what's for dinner tonight

so after several weeks of crazy/busy/travel/fast food/take out/etc, i've had a hankerin' to cook. there is something so soothing about frantically buzzing around the kitchen, cooking and chopping and stirring and checking and all. while nathan grilled us some dinner last night, i had been thinking all day about coming home and getting to work. while at publix yesterday, i saw some flank steak on sale, which made me think of this awesome aprons simple meal that i made a few months back, so i wanted to make that. then, today, while sitting with ash, we were watching some of my all time fav- food network, and, while i don't know who it was that was cooking, she made these awesome looking cheesy jalapeno grits. i wasn't thinking grits of course, i was thinking of making the same thing with quinoa! then, i decided that since it seemed to be a tex mex flair, i'd go with some safe black beans as a side. all of this turned out so yummy, i just had to share! i also made my yummy peanut butter bars for dessert, to share with the ladies at agnes and then for nathan and i to enjoy while we caught up on up all night & modern family.

needless to say, it was all a success. dinner was yummy, the time in the kitchen was soothing and refreshing, and the dessert was a perfect finish. now, we sit on the couch, ready to reply our shows, while anxiously listening to the end of the braves game.

here's the recipes, in case you were wanting!

spicy steak:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 big tbsp spicy montreal steak seasoning
a good dash of lawrys
1 piece of meat (i used a little less than a pound of flank steak)

combine first 4 ingredients in a medium size bowl, then smush the steak in, coating both sides in the goodness. allow to sit for 10-30 minutes. i grilled this in my le creuset cast iron grill for about 15 minutes. perfectly juicy and a nice little crunch. VERY spicy though.

cheesy jalapeno quinoa:

1 jalapeno, chopped in chunks
1/4 c. butter, divided
1 c. quinoa
2 c. water
shredded cheddar cheese

saute chopped jalapeno in 1/8 c. butter. add quinoa and stir until coated, so flavor gets on each little piece of quinoa. add in about 1 c water and cook 20-25 minutes, checking and adding water when dry. right before serving, add in cheese to taste, and rest of butter, stirring well. this was a great companion for the spicy steak, as it added some relief from the heat.

peanut butter bars:

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. flour (i use 1/2 c. whole wheat & 1/2 c. all purpose)
1/2 c. oats
1 tsp. baking soda
dash of salt
1 c. chocolate chips (i used white choc. because that's all i had)

combine butters & sugars, then add egg & vanilla until fluffy. combine dry ingredients, then add in. put chocolate chips in last, or you can sprinkle them on top. bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes in a greased 9x13 pan. let cool 10 minutes then add icing:

2 tbsp peanut butter
good dash of milk
1-2 c. powdered sugar

combine until good consistency & color & taste. i know, real helpful, but you'll get the idea. pour over bars. if you let it sit & cool for a little while, it will firm up and you can cut them to put them on a platter.


enjoy! what do you like to cook?

Update: You asked for some pics, so here you go! I don't have a finished shot of the meat because we had to hurry out the door, but trust me, it was SUPER yummy!

back to school: viking kitchen edition!

so last night, my mom joined me here in the city for a little event that i was quite excited about. i love my mom, and i am always enjoying her company (in fact, i am quite thankful for her! read about that here). she invited me a few weeks ago to join her and a ladies group that she is a part of for a cooking class. i, loving all things kitchen & cooking, of course agreed and put it down in my planner. so last night, we met up at lenox and headed over to the viking cooking store on peachtree. wow! what a cool place! we walked in and headed back to the teaching kitchen, and i felt like i was on the set of a food network show. joining 10 other ladies and the head chef, we spent the evening preparing meat in many different ways, and finally, after about 2 1/2 hours of prep, enjoyed the fruits of our labor.

i have attended other cooking classes before, but this one was done quite excellently. it was the perfect balance of instruction, fun, hands-on-ness, and yet not too intense or stressful. we relaxed over cheese and crackers, and could visit while we chopped onions, stuffed pork chops, prepared popover pans, and reduced cabernet for cabernet butter. i picked up some grilling tips and made some new friends, and went home with a full belly!

i would definitely recommend these classes if you have a viking store near you. definitely fun for a date night, birthday present, just because, christmas present, anniversary present, team building exercise- really, i cant think of an occasion it wouldn't be great for!

in addition to learning (& eating!) we got to do a little bit of shopping. mom picked me up a few "sweet treats" as well as some for herself. my personal fav? i'll let you guess:

did you guess the hot pink colander? duh silly! of course that was my fav!

all in all, a great night. check out their schedule here.
bon appetite!