Summer Entertaining: How to Cut Watermelon Spears

Try this unique way to cut watermelon for all your summer entertaining!

How to Cut Watermelon Spears

If you're entertaining this summer I'm sure that watermelon will be on your menu.  Let's learn to cut this refreshing an hydrating watermelon in to long spears that are easy to handle and visually appealing.    This is an easy way for a crowd to grab and eat watermelon.  With the rind serveing as a handle to grab and eat from you have a cute presentation and less mess!

Cutting a watermelon this way is really easy.  Since this is a technique, I've linked a video to show you how to do it here:  How to cut a watermelon

What Ingredients do I need?

• A personal sized watermelon works great but any size watermelon will do.

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Make sure to have a sharp large chef's knife so you can easily cut through the rind.

• Some people like to cut off the 4 sides (just to remove the white rind) which will give you a more square shape to begin with.  This isn't necessary though.

• Place watermelon spears in a large bowl with the rind sticking out for easy grabbing.

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How to Cut Watermelon Spears

1 personal sized watermelon

Cut your watermelon in half.  Lay one half of the watermelon cut side down on your board.  Make vertical slices 1 inch apart across the watermelon.  Turn the watermelon and cut more vertical 1 inch slices across the watermelon to give your cube-like spears.

(Refer to the video here.)

Summer Brunch: Avocado and Tomato Toast

These delicious avocado and tomato toasts are the perfect summer breakfast, brunch, or snack!

Avocado and Tomato Toast 

Summer is the perfect time to eat in-season produce and keep things light. Avocado toast has been around for a while and don't we all just love it? This is a variation and features slices of avocado and juicy ripe grape tomatoes.. Top them off with off with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and you'll have the perfect snack, breakfast, brunch item.  

4 basic ingredients and you have an outstanding standing dish!  So simple to make.  Your whole family will love it and you'll want to eat this all summer long!

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• Your favorite bread.  I chose a nice sourdough.
• ripe avocados
• grape tomatoes 
• olive oil 
• salt & pepper 

Substitutions and Variations

• Use slices of heirloom tomatoes for a decadent treat
• Add some feta cheese or ricotta salata
• Drizzle with some balsamic glaze
• Add some cut basil

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Toast your bread in a toaster or in a skillet for nice golden toasted bread
• Keep your avocados and slices for nice chunky bites
• Once you slice your avocado in 1/2, take one half and peel the skin leaving the flesh together in one piece. Cut in to slices.
• Eat right away so your avocado doesn't turn brown.

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Avocado and Tomato Toast 

serves 1 - 2

1 slice of a large piece of bread
1/2 avocado, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
olive oil for drizzling
salt & pepper

Cut your bread in half and toast it in the toaster.  Otherwise you can butter the slice of bread and toast it in a skillet over medium heat, turning once.

Place slices of avocado on each slice of toasted bread.  Top with grap tomato halves.  Drizzle each slice with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.

Summer Entertaining: Grilled Flank Steak with Pepper Tomato Relish

Melt in you mouth steak that is grilled to perfection and then topped with a pepper and tomato relish that is the bomb!  That's summer entertaining!

Grilled Flank Steak with Pepper Tomato Relish

Let's fire up the grill and start our summer entertaining season!  Today we are grilling up a wonderful steak topped with a pepper and tomato relish that creates such a flavor bomb, it's heaven!  Our steak is a large cut of flank steak that is easy to cook, feeds a crowd, and comes out succulent and tender.  It's always been a favoroite cut of mine that we cook all summer long.  

However, the true star of the dish is the relish.  Made from different colors of bell peppers and grape tomatoes, some garlic, and a dash of balsamic vinegar, this takes the steak to the next level.  In fact this relish would be good on pork, chicken, or fish, or just over rice as a vegetarian dish.  It's that good!  So start the summer of with a bang and make this dish now.  You love it at first bite.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• flank steak 
• mini bell peppers (the ones packed in a bag)
• grape tomatoes
• garlic
• red pepper flakes
• balsamic vinegar
• fresh basil
• sugar
• steak seasoning (I use "Back of the Yards Garlic Pepper Butcher's Rub"

Substitutions and Variations

• Use any color bell peppers you like, or all of one color.
• Use sun-dried tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes.
• Change the cut of beef to top sirloin, flat iron, or london broil.
• The relish will go great over pork, chicken, and fish as well.
• Use salt & pepper to season your meat.

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• You can grill you steak outdoors on a gas or charcoal grill, or you can grill indoors with a grill pan.
• Make the relish first then grill your steak as a time saver.
• Serve with rice, grilled vegetables, mashed potatoes, or corn on the cob.

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Grilled Flank Steak with Pepper Tomato Relish

serves 4

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 mini bell peppers (red, orange, and yellow, from a bag), seeded, and diced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 pint of grape tomates, halved 

2 Tablespoons sliced fresh basil
1 1/2 - 2 pounds beef flank steak
steak seasoning of your choice (I used "Back of the Yards Garlic Pepper Butcher's Rub")

For relish, in an extra-large, deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add peppers and season with salt.  Cook until peppers are softened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar and sugar.  Immediately reduce your heat to low so the vinegar doesn't burn.  Stir peppers in vinegar,  Add tomatoes and continue to cook about 5 minutes until tomatoes start to give off their juices and shrivel in texture.  Remove from heat and add basil. Set aside.

Pat steak dry and season both sides generously with steak seasoning.  Grill steak over medium heat 10 to 12 minutes total, turning over half way through for medium (155 degrees).   Remove from grill and tent with foil and let the steak rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain. Serve relish warm or at room temperature over sliced flank steak.