A Very Special Meal

Today I would like to share with you a very special meal.

This meal was made and shared by my husband and I on our (recent) 1 year anniversary trip in a cabin in Ponca, Arkansas.

This meal was also one of three entrees served and enjoyed very much (so I heard) at our wedding on April 14, 2012.

Simple Saturday: Steak

Confession: I don't like steak.

I would gladly choose most dishes over steak, including mashed potatoes.

I grew up in a more potatoes home than a steak and potatoes home. I only remember having steak on salads or minute steak paired with mashed potatoes and I liked the greens or potatoes more than the meat I think.

My husband, on the other hand, loves the treat of a well-cooked, large piece of steak.

I'll never understand it, but I was excited that Jason just unlocked the mystery of how to cook a perfect steak without a grill.

And here's how you do it: How to Cook Perfect Steak in the Oven.

Just click on the link above and get the steb-by-step instructions from the wonderful Kitchn website. I use the Kitchn a lot for recipe and cooking help.

Jason was thrilled about how perfectly his steak was cooked and declared that this was the best steak he had ever cooked!

Quick Curry Dinner

Before I went to Burma, I really underestimated the power of veggies and rice.

They're flavorful, fresh and absolutely amazing for any meal. (And even more amazing when you get to eat them with one of the little Burmese metal spoons pictured above.)

Seriously, they're so stinking good.

Recently, I found some special artisan curry sauces for sale on Fab. (Have you heard of Fab? If not, check it out.)

Fab has a great Foodie section with all kinds of amazing treats, such as this Curry Love set of organic Thai curries.

Healthy Baking Tips

Let's talk healthy baking.

That may sound like an oxymoron to you, but it isn't!

I used to think for something to be delicious and heartwarming it had to contain lots of butter and sugar. And of course there are many things that I still love and bake that do contain those things.

But I'm learning there are ways to bake with no guilt!

Simple Saturday: Vegetable Stock

Making this vegetable stock is stupid easy.

And I can't believe I didn't think of it before my awesome, foodie coworkers told me about it.

This is one of those "one man's trash is another man's treasure" situations.

You take your veggie trash (if you will), stalks, leftovers, roots, stems, all the parts that you usually cut off and throw away. You take those pieces, store them in a baggie or container and let them build up over days or a week until you're ready to make some stock.

$4 Meal

So, recently I found out about Food Bloggers Against Hunger.

It's a movement that started a few weeks ago to gain and spread awareness of the hunger prevalent in our country and it was inspired by the new documentary, A Place at the Table.

Although I haven't seen the film yet, I really hope to soon.

And I agree that it's so important for each of us to be aware of the hunger around us and give to that need.

Coconut Macaroons and Bunny Cakes

When I was a kid, I hated coconut.

Every Easter my mom would make the classic Easter bunny coconut covered white cake and I didn't love it because of the coconut.

Was I crazy? Yes. 

And thankfully as I got older, I realized the delicious flavor of coconut and embraced the shredded texture. 

And while working at a bakery in high school, I was introduced to the beauty of the chocolate dipped macaroon. They're crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, sweet and chocolaty.

Tasty, familiar and exotic all in one bite.

Simple Sunday: Salmon

Seafood is delicious. We all know this.

But seafood is not something that I feel comfortable going into a store and picking out and preparing perfectly. I'm still experimenting, but it's not a meat that we (as Americans) usually eat on a regular basis.

But it's so good for you, so tasty and usually really easy to prepare.

Magic Beans

Before my mom, in a moment of genius, came up with the recipe for Mom's White Bean Hummus,  I didn't even care about white beans.

You could say that they weren't even on my bean radar. I knew and loved black beans, refried beans, garbanzo beans even, but had not discovered the white bean.

And now, they're one of my main pantry staples.

They create the tastiest, fastest hummus, they are perfect on a tuna or spinach salad and they make any soup comforting in a short amount of time.

They're magic beans!

A Drink for Any Weather

It's been one of those weeks.

The weather has been pretty bipolar.

The work week has seemed longer than it should.

And I seriously don't know what to wear day to day because of the weather changing so quickly.

No matter what the weather is, it's always a good time for a cocktail.

And it's even better if it's a sophisticated one.

This drink has some of my favorite flavors going on: rosemary, gin and lemon.

It's complex but so refreshing, and you will love it!

Happy weekend!

*Click on recipe card to enlarge and save.

Easy Cheesy Bread

It's no secret around this blog that I am no bread baker.

I made it my resolution last year to make homemade bread and I sort of did with these biscuits. And I whipped up these easy popovers.

But when it comes to kneading (eek) and using yeast (yikes), I get scared and have problems.

I just don't think I'm patient enough or have the right touch for yeast bread yet. But I'll keep trying and keep you updated.