I don’t know if I’ve ever taken a 7 month hiatus from anything!!  Sorry about that, guys, but a lot has been going on.  Many of you that know me personally know that I live in New Jersey- well… not anymore!!  We packed up and moved down to South Carolina into this beautiful house:

(yeah I’m bragging a little bit- so kill me.)
Why, you ask??  I mean, can anyone afford a decent home in New Jersey in a good school district?  We could have done it, but we wanted to live life- take nice vacations, not worry about money.  My husband got a job offer in the area, we drove down a couple of times and found this amazing home.  Who could say no to that??

So yeah.  Since some time in February, we have been so busy looking at houses, contacting moving companies, getting our mortgage together, etc. etc.  I think you guys can give me a break.

Anyway, I have my OWN beautiful kitchen to work in now and I’ve been making some great recipes I can’t wait to share with you guys.  I was waiting for my job to start a few weeks when I first got down here and I watched A LOT of food documentaries on Netflix.  Kind of brain washed me… went totally vegan for about three weeks… and now I’m “mostly” vegan.  I eat vegan for breakfast and lunch every day and MOST dinners during the week.  Most weekends I eat meat for at least one meal.  I never totally gave up eggs, so I guess I was more vegetarian.  When I was vegan for those three weeks, I felt so great, though.  Don’t knock it ’til you try it.  A lot of my recipes moving forward will be meat free so I can introduce you guys to some of the amazing flavors vegan/vegetarian dishes bring.  You won’t even miss the meat.

SPEAKING OF MEAT.  You guys- this is seriously one of the best dishes I’ve ever made in my LIFE.  I can’t wait to share this one with you.  My parents came down to visit one week right after we moved down here and I was doing some grocery shopping in Publix and my dad just happened to pick up this recipe off one of their kiosks just RANDOMLY.  This is one you have to try at home, guys.  Seriously.  I added some corn bread on the side (homemade- of course!  Gotta get in touch with my southern side) as well as a simple arugula salad with sprinkled parmesan and a simple lemon and oil dressing.  DELISH.

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Cola-Barbecue Grilled Steaks with Creamy Caesar Vegetables

Ingredients:

for the steak:

• 1.5 lbs boneless NY strip or tenderloin
• 1 tablespoon EVOO
• 2 teaspoons spicy steak seasoning (of your choice)
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
• 2 tablespoons cola

for the vegetables:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces baby portabellas, halved
• 1/2 cup mini sweet peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 medium zucchini (or yellow) squash, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato spread
• 1 cup canned, quartered artichoke hearts
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup Caesar salad dressing
• 2 tablespoons sliced green onions
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Preheat your grill.
• Stir the tomato spread into the butter until blended.  Place the vegetables (minus the green onion) onto a foil sheet, add butter mixture, salt, and pepper.  Bring up foil on the sides, double fold the top and ends to seal the package.  Place on grill, over indirect heat, and grill for 12-15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
• Coat steaks on both sides with EVOO and seasoning.  Place steaks on grill and grill on each side 4-5 minutes, or cooked to your liking.  Combine BBQ sauce and cola and brush sauce over both sides of the steak during the last 2 minutes of grilling.
• Remove steaks from the grill and let stand 5 minutes to rest before slicing.  Remove veggies from the grill once they are finished and drain as necessary.  Transfer to a serving bowl, stir in dressing and green onions, sprinkle with cheese.  Serve and ENJOY!