Rating: 💋 💋 💋 💋 😘
This week I have for you a perfect Friday night dinner with my parents, in honor of my dad. He had his birthday yesterday, so I figured I would highlight his grill master skills.
This dinner is pretty much our go-to for when we want to have a Nice Dinner. It all starts off with a salad classic: my mom's version of a Caprese. We are talking bright red, freshly sliced Jersey tomatoes grown by my dad right in our backyard, alternating with pillowy slabs of gorgeous mozzarella. Ripe avocado slices add a lovely creaminess to the dish, and it all comes topped with torn basil picked from my mom's herb garden, a light drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, freshly cracked ground black pepper, and a pinch of salt. It is, in a word, phenomenal. Moving right along, while we could still get it, we enjoyed some fresh Jersey corn on the cob, steamed, buttered, and peppered. All this sets the stage for the perfectly seared filet mignon that stars the whole show.
My dad always gets creative with the seasoning - whether its A1, simple salt and pepper, red peppers, herbs de Provence, or even sometimes a little bit of cinnamon. My mom and I both like our meat cooked to just above a moo level, and my dad delivers. I mean, look at that pink steak! Dee-licious! To finish off the meal, my mom and I discovered these really great La Brea Bakery Take & Bake rolls at Acme over the summer. They taste gourmet, they keep in the fridge really well, and you just pop them into the oven for a few minutes, butter them while they're still hot, and enjoy. Absolutely fabulous!
I know you guys have seen this photograph before, but it is the most recent one I have with my dad and I do love it. I am quite a fan of him. I feel very lucky to have been raised by someone who gives excellent life advice one minute and busts a move to an 80s pop song the next - best of both worlds. I hope he has been having a happy celebration these past few days, and that he has a really great year coming up!
On an unrelated note, I discovered the Fitness Marshall on YouTube back in January when I wanted to get back into dance, but did not have time with my work schedule to take an in-person class. It turned out be a real savior when the pandemic struck. He is absolutely hilarious and dancing to his videos has been a huge source of positivity in my life. I just started listening to his podcast with Haley Jordan, Coffee with my Ex, and I found a really interesting episode on diet trends. In the episode, they break down the nutritional pros and cons of keto, veganism, juice cleanses, and intermitten fasting, while comparing them with their personal experiences. I, personally, am not a proponent of diets or restrictive eating. I prefer the idea of developing healthier habits for overall wellness. That is what works for me though, and Caleb and Haley are quick to point out that you cannot prescribe one superior way of eating to the masses. Everybody has to find what works best for them. I really appreciated how they came at the topic with that tone, allowing listeners to learn, explore, and find their fit. Now, Caleb and Haley are not nutritionists or dietitians, but since they are a fitness-focused brand and Caleb studied nutrition in college, they do have a really strong background in the subject and I definitely learned something. I also highly recommend the podcast in general, because whether they are talking about Britney Spears or religion, they are super funny and also very insightful.
Happy Spooky Season! Maybe all of 2020 has been spooky, but at least now it comes with an excuse to dress up and eat candy 😊
XX,
MK
Comments