Steak Dinner

We have recently decided to try to start eating out less in an effort to curb our monthly expenses. It turns out when you're amateur foodies like we are (and/or lazy), you really prefer to eat out rather than eat at home. So I'm trying to make meals at least once a week that we might order out at a good restaurant. This past week I decided that I would make Friday night Steak Night. I had bought a Flat Iron Steak with no plans for it, so I set to searching for some ideas on how to make it special. My research taught me that Flat Irons are tender cuts of meat and easy to cook. Perfect.

I decided a while ago that you can't go wrong marinating beef (unless you marinate a Filet with Dales...NOT a good idea Matthew!). In a small bowl combine:

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crumbled

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup olive oil

I placed my 1 1/4 pound piece of steak in a gallon size zip top bag and added the marinade (as usual, I doubled the recipe...for some reason I'm afraid of not having enough marinade), refrigerating over night. When you're ready to grill your meat, pull it out of the refrigerator at least 15 minutes ahead of time to allow it to start coming to room temperature (it will cook more evenly this way). Preheat grill to medium-high heat and cook for 6 minutes on each side to reach medium-rare. If you want to be fancy about it, rotate your steak 90 degrees after three minutes on each side to give it authentic grilled steak markings. Cover with foil tent and let steak sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it to make sure all the internal juices don't run out on you. Cut against the grain (for more tender pieces) in small slices.

Southern Comfort

So today was the day for brisket and cheese grits! I started marinating the meat last night, and then put it in the oven around 10am today...it only took 30 minutes for the house to smell amazing. This meal is a test in patience...it takes about 5 hours to cook, but it is SO worth it!

I was in such a hurry today to make sure I stayed on schedule with my cooking that I pretty much forgot to take most of the pictures along the way. I did, however, manage to get some pictures after we ate.

This is what was left after the three of us ate dinner. Well, I should backtrack a little bit. I went to Costco with my good friend Hayley to find a good piece of brisket. Not corned beef brisket - the regular kind. I wasn't able to compare the price to Publix, but considering neither WinnDixie nor BJs had brisket at all, I figure I made out well. I bought a 4.5lb piece of brisket at $4.99/lb, and I'll be sure to let you know the price at Publix when I make it over there again. I cut the meat in half before marinating and cooking so that I wouldn't lose any precious juices cutting it after it cooked. I'll list the recipe below, but know that it really is as easy as it sounds!

Best Dinner Ever

My mom and dad came into town for the weekend and I wanted to impress them with my cooking skills. I know "they" say you're not supposed to try out new recipes on guests, but I just can't help myself! I always think that's part of the fun in entertaining, so I went on an Internet search for a great new recipe to experiment on my parents. Of course, using some of my new-to-me ingredients would be a plus and it just so happens I found the perfect recipe.

This really was one of the best dinners I've ever made. And I admittedly can not take credit for any of the good results...other than I followed the recipe correctly. I found the recipe on the food network website, and I happened across it as I was looking for a recipe for flank steak. I rounded the dish out with a heaping helping of quinoa and a glass of homemade sangria. Delicious!