Recipe(tried): Late Summer Grilled Dinner....

Hello Everyone!

I don't know about any of you but I sure as anything am ready for Fall and Winter, my two very favorite seasons.

Summer here in Central Florida has been especially brutal this year. If you think for one minute that we enjoy any kind of breezes, you are nuts!! It is a heavy, hot, muggy environment and the only relief one gets is either staying indoors in the cool air conditioned house or jumping into the cold waters of the pool. Oh, how I long for cool evenings of low 70's...

I figured it's late summer, let's grill a bit and forget about my misery!! Early in the summer Mom and I went picking blueberries at a local farm and I promptly froze them waiting for the right time to use them. Well, it's time for a Blueberry Buckle...also, the local veggie stand has some awesome late summer vegetables just hanging around begging to be cooked. I picked up some dazzling ruby red tomatoes for a salad too. My DH and I hardly eat any red meat lately but a good rib-eye will always tempt me....

Tonight's menu will be:

Rub Me Tender Rib-Eye Steaks
Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Summer Veggies
Fresh Tomato Salad with Feta & Olives
Blueberry Buckle

Enjoy! GinaRub Me Tender Rib Eye Steaks
(Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley was playing on the radio as I marinated these one day, thus the name.)

serves 6

1 1/2 t. black pepper
1 T. dried thyme
1 1/2 t. garlic salt
4 1/2 t. garlic powder
1 t. lemon pepper
1/2 t. ground cayenne pepper
1 t. dried parsley flakes
6 rib-eye steaks
3 T. olive oil

Combine first 7 ingredients. Rub steaks tenderly with olive oil and rub with the pepper mixture. Cover with foil and chill for at least 2 hours. Grill, covered with grill lid over med high heat for 10 min on each side or to desired doneness.

Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

serves 6

6 garlic cloves, whole
3 lbs. potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 t. salt, divided
1/4 c. warm whipping cream
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
3 T. butter, softened
1/3 c. fresh chopped parsley
1/2 t. white pepper

Bring potato quarters, garlic cloves, 1 t. salt and water to cover to a boil and cook for 25 min. or until potatoes are tender. Drain and mash. Stir in warm whipping cream, butter, parsley, white pepper, & parmesan and blend all together.

Roasted Summer Veggies

1/3 c. balsamic vinegar
2 T. olive oil
2 shallots, finely minced
1 t. dried Italian seasoning
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 1/2 t. molasses
1/2 lb. baby carrots
1 red bell pepper, seeded and julienned into strips
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and julienned into strips
2 zucchini, cut into chunks diagonally
2 yellow squash, cut into chunks
1 large onion, quartered and then each quarter quartered again

Stir together first 8 ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Add all the cut up veggies to vinegar mixture and let them marinate for 45 min. Stir occasionally.

Drain veggies, reserve the marinade, and arrange the veggies in a shallow roasting pan. Roast them at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or til crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. When ready, toss the veggies in a bowl with reserved marinade and searve immediately. They also can be covered and chilled and served as a cool veggie salad.

Tomato Salad with Feta and Olives

6 servings

5 large ripe tomatoes cut into slices or chunks
1/4 c. olive oil
1 T. balsmaic vinegar
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1/4 c. Kalamata olives
1 T. fresh chopped parsley
salt and black pepper to taste

Arrange tomatoes on serving platter. Drizzle oil and vinegar over and salt and pepper. Let them stand at room temp. for at least 1 hour to absorb flavors. When ready to serve, sprinkle cheese, olives and parsley over.

Blueberry Buckle

serves 6

1/2 c. unslated butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
2 c. flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. greshly grounded nutmeg
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. milk
2 c. fresh blueberries

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar til light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Sift together all the fry ingred. and add to the butter mixture alternating with the milk. Stir until well blended. Pour batter into a buttered and floured 9x9x2 baking pan. Top with the blueberries. Cover the batter evenly with the berries and press them in slightly.

TOPPING:
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Combine topping ingred. til crumbly and sprinkle evenly over the berries. Bake in center of oven at 350 for 45-50 min. Top should be golden and bubbly! Serve warm with vanilla ice-cream.