Quick & Tasty: An Oxymoron?

Fast food: two little words that make chefs, dieticians, and doctors cringe, and pressed-for-time home cooks glance away in shame. But what about the "other" fast food -- the meals we can whip up at home, with little or no thought and not much in the way of preparation, yet are still delicious and filling? I call these meals "quick and tasty" in an effort to avoid the FF stigma.

Last night, J and I returned home from an enjoyable family party a little tired and not much inclined to do more than relax on the sofa. I knew I'd be averse to putting much effort into dinner, so I planned in advance a purchase of steak tips and sweet corn. In order to change things up even the tiniest bit, I brought out a kitchen tool I'd yet to fully utilize: the reversible grill/griddle.

Grill today... griddle tomorrow!

I'm pleased to say that the grill side has lived up to its hype. A light coating of canola oil was all it took to keep my meat from sticking, and overall I think the surface heated fairly evenly. The meat certainly came out juicy and perfectly cooked (which I also partially attribute both to good meat and my trusty thermometer), with just a little teriyaki glaze for flavor. 

What goes better with a bit of beef than one of my favorite seasonal farmer's market finds: sweet corn! We were lucky to spot these small bins of ears from Riverside Farm at our local market, and believe me when I say I doubt there were any left over.

 

Sweet, buttery, and delicious!

To round out the simple perfection of the evening was a lovely non-edible addition from J, in honor of our "halfway" wedding anniversary. These blooms just called out to me from a market vendor...

... and they made a beautiful centerpiece for our meal.

J is currently at the tail end of his upgrade training, so I predict some celebratory foods in the near future. I'm itching to try a few more new summer recipes before the season fades away... any suggestions are more than welcome!