But first...I am back from ten days with my in-laws in Newbury Park, and issue one: none of my pants fit. Issue two: I have until Wednesday when we leave again, this time to Escalante, to loose enough to get me back into said pants. Issue three: I am pretty sure I will not loose enough because Wednesday is the day after tomorrow, and I don’t really care enough to try anyway… So, look out for muffin-top in the extreme coming your way if you live in or around Escalante.
My sister in law’s wedding was beautiful! They did so much themselves, including making hundreds of these delicious little cheesecakes (with the help of many of their friends):
Recipe HERE.
Jacob and I flew in on Sunday afternoon and of course the first thing I wanted to do was make something to eat. When you haven’t been in your house for a while nothing warms it up like getting something cooking on the stove. Anyway, while I was throwing some pasta together, putting away dishes, unpacking, getting Finn settled, lamenting the newly fallen snow, etc. I happened to drop some garlic on the kitchen floor. Here is the scenario:
The garlic fell underneath the dishwasher, so of course on my way up my head connected at top speed with the open cupboard. It seriously looked like I had a bullet graze to the head, and if it hadn’t hurt so bad, and I hadn’t been preoccupied inventing new swear words and swear word combos, I might have thought it looked pretty cool. Today, it hurts if a breeze brushes the right side of my head. Huge goose egg. Moral of the story, don't forget to look around before you attempt your next Legally Blonde style "bend and snap."
P.S. The Webster’s definition for lament: to feel deep sorrow or express it as by weeping or wailing.
There was much to lament that Sunday night…
P.S.S. I would like to thank you Jon and Jason for calling me on Thursday night while you were all hanging out, and making me feel totally sad and left out. Here is the thing; the day I convince Jacob to move to San Diego will undoubtedly be the day that you all pack up and decide to follow Jack back to Utah. But I suppose a phone call is better than being completely cast aside and forgotten.
P.S.S.S. Obama called me. I couldn’t get to the phone, so he left a voicemail. (The above mentioned Jon and Jason were behind this.)
Today Ina Garden was making steak sandwiches, and I decided that sounded like a good idea. Here is how she did it, and how I improvised (because who really keeps three different kinds of mustard on hand…Ina.)
Cook time: 40 minutes-ish, Serves: 2
You will need:
- 1 (12-ounce) 1-inch thick New York strip boneless beef top loin steak
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, sliced in rings
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 recipe Mustard Mayo, recipe follows
- 2 mini focaccia buns, sliced in 1/2
- 1/2 cup baby arugula
Season the steak liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sauté pan over high heat until it's almost smoking, then sear the steak on each side for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and cook the steak for about 7 to 10 minutes, turning once, until very rare in the middle. Remove to a plate, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Slice the steak into strips.
Using the same sauté pan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and thyme and sauté for 10 minutes, until the onions are brown and caramelized, stirring occasionally.
To assemble the sandwiches, spread a tablespoon of Mustard Mayo on the bottom half of each bun. Place a layer the steak strips on top of the mayo, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and top with the caramelized onion rings. Place the baby arugula on top of the onion rings, and cover the sandwiches with the top half of the buns.
( I used dried thyme because I couldn’t find fresh at my grocery store, and Instead of focaccia bread I used a ciabatta loaf, because it looked right and I’m not really sure what the difference is anyway. My ciabatta loaf was only $1.92, and I could easily have made 4 huge sandwiches out of it! I am always surprised when the yummy bread is less expensive than the regular bread.)
For the Mustard Mayo you will need:
- 3/4 cup good mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl. Serve at room temperature.
Yield: 1 cup
(As I said before, multiple kinds of mustard?! Comon. I happened to have Dijon so I kept all the measurements the same except I omitted the salt, and instead of whole grain mustard I added some yummy spices as follows:
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
You could also add garlic powder…)
May I conclude while I am thinking of it, by telling everyone how much I love (or rather hate to love…) the new grocery store that just popped up in my neighborhood, Winco. It’s exactly like Food4less in San Diego, except I never shopped at Food4less. I can go in with 30 bucks and get everything I need for a weeks worth of dinners. The bummers include out-of-it, unknowledgeable workers (the woman at the meat counter didn’t know what prosciutto was), you have to bag your own stuff after they ring you up, and you have to shop around all the other poor people. Yes, I am totally prejudiced against my own kind and prefer to associate as little as possible with other “needies.” Winco, I hate to love you, but I do.
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