Delish Summer Dinner

Classic Summer Dinner for two: Creamed Corn, Broiled Asparagus, and Medium Rare Sirloin Steak

The star of this dish is an old family recipe for "creamed corn." We all love creamed corn, but perhaps we aren't so crazy about all the saturated fat. I make creamed corn the way my great grandmother did, by cutting the kernels off of the cob right into the skillet so the starches thicken in a small amount of simmering butter or olive oil.

For my husband, I picked up a sirloin steak from Whole Foods. 4 to 6 ounces is a good serving for one person. You want to pick a steak with fat around the edges, rather than marbled throughout the meat, if you're looking for flavor without so much cholesterol. Make extra steak if you want to have leftovers - I cooked a 12oz steak for Bret to slice and enjoy in sandwiches or salads.

In a cast iron skillet, heat your skillet on medium-high with a tablespoon of butter. Butter will impart much more flavor into the meat than any other oil. You will see that the rest of the meal is very light on the condiments.

Rub the steak with 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp ground pepper, and 2 tbsp herbs de provence (a combination of dried rosemary, fennel, oregano, and lavender). In the absence of those herbs, rosemary, fresh or dried, will work just fine on its own.

Once the skillet is nice and hot, sear the steak for 5-8 minutes on each side. While the steak sears, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. After searing, cook the steak in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until done to your preference. Remember that the steak will cook a little longer during the 10 minutes you should allow it to rest before serving.

Melt 2 tsp butter or olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Prep 2 corn cobs for cooking. Hold the first cob vertically right over the skillet and slice off the kernels. Scrape all the kernels off of the cob, allowing the starch to fall into the pan. Do the same with the second cob, then season the corn lightly with a little bit of salt and pepper. Keep the corn on medium heat so that it sizzles slightly and the starch starts to thicken. Corn is finished when tender and sweet.

While your steak is resting, turn on the broiler. Prep 10-16 spears of fresh or frozen asparagus and lay on a cookie sheet. Save on the mess by placing a sheet of foil between the asparagus and the cookie sheet. Spray the asparagus with a small amount of olive oil, and sprinkle with pepper and lemon juice. Place asparagus about 5 inches beneath the broiler. Broil for 5-10 minutes, or until asparagus is chewy and tender.

Enjoy your dinner with some fresh sliced watermelon! Corn and asparagus are both high in fiber and antioxidants (as well as taste), so they're a great choice. This time of year, you can usually find corn on sale for 30 to 50 cents per ear. Not in the mood for sirloin? I hear you - you can enjoy some heated canned black beans with this meal instead, with a sprinkle of parmesan, feta, or queso fresco. Beans and corn combine to make for a complete protein.

sometimes life is simpler if you just veg out

on my way home from my first quality workout with rogue running yesterday, i realized something. i remember who i am. when i first got out of my previous job (technically previous previous job technically), i felt disoriented, like i was staring into white space. i wouldn't say that it was an identity crisis, but i knew i would have to figure myself out again. how sad, to let a job ruin one's confidence and sense of self. maybe i need therapy, but i think time with friends, family, and a running group seems to take up enough of my time and negative psychic energy.

i am a good person. i remember this now. i compost, grow a vegetable garden, keep places for birds and frogs to hang out on my property, and am mommy to four adopted pets. last year, i sent my hair to locks of love, just because i could. i'm a vegetarian - well, i've had a lapse, a big fat lapse. it was easy because no one judges me and i really didn't care what i thought. all of my self worth lay in the 9-11 hours a day i spent chained to a toxic cubicle. i threw myself in hell and locked away the key.

but at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what other people think about me. what i think about me is the most important thing, because i have control over what i do to make myself a better person, a better wife, a better runner, a better vegetarian. and honestly, is there a bad vegetarian, even if that vegetarian slacked and ate some seafood for a few months? here's an answer from a marketing sort of person, but it's an answer i'm fine with. i'm just going to do what i think is the right thing, and say buh-bye to the fishies. i'll probably lapse from time to time and throw back a scallop or a shrimp, but i have my intention to be kind to animals.

i haven't been the best friend and wife either - with a frantic pace i'm reaching out to everyone in my life i love to spend time with them. i'm on a mission to create a "harmonious environment" at home, and i have to say it's going rather well. bret and i spend more quality time together, i'm more supportive, and we hang out in our garden a lot, now that i took the time to make it look nice.

i also had a running lapse. there is nothing worse than taking off on a run that feels like punishment. most of my runs were like that between january and may. i didn't want to be out there, i didn't think i could finish big sur, i didn't think i had trained enough. and guess what - i was right. i was right because i didn't believe i could do it. my big sur was getting from day to day. a dear friend gave me mile markers, a book by kristin armstrong that's basically a shiny, glittery picture telling women why they need to get off of their butts and hit the pavement. that same friend then told me to join rogue running and find my stride. i would have long hard miles to clock but i would get faster. i would also get new friends, ice baths, and all the sports drink i want. i signed up. my ever supportive and loving father dragged me out on runs and bike rides when i would rather have been in bed, but i wanted to spend time with him and i knew it was good for me. something that had been hateful has turned back into something good. i've had several runs and bike rides on fresh, strong legs, and i'm even losing some weight. but really i don't care about the weight anymore. i care about feeling great.

it's also time for me to grow my hair out again for locks of love. my great life wisdom gained from all of this is never let anything in your life make you forget who you are.