Fatima cooks steaks that are tough and overdone. Here are some tips to avoid these same steak mistakes:

Tips for Cooking the Perfect Steak:

1. Steaks must be cooked so that the entire surface caramelizes to form a rich thick crust.
2. Grill Pan: Bone in Steaks should be grilled outdoors or on an indoor grill pan to achieve maximum contact between heat source and meat
3. Cast Iron Skillet: Boneless Rib Eye and Strip steaks are the best for pan searing

‘Twas the night before Christmas . . . and we were starving.

Can you guess — in a house full of carnivores — what we ate?

Wait for it.

Yes, my friends, steak.

Like many other families across this great land, we decided to dine on a Christmas Eve meal of strip steaks, baked potatoes, and all the wine related people can indulge in without looking like we have some problems we need to talk about.

We prefer to keep it light around the holidays. No talk of the sagging economy, world destruction or personal issues. Just Santa, anything positive and the kids in our lives.

This Christmas we found ourselves with a lot to be thankful for — despite what the news shows have been telling us. And the steak? Well, the steak set the tone for a Christmas Eve full of corny holiday classics, thick anticipation and pure excitement.

We decided to try a new seasoning this time. It was Christmas Eve, so we thought, What the heck, let’s go for it.

This steak seasoning, made by SuckleBusters, was just the right amount of spicy hot and flavorful.

We put it on the steaks before my hubby braved the Blizzard of ’09 and ventured outside to grill the steaks IN THE SNOW.

As he said, “You gotta want it.”

And we did.

That is real, actual, honest-to-goodness snow coming down behind the grill there.

Sure, we could have pan fried them inside or put them on the George Foreman in the comfort of our warm kitchen. But what would be the fun in that?

The kids wrote their names in the snow on the patio table while Dad flipped the steaks sans gloves. It was all part of his “get tough” theme for the evening. Very Christmasy.

But, I gotta tell you, this Christmas Eve was one to remember for us. Family with only a minimum of dysfunctional issues, great steaks from my favorite place, a new seasoning and the Christmas night countdown. What could be better than that?

I hope your holidays were just as special!

Sometimes holiday classic tunes need a little updating.  And what better way to spend the 12 Days of Christmas than with the ones you love?

The foods you love, that is.

So here it goes . . . cue the carolers!

“The 12 Meats of Christmas”

On the twelfth day of Christmas, KC Steaks shipped to me:

Twelve roasts a-roasting,

Eleven pork chops sizzling,

Ten seasonings seasoning,

Nine strip steaks smoking,

Eight ribs a-braising,

Seven filets mignon-ing,

Six ribeyes marbling,

Five ste-ak-burgers, (pause, pause, pause)

Four T-bones,

Three prime ribs,

Two tenderloin,

And a hickory smoked tur-r-r-r-key!!!

Whew!  I’m tired.  And hungry.

Wanna send your own 12 Meats of Christmas?  Start here!

Photo courtesy of KansasCitySteaks.com.