So I Turned 25 Recently... (Part 2)

I pretty much did nothing but eat for 3 days straight which is exactly how I wanted to spend my birthday weekend. The Part 1 meal was my parents doing. You can see where I get my meat eating ways from. It's not often that I get homecooked (and not by me), fall off the bone tender ribs so no complaints here. My dad's ribs are about as good as it gets so I'm hoping he will share his method.

I did, however, want to have one meal that represented the way that I cook and took full of advantage of my parents grill. I came prepared with my own ingredients, all local and seasonal. My sous-chefs and I created a simple but delicious meal that satisfied both vegetarians and carnivores alike. We improvised, so sorry that there are no detailed recipes.

I started out with some local, organic ground beef. I was shocked at how expensive steak is. No worries, burgers are just fine by me. Especially on nice fresh, locally made ciabatta.

We raided my parent's fridge for marinade ingredients for some portabello mushroom caps. I'm pretty sure soy sauce and teriyaki sauce were involved.

A whole bunch of veggies went on the grill, all seasoned simply with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Maybe my favorite part of the meal was Betty's special blackberry reduction. I never would have thought to combine blackberries and balsamic vinegar and reduce it into a thick sauce. She better share the recipe before I leave! It elevated everything from the grilled chicken to the asparagus to new heights.

Here it is on the grill...

And on the table...

Thanks Betty and Fred for cooking and taking some great pics!