You’ve watched over your steak on the grill in hopes of getting it to your desired doneness. You’ve patiently waited while it rests and redistributes all of its juices. Then finally it’s the moment of truth…time to carve.

I was full of pride (and relief) when I made that first incision into this Sweet & Spicy Grilled Steak. A perfect medium rare! I can’t take all of the credit, I did have a little help from a pretty cool meat thermometer. OXO recently sent me their digital meat thermometer to try out and I ended up really loving the thing. Read on to hear what I liked so much about it and what makes this steak taste so incredible (hint…roasted cumin!).

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© Cooking On the Side, 2010. | Permalink: http://cookingontheside.com/sweet-spicy-grilled-steak-with-tomato-relish/

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I brought dinner and a few of these Chocolate-Layered No-Bake Cheesecake Bars over to my friend Catherine, who just welcomed a new baby boy a few weeks ago. She e-mailed me a few hours later: “I sneaked a ‘before dinner taste’ of the cheesecake bars and it was the best thing I’ve ever eaten!”

Granted, Catherine is big chocolate fan (which is why I knew she’d love these bars), but I have to agree with her that they’re pretty amazing. Without question, they’re rich. But at least in bar form you feel a little less guilt since they’re small. And now that the sun is finally back in San Diego, I’m finding the opportunity to make desserts without having to turn on the oven very appealing!

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© Cooking On the Side, 2010. | Permalink: http://cookingontheside.com/chocolate-layered-no-bake-cheesecake-bars/

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Baked pasta – seriously??

I know that for a lot of folks the weather this week has been an absolute scorcher. But here in San Diego, we’ve kind of been experiencing the opposite (but not at all severe) phenomenon…it’s actually been a bit cold and blustery. In fact, I nearly turned the car around as I was taking my kids out to the Wild Animal Park – the fog was dense and drizzly on the way out there and my duo are still pretty little. Fortunately, the sky cleared up and we had a blast with the flamingos, meerkats and gorillas.

The brisk, gray weather put me in the mood for a good spinach lasagna, using the basil pesto I recently made. The recipe, from the back of a package of shredded cheese, uses no-boil noodles so it was actually easy to prepare on a weeknight. Although you can’t really see it in the photos, the pesto is prominent throughout the lasagna layers and full of flavor. There’s a fair amount of spinach in there as well so you can feel good about getting your veggies in.

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© Cooking On the Side, 2010. | Permalink: http://cookingontheside.com/spinach-pesto-lasagna/

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I need to know from the gardeners among you – is it too late in the season for me to try (again) to grow my own basil? Seriously, I’d love your advice. I’ve got a sunny yard and a continual desire for basil in the summer. The only thing I seem to be lacking is a green thumb. Time and again I’ve gone through the process of eagerly selecting herb seedlings at the garden center. I lovingly plant them at home in a pretty terra cotta planter (one of those with the windows scattered around the sides, like a little herb hotel on the Mediterranean). And then the aphids arrive. In fear of spraying anything toxic on the plants I abandon the whole thing and revert to the pricey produce department packs.

Even though I had to shell out the big bucks (not really, like five) for a big pack of organic basil at the grocery store it was all worth it to blend up my own fresh pesto. It’s so versatile, adding intense herby, garlicky flavor to everything from panini to pasta. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to parlay my homemade pesto into another “on the side” recipe I found - Spinach-Pesto Lasagna.

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© Cooking On the Side, 2010. | Permalink: http://cookingontheside.com/basil-pesto/

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Teriyaki burgers. Sweet onions. Spicy mayo. Hawaiian rolls. Pineapple.

Is your mouth watering yet?

This is my kind of burger: medium-rare, grass-fed (Food Inc. opened my eyes), eighty-five percent lean beef bathed in homemade teriyaki marinade.  The idea for the burger comes from the back of my favorite brand of hamburger buns, King’s Hawaiian. A local restaurant we like to go to, Jake’s, uses these buns and now they’re all I use too (yes, I’d prefer they’d do away with the HFCS and preservatives but for now I’ll give them a pass, they’re so good). They’re sweet and fluffy and provide the perfect backdrop for a highly flavorful burger.

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© Cooking On the Side, 2010. | Permalink: http://cookingontheside.com/teriyaki-burgers/

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They look like hamburgers, don’t they?

Or maybe it’s just me and my current obsession with sliders. I don’t know why I’ve been finding mini-sandwiches so appealing, but if they’re on the menu I order them. I’ve justified it as a means of portion control – I eat two and share the third. But in reality? I just think they’re cute…and who can resist cute food?

This started out as a cookie post, featuring the Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie recipe I found on the back of a baking powder canister. But as I was nibbling away – rest assured I do plenty of taste testing before posting recipes on this blog – I couldn’t help wanting some ice cream to go with them. I was all set to pick up a pint of Haagen-Dazs when my strategic-minded husband suggested I make some from scratch. Next thing I knew I had a batch of David Lebovitz’ ultra-rich, super-smooth, intensely-chocolate gelato (from his Ready for Dessert cookbook) churning away in my ice cream maker. It’s good to listen to your spouse sometimes.

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© Cooking On the Side, 2010. | Permalink: http://cookingontheside.com/peanut-butter-oatmeal-cookie-gelato-sliders/

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Once, a few years ago, my sisters and I ran into Wolfgang Puck in Vegas. Or at least we saw him. We were having a late lunch at one of his restaurants, Trattoria del Lupo, at Mandalay Bay, and I noticed him from afar. He was just sitting by himself, at a table right in the front section of the dining room. In fact, he was seated so prominently that I doubted for a moment whether it was really him. But it definitely was. I must have been staring (in fact, I know I was) because as we were leaving the restaurant, he acknowledged me with a warm smile.

The recipe for these Braised Short Ribs was the first of Wolfgang Puck’s that I’d ever tried. It came from the back of his packaged beef stock and was uncommonly good. The short ribs, braised for 2-1/2 hours in the stock and Cabernet Sauvignon, were fall-off-the-bone succulent and full of flavor. Don’t get me started about the intoxicating, earthy aromas that wafted throughout my house all afternoon.

Chef Puck recommends serving these short ribs over noodles or mashed potatoes. I, of course, turned mine into panini (see the recipe over on my other blog, Panini Happy, later this week).

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© Cooking On the Side, 2010. | Permalink: http://cookingontheside.com/braised-short-ribs/

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Whenever I used to travel to Texas on business my hosts would never take me to a Mexican restaurant, assuming that since I’m from San Diego I probably have it often enough at home. But the Mexican food we have in California isn’t quite the same as in Texas. True Tex-Mex is a variety all its own…and one I’d love to get to know better.

This Tex-Mex-style queso was the dip I was actually most looking forward to making of the three I’ve shared for Dip Week (see also the 7-Layer Dip and Tomatillo-Lime Salsa). The word queso literally means “cheese” in Spanish, but it also describes an amazing fondue-like dip with chile peppers, green onions and tomatoes swimming in a melted blend of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses. That’s my kind of dip.

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© Cooking On the Side, 2010. | Permalink: http://cookingontheside.com/its-dip-week-queso/

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Dip Week on Cooking On the Side continues…with Tomatillo-Lime Salsa.

I wish I could let you taste this salsa through your computer screen because it’s unlike most salsas I’ve ever tasted. It’s not zesty like a pico de gallo or spicy like a chipotle salsa. It’s not sweet like a mango salsa, although the lime juice adds a touch of sweetness. “Fresh” is really the best word to describe it.

Something interesting happens when tart tomatillos (aka green tomatoes) unites with lime juice and zest. You still get the tartness, but it’s mellowed out a bit by the citrus, leaving you with this really bright, fresh, mouthwatering flavor on your palate. And then when you dip in a salty tortilla chip…it’s pretty much a flavor explosion.

I’ve got one more dip left to share this week – I promise it’s a good one!

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© Cooking On the Side, 2010. | Permalink: http://cookingontheside.com/its-dip-week-fresh-tomatillo-lime-salsa/

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I hit the mother lode…on the back of a bag of tortilla chips.

A whole menu of fabulous Mexican and southwestern party dips is printed on the Mission Tortilla Strips bag! With lots of celebrations and family gatherings coming up this time of year I’m declaring this week Dip Week on Cooking On the Side and making a few of the recipes to share on the blog. First up: a personal favorite of mine, 7-Layer Dip.

I can’t tell you how many times I brought a 7-layer dip to school potlucks or scout meetings when I was growing up. The seven layers, in case you’re not familiar with this great dip, are: refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes, onions, black olives and cheddar cheese (there’s sometimes a little variation, but generally you see most of these ingredients). Half the fun is digging deep through the layers with your tortilla chip, all the way down to the beans, to create the perfect bite with a little of everything on it. I don’t remember whether I was the one who always requested it (I imagine I was) or if it was just my mom’s standby dish, but I do remember watching my mom assemble all of those yummy layers quite often. It was always a crowd pleaser.

Flash forward a few decades to last week – I found myself with the decision of what to make for my daughter’s year-end preschool potluck. It was my first time bringing food to school as a parent and I didn’t really deliberate about it for too long. In our family, we bring 7-layer dip!

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© Cooking On the Side, 2010. | Permalink: http://cookingontheside.com/its-dip-week-7-layer-dip/

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