No grill, no backyard, no problem!

Summertime is when apartment living has its downfalls, such as a no grill policy and lack of an emerald green lawn to sink your toes into while holding an ice cold beverage. But that doesn't mean you can't still recreate it!

Key to getting the grilled taste without the grill is a stovetop grill pan, easily found at most home goods stores. When you use one of these you still get those awesome black grill marks and some of the charred taste. Of course nothing beats cooking on a charcoal grill, but this is a good substitute.

After working until 7am this morning and being rather exhausted, an easy dinner was needed. I had found a recipe for a shaved asparagus and snap pea salad in a magazine and was looking for something to pair it with. After a few minutes of thinking the best answer was steak.

I like my steak medium rare but the boy likes it practically mooing so I let him handle the steaks while I prepared the salad. The recipe came from an issue of People magazine and I have been unsuccessful in finding it online so I will post it here.

Shaved Asparagus and Snap Pea Salad

Ingredients

1/4 cup of mayo
1/2 lemon, juiced, plus a squeeze more, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. anchovy paste (optional)
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. fresh jalapeno, minced
2 tsp. grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup asparagus, thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler
3/4 cup snap peas, cut on the bias
1/4 cup plus 2 tsp. croutons or bread crumbs, divided
Shaved Pecorino Romano cheese
Olive oil

Directions

In a bowl, mix together first 7 ingredients. Add the asparagus, snap peas and 1/4 cup croutons. Stir to combine. Top with 2 tsp. croutons, some shaved Pecorino Romano, a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.

Here's my finished product, minus the anchovy paste that I did not use (yuck):

This was a nice, healthy pairing with the steak that had flavor without being too heavy. However, what I will say is go easy on the black pepper and don't use the 2 tsp that the recipe calls for. While the taste was still there it was a bit too spicy between the jalapeno and black pepper. Like mouth burning spicy.

The boy marinated the steaks for an hour in beer, specifically Yeungling, and lemon pepper seasoning. This did not come from a recipe, just something that he made up. It's pretty basic with things that most people have in their homes and was very yummy. A hint of the beer taste remained on the meat without being overpowering.

It was a beautiful evening with temps in the 70s to sit on the deck and enjoy the weather. Here's to many more nights like this!

Be sure to check back over the weekend for a fun filled post from tomorrow's Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ Festival at the National Harbor!