Oh my. Yum. Wow. Delicious. Any other superlatives you need to read before you try this? Definitely a meal worthy of a special evening. Like Valentine’s Day. Or a birthday. Or an anniversary. Naturally, just buying filet mignon is enough of an expense so you want to make the preparation worthy of the price, right?

If you use this method of searing the meat, then baking it, you’re assured of an evenly-cooked piece of beef. I never knew how restaurants managed to do that. When my DH used to just grill it on the barbecue, straight over the coals, you only had a center strip that was nice and juicy red. Now we’re able to get them to have a nice brown crusty edge and a perfectly cooked pink, or rare piece of steak.

The sauce is mostly composed of mushrooms, but accented with both red wine, port wine, shallots, some beef broth, and a touch of cream. Oh yes, a bit of olive oil and butter too.

So, there’s a shot of the filets at left. All I’d done at this point was sear them in a medium-hot nonstick skillet for about 2 minutes per side. I also briefly seared them on the two long sides as well. Just because they look prettier that way. So the meat is totally raw inside at this point. I placed them on a Silpat-lined small baking sheet and they went into a 400 oven for about 7-8 minutes. How long they bake depends on how thick the filets are -  mine were truly thick. If they’re not so, then 5-6 minutes will probably do it. But whatever you do, use a meat thermometer and take them OUT of the oven when they reach about 123° to 125°. They’ll continue to rise in temp just sitting on your kitchen counter while you finish up the sauce and serving. Ideally, tent them for 3-5 minutes to allow the juices to be reabsorbed. I put my dinner plates into the hot oven at that point and watched them carefully. But I definitely wanted to serve these premium filets on hot plates.

Meanwhile, while the steaks were baking, I whipped up the sauce. Just make certain you have everything all prepped before you start – you won’t have time to cut or dice, or measure anything. The shallots are sautéed a bit, sliced mushrooms are added and sautéed for several minutes, then you add the port and red wine and stir and let it bubble away until the liquid has reduced way down. Then you add the beef broth and simmer that until it’s reduced down some. Then a tad of Dijon mustard is added, along with some heavy cream and you’re done.

The recipe came from a cooking class with Phillis Carey – probably several years ago. A very good recipe, and perfect for guests. We bought these filets frozen from a home-delivery meat company last week, so I was anxious to try them. Oh were they ever tender. Probably could have cut them with a fork. Almost. And this preparation was just delish.

A year ago: Gorgonzola, Grape & Pine Nut Crostini
Two years ago: Orzo Carbonara

Last night, as my very D (dear) H (husband) was out in the rain almost continually sweeping drains, plugging in the sump pump and unplugging it when it ran dry (so it wouldn’t burn up) I did need to feed us something.

I didn’t end up having to get out in the rain and muck very much yesterday. He did, and got himself thoroughly soaked from head to toe about three times. My job was to keep an eye on the one out-of-the-way back door where it can fill up fast if a sudden downpour occurred. We ended up using the sump pump in another location, so that back door needed to be watched. But I was able to do that from the warmth and comfort of the indoors. I kept my other eye on the Doppler radar screens on my computer, telling us when the next onslaught was due. We managed to get through yesterday’s storms without any more damage and the rains finally subsided about 7:00 pm. But the rains expected today are supposed to be the worst yet – 2 to 3 inches. So, I’ll report in tomorrow and let you know how we fared.

Meanwhile, last night, what I craved was comfort food. I had some natural, hormone-free ground beef to use, and finally settled on the casserole you see pictured above, a recipe I’ve made before. It’s a favorite, and just so – well – comforting. I’m delighted we’ll have leftovers for at least 2 more meals. This time, instead of buttermilk biscuits, though, I used a packaged dry mix for sweet potato biscuits that was at my local grocery store. They were quite good. I also used a combination of Jack and cheddar cheeses. But otherwise I stuck to the recipe fairly closely. And I managed to get dinner made and on the table in about 45 minutes. I wasn’t in the mood for any long food prep last night. We’re both tired from the stress. During one of the lulls yesterday I plopped down in front of the TV and actually fell asleep.

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A year ago: Sugar Snaps & Peas

A couple of weeks ago we organized a dinner out with a group of friends. A group that enjoys good food!  And we’d all talked about the movie, Julie & Julia a couple of weeks earlier. At the time we were still living in summer heat, so none of us felt much like making the Beef Bourguignon. So, I called Laurent & Lisa Ferre, the owners of a country French restaurant, The Pleasant Peasant, near the Orange County airport. Our favorite restaurant, as it so happens. It’s a country French bistro, and the prices reflect that country influence. Your dinner bill will not break the bank.

The Pleasant Peasant has been a part of my hubby’s regular routine for about 30 years. Back to when the restaurant first opened. As Dave explains it, as a salesman (he sold computer chips for Intel Corp. for a good part of his career – and he wouldn’t say it, but I will, he was very good at it) he always needed a good restaurant where he was “known.” The kind of eatery where, if he called at 10 on Friday mornings, he could always be assured they’d make a table available for him for lunch. Even if they were full. And, having a discriminating palate, he wasn’t about to make Mimi’s, or Marie Calender’s his go-to restaurant. Heck no. He had an expense account, so usually he could manage going to a nicer, more upscale restaurant. (Can you guess, this was in the 80’s and 90’s.)

The way Dave tells it, if he wanted to take an electronics buyer or a design engineer to lunch, he’d call and leave a voice message, “Meet me for a chicken today?” That was code for – I’ll meet you at the Pleasant Peasant at 11:45 and we’ll share lunch and a half-liter of wine (served in a ceramic chicken).  Now Dave is retired and we mostly go there for dinner, but they’re still open for lunch Monday-Friday.

So we knew when we asked Laurent if he’d prepare Beef Bourguignon for our group, he’d do a stellar job of it. Indeed he did. The French beef stew is not available on their menu, and Laurent shook his head vigorously when I suggested he put it there, especially at the moment because of the popularity of the movie. He says it’s too labor intensive. And perhaps it is, so we were especially happy he’d prepare it for our group. He used his own recipe (probably very similar to Julia Child’s) with carrots, mushrooms and pearl onions. And a roux (butter and flour browned in a heavy skillet, which is not part of Julia’s recipe). Laurent served the beef with just perfectly steamed potatoes, and we had a little bite  of them with every bite of stew. Oh my, yum. Laurent makes his own beef stock, and probably the red wine contributed to its fabulous rich flavor. We all slurped up every bite.

Pictured above – the Meatloaf Wellington, one of my favorite things on the menu. For all dinners, you have a choice of their delicious green salad (with grated carrot and raw beet on top) served always with their French tarragon dressing. The dressing that occasionally I buy from them just because it’s so good. (No, sadly, I don’t have the recipe.) Or their soup of the day, gazpacho or French Onion soup. Good crusty rolls along with pate butter and plain butter are part of the regular menu. The soup or salad is included with every entree.

When Dave and I go there, we order a variety of their menu items – the fabulous Laurent-smoked salmon served with a green bean and salad side (at lunch) or a cold mixed vegetable salad (at dinner). Or one of their on-special fish (halibut, tilapia, sea bass usually) with a variety of French sauces. Or their sand dabs, which is one of the most popular items on their menu. Or the meatloaf Wellington. It’s like a beef Wellington, except Laurent makes a great meatloaf center – I don’t know what he does to that meatloaf but it’s not like any meatloaf I know how to make – it’s richer, less dense somehow – but prepared in the same manner as a fillet mignon version of the Wellington (wrapped in puff pastry). But I also like the chicken too. The rack of lamb (Dave thinks their lamb racks are the best of any place around). And a lamb shank that’s so tender you can’t believe it.  Salmon sorrel as well. A steak. Sometimes pork is on the menu in a variety of ways. And on rare occasions Laurent makes a pot roast that is better than any pot roast I’ve ever, ever made. If he has it, I always order that. There’s a smattering of pasta too on the menu, and several appetizers (including escargot). Pictured above right, the Rack of Lamb.

Pictured left, the Poulet Champignon, not on the menu, but if you ask, they might make it for you.

A few years ago the restaurant critic at the Los Angeles Times wrote this about The Pleasant Peasant:

“. . . you’ll still find the same honest French cooking Ferre has been doing here all along. Ferre spent five years in the kitchens of Alain Chapel, a three-star Michelin restaurant near Lyons, and many more cooking in his native Brittany. This man isn’t trendy or creative; he’s just a solid craftsman. And his menu is a bargain. No other French restaurant around here gives you such quality for the price as the Pleasant Peasant.”

If you’re interested in dessert, about half the time we splurge and order profiteroles. Now here’s another story – - sorry this post is so long, but there’s a lot to say about the Pleasant Peasant. We’ve been ordering the profiteroles there for years and years and years. You know what they are . . . small cream puffs, top cut off, center removed and filled with rich vanilla ice cream, top replaced, then the whole thing drizzled with Laurent’s uber-rich, silky chocolate sauce. All I know is that he adds a bit of espresso to it and that he uses a good French chocolate. After all these years of going there, that’s all I know. I always wish I could lick the plate. An order of profiteroles is usually four, but if you are very nice, they might give you a smaller order.  They also have other desserts, but for us, there’s nothing else except the profiteroles.

Laurent is French born, from Brittany. He met Lisa when she was doing an internship (hotel & restaurant school at Cal Poly here in California) at a restaurant in Orleans. She brought him home with her when her internship was completed. They married shortly thereafter and have owned the Pleasant Peasant ever since. Laurent cooked under the tutelage of Alain Chapel, a very famous French chef, and that’s why Laurent is able to serve the Lamb Shanks with the Alain Chapel designation. The lamb is a regular on the menu. So, if you go there, be sure to tell them Carolyn & Dave said hello!

The Pleasant Peasant
4251 Martingale Way
Newport Beach, California

Reservations suggested, phone: 949-955-2755

Lunch: Monday-Friday; Dinner: Monday-Saturday (the restaurant is a little hard to find, so you might look it up on a map before you go)

And in case you hadn’t seen Julia Child’s recipe for her Beef Bourguignon, here it is:

A year ago: Brown Sugar Cake
Two years ago: Leek, Kielbasa & Sausage Soup

This picture doesn’t look like much. Sorry it couldn’t have been a better one, but sometimes in the cooking classes I go to, the lighting isn’t the best. Or the plate arrangement isn’t ideal. Or, in this case, the sauce – the absolutely luscious sauce – is completely hiding the nice piece of filet mignon. So, you’ll just have to trust me that this is worth making.

The filet mignon were just plainly seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil. They were pan seared, then finished in a hot oven (not long). Then they were whisked to a hot plate and served with the sauce. I’m so glad Phillis Carey made this sauce – I’ve often wondered – but never tried – making a Hollandaise with red wine (and in this case, some balsamic vinegar too). With those substitutions, it’s just a little different, but basic Hollandaise sauce. And it was scrumptious. I’ll be making this at home sometime very soon. Along with the decadent potatoes you can see nestled next to the filet (recipe to come).

A year ago: About Zeisner Curry Ketchup (and I can’t say that I’ve used it much since I bought it a year ago)

Last night we had some friends, Bob & Peggy, over for dinner. Bob is recovering from open heart surgery, but after just two weeks he felt up to coming to our house for dinner. Bless his heart! They have minimal air conditioning at their house, so I was grateful they’d come here, rather than me needing to package up everything  (hot) and take it to their house. Their kitchen is not air conditioned. Peggy said, don’t go to too much work. So instead of finding all kinds of new recipes, I decided to use some old tried-and-true ones.

No special appetizers – just some tortilla chips and a cheese dip. I did make a garbanzo bean salad that I read about yesterday on somebody else’s blog (I’ll write that up as a separate post, though). I had some meatloaf frozen which became the main dish of the meal. But instead of spreading it with my usual sweet and sour sauce, I decided to dig out the recipe for Red Peppers for Cold Meat that I wrote up last year. Perfect for a spoon full on top and along side a baby meatloaf. Then I made a watermelon salad that’s so refreshing in this hot-hot weather. And an old family standby, a chocolate cake from a mix. So here’s what I made:

Meatloaf – last time I made meatloaf, I froze them in individual portions (about 4 inches by 1 1/2 inches by 1 1/2 inches. Not only do they defrost a bit easier, but they take a lot less time to bake too. I used my old favorite, the meatloaf mixture only from my Sweet & Sour Meatloaf.

Red Peppers for Cold Meats – well, I’d used it before as a relish for baked meatloaf, and knew it tasted great. This time I had less red bell peppers, but I had a poblano/pasilla chile, so added that to the mixture. This time I used more onion too. The preparation of it is certainly flexible. It keeps for a long time in the refrigerator.

Minted Watermelon & Feta Salad – this pairing is a match made in heaven. If you haven’t ever tried it, well, you’re missing something special. I was ever-so skeptical before tasting it the first time over a year ago, but now I’m a true convert. Especially when watermelons are in season (now). There is a Tomato & Watermelon Salad too, with red onion, but this one is a Martha Stewart recipe. I made it with watermelon, feta and mint since I had ample tomatoes in the red pepper mixture and in the garbanzo salad too.

Garbanzo Bean Salad with Thai Curry Sauce – Ever so easy to do. Couldn’t believe how easy. Uses canned chickpeas and bottled Thai red curry paste/sauce and coconut milk. Yes, this really is a cold salad. And extra delicious. Stay tuned in a few days for that recipe.

German Chocolate Chip Cake – this is an old family standby that normally uses a German chocolate cake mix. I didn’t have one, so used a regular chocolate cake mix instead. It’s so simple – spread the cake batter in a 9×13 pan, sprinkle it with sugar, cinnamon, walnuts and about 2/3 cup of chocolate chips. Bake as usual. Some of the nuts and chips sink down into the cake; some stay on top. And the sugar/cinnamon mixture gives the cake a finished look without making frosting. Especially good with vanilla ice cream. I didn’t have any, so I used whipped cream instead.

A year ago: Feta Tomato Gratin (easy appetizer)

Two years ago: Apple Cherry Walnut Green Salad

For my dear hubby’s birthday dinner (celebrated a couple of weeks late) that we had with friends last weekend, I knew his first choice would be beef. Steaks, specifically. Good steaks. Make that really good steaks. Our favorites are rib eyes. We made the mistake two summers ago of buying USDA Prime steaks at our local independent market/butcher. We both thought we’d died and gone to heaven. Now we’re spoiled, and don’t want the regular, pedestrian steaks at all. Costco to the rescue.

Now, in case you don’t know about it, Costco now carries (at least in our part of the country) prime steaks. The story goes like this (according to our local newspaper Food Editor, Cathy Thomas), because of the recession, fewer people are going to steakhouses. Or if they are, they’re perhaps not ordering those fantastically thick high-ticket steaks for which they charge an arm and leg. So the beef distributors have had to find new avenues for the extra-tender beef. Enter Costco on the scene. Their prime rib eye steaks are about $8-11 apiece, packaged in fours. Generally Dave and I share ONE steak. For this dinner I prepared 4 steaks for 6 of us, assuming maybe the guys would like an extra portion. Actually, we had enough leftover to serve dinner to friends the next night.

Over the years I’ve learned to trust Hugh Carpenter. He’s one knowledgeable chef. And an innovative menu creator. In addition, he and his wife have authored several cookbooks. Either last year or the year before, when we celebrated Dave’s birthday with this same group of friends (we all bring out our very special – read expensive - red wines to share with one another), we had another one of his recipes: Rib eye Steaks with Amazing Glaze. That one is a real favorite of ours. I’ve made it many, many times, always to raves. But I didn’t want to serve the same thing, so I went to his book, Hot Barbecue (where the other Amazing Glaze rib eye recipe came from also), and chose this one.

Carpenter explained that although the recipe requires a few steps to prepare, it’s worth it. It requires that you have a fairly extensive spice cupboard. It also requires a bit of sitting time (for the steaks to absorb the spice flavors). And you have to make the red pepper sauce. That was the most amount of work in the total prep. And even that wasn’t all that difficult. Just took a bit of time sitting on the stovetop simmering away (to reduce the quantity). The sauce becomes a bed for the steak. The steaks were slathered with minced fresh garlic, then the spice mixture was patted on. They sat for 8 hours in the refrigerator so they’d absorb the flavor.

The spice mixture was fun to make (well, it was for me, anyway). First a group of whole spices (pictured left) were toasted in a dry skillet (allspice berries, cinnamon sticks, black peppercorns, coriander seeds and whole cloves). They required a bit of stirring (no burning allowed), but once the pan got up to a high heat, they began to smoke lightly. Immediately I turned off the flame and poured the spices out onto a plate to cool. Those were then whizzed up in my spice grinder (it’s a coffee grinder, but I dedicate it for spices). Other items were added to the mix: chile powder, dark brown sugar, dry thyme, dry mustard, salt and freshly grated nutmeg. That’s it.

The red pepper sauce is composed of bottled roasted red peppers, chicken stock, red wine, honey and some spicy Asian hot sauce. Be careful of the hot sauce – once it’s boiled down to a thicker consistency, that will heighten the spiciness (heat). Do not add salt.

Dave was more interested in this dinner menu than usual – because he really wanted the wine to pair well with the food. We brought out a very special bottle of wine. Those of you who know my husband already, will find it no surprise that he tells lots of stories. (He’s a gregarious kind of guy, can walk into just about any room, crowded or not, and make conversation with total strangers, and will tell stories about sailing, or his artificial legs, or a trip we’ve taken.)

A few months ago we were shopping at our number one upscale market (Bristol Farms) in Newport Beach. If we go there together (it’s a 30-minute drive from our house to Newport Beach), Dave will leave me to go through the aisles, while he spends most of the time in the wine department. The store has one wine cabinet that’s all locked up, but you can see the wines inside. And their price tags. (This story has made the rounds of all of our friends, Dave is so proud of himself!) As he glanced in the rows behind glass he spotted a 1990 Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Anyone into wine knows that’s one really great French label. We rarely buy French wine. But as Dave examined the label, he knew – bingo – that’s the bottle we have at home. THEN he looked at the price tag. Of course, an upscale market would charge a premium for all their wines. But, gee whiz. Big but gee whiz. They are charging $850.00 for it. Wow. Yikes. Zippity-do-dah! He came – all but running to find me – to tell me about it. And THAT’s the wine we drank with dinner last Saturday. Somebody gave us a bottle of 1990 Lafite Rothschild nearly 20 years ago. We think the bottle was given to us by our friend Russ – the little scribble on the label says 7/93 Ru–? B’day. We think that means Russ gave it to Dave for his birthday in 1993. If so, Russ, we THANK YOU. Likely it was nowhere near that much money in 1993.

So how was it, you ask? Well, we decanted it and let it air for an hour, and poured it into our Reidel Bordeaux/Cabernet wine glasses. We did all the snobby wine things – swirling, sniffing, more swirling, looking through the glass to see the clarity, more swirling and sniffing. The bouquet was beyond wonderful. Had that slightly brown side of red color. It was sensational. Not worth $850 for sure, but we’re grateful for the bottle. We each had a small glass of it with our appetizers (a Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Spread on Garlic-Oregano Grilled Pita Bread, some Caramelized Onion on toasted baguette slices and some Brie with blackberries). I’ll be posting ALL of the recipes from this dinner in coming days.

Then I served a chilled Avocado Soup (like Guacamole in a glass) with a spoon, which we enjoyed before we sat down to dinner. We ate outside by candlelight to the low-setting sun. We opened a bottle of Jordan Cabernet, then a magnum of Canoe Ridge Cab.

Now, let’s get back to this fabulous meat . . . those spice-marinated rib eyes (pictured right, as they squeezed into a ceramic bowl to “marinate”) were put onto the hot grill, seared both sides, then put off to the side (not over direct heat, in a racked pan) to continue cooking until they reached about 123 degrees F (medium rare). Meanwhile, I had cooked some fresh corn on the cob and slathered the hot ear halves with a little bit of butter, then sprinkled them with the spice mix I used on the steak (I just made more of it from the beginning). The corn was a real highlight. I’ll be writing up a separate blog post about that. I also set out a Lebanese Layered Salad (which was ever so good). When the steaks were served I slathered a bit of the red pepper sauce on the piping hot plates, put the steak on top, then sprinkled it with fresh goat cheese chèvre and minced cilantro. Dinner was done. The rib eyes were fantastic. I don’t use that word all that often. They were SO good – the sauce and spice rub made it, though. I didn’t think I’d like the goat cheese, but it also was a nice foil to the beef. Yes, indeed, I’ll be making that recipe again. And maybe I’ll be making just the sauce by itself (Carpenter suggested you could use it in a variety of other ways) and freezing small portions so when we have a steak next time we can have more of that slather.

For dessert I wanted to make tiramisu, because it’s one of Dave’s favorites anyway. I had a new recipe (via America’s Test Kitchen). It was really, really good. I’ll post all the recipes in the next week. I apologize for this loooong recipe for the steak. It’s really not that hard. Believe me! And worth the time for sure.

A year ago: Wellesley Chocolate Chip Cookies
Two years ago: Goat Cheese Chive Muffins (a favorite)

Our granddaughter, Taylor (at right in the picture), asked: “What’s for dinner, Grandma?”

I said: “A ground beef casserole with biscuits on top.”

Logan, our grandson (center in the picture) said, after a long pause: “Grandma . . . what’s a casserole?”

We all chuckled that Logan didn’t recognize the word. It’s not that he hasn’t had one – Taylor even reminded him of the last casserole I made a couple of months ago when they visited – he just didn’t know it by that name. Even Mikayla (Taylor’s friend, also in the picture at left, who came along for this visit) knew about casseroles.

To say that this casserole was a roaring success is visible in the very few sticky remains in the deep casserole. The kids were all over it. Wanted seconds and thirds if they could have had them. Most of the adults at the dinner had seconds also. My DH was limited only by the fact that his first serving was large enough. Good thing since the kids wanted more and more of it.

This recipes goes w-a-a-a-y back in my repertoire. I’ve tweaked it over the years, and this time I tweaked it some more. Now, this isn’t anything gourmet. And you really can’t make it ahead of time because of the biscuits. But you can make the meat mixture ahead, then just reheat it before you compose the casserole.

The meat is ground beef (and you could just as easily use ground turkey), with onion, garlic, green chiles (canned), a bit of corn (I used canned because I had an open can), tomato sauce, and chili powder. Then you add some light sour cream and a goodly amount of shredded Jack cheese. The trick to this casserole is the biscuits. Now my guess is this recipe may have come about when Pillsbury first came out with the canned (tube) biscuits. The original recipe is in lots of places on the internet. And that’s the way I used to make this (and you can too if you choose). I might have this time except I didn’t want to make another trip to the regular grocery store for the biscuits, so I made them from scratch. Took very little time since I had the buttermilk on hand. I simply went to my own blog and found my favorite recipe for Drop Biscuits and made them – but I rolled them out instead.

The casserole has a bunch of horizontal biscuit halves on the bottom of the casserole. Then you spoon in all the meat mixture, top that with the other half of the biscuits, sprinkle with some Jack cheese and you’re ready to bake. All I did was divide the biscuit batter in half and rolled out each half to make about 12 thin biscuits – half goes on the bottom, the other half of the batter makes more to go on the top. It was really very easy. But if you want to make it super easy, then use the tube biscuits (with this recipe you’ll likely need 2 tubes) – the kind with visible layers, so you CAN separate them into thin halves.

What’s different about my recipe? I add fresh garlic. I also add corn. Sometimes I add shredded Cheddar if I don’t have Jack cheese. I also eliminated an egg in the meat mixture that was in the original recipe. Didn’t seem to be needed as far as I was concerned. So, if you haven’t ever made this, it’s a crowd pleaser. Especially children. For me, it’s the biscuits.

A year ago: Balsamic Onion Marmalade
Two years ago: Citrus Gazpacho

Whenever our grandchildren come to visit I rack my brain trying to find family-friendly recipes that both the kids and adults will enjoy. And recipes that are relatively easy. I have several casseroles that have been favorites over the years (Chili Spaghetti, for instance). For this dinner, I wanted something, well, similar, but different. All of our grandkids really savor pasta, so I turned to a 1970’s recipe given to me by a friend (also named Carolyn). It may be much like lots of other casseroles – pasta, ground beef, onion, garlic, tomato sauce, corn, thyme, oregano, Worcestershire and a bunch of grated cheddar cheese on top. Along with a green salad, this was dinner. The kids liked it – enough to have seconds. I didn’t have any ranch dressing, though, so they had to make do with my homemade blue cheese mock Caesar vinaigrette.

A year ago: Zinfandel Sausage Sauce for Pasta (a family favorite, made with Italian sausage)
Two years ago: Grilled Sweet Potato Salad

Can you say that five times fast without stuttering? Will you laugh with me as I say this is a mouthful? Ha! These luscious quesadillas are filled with cheddar, jack and goat cheese. And mushrooms. Draped over them are strips of grilled (marinated first) skirt steak. On each quesadilla is a dollop of salsa verde (tomatillos, jalapeno, garlic and cilantro), and the light colored sauce on the steak is aioli mayonnaise zipped up with mustard, vinegar and chipotle chiles in adobo sauce.

Skirt (flap) steak is thin and takes a short time on the grill.

Skirt steak – also called flap steak – is a fairly thin meat that is very flavorful. It’s a tender cut, but likes to be marinated too. Only caution – don’t overcook it or it will be tough. Grilling the meat for about 4 minutes on each side is about right. Adjust a minute either way depending on the thickness.

There are several steps to this steak entree. However, I assure you, it will be worth the effort. I just wish I had a sous chef here in my kitchen to do some of the chopping and mincing required. When I win the lottery . . . Since that’s not likely to happen anytime soon, guess I’ll have to do the work!

All the steps in this meal are quite easy, however, so don’t let the length of the recipe deter you from trying it. First you need to marinate the meat overnight (makes it more tender and lots more flavorful). You can make the aioli the day ahead (it’s cinchy, actually). The salsa verde isn’t all that hard since it’s cooked in a saucepan, then poured into a blender with the other ingredients. So really, it’s not all that difficult either. That you want to make an hour or so before eating as the cilantro begins to break down after that.

The quesadilla is baked in a 400 oven for about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile you need to get all the quesadilla filling ready. They are assembled about 20-30 minutes before dinner and are popped in a 400 oven. During that baking time, you’ll prepare the steak – it gets drained, blotted with paper towels, then grilled (outdoor or inside stovetop) for about 4 or so minutes each side until it’s barely done and still pink in the middle. For the quesadillas you will use – if available where you live – Mission brand tortillas. (Frankly, I never buy them, because they’re a kind of cheap-o brand – others are better.) But for this purpose, you want a more pastry-like flour tortilla and Mission brand are exactly what’s needed. Once the quesadillas are baked, cut them up into wedges (each person eats half of a quesadilla), put them on a piping hot plate and add the skirt steak strips, the salsa and the aioli. Garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro and you’re done. The recipe is Phillis Carey’s, from a cooking class a couple of weeks ago. If you like Mexican food, you’ll really enjoy this. It’s easy enough to make these kid-friendly too or for the palate-challenged (without the chipotle chiles if you so choose). Make the sauces, just reduce the “heat” if you must.

A year ago: Lemon Ginger Frozen Yogurt
Two years ago: Avocado Butter (an appetizer for crackers)

Years ago – more like eons ago – I used to bake some bacon-wrapped meatloaves. I was a working girl then, and by the time I got home at night, it was already 6:30 and dinner needed to be quick. The only way to get meatloaf (a cheap meal) on the table in any kind of timely manner was to make the mounds of ground meat a bit smaller. I must have followed a recipe because I wasn’t very creative in those early days of my cooking history. Since then I’ve mostly made a family favorite meatloaf with a sweet and sour tomato sauce based glaze. But with a hunk of ground beef in the refrigerator, my mind swung back to that little loaf I used to make. I wasn’t in such a jam for time, but thought the little meatloaf globes would make cute little “presents” on the dinner plate.

For this version I adapted a recipe I found at grouprecipes.com. What I liked about it was the addition of lemon juice to the meat mixture. And I added some crushed dried thyme (probably my favorite herb). And then the bacon slice on the top too gave it some extra deliciousness. In doing some searching on the ‘net I found another mini meatloaf recipe with the globes of meat stuffed into a muffin tin. I liked that idea, so I adapted this one to that technique. Now, my muffin tin is a bit larger than some – the kind that offers extra width for the muffin tops, so am not sure this will fit into a traditional muffin tin. You might need to use a ramekin instead. The half of a bacon slice gets draped over the top of each little loaf and tucked gently down the sides. Perhaps these cook in less time, but I gave them 40 minutes, and they seemed perfect to me. If you want to make a larger quantity of them, just line the muffin tin with plastic wrap, pop in the meatloaf globes, tuck in the bacon slices, then freeze. Once solid, remove, wrap up and put in a freezer bag for easy pop-out (and remove the plastic) for a quick dinner. If time is of an essence, but you want an inexpensive meal, this would make a perfect center point.

Want to know what else I served with this dinner? My DH grilled some fresh zucchini slices that were marinated in a vinaigrette dressing. I made the spinach and berries salad (a favorite – see the photo at the top in my blog design? That’s the spinach & berries salad). And with the last of our strawberries, I made strawberry gazpacho. That also is a big fav in my book. Fresh strawberries, onion, red bells, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and tarragon. Marinates overnight, then is whizzed up in the blender. I was out of cucumber, but I didn’t miss them actually.

A year ago: Cashew Caramel Cookies
Two years ago: White Wine Vinaigrette