Pico de Gallo

I just made The Pioneer Woman's Pico de Gallo and it's so good I decided to post it. You can just as easily go over to her blog and find it there I'm sure. She says the secret to making great Pico de Gallo is making sure there are equal parts of onion, tomato, and cilantro. Not just a lot of tomatoes and hints of everything else. It's easy, healthy, and delicious for summer. I have a feeling I'll be posting her stuff in the near furture. My Grandma let me borrow her cookbook for a couple weeks and I want to try making most everything in it.



Ingredients

• Yellow or red onion
• Roma tomatoes
• Cilantro
• Jalapeños
• Lime
• Salt

Directions

• Dice up the onion, tomatoes, and cilantro; equal in quantity to each other.
• Slice in half then dice very fine 1 or 2 jalapeños. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon. If you like some spice, leave some of the white membranes. 
• Dump everything into a bowl, squeeze half a lime over everything, and mix
• Sprinkle with salt. She suggests tasting with a chip so you don't over salt. 

Beef and Broccoli

I saw this recipe in Cooking Light and knew it'd be one for our family to try. It seems like there are a lot of steps but when one step is "cook for 30 seconds" it goes quickly. Also this is not a recipe to be holding a baby on your hip or even around the stove as it sizzles and pops juices at you.

Stir-Fried Beef with Broccoli & Bell Peppers
- 1 pound flank steak, trimmed
- 2 tbls soy sauce
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 3 1/2 tbls water, divided
- 2 tbls oyster sauce
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1/4 pound broccoli (I used more)
- 2 tbls canola oil, divided
- 1 large red bell pepper, halved, seeded, andcut into 1-inch pieces

Directions

1. Cut steak in half lengthwise. Cut each half across the grain into 1/8-inch thick slices. Combine beef, soy sauce, garlic, and black pepper; toss well. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes
2. Combine 1 1/2 tbls water, oyster sauce, and crushed red pepper in small bowl; set aside.
3. Cut broccoli into florets. Peel broccoli stems; cut stems diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
4. Heat 1 tbls oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef mixture to skillet; cook 3 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Transfer beef mixture to a bowl.
5. Heat the remaining 1 tbls of oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add broccoli; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the remaining 2 tbls of water; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add bell pepper; cook 30 second, stirring constantly. Return beef mixture to pan. Stir in oyster sauce mixture; cook until thoroughly heated. Serve over rice.