Steak and Israeli Couscous and Smashed Beans on Toast

Just a typical grilled steak, on a bed of Israeli couscous, follow box instructions for the couscous cook with chicken broth instead of water, add a bay leaf, and at the end I added some fresh red bell pepper and zucchini from my CSA bag. Beautiful, tasty, and the fresh veg at the end added a very nice crunch. This is only the second time I have had the bigger couscous but both times we have had it Brian and I oh and ah over how tasty it is!

To add to this meal we had what Jamie Oliver calls "Posh Beans on Toast" it is a mash of fresh fava beans and fresh peas with a little bit of mint, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. It is served on crostini with some mozzarella, I however didn't have fresh mozzarella so I used goat cheese which I did have. It was absolutely delicious. It is bright green, tastes like summer with a pop of flavor from the lemon juice and mint.

Smashed Fava Beans on Toast 
5 oz shelled fresh peas
9 oz shelled fresh fava beans
3-4 leaves of fresh mint (I have orange mint growing in abundance in my backyard that is what I used)\
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
2 tsp lemon juice
Crusty Bread
Garlic
Goat Cheese
1. In food processor whiz up the peas, beans, mint, salt and pepper. Add in cheese and lemon juice, and slowly drizzle in olive oil till it is a thick consistency but somewhat loose. Taste! If you want more mint, salt and pepper or lemon juice add to taste.
2. Grill bread, once grilled use a clove of garlic and swipe it a few times over the top of the bread (2-3 max swipes).
3. Spread some goat cheese on toast (use goat cheese to your desire, I liked a lot my husband a little depends on how much tanginess of the goat cheese you want to taste over the freshness of the peas), and then top with the bean mixture. Enjoy!

Steak House Dinner

I love, LOVE, sauteed mushrooms and these were some of the best I have ever made! The steak was grilled, this past week we had 70 degree temperatures in the middle of October! The potatoes are a winter staple in our house, I love roasted root veggies. The key with potatoes is to just leave them alone, don't stir, you stir and they won't crisp up for you. Then for whatever reason, and I did feel a little guilty because I knew they came from too far away, my local grocery store had asparagus on sale. So we had grilled asparagus even though it wasn't spring time, and oh where they good! All in all it was a fabulous meal in my book.

Pepper Crusted New York Steaks with Glazed Mushrooms
4 New York strip steaks
3 tablespoons black pepper
2 teaspoons coarse salt
3 tablespoons butter, plus more for steaks
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
8 ounces sliced button mushrooms
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Heat grill to medium-high heat.
[1] Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper.
[2] Grill steaks to desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to plates and top each steak with a dab of butter.
[3] Meanwhile, melt remaining butter in large skillet over medium heat. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and mushrooms and sauté for a few minutes until wilted.Sprinkle with salt and remove from the heat.
[4] Divide mushrooms among steaks and serve.

Spicy Oven Roasted Red Potatoes

1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
5 medium-large red potatoes
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
[1] In a small bowl, combine the salt, cayenne, paprika, coriander and parsley.
[2] Wash and cut the potatoes into long strips and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes and turn to coat. Sprinkle with the spices.
[3] Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

*Asparugus are grilled and tossed wtih olive oil, salt & pepper.

Thanks to Relish for the recipe.

Bistro Dinner

So I was able to use a ton of fun equipment for this dinner. This dinner contained bistro fries (salt, pepper, garlic, fresh parsley) I was able to use my French mandolin; which I have been using a lot lately for carrot "coins" which is what I call them for Molly's Bento lunches, sweet potato fries, or for regular fries like we had this evening. We also had a nicely flavored steak, and to go with the steak I was supposed to have a blue cheese dipping sauce (We all know how Molly LOVES to dip!) I went to the grocery store on Sunday and thought I had a tub of blue cheese in the fridge so I didn't buy a new one. Well when I went to make the sauce, I opened the tub and I could tell it was slightly off. Really how do you tell when blue cheese goes bad? I mean it is mold, right? The white part of the cheese in this instance was off color and it smelled different. Being the freak that I am about spoiled food I tossed it immediately and then stood in front of my fridge for awhile to try and figure out what the heck I was going to do instead. I knew I had some crumbled feta, so I said what the hey, and I used that instead. Brian said it tasted very similar to a creamy ranch style dressing, I disagree it tasted like feta. I also felt like we needed some veggies so my recent stand by is roasted carrots and onions. It was a very tasty meal, Molly ate everything, which really was that a surprise? She dipped her fries in some ketchup, and she dipped her steak in the cheese sauce (which she really liked and asked for several more helpings of both steak and sauce) and she ate a few carrots to round it all out. She is really testing us right now with her table manners, overall though she understands we eat at the table and we eat as a family. For a two year old she really only leaves the table a few times, and might occasionally play with her food or fork. But she is sitting in her own chair, using really silverware, etc. She is really growing up before our eyes!