Busy Weekend

What a great way to start the weekend.  Cupcakes!  It's a shame that they weren't that great.  But they were still pretty nonetheless. =)

Why I love weekends...
Catch up on errands.
Time to relax.
Spend more time with Basil.
Time to cook a more satisfying meal.
Simpsons 8pm every Sunday.

And what a lovely and productive weekend it was.  I wrote down a list of everything we needed to accomplish this weekend and each one was crossed off =).  I have a few highlights and lowlights for the weekend. Highlights include trying out a delicious Korean restaurant, watching Toy Story 3, roasting a tri tip.  Lowlights: Basil getting attacked at the doggy park. But she's okay. Thank goodness for that.

During the busy week I barely have time to cook a well thought out meal. But the weekend is my time to getting my culinary fix.  Having to eat chicken and fish most of the days for health and budgetary reasons, I was really craving some red meat.  Tri Tip popped into my mind instantly.  The Tri Tip recipe I used was not great, it needs some some tweaking. The side dishes, on the other hand, green beans and mash potatoes turned out great.  Simple flavors to compliment the flavorful meat.

Green Beans
Wash and trim green beans
One shallot diced
2 cloves garlic sliced
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Blanch the beans: In a medium sized pot of boiling salted water throw in the green beans for 2-3 minutes.

Shock the beans: In a bowl of ice water quickly submerged beans in the ice water to stop cooking.

Drain and set aside.

Over medium heat, add about 2 tbs of olive oil on a skillet.  Add shallots and garlic, some salt and pepper.  Stir and let brown.

Add in green beans and stir to mix all the garlicky oil!

A hearty meal to prepare me for another week.