Sunday Salsa!

Tomato and pepper season have overlapped! What else would you make other than some spicy salsa? I can eat it by the spoon full (just ask #thesweetest!)

 Saturday morning, I picked up my salsa ingredients from The Green City Market. There are a few different farms you can find there every weekend. Tomatoes, garlic and onions from Leaning Shed Farm, jalepeños from Nichols Farm and cilantro from Genisis Growers. If you live in Chicago and haven't payed Green City Market a visit, you are truly missing out!

After a quick roast of the jalapeños and a rough chop of the tomatoes and onions, the ingredients can be thrown into a food processor or blender for a quick and delicious salsa. Warning: do not put your contacts in after making salsa! I learned this the hard way. Enjoy! I know I will...on some tacos!

Sunday Salsa

About a dozen vine tomatoes or plum tomatoes
About 8 jalapeños
2 small red onions
1 head of garlic
1 bunch of cilantro
Salt

Roast jalapeños under broiler for about 20 minutes. Remove stems and most of the seeds (more seeds = more heat). Cut tomatoes in half and squeeze out excess juice and seeds. Roughly cut tomatoes into smaller pieces to fit into food processor. Do the same with the onions, cilantro and entire garlic head. Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until desired consistency. Add salt to taste. Refrigerate overnight for the best flavor, if you can wait that long!

Sunday Brunchday!

If you live in Chicago you are aware that Chicagoans love their brunch. Especially on Sunday morning. There are people waiting outside as far as the eye can see. #Thesweetest and I don't go out for brunch often, but when we do, we do it right.

Brunch can often be strange. A large meal at 11 o'clock or so, leaves one confused. Do I eat a late dinner? Just an early snack then hit the hay? Despite being thrown off your meal schedule, brunch can be a great way to relax and indulge a bit before the work week.

So you ask, what is my brunch of choice? Longman & Eagle, the hip hotel and restaurant located in Logan Square. They sold me before I ever walked in the place. The sign on the front door reads "Eat, sleep, whiskey" How could you possibly go wrong?

Garrett and I snagged a spot at the bar. The best place to sit if you ask me. You have plain view of the open kitchen and it's just a stone's throw away from the bartender.

Garrett and I started with their special blend of coffee "Darkman & Eagle" which was made in collaboration with Dark Matter Coffee, my absolute favorite coffee in the world. That already makes this place perfect and I haven't even gotten to the food!

I went with the PBR breakfast, sans PBR. I told you this place was hip. This included eggs any style, sausage or bacon and house potatoes. Of course I went scrambled with bacon although, L&E makes their sausage in house, maybe next time. What can I say? I'm a bacon girl. And don't even get me started on those potatoes... perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, sprinkled with chives.

Garrett opted for a not-so-brunchy entree. He has recently become obsessed with Cuban sandwiches since watching the movie Chef. So naturally that is what he ordered. Complete with pork belly and
house made zuchinni pickles. Oh and beef fat fries. Don't forget the beef fat fries. Doesn't sound like a bad brunch option huh?

After we...and by we, I mean me... cleared our plates we headed over to the Logan Square Farmers Market to pick up some flowers. The perfect Sunday if you ask me! Hope you all had a great one too!

Pineapple Skirt Steak... For One!

After 13 continuous workdays and #thesweetest out of town, the best way I know how to spend my Saturday night is making a delicious dinner for myself. Being physically exhausted, I knew I needed to make something that was going to refuel my body to the max! Red meat always seems to do the trick when I'm feeling low on energy.

I happened to have some leftover pineapple juice in my refrigerator that I used to make Janet Sweet's skinny piña colada (you must give this a try!). Pineapple juice is an excellent way to marinate steak, especially cuts like skirt steak, that are more known for their flavor, not their tenderness. Also, very dancer budget friendly at $10/ lb. The acid in the pineapple breaks down the fibers in the meat, making it very tender with a touch of sweetness! Topped with sautéed onions and paired with roasted sweet potato and a simple heirloom tomato salad, you have well rounded meal to treat yourself on a Saturday night!

Here is my recipe for Pineapple Skirt Steak! Enjoy!

About 1/2 lb skirt steak
Pure Organic Pineapple Juice (enough to cover steak)
1 garlic bulb
1 jalapeño
1 Vidaila onion
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350'. Roughly chop 1/3 Vidaila onion, jalepeño, and garlic. For extra spice leave the seeds in the jalapeño. Season skirt steak with olive oil, salt and pepper and place in a gallon zip-loc bag. Add your chopped vegetables and pineapple juice to the steak and let marinade for at least an hour. Overnight is best. When ready to cook, heat olive oil on high heat in a cast iron skillet. You want the pan very hot. Sear the steak about 30 seconds per side and then place in the oven for about 3 minutes (skirt steak is very thin and cooks very quickly). Remove steak from heat and let rest. While the steak is resting sautée the rest of your onion (cut into rings) in some of the remaining marinade. Use the same cast iron for maximum char on the onions (yum!). Serve with roasted sweet potatoes, simple salad and a side of avocado or whatever your heart desires!

Marinated Steak