Baked beans are a delicious way to “fill in” a quick and easy meal. I do have a great recipe for my slow cooker to make beans from scratch (I’ll post it another time) but, while easy to do, you need to have thought of making them the day before!! Canned beans can easily be doctored to taste more like the homemade kind and can be ready to eat in the time it takes to bake a potato, grill a steak, and put some corn on the cob to boil. If you have someone else to grill the steak and husk the corn, it’s even easier!!
In the hot summer days, I don’t like putting the oven on any more than I have to preferring to use the barbecue as much as possible. For quick and easy baked potatoes, scrub and prick them with a fork, then microwave until not quite ready but starting to soften – about 5 minutes for 1 large potato adding another minutes or so for each additional potato. It does take a bit longer the more potatoes you put in the microwave. Then place the potatoes on the small upper shelf of the barbecue or along one edge of the barbecue while you preheat it for the steaks. These potatoes will taste much better than ones completely done in the microwave. Serve with sour cream (as low fat as you like), chives and grated Parmesan cheese – even bacon bits if you like.
Our favourite weeknight, everyday steak is a top sirloin. They frequently come on sale around here. Some seem to be more tender than others but generally have great flavour especially when cooked medium rare and then sliced to serve. Slicing the meat makes it go further – you eat a lot less red meat – and I like the look of it on the plate. While there are recipes for wonderful rubs and marinades for steak, for a quick, last minute meal we just rub a bit of oil on each side of the steaks, sprinkle generously with steak spice – your favourite – then grill to medium rare – about 4 – 5 minutes on each side over a hot grill – then let rest for at least 5 minutes. With experience, you will get better and better at getting the right degree of doneness. The time will depend on the thickness of the steak, whether or not it’s at room temperature (it should be if possible) and the temperature of your barbecue.
This meal came together as a quick and easy one but it would be a great easy meal for entertaining too!