Grilled Steak Tacos

I'm a little grill obsessed right now.

There's just so much to love about grilling. The light smokey flavor it adds to the food. The ability to keep the house cool when the temperature reaches hellish proportions outside. And - my personal favorite - the awesome lack of pots and pans to wash when you're done.

Are you ready to grill yet?

Plus, grilled foods are usually easy foods. Usually "everyone-builds-their-own" kinds of foods. Sometimes even "done-in-under-30-minutes" foods.

But always delicious foods. That's what matters after all.

These tacos are no exception. Smokey, slightly spicy steak. Warm, chewy, slightly charred tortillas. Crunchy cabbage, sour lime. Cool sour cream, fresh cilantro. How can you possibly resist? These guys are tasty, and filling... and served with a cold corona, downright fantastic. Plus they come together in under half an hour. Your grill - and your tastebuds - are begging you make these. So give your house and your dishwasher a break. Make these this week - you totally have time. You'll be glad you did.

Grilled Southwest Chicken Salad

There's something about grilled corn that really gets my juices flowing.

I mean, look at those sexy, perfectly charred ears of deliciousness. Nothing screams summer to me like sweet, smokey grilled corn. Mmm.

Usually, that would be the end of the story. Beautiful fresh corn on the cob would go onto the grill to become slightly charred and ultra sweet, and then I'd promptly stuff my face with all the epic summer flavor my little tummy could handle. But for some reason, this time I decided to share the amazingness of the grilled corn... with lightly grilled bell pepper, black beans, chicken, and fresh cilantro. And more green chili-chipotle sour cream dressing than I should probably admit, let's be honest.

Even though this salad is comprised of relatively simple ingredients, the combination was quite extraordinary. Black beans and corn are some of my favorite salad toppings to begin with, but grilling the corn and bell pepper took the flavors to a whole new level of awesome. It took an otherwise unimpressive salad and turned it into a dish that tastes as quintessentially of summer as a wedge of watermelon and a glass of iced tea. The dressing - which I created completely ad lib, adding a little bit of this and a little bit of that until the flavor resembled what I had in mind - is creamy without being heavy, and tasty without being overwhelmingly spicy.

But perhaps the most exciting thing about this salad is that it's completely versatile. Don't like red bell peppers? Leave them out! Craving a little avocado? Add a few slices, or, better yet, mix it into the dressing! This salad was completely spontaneous and perfectly fit my cravings at the time, but I love knowing that I could easily tweak it to fulfill whatever cravings I may have tomorrow.

Italian Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Now that June is finally here, I think it's officially grilling season! Not that it really feels like it here in Boise, with the monsoon-like weather we've been having. The days without threat of rain are few and far between, although I did manage to get my first sunburn of the summer while out cheering Megan on at Special Olympics last Saturday! It doesn't matter though... growing up, my parents would grill almost every day, rain or shine, even in the snow. The only reason I've waited so long to grill anything this season is that our propane tank has been empty and both the boy and I have been either too busy or too lazy to refill it. But that is an excuse no longer! Let the summer grilling begin!

I've been in the mood to grill a really good burger for a long time, but I'm trying to eat a little lighter these days since my appointment for dress alterations is in 2 weeks. But when I saw this recipe in my Ellie Krieger cookbook, I knew I had to try it. Even though previous experiences with ground turkey have left me wanting - for flavor and juicy-ness - I will always jump at the chance to stuff anything with roasted red peppers and mozzarella.

Well talk about a hit! These burgers were fan-freaking-tastic. Plump and juicy and full of flavor, these bad boys had everything I look for in a good burger. I added a little dried Italian seasoning to the ground meat before pattying - just because I felt like the recipe was practically begging for it - and it complemented the sweet, smoky red peppers perfectly. Next time, I think I'll marinate some beefsteak tomatoes in a little balsamic vinegar and grill them a little, and top the burgers with a slice and a fresh basil leaf... can you imagine how tasty that would be? But as is, these burgers are great. Even the beef-loving boy said he'd eat these 5 days a week. Give them a try and you'll understand why!