Rosemary & Chive Tournedos with Corn on the Cob

WEDNESDAY, JULY 29TH, 2009

4 stars (out of 5)

Ingredients (per 2 tournedos):

2 tournedos beef steaks (unspiced)
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
3 tbsp chopped chilves (or green onion)
Salt and pepper to taste

1 corn of the cob per person
Butter, salt and pepper

1. First, I shucked the corn and put on the water to boil.

2. After, I chopped up the rosemary and green onions. You want it fairly finely chopped, but don't go crazy over it.


3. Next, I added salt and pepper to both sides of the tournedos.

4. I then gently pressed the onions and rosemary into each side of the meat. When you flip them over, you lose a bit, but most of it surprisingly stays on.

5. Once the water was boiling and the pan for the meat was heated up, I put both parts of the meal on at the same time. They both take approximately 6 minutes to cook, if you like your meat rare. If you like it well-done, start the meat first.

6. When you flip the meat, do it quickly, but as you can see from the picture below, the herbs stay on fairly well.

7. That's it! Very quick, very easy, very delicious. Of course, don't forget that you have to first slather the corn with some butter, salt, and pepper!

Vegetarian version, for those with smaller appetites:

Overall, this was a simple and quick meal for us to make, but the fresh herbs and summertime corn on the cob provided something new. Will definitely make again!

Thin Crust Pizzas - Fresh Mozzarella and Basil

TUESDAY, JULY 28th, 2009

4 stars (out of 5 - simple but good)

Having returned from Italy the week before, we decided to continue on our Italian diet and make thin-crust pizzas. Although not exactly the Italian recipe, I thought I would post this meal as a reminder of the simplicity and deliciousness of home-made pizzas. A great idea after coming home from a stressful day.

Ingredients (for Fresh Mozzarella Pizza):

1 can pizza sauce (or pasta sauce)
4 thin-crusts*
12 cherry tomatoes
1/2 pack fresh basil
1 pack bocaccini or fresh mozzarella cheese
Olive oil (optional)
Herbes de Provence (optional)

Any other pizza ingredient you love!

{*Note. We bought our pizza crusts at our local IGA, and liked them because they were thin. I think they are also pretty easy to make, but we were a) too lazy, and b) wanting a relaxing, low-stress evening.}

1. First, we spread pizza sauce generously (as to your taste) on the thin-crusts. We bought special pizza sauce, but to me it tasted exactly the same as pasta sauce. Whatever.

2. We were both craving a fresh mozzarella/basil pizza, so we added some boccacini (only cheese available), and sliced cherry tomatoes.

3. A good idea is to also cover with your favourite herbs. These are Herbes de Provence.

4. SB also wanted some (pitted) kalamata olives, and he drizzled with some extra virgin olive oil.

5. We stuck them in the oven (400F) for about 15 minutes (according to the instructions on the pack). We then added some fresh basil and enjoyed!

6. We also did some "crazy" pizzas. Mine had some sliced green olives, fake meat, cheddar cheese, and white onions. SB's had olives, pepperoni, olive oil, and herbes de Provence.

Overall, I really enjoyed making these. It was stress-free, a couples activity, and also tailored exactly to our individual tastes. If I'm ever feeling a bit more adventurous, I might try my own crusts, although I think that this would take the "carefree-ness" out of the meal. On that note, I might also try another brand of crusts, as these ones were just OK. If you have a large appetite, one pizza will definitely not do. I have a small appetite and was still slightly hungry after my first pizza. We'll definitely do this again, though!