Flat Iron Steak

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds flat iron steak
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry mustard powder

DIRECTIONS
1 - Place the steak inside of a large resealable bag. In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, garlic, parsley, rosemary, chives, Cabernet, salt, pepper and mustard powder. Pour over the steak in the bag. Press out as much air as you can and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours.
2 - Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the steak in the hot skillet for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or to your desired degree of doneness. Discard the marinade. These steaks taste best at medium rare. Allow them to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

THOUGHTS
We had to cook the steak longer than recommended in the recipe, but if I had tenderized the steak prior to marinating, I think the time would've been about right. This meat turned out so tender that it could be cut with a fork!

Potatoes Au Gratin

INGREDIENTS
4 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
1 - Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2 - Butter a 1 quart casserole dish.
3 - Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Add Garlic and Onion powder to taste, and add the remaining potatoes.
4 - Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5 - In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
6 - Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute.
7 - Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened.
8 - Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds.
9 - Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
10 - Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven.

THOUGHTS
This dish was really easy and really tasty. The cheese sauce could be used as a fondue or hot cheese dip.

Lemon Pepper Green Beans

INGREDIENTS
1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed and trimmed
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 teaspoons lemon pepper

DIRECTIONS
1 - Place green beans in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water. Cover, and cook until tender but still firm, about 10 minutes; drain.
2 - Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute almonds until lightly browned. Season with lemon pepper. Stir in green beans, and toss to coat.

THOUGHTS
I didn't have any lemon pepper, so I used lemon juice and black pepper. They turned out really great with a nice tangy flavor to them.

Beef Stroganoff

INGREDIENTS
2 lb sirloin
1/3 cup red wine
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 oz butter
4 green onions, white parts sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (10 oz) jar/can beef broth
1 tsp mustard
2 (4 oz) jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup cream cheese
salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1 - Remove fat & gristle from roast & cut to bite sized strips (1/2"x 2"). Marinate in 1/3 cup red wine for 1 hour. Season with salt & pepper
2 - In large saucepan on medium heat, melt butter & brown beef quickly
3 - Push strips to one side and add onions and garlic. Cook for 3-5 minutes until tender.
4 - Stir the flour into the beef broth, add to saucepan and bring to a boil by increasing the heat to high and stirring constantly.
5 - Lower heat to Medium-Low, add the mushrooms and stir in mustard so that all ingredients are mixed together.
6 - Cover and simmer for 1 hour
7 - About 5 minutes before serving, stir in sour cream & cream cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste, leave on eye until heated through
8 - Serve over egg noodles

Tuna Spirals

INGREDIENTS
3 oz cream cheese, room temperature
6 oz solid white tuna in water, drained
2 tablespoons Russian dressing
12 slices white bread, crustless

DIRECTIONS
1 - Flatten bread w/ rolling pin
2 - Combine other ingredients in bowl and mix well
3 - Spread mixture on bread and roll into cylinders
4 - Wrap in plastic and chill for 2 hours
5 - Cut each roll into 5 slices

THOUGHTS
These turned out kinda ugly, but that might have just been me. I really like this tuna mixture (especially since it is so clearly a healthy addition to my diet) so I think I might just make mini-sandwiches out of it next time instead of trying the whole spiral thing.

Breakfast Pizza

INGREDIENTS
1 pkg crescent rolls
1 lb sausage, browned & drained
2 cups frozen hashbrowns, thawed
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
5 eggs well beaten w/ salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS
1 - Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2 - Layer 1st 4 ingredients on greased pizza pan in order
3 - Very carefully pour eggs over other ingredients
4 - Bake for 15-20 minutes

THOUGHTS
I love this when my mom makes it, but my pizza pan is pretty crappy so the center never cooks as well as the rest of the pizza. I recommend using a nice pizza pan or trying really hard to keep the eggs on the outer edges and as far from the center as possible while pouring.

Christmas Breakfast Casserole

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. pork sausage, browned & drained
1 tsp. dry mustard
6 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
6 slices white sandwich bread, cubed

DIRECTIONS
Add dry mustard to browned sausage. Mix eggs, milk, salt, pepper and Worchestershire sauce in bowl. Combine all remaining ingredients together and mix well. Pour into greased (I use Pam) 9" x 13" Pyrex 2 quart dish and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until set and nicely browned.

THOUGHTS
We have this every year for breakfast on Christmas morning. So very tasty!!