. . . and other things, too!

I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving. I sure did.

We ate ourselves silly on all the traditional Thanksgiving players:  turkey (smoked this year in the trusty SmokinTex), mashed taters, green bean casserole, two kinds of cranberry sauce — the real kind and the kind that comes out shaped like the can, pumpkin pie and so many other amazing things.

Now, it’s Black Friday and it’s time to stock up for the next holiday. It’s only just about 4 weeks away!

Where has my life gone? My youth and my sanity are slipping away. But, dangit, I’m going to eat well while it’s happening.

We’ll have lots of company again for the holidays so I’m taking advantage of the sale they’re having now at the Kansas City Steak Company. When you spend $49.95 or more you get 8 free steakburgers sent to you. I need those. My people are hungry.

ALL THE TIME.

I’ve got to keep a whole bunch of things on hand because when our family is here it feels like you just finished cleaning up one meal and it’s time to start the next. Ayyyy!

I’m ordering some filets, a roast and some hot dogs. With the steakburgers I’ll get, that should get us through. But ya never know.

After that, they’ll have to call the pizza joint down the street. I’ll be tired . . . but I can’t wait!

The holiday season has officially begun and my freezer is about to be well-stocked!

Photo courtesy of the KansasCitySteaks.com.

Oh, yes. Steak for Thanksgiving.

Why not? If the pilgrims had had access to a juicy ribeye you can bet your bottom dollar (or gold coin or whatever their currency was) that they would’ve jammed out on a nice, big steak.

Alas, turkey was the meat of the day. And although I do enjoy good turkey, must we always be followers?

I liked this discussion thread I read over at Chowhound.com. And if you’re considering steak for YOUR Thanksgiving meal this year, read on!

Steak for Thanksgiving

We’re going non-traditional this year with grilled rib eye; nice, fat, corn-fed, dry-aged, 1lb. steaks per person, grilled over mesquite. What do you suggest for side dishes? Only requirement is that they pair well with a big red wine. Thanks!

Reply

First off: what’s steak without potatoes? ?Baked potatoes are easy and can be left to their own designs, but they’re fairly uninteresting – although smearing them with butter, kosher salt, and cracked black pepper and then wrapping them in foil to bake sure helps. ?Smashed red potatoes with herbs and a dash of citrus zest are great; smashed gold potatoes with gobs of butter and cracked black pepper are also great; and you can’t go wrong with whipped Idahoes. ?Oven fries are good, too, roasted golden brown and covered in salt and herbs, but that might be difficult for a large group.?Corn:?A bit of a southwest twist never hurt corn. Saute some red onion and garlic on medium-ish heat until they start to soften, add in some chopped red bell pepper, throw the corn in once the pepper starts to cook through, and then pull it after a couple minutes. Toss it all in a big bowl with some salt & pepper, lime juice, a bit of cumin, and some chopped fresh cilantro. ?Sweet potatoes:?Another southwest suggestion: rather than traditional candied yams, make a hash of these with red onion, red bell pepper, some chili powder (I prefer chipotle or ancho for the smoky flavor, but guajillo is good too), cumin, and coriander, and salt and pepper. ?Green beans:?I see no reason to mess with tradition here – slow cooked with some bacon works well.?Asparagus:?As long as you’ve got the grill lit up, no reason not to toss some asparagus on. It’s easy and fast to cook, and you can gussy it up with some lemon juice and fresh grated Parmesan.?Salad:?Something bold with a strong vinaigrette is probably a good idea. I’d look for pears and red onion with red wine vinegar if you lean southwest on the above sides, or if you want something that’s a bit sweeter, head for balsamic with walnuts and feta. ?Hope some of that helps — most of it is stuff I make on a regular basis and I can vouch for pairing it with steak. 😀

Discussion thread courtesy of Chowhound.com.

Photo courtesy of Hardrock.com.

This one is filed under “Eerie Entrees” over at MyRecipes.com. But, really, there’s nothing scary about this scrumptious grilled steak on a homemade pizza — except for the fact that if you cook this for your Halloween dinner and little ghosts and goblins come to your door and smell it, they will never leave your house.

Now THAT’S scary.

Grilled Pizza With Steak, Pear and Arugula

Prep: 10 min., Grill: 30 min., Stand: 10 min.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

Vegetable cooking spray

1/2  pound  flank steak

Salt and pepper

1  tablespoon  olive oil

1 1/2  teaspoons  white balsamic vinegar

1  (12-inch) prebaked pizza crust

1  red Bartlett pear, peeled and sliced

1 1/2  cups  fresh arugula, divided

1/4  cup  crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Freshly cracked pepper

Preparation

1. Coat cold cooking grate of grill with cooking spray, and place on grill. Preheat grill to 350° (medium heat).

2. Season flank steak with salt and pepper.

3. Grill steak, covered with grill lid, at 350° (medium heat) 8 to 10 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness. Cover and let stand 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, whisk together oil and vinegar in a small bowl.

5. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin strips. Cut strips into bite-size pieces (about 1 cup).

6. Place pizza crust directly on hot cooking grate. Brush top of crust with oil mixture; layer with pear slices, 1 cup arugula, cheese, and beef strips.

7. Grill, covered with grill lid, 4 minutes. Rotate pizza one-quarter turn; grill, covered with grill lid, 5 to 6 more minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove pizza from grill, and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup arugula and freshly cracked pepper.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used 1/2 (16-oz.) package Mama Mary’s Thin & Crispy Pizza Crusts.

Oven-Baked Pizza With Steak, Pear, and Arugula: Assemble pizza as directed, and bake according to package directions for pizza crust.

Southern Living, OCTOBER 2007

Photo and recipe courtesy of MyRecipes.com.