Easy as 1, 2, Steam

For last night's dinner I had my usual job of being in charge of the veggies or "sides" while Scott was in charge of grilling.  As a newlywed, I'm just now starting to get the hang of putting meals together on a daily basis and I'm learning more every day...

For starters:

• I should never, EVER try to grill....ever.
• When cooking chicken, it can't just be pulled from the freezer, aka the "black hole".  Triple-check the date isn't from 2007: whoops!
• I should really just avoid cooking meat, unless it's for breakfast, ground or heated up in a microwave.

One thing I'm pretty good at by now is putting together sides for the main attraction that Scott will be cooking or grilling for us that night.  I like going to the grocery store and changing up the veggies we eat, since I try to stay away from a lot of startchy sides as much as I can.

Scott grilling meat + veggie sides = my favorite healthy meal to cook at home.

In doing so, I've become pretty chummy with my steamy side-dish cooker: The Black and Decker Handy Steamer Plus.

Granted, the exact model we have lived has been with Scott longer than I have, so it's not as fancy or Rico Suave as this one.  Regardless, it gets the job done and makes putting side dishes together as easy as 1, 2, STEAM!  Since the one we have at home is somewhat of a dinosaur now, you can find tons of newer steamers online or at kitchen supplies stores.  Bizrate.com is a great source to compare products and brands and you can find a ton of varieties of what you need.

It's so easy....
Step 1: Prep veggies or side of choice by slicing, dicing or peeling.

Step 2: Fill your steamer with water.

Step 3: Put your veggies in the container.

Step 4: Cover and set your timer. 

*TIP: there is usually a steaming time guide on the back of the steamer to advise you how long to steam what.

Step 5: (optional) add seasonings while steaming for taste.

10 minutes later...

Your fabulous side is ready to serve!

So easy a newlywed could do it...wait... ;)

Question:
What's your favorite side to steam?

Mine's definitely artichokes...bet you didn't think that, huh?