steamed edamame at one of my new fave swank restaurants in Seattle: Bal Mar. (Instead of Steamed Edamame you could make Sauteed Edamame). For fresh fruit, I had on hand watermelon and seedless black grapes. A light vanilla ice cream, fruit sorbet or simple sugar cookies make a nice, simple dessert.