Pizza for a Cause, Steak Dinner, and a sick Saturday

Thursday night we participated in Pizza for a Cause at Ledo's Pizza in our town to benefit Molly's Mission for March of Dimes. It is a good cause, managed by a good friend and a really good excuse not to cook.

Friday night, I welcomed home my husband with a steak dinner complete with broccoli spears, baked potatoes, mushrooms in balsamic sauce, and grilled onions.

Here is my guidance for this meal.

Bake potatoes for 45 minutes to 1 hour in a 350 degree oven.
Have a topping station with margarine or butter, salt and pepper, sour cream, and freshly grated cheddar cheese.

For 2 people, slice 4 crimini mushrooms (aka baby bellas) and place into a sauce pan with 1/2 T butter, garlic powder and italian seasonings. Stir occasionally and once the butter melts and the mushrooms start to saute, add 1/4 C Balsamic Vinegar. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Cut an onion in half or quarters (depending on your love of onions and appetite). Brush the cut side(s) with olive oil and dust with salt and pepper, garlic flakes or powder and italian seasoning.

In a hot cast iron skillet, place 1/2 T butter. Once the butter melts, add the onion, cut side down. Allow the onion to carmalize on the cut side and, if you are using a quarter of an onion, shift the onion so the second cut side has a turn on the heat. Cover the skillet with a lid or aluminum foil and reduce the heat to medium.

Meanwhile, lightly season the steaks with salt and pepper and add any additional seasonsing that tickle your fancy. Remove the onions from the pan and turn the heat to medium high. Place the steaks into the pan. My husband likes his steak Medium Well and I am more of a Medium to Medium Rare type of gal so his goes into the pan first. I give his about a 3 minute head-start over mine. I turn them at the same time and remove them at the same time. I give his a total of 7 minutes on the first side and about 3 on the second side. I also cover the steaks with foil after I add the second one so that decreases the cooking time a bit. Allow the steaks to rest for a few minutes before you plate them and then to rest again before they are cut.

The broccoli is simply steamed with long stems and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Today, Saturday, a stomach bug that has been plagueing my children finally settled on me so I haven't cooked. Dinner tonight was lovingly prepared condensed soup and crackers. Hopefully tomorrow will be better!