Cuban Steak with Chimichurri, black eyed pea and pumpkin stew, and Grilled corn with queso fresco and lime tarragon butter

Cuban steak with chimichurri: The chimichurri was supposed to go with a different steak, but I like the marinade on this one better. It comes out so tender because of the vinegar. Because I made this a month ago, (I'm super behind on the posts) I can't remember if I did anything differently besides add jalapenos, which is a given. I do know that we got a thicker steak than it called for, but my husband, who was manning the grill, cooked it a little longer on each side and it came out perfect, pink and juicy. That sounds naughty. hehe. Anyway, it's amazing with the 4 herb chimichurri on top. Both recipes below.

Black Eyed Pea and spicy pumpkin stew: We copied this recipe from a cookbook, and part of it got cut off. I will try to fill in the parts that are missing. Also, I didn't have palm oil. I think I just used olive. I also added jalapenos and pretty much doubled all the spice measurements because I thought it needed more flavor. Oh, and I used 2 cans of black eyed peas instead of dry so I skipped the soaking and boiling beans steps-- cuts the time way down. 

Here's what's missing/ hard to read

1 1/4 cups dried black eyed peas

1 onion

1 green or red bell pepper

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 bouillon cube

1 thyme sprig or 1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp paprika (I used smoked)

1/2 tsp apple pie spice (I used pumpkin pie spice)

2 carrots, sliced

1-2 TBS palm oil

salt and hot pepper spice

For the spicy pumpkin:

1 1/2 lb pumpkin

1 onion

2 TBS butter

2 garlic cloves

3 tomatoes

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp curry powder

pinch of nutmeg

salt, hot pepper sauce, ground black pepper

missing directions:

5.) Melt the butter or margarine in large pan and add the pumpkin, onion, garlic, tomatoes, spices and water. Stir well to combine and simmer until pumpkin is soft.

6.) Season to taste with salt, hot pepper salt and black pepper, serve with black eyed peas.

Grilled Corn with Queso Fresco and Lime Tarragon butter: This is one of my all time favorite recipes. It's amazing. The lime/tarragon goes perfectly with the cinnamon/chile powder mixture on top, the cheese and the sweetness of the corn. It's like a multiple food orgasm. Don't change anything about this recipe. It's perfection as is. Oh, and be sure to grill the corn in the husks.

You can skip the black eyed peas, and the steak tacos still make a wonderful meal with the corn, but all of this shit was delicious.

Stuff your faces, piggies.

Beef Tagine with Okra and Butternut Squash Gratin

Beef Tagine with Okra and Tomatoes: I got this recipe from a Moroccan cook book and it's fabulous. The flavor of the spices with the beef is just mouth watering. However, don't make the mistake I did: (I read the recipe as 2.5 inch cubes of beef, rather than 2.5 cms of beef, so it took four hours instead of 2 for the beef to break down and become tender. oops!) Anyway, when it finally finished cooking, it was delicious... if a little watery for some reason. Also, I added some jalapenos and an extra cinnamon stick for spice and flavor. Here's the recipe:

Butternut Squash Gratin: I've been making this recipe for years now, and it's amazing every time. It's delicious for fall. The only part I do differently, is add a bit of garlic to the butternut squash before roasting, and then I add few dashes of nutmeg and cayenne to the cream sauce for the spinach mixture. Oh, and there are a few typos in this recipe: obviously, "pond" is supposed to be "pound".

Beef! It's what's for dinner!