Category: Beef

Date Night: Steak Kabobs and Twice Baked Potatoes

Beef, Date Night, grains, potatoes, Side dishes...veggies

Date Night. I love being able to spend time with my husband on date night, but it can be costly. So tonight we made a pact. Date night will take place at least every other week. I will cook a meal he wants, and we will eat at home. By saving money going out, we get to eat at a fancy or hip place every month or so. Sounds like a great plan, right? I will blog about date night each time. It will usually be Friday night, but it may be some Saturdays instead. I am pumped!!!

Steak Kabobs- We went to the local butcher shop and got these already made. They would not be too difficult to make myself, but, hey, date night needs to have a few shortcuts, right? Steak chunks and cut peppers and onions. I cooked for 2 1/2 minutes on each side. Then I took off the heat and turned a few times in the hot pan. Then I took them out and let them rest for 10 minutes. PERFECTION!

Wine for Date Night:
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Twice Baked Potato:
Cook the potatoes (3 large, 6 small) in a 400 oven in aluminum foil about 45 minutes. Cook about 4 pieces of bacon. Once your potatoes have cooled, take out the potato filling leaving the skins. Mix in 2 tablespoons of butter, 3 tablespoons of sour cream, and all your chopped bacon. Spoon into skins. Add shredded mild cheddar on top. Put back in a 350 oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted all over the top.
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Spaghetti with Mushroom and Meat sauce

Beef, Pasta

Sunday was a nice relaxing day at home, so I thought I would make an easy slow cook home made sauce for spaghetti night. Fall is here, which means I will probably be making lots of stews, soups, sauces, chili, braised meats, etc. It also means that my dutch oven and crock pot are going to be my main kitchen tools for the colder upcoming weather. I love how I can put something in the crock pot in the morning and come home 8 hours later and dinner is already made! Weekend cooking also becomes all day cooking. I can braise some short ribs all day and have fall apart meat hours later with equally delicious sauce to dip my crusty bread in . The smell of all the flavors mixing together creates a deep intense smell and flavor that cannot be beat!

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Mushroom and Meat Sauce:
This makes 3 batches for our family of 5.
First diced up 1 onion and 1/2 head of garlic. Cook that for a few minutes in a bit of butter and olive oil mix. Then add an entire 16 oz. container of mushrooms to your dutch oven. Cook that down for a bit. Add plenty of salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning (oregano, thyme, basil, marjoram). Then add 1 28 oz. can of tomato sauce, 1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, 1 28 oz. can of crushed plum tomatoes, 4 squirts of tomato paste, 1/3 bottle of red wine, and 4 tablespoons of Worcestershire, 2 pats of butter, and about 3 tablespoons sugar. The wine and Worcestershire just give it an extra layer of flavor, especially since you are making mushroom and meat (beef)in it. The butter and the sugar help to add a bit of sweetness to the sauce and mellow the acidity of the tomato a bit.

Cook for 2-4 hours. The longer the better. Add in browned ground beef and cook another 1/2 hour or so. Serve with spaghetti or your favorite pasta.

Life Cycle of a Steak

Beef

Once upon a dinner there was a beautiful steak named T-Bone. A sweet lady talked to him and gave him a lot of love. She gave him the gift of salt and pepper, and gave him a nice massage. Then it got very steamy; she put him in a screaming hot cast iron pan, and cooked him for 6 minutes per side. It was hot, but he knew it was his destiny. She took him off heat and let him rest at least 5-10 minutes. She said he was so pretty and gave him a kiss. She put him on a pretty plate.
Cut.
Devour.
The End.
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