Steak, Salad and Blessings upon Blessings

Soooooooooooo... I guess it's been a while since I blogged.  I guess I better get caught up.  What have I been doing lately?  Just life as usual to tell you the truth, but struggling with a few minor health issues, needing more rest, less stress, and so forth, but yes, I have been eating, and to eat one must cook, so yes I've been cooking.  Well, some days to tell you the truth, I haven't.  Some days last week I sent my husband and son out to get pizza or heat up some left overs, or we all went to Hardees.  I needed to make it an easier week, food-wise.  But yesterday, in spite of a day in my PJ's and mostly on the couch, I did get up to make a great supper.  Got a great cut of a New York Strip Steak, marinated it, and while I was at it, cut up some of my favorite veggies and added the rest of the marinade to them.  It was scrumptious!  We don't have steak often because the good stuff is just too pricey for us.  The last time I had steak at home, I really can't even remember.  My BBQ grill got run over in our garage by accident by my hubby, so I couldn't use that but this turned out great under the broiler in the oven.  I topped my steak with some carmelized onions.  (Shhhhhh, don't tell anyone).  I know they're higher in carbs and especially carmelized but they were a great pick-me-up after not feeling so good.  I felt like we were eating out at a fancy restaurant paying big bucks for a nice steak dinner.  It was tender, it was seasoned just right, it was wonderful.

I threw the marinade together in one of those shaker bottles that comes with dry Italian Dressing mixes.  The one with the V line, the W line and the O line.  So I didn't measure... but just put in Garlic Red Wine Vinegar to the V line, water to the W line, and EVOO up to the O line.  I added several shakes each of italian seasoning, garlic powder (lots), onion powder, dry mustard, salt, and paprika.  Sorry I did not measure.  I never really do, unless I'm trying to create and get exact amounts for all you guys.  This I was not planning on blogging actually, but it was so good I had to.  So add seasonings to your taste.  I poured about half of that bottle into a Gallon size Ziploc bag with the steak, which I tenderized by pounding and with a knife criss-crossing it, and let it marinade in the frig all day.  A half hour before I was going to cook it I took it out and let it sit on the counter.  Shook it up a bit, and then when it was time to cook it, I put it under the broiler, which I preheated, as close to it as I could get it, and broiled it about 8 min. on the first side and 6 on the second.  Time would be dependant on how well done you want it.  We like ours well done.  Even well done this was very tender.  I let it sit for 5 minutes, while I nuked some potatoes for my husband and son, before cutting.  Letting it sit and not cutting too soon keeps the juices inside and keeps it more tender.

For the veggies, I added enough of the marinade dressing to coat, and tossed it all together just before I did the steak.  I used:

1 bunch Asparagus, steamed 3 min. and plunged into an ice bath, then cut up

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 zucchini, sliced into strips, like "noodles"

4 smoked mozzarella sticks, sliced into small pieces

parmesan cheese (added last after tossing)

Toss veggies together with the dressing, and then mix in parmesan cheese... amount to your liking.  Again, I did not measure, just sprinkled it in.

This morning we were going to celebrate our church's 10 year anniversary.  The dinner was going to be catered following the service.  Of course I cannot eat anything at a catered dinner.  I didn't know what they were having but I had a feeling if I didn't want to go hungry I better bring my own food.  So I prepared some sandwich buns, which is a recipe originally from this one minute bread recipe that was a tweak from Jennifer's "One Minute Bread the Next Minute Toast" recipe, which after I tweaked it, Jolene tweaked yet again to make it a larger batch you could make in the oven.  I made mine in a whoopie pie pan, much like a muffin top pan, so I was able to actually get 12 out of the batter... each being half of a sandwich bun for me, rather than making 6 larger buns and cutting them in half.  Turned out great!

Just right for a nice Smoked turkey and Provolone cheese sandwich to take along, as well as some of the marinated veggies from last night.  I knew there would be cake, and I couldn't have cake, so I made a quickie batch of Carolyn's No Bake Peanut Butter Bars from "Low Carbing Among Friends" Vol. 1, page 199.

 My mistake was that I did not first check to see if I had all the ingredients before starting.  I was in a hurry.  I had about an hour and a half to make this.  I also didn't read to see that it had to be chilled for an hour or so.  Well, I made this and fast-chilled in the freezer, even though I didn't have the peanut flour it calls for. It still turned out fantastic!  I used 1 cup of almond flour instead of 1 1/2 cups of peanut flour.  So just FYI for those who have the book and would like to try that recipe and don't have peanut flour, it works with almond flour too!  Though I bet it is really good with peanut flour.  I also ended up with different ingredients in the ganache topping.  We use what we have, ha!  I made it from 2/3 cup cream, 6 packets Truvia, 4 drops sucralose, 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, and a tsp. of dark cocoa powder.  It turned out great!  Very rich.  Everyone feeling sorry for me was saying how sorry that I could not have all that great food catered in today, but really, I was totally enjoying my own lunch I brought, which was quite filling and tasty and I felt no feelings of being deprived at all of the broasted chicken, fried potatoes, coleslaw, baked beans, and cake.  I really didn't. (I did take two slices of fried potatoes--JUST 2!!).  I was not tempted or feeling left out.  I was happy, and we had such a wonderful heart-warming celebration of our beginnings as a little church, which began with a handful of people in a house.  We outgrew the house, and though we moved into a building, we still have that small home-church feel among us.  God has blessed us and made us a family unit, that encourages and loves one another.  We've been through deaths, births, marriages, and many ups and downs together as all families have.  So many memories and tears today--way outweighed any of the food to tell you the truth.  We were way too busy just enjoying one another and all the memories.

But good food makes it all the better!!  :)  And good food was had.