Flank Steak with Pineapple Salsa

(From: Better Homes and Gardens)

Ingredients

• 2 cups peeled, cored, and chopped fresh pineapple
• 1 11-ounce can mandarin orange sections, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped red or green sweet pepper
• 1/3 cup mild green picante sauce or green taco sauce
• 12 ounces beef flank or boneless sirloin steak, cut 1/2 inch thick
• 1/2 teaspoon Mexican seasoning or chili powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 to 6 cups packaged torn mixed salad greens

Directions

1. For pineapple salsa, in a medium bowl gently stir together pineapple, mandarin oranges, sweet pepper, and picante sauce. Set aside.

2. Trim fat from steak. Thinly slice steak across the grain. Sprinkle with Mexican seasoning; toss to coat evenly. In a large skillet cook and stir half of the seasoned steak in hot oil over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes or to desired doneness. Remove from skillet. Repeat with remaining steak.

3. Arrange salad greens on plates. Top with steak and pineapple salsa. Makes 4 servings.

Tip: Look for green picante sauce or green taco sauce in the salsa section of the supermarket.

Open Arms

Artist: Journey

Margarita-Grilled Chicken Salad

Prep: 25 minutes
Marinate: 2 hours
Grill: 12 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1-1/2 cups margarita drink mix (contains no alcohol)
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. finely shredded lime peel
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 4 medium tomatoes, sliced
• 2 medium avocados, halved, seeded, peeled, and sliced
• 1/2 of a medium red onion, thinly sliced and separated into pieces
• 1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper

Directions

1. Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish. For marinade combine margarita mix, cumin, and lime peel. Pour over chicken; seal bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 8 hours. Drain chicken, discarding marinade

2. For a charcoal grill, grill chicken on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 12 to 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170�F), turning once halfway through grilling. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduced heat to medium. Place chicken on grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.) Remove chicken from grill; cool slightly.

3. In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, lime juice, and cayenne. Arrange tomatoes, avocados, and red onion on 4 salad plates. Coarsely chop chicken. Add to salads. Drizzle with mayonnaise mixture and sprinkle with black pepper.

4. Makes: 4 servings

Steak with Nectarines

Ingredients

• 4 6- to 8-oz. boneless beef rib-eye steaks, cut 1/2 inch thick
• 3 tsp. sugar, divided
• 1 to 1-1/2tsp. chili powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 medium firm but ripe nectarines, pitted and cut into 8 wedges each
• 2 tsp. water
• 4 slices bacon, preferably hickory smoked

Directions

1. Trim fat from meat. In a small bowl combine sugar, chili powder, salt, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne pepper; reserve 1 teaspoon. Sprinkle remaining spice mixture evenly over both sides of meat; rub in with your fingers; set aside. In a medium bowl toss the nectarines with the reserved 1 teaspoon spice mixture and water; set aside.

2. For a charcoal grill, place bacon slices in a large cast iron skillet. Place skillet with bacon on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill 8 to 10 minutes or until bacon is crisp-cooked and browned, turning very frequently. Carefully remove skillet from grill. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on paper towels.

3. Place steaks on the grill rack directly over the coals. Grill until desired doneness, turning once. (Allow 4 to 6 minutes for medium-rare doneness or 5 to 7 minutes for medium doneness.) Place nectarine wedges directly on grill rack along side the steaks the last 3 to 5 minutes of grilling until nectarines are lightly browned and warmed through, turning often.

4. Transfer steaks to serving plates and top each with a slice of bacon and 4 nectarine wedges.

5. Makes: 4 servings

Corn Salad

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup lime juice


• 1 Tbsp. honey


• 1 jalapeno chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped


• 3 Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro or 1 Tbsp. snipped fresh mint


• 1/4 tsp. salt


• 6 fresh ears of corn , husked and cleaned; or 3 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed


• 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves


• 1 large tomato, seeded and chopped


• 3/4 cup seeded, chopped cucumber

Directions

1. In large bowl whisk together lime juice and honey until well combine
2. Stir in jalapeno pepper, cilantro, and salt
3. Carefully cut corn kernels off cobs
4. Add to lime juice mixture
5. Stir in spinach, tomato, and cucumber. Serve immediately. Makes 9(2/3 cup) serving

Start to finish

20 minutes

Kiss On My List

Artist: Hall & Oates

Strawberry-Mango Milk Shake

(From: Better Homes and Gardens)

Ingredients

* 2 cups halved fresh strawberries
* 1 cup chopped mango
* 1-1/2 cups vanilla frozen yogurt
* 1/4 cup milk
* Sliced fresh strawberries
* Sliced mango

Directions

1. Place the 2 cups berries, chopped mango, frozen yogurt, and milk in a blender container. Cover and blend until smooth. Divide mixture between 2 tall glasses.

2. Top each serving with strawberry and mango slices. Makes 2 servings.