This Week's Sunday Dinner

I'd LOVE to start blogging about Sunday dinner every Sunday. But, you know me & my inability to blog on the regular. So.... There's that.

I've promised there would be cooking & recipes... But I know I've only posted a few so far. Sundays are the days when Andrew & I normally go all out with our cooking. Dinner usually includes 3 parts (a meat, a starch & a side) unlike most week nights when we're lucky if we cook at all. Also, Sundays are the days when I'm most likely to make something I found on Pinterest. Often times, this includes dessert. :-)

Here's this week's Sunday Dinner!

Andrew's (delicious) Steak on the Grill!

My husband swears by charcoal. & I don't know if there is REALLY a difference between charcoal & gas grilled food... But what I do know is that his steak is AMAZING every single time. He truly is my little grill master!

Now, he claims there's nothing too special on his steak, just season it with generously with salt, pepper & some olive oil. But I've had many, many steaks in my lifetime & I swear to you that none of them compare.

Our favorite cut is the New York Strip. It's pricy though so we do on occasion get cheaper cuts. But New York Strip always comes out tender & juicy. Plus, it soaks up the flavor beautifully.

The only "trick" I know (which you can most certainly do without) comes after the steak is cooked to your desired degree of "doneness." Once you pull that baby off the grill, put it on a plate, cover it with aluminum foil & let it sit in it's own juices. Then, about 3- minutes before serving, put a small slice of butter on top & return the aluminum foil so it melts over the top. This makes the steak shiny & adds just a little bit more flavor. Not to mention, it keeps the top of the steak moist which can NOT be a bad thing. By the time you get this delicious piece of meat on your plate, your mouth will be watering. Not even kidding. Here's the finished product! -->

Ranch Potatoes  

This is a recipe I found on Pinterest a few days ago & have been dying to try. I'm a pretty big fan of potatoes. (Blame it on the Irish in me.) So, really, anything that included potatoes can never go wrong in my mind. But add cheese & bacon? There's no way I can screw this up. Here's the details.

4-5 Potatoes (I used Yukon Golds)
1 Envelope of Ranch Dressing Packet
2 Handfuls of Bacon Bits
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Cup of Milk
2 Cups of Shredded Cheddar (divided)
Salt & Pepper

1.) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2.) Boil your potatoes for about 10-12 minutes or until ALMOST tender.
3.) Generously grease a medium-sized casserole dish
4.) Arrange your potatoes in the casserole dish
5.) In a bowl, mix ranch packet, cream of mushroom soup, milk, salt & pepper & 1 cup of the cheese.
6.) Pour this wet mixture over the top of your potatoes.
7.) Sprinkle the remaining cup of cheese & handfuls of bacon over the top
8.) Bake 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender

This was pretty good. I wish I'd have cubed the potatoes but I just sliced them. Also, the "sauce" was pretty watery. I don't know that I'd make them again. Maybe I'll play around with the recipe & see if it turns out better next time.

(The Original: http://cullyskitchen.com/ranch-potatoes-recipe/)

Onions & Mushrooms Balsamic

These are delicious. Then again, I'm a HUGE fan of balsamic vinegar, onions & mushrooms. put them together... Yeah. This is super simple, but makes a delicious mate for steak!


1 Small Onion
7-8 Medium-Sized Mushrooms
1 cup of Balsamic Vinegar
2 tablespoons of sugar
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
1/4 of a teaspoon of Garlic Powder
A Pinch of Dried Organo

1.) Slice onion & sautee in pan with olive oil, salt & pepper until tender
2.) Cut mushrooms thickly & add to pan
3.) Add balsamic, garlic powder & oregano, let cook uncovered 3 minutes
4.) Add sugar, combine
5.) Continue cooking 5 minutes or until thin glaze forms

Serve over Steak

"Ooey Gooey" Butter Bars

I found this recipe on Pinterest & OH MAN. They're super easy & super delicious! I used the wrong size pan, but they still turned out okay. Just a bit thicker & needed a bit longer to cook. They're definitely not as pretty as the ones on the website, but they're so good it doesn't matter!

1 Box of Yellow Cake Mix
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Melted Butter
8oz Cream Cheese
2 Eggs
2 Cups of Powered Sugar
Powered Sugar (sifted over the top)

1.) Preheat oven to 325
2.) Grease a 9x13 pan 
3.) Blend cake mix, 1 egg, & melted butter until smooth. 
4.) Press mixture into the bottom of greased pan
5.) Blend cream cheese, 2 eggs & powdered sugar until creamy & smooth. 
6.) Spread over 1st mixture in pan
7.) Bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes or until edges golden brown
8.) Sift Powdered Sugar over the top

Since mine turned out awful & look in no way the delicious treat they actually are... The picture I'm posting is from the blog where I found these. I didn't want to turn you off of them with my messy presentation.

(The Original: http://lilluna.com/gooey-butter-bars/)



& that's everything! Steak dinners are my absolute favorite. Now that our bellies are full & the kitchen is cleaned, it's time to go to sleep. A new work week starts tomorrow! :-)