Celebrating Dad - Sweet & Savory Watermelon Wedges

Considering how important good dads are to our lives, it's kind of crazy that we only set aside one day a year to honor them. Plus they're so easy to please. Dad enjoys the simple things: a burger, a beer, some time to putter around the lawn or tap at golf balls, even just a few hours to watch sports all by himself. Let him do these things and he's a happy guy. 

Father's Day Starters: Shrimp Ceviche, Fresh Mango Margaritas Sweet & Savory Watermelon Wedges, Photo: NK

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It was only fitting that our easy-to-achieve Father's Day Barbecue began with the world's easiest summer appetizer, Savory Chili Lime Watermelon Wedges. How many summer starters can be ready in under five minutes? Before we share the ever so simple recipe, 

Check out our Father's Day BBQ Menu:

Cocktail Hour: Assorted Beer + Frozen Mango Margaritas
Sweet & Savory Chili Lime Watermelon Wedges (recipe follows)

Shrimp Ceviche with Tortilla Chips (a Neurotic Kitchen fave, recipe HERE)

Simply Grilled Ribeye Steaks 

Green Salad With Grilled Peaches and Dijon Shallot Vinaigrette

Assorted Ice Cream and Sorbet with Dark Chocolate Brownies & Strawberry Compote

Now, for your new go-to summer app, I give you this fresh spin on a barbecue favorite- a savory, sweet, tart and a little spicy slice of in-season Watermelon. 

Sweet & Savory Chile Lime Watermelon Wedges, who knew? Photo: NK

Sweet & Savory Chile Lime Watermelon Wedges
Serves About 10

Ingredients:
1 Small to Medium very ripe Watermelon (preferably seedless variety)
Zest of 4 Limes
Ancho Chile Powder 
Sea Salt 
Optional Cilantro for garnish

Method:
Slice Watermelon into wedged sized as you desire

Lay on a flat surface and sprinkle liberally with Lime Zest. Next sprinkle lightly with Ancho Chile Powder. 

Slice one of the Limes and squeeze a few drops of juice over the Watermelon Wedges
Sprinkle a bit of Sea Salt all over and serve chilled. Garnish with Lime Wedges and optional Cilantro.

~

It all went together wonderfully with the main event, a simply grilled Ribeye below. Until next year, here's to dad!

Easy Main Course: Ribeye with Green Salad & Grilled Peaches, Photo: NK

Father's Day Grilling - Vietnamese Marinated Flank Steak

We hope you had a wonderful Father's Day Weekend. Dads are worth celebrating and their importance cannot be overstated. From dads in the traditional sense to those who raise other people's biological children with love and care (to mothers who serve as fathers too) you make a difference! 

Ask any American Dad what their idea of a good meal is and you'll inevitably hear "beer and beef." 

Vietnamese Marinated Flank Steak, Photo: NK 

My dad is no longer with us and even after almost ten years, I miss him nearly every day. He'd definitely have loved a dish like today's Vietnamese Marinated Flank Steak with Cucumber Salad. He was a great cook in his own right, and he taught me to be casual in the kitchen and not take myself so seriously (ok, that part is a work in progress!).  Dad also truly appreciated good food. We made and enjoyed countless fantastic meals together- always along with many laughs. My wonderful memories of him sustain me. To this day, I still can't make a bowl of Linguine and Clam Sauce (his specialty) without thinking of him. 

There was one really bright spot this Father's day - celebrating my husband who is an amazing father too!

This Vietnamese-style Flank Steak from the New York Times Diner's Journal 

was his idea entirely. I was excited to try making it because it's also wonderful exemplar of Neurotic Kitchen's much repeated mantra - fancy looking food need not be hard to make! 

Let's chat a bit about this dish.

Marinade & Dressing, Photo: NK

This is a really smart recipe. 

The Steak Marinade also serves as the zippy and delicious dressing for the accompanying Cucumber and Radish Salad that helps make this dish's presentation exceptional. More importantly, the result is as delicious as it looks. 

Since we did not adapt this recipe, I would like to share my experience making it in the hopes that it will be helpful to you so you can nail it on the first try (it's pretty foolproof!).

Our Recipe Notes: 

Timing the Marinade: The recipe recommends you marinate the meat between a half hour to 24 hours. We marinated this for 3 hours and the flavor was fantastic. I thought it was just right, actually. I don't know that it would benefit from much more time, not that I'd quibble with a recipe in the New York Times Diner's Journal.

Cook Time: Melissa Clark presents several options for cooking this Steak but we had to go

Perfect Medium Rare, Photo: NK 

with the instructions for grilling. Since the weather wasn't on our side, we saved the charcoal and fired up my favorite double-burner grill pan (with griddle) instead. The Flank Steak, about 1.75 pounds came out a perfect medium rare (to the rare side) with a cook time of 4 minutes per side. The recipe recommends 3 minutes per side on a very hot grill for rare. 

Portion Size: Admittedly, my husband and I are overly enthusiastic eaters but if you serve this without any other side dishes (entirely possible since the salad is included), I would say it is closer to 3-4 servings, rather than what the recipe says is 4-6. 

Serving: Allow steak to rest about 5 minutes and the slice the Flank Steak against the grain. 

Here's the recipe as originally published in the NYT:

**ENJOY AND A BIG SHOUT OUT TO ALL THE GREAT DADS OUT THERE!**