I am SO excited to announce that I have a guest blogger on Spill the Beans today. This makes the whole blogging thing feel very legit. My special guest is Jay, whom I have known forever and ever because our families used to vacation together. Actually, we still vacation together, but sometimes Jay is too important to join us.

On one Hilton Head trip many years ago when he and I were probably in 7th and 4th grade, Jay pretended to have a crush on me the entire trip. I think it was for the sole purpose of making me uncomfortable, and he was successful. He also came up with the clever nickname of “T” (short for “tinkle”) for one member of our group who shall remain nameless, who happened to pee in the pool that year.

This is making him sound like an evil adolescent, isn’t it? Not my intention. Jay is the one who let me crash on his couch in Chicago a couple of weeks ago when I was stranded. He’s a badass DEA agent now, with a beautiful apartment and a great kitchen for cooking. Without further ado…

Hello bloggers, Jay here, of the Hilton Head crew, guest blogging for Erin.  First time blogger so go easy on me.  I’ve heard a lot about this blog from family and friends and the main theme I get is that it is really funny and has a lot of good recipes, so I hope I can add to this and not turn away any dedicated readers.

So for those of you who don’t know me, I was not the best cooker growing up.  My cooking consisted of my yelling “Mom, what’s for dinner” from my couch.   It wasn’t until the parents kicked me out of the house (I’m assuming because the grocery bill was so high) that I started cooking for myself.  So what is the best way to learn how to cook?  Google, the Food Network and calling Mom every Sunday begging her to send recipes.  This recipe I stole from the very beautiful and talented Giada De Laurentiis after watching her show one Sunday morning.  And no, I am not ashamed to say I watch Giada’s cooking show.  I lead a very interesting life out here in Chi-Town.

Tuscan Rib-Eye Steak

• 18 ounce bone-in rib-eye
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh arugula (thin layer to cover the steak)
• 4 springs of fresh rosemary
• 4 springs of fresh thyme
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 lemon, used for lemon juice and lemon zest
• Salt and pepper

Start by marinating the steak the night before you plan to make this dish.  Chop/smash the 2 garlic cloves, cut up 2-3 springs of rosemary and thyme.  Place in a re-sealable bag.  Next coat the rib-eye on both sides with extra virgin olive oil and place inside of the baggie.  Place the bag into the fridge to marinate overnight.

Once the rib-eye had time to sleep in the marinade, just throw it on the grill to your desired liking.  While your steak is cooking it’s time to make the lemon syrup.  In a small bowl, mix in some lemon zest, about a teaspoon of lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of olive oil, a little bit of chopped up rosemary, thyme and top it off with 1/8 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper.  I only used 1 spring of both rosemary and thyme because the steak was marinating in both overnight.  Mix it all together and set aside until the steak is done.

The arugula calls for baby arugula however, this was my first time buying arugula (or anything else that is green) so of course I could not find baby arugula.  I instead brought regular sized arugula and cut it into smaller leafs.  (It was also my first time in Trader Joe’s by myself, I looked like a lost puppy).

The last thing that needs to be cooked is an egg over easy.  Heat a skillet to about medium heat and add about 1 teaspoon of olive oil.  Place the egg on the skillet and sprinkle a little salt and pepper on it and let it cook for about 3 minutes.

At this point your steak should be done and it is time to assemble this masterpiece.  Once the steak is on the plate add your layer of arugula. And sprinkle a little bit of the lemon syrup over the top.  Then carefully add the egg on top of the arugula and top it off with the rest of the lemon syrup.

And there you have it.  Make sure you cut open the yolk when you start eating to get all the flavors in one bite.

For all you fitness nuts out there who think it is ok to wake up at 5am to workout and only eat paleo, this dish is perfect for you.  Takes about 15-20 minutes to make and I’m pretty sure it’s paleo.  I’m not 100% sure on the paleo but there are no carbs and loads of protein, so you have that going for you, which is nice.

Thanks, Jay!!