Happy 100th Post!!!!

YAY!

I find this very exciting, yet at the same time when you see the RSS followers at only 12 it is a little anticlimactic. I mean I know I have more followers with google friend connect but still, 12 it's a little depressing :-)

Bento Lunch
This was Miss Molly's lunch for today, and I found out that instead of doing a lunch every Friday I now "get to" (and yes I really mean get to) make Molly a fun lunch everyday!

This is Molly's new bento box closed, I have wanted this one FOREVER, and it matches her cute lunch box as well.

She had in the bottom tier two small sandwiches with fruit leather flowers, some cherry tomatoes, and carrot "coins," And in the top container some fantastic Rice and Bean Chipotle Chips from Costco, and some shredded wheat. She ate the whole thing (at daycare they eat all day long so it isn't like she just sits there and eats it in one sitting.) I have to think of snacks and stuff too!

This was her labor day lunch, PB&J with a cheese octopus -notice the breakage in the cheese, it is getting to it's last legs it isn't as pliable anymore (fruit leather spots and smile and sugar candy eyes)! Cherry tomatoes on a pick, and more of those great chips; thanks Grandma Carter for giving us some.

Steakhouse Dinner

For tonight's dinner I finally got to make Steak Diane, with garlic mashed potatoes, and a fabulous salad of mixed greens, pecans, shallots and chunks of goat cheese. The basis for this dinner was supplied by my favorite meal planning site Relish.  I will provide the recipes like always because I have noticed whenever I cook no matter where the recipe comes from I change it to suit my family's needs. This dinner takes me back, I can remember this being one of my mom's favorite things to order when I was younger (wasn't this the one where they would light it on fire at the table?) Relax everyone, this one didn't require a flambe.

Steak Diane

4 beef tenderloin fillets (4-ounces each)

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
4 shallots , finely chopped
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 sprigs Italian parsley, chopped
1. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Cook steaks in butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 5 to 8 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from pan and keep warm.

2. Saute shallots in skillet 2 minutes over medium heat. Add beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and Dijon, stirring well 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute more. Serve sauce on top of steaks and top with fresh parsley.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
4 Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1in chunks
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp olive oil
 
1. Cut up potatoes, put them in a pot and fill it with cold water, drop in the garlic cloves too!
2. When the potatoes are fork tender, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, strain the remainder of the water.
3. Put the potatoes back into the pot to keep the warm, and proceed to mash and alternate the cooking liquid with mashing until it is the right consistency.
Things to add in to help with texture and taste:
Salt & Pepper to taste
Touch of Milk and/or butter
1-2 tbsp of sour cream/ or plain yogurt
 
Goat Cheese and Pecan Salad
3-4 cups of mixed greens
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 minced shallot
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
Prepared Dressing (for recipe click here)
1. Mix all together in bowl (careful not to "cream" the goat cheese you still want it in chunks)
 
Either my daughter is working up a hunger at daycare playing with her friends, or she really LOVED this dinner, she stayed at the table the whole time and practically cleaned her plate.


Linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, & Tasty Tuesday!