Oh, how I love to play around on the grill in the summertime!

You just WANT to be outside and fill the air with the smell of something delicious grilling.

Here’s a wonderful recipe to perfect this summer. It’s so refreshing with lime juice and cilantro – Grilled KC Strip with Black Bean Sauce. Delicious!

Grilled Strip with Black Bean Sauce

Ingredients:
4 (8oz.) Kansas City Strips
1 cup black beans, canned or cooked
1 jalapeno, minced (optional)
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp. onion, minced
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. cumin, ground
1/4 cup water or stock
salt and pepper

Directions: In a small sauce pan, sweat the onion and jalapeno if using. Add the garlic and cook another twenty seconds. Add beans, cumin and half of the lime juice and stir. Add the water and blend with an immersion blender or in a blender until smooth. Season to taste and keep warm.Grill your Kansas City Strips steak until medium, about four minutes per side. Remove from heat and let rest for five minutes. Slice the steak on a diagonal and season the slices with the lime juice and salt and pepper. Plate on top of the sauce. This is a great sauce since it has absolutely no fat. You can add some butter in the blender to make it a little creamier but if not it is a great, healthy accompaniment.

Try it out this summer!

Oh, my! Cheese + strip steaks + bacon? A magical combination, to be sure.

There’s BACON under that there cheese! Mmmmm.

Check out the how-to video for these delectable strip steaks by the BBQ Pit Boys. And add your own touches as well!

This recipe combines Kansas City strip steaks, sharp cheddar cheese and delicious smoked bacon, plus lots of other flavorful additions.

Simply beautiful.

I love how the video’s narrator keeps saying, “Man!”

My sentiments exactly.

Enjoy!

It’s the first day of spring! This day makes me so happy every year.

It signals warmer weather ahead and that makes me utterly giddy.

And in honor of the spring season, just last week, we took a spring break trip with the kids to the Bahamas. They were off school for a week.  We’ve never done such a thing before and we didn’t know what to expect.

We usually travel to such exotic locales as:  Oklahoma City, Houston and Pearl, Mississippi. Don’t get me wrong, we have mad love for all those places – but let’s just say they aren’t featured on the Travel Channel very often.

We had been saving up for quite a while and when the day finally came for us to leave on our big trip, we were anxious, excited and thrilled.

While there, my husband and I decided we couldn’t leave without sampling a Bahamian steak. It had to happen.

What you see above is a Bahamian Kansas City strip steak. Medium.

Exquisite.

THIS made the trip even more memorable. And it proved to us that a quality steak is a quality steak no matter where you go in the world.

It all starts with a great cut of beef. If you don’t have that, it’s over.

Thank goodness this was incredible. They know how to do steak right on the island!

What an amazing way to welcome spring!!!