Fresh Tart

Here's a little of this, a little of that, springy tasties jumping out at me from around the web.  If you can't tell, I'm in spring veggie and grilling mode - and I'm not the only one.  Asparagus in particular is a food crush of the moment.

This asparagus salad at 101 Cookbooks looks fabulous.

Ditto this springtime pasta at The Kitchen Sink, full of asparagus, radishes, and arugula.

And this NYTimes Recipes for Health feature on asparagus includes no less than five healthy, yummy asparagus recipes (from roasted to frittata to soup).

I changed up a grilled steak dinner tonight by making Korean bulgogi - lean steak marinated in soy sauce, garlic, scallions, ginger, and vinegar, grilled over high heat, then sliced thinly and served in lettuce wraps with a little rice, bean paste, and kimchi (I had no kimchi, used sauteed mushrooms instead).  Light yet packed with flavor - recipe here.

And if you're craving something sweet, what better than strawberry shortcake, one of my all-time favorite desserts.  This scratch version from The Sassy Radish looks fantastic.

Update June 1, 2009: I just bought the book Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way, based on yesterday's review in the NYTimes.  Recipes are reportedly straightforward as well as innovative - I'm always looking for ways to make light, healthy dinners more interesting.  Stay tuned...

What can I say? Another lovely summer day. Sometimes Minnesota sneaks up on you and is a damn nice place to live. Sun, sun, and more sun! Visits (and jumps into the pool) with our neighbors the Hatzungs, and Nathan's friend Emmett (who spent the night last night after the close of our baseball season), and Stacey Pooh and Cooper too - all good. At some point I whipped over to Byerly's for, yes, more great steaks...and this time I didn't over-grill them - yay! - so they were juicy pink-n-prrrrfect. We ate 'em on the deck, with nothing more than a big salad. When you've got perfect steaks, it's worth keeping the rest simple.

And for dessert? 'Cuz you've got to have dessert to honor such a gorgeous day...strawberry shortcake, oh my. Everyone lovesstrawberry shortcake, including The Coopster! No secret recipe here - Pillsbury (frozen) Buttermilk Biscuits, hot out of the oven and filled with lots of fresh strawberries sweetened with a pinch of sugar, and lots and lots and LOTS of freshly whipped and sweetened cream. Summer Heaven...