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.

Er, I mean, what a difference a year makes.

Last year at this time, I was preparing to go on a road trip to Florida where we spent a week with family celebrating the holidays.

You can read about our adventures here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

I’m telling ya, there was lots of good food to be had. Like this . . .

Beef tenderloin tips. Good stuff.

But this year, there will be no road trip. There’s a little thing called a recession going on. I don’t know if you’ve heard about it.

But after saving up for a very long time for last year’s beachside holiday adventure, it seemed out of the question this year. And indeed it is.

We had our food shipped to our door in Florida last year. And what a treat it was to have good, quality food right there at our fingertips. We KNEW the meat would be fabulous. And it was.

I hate playing a guessing game with the meat at the local supermarket in a town I’m not too familiar with. Heck, I don’t like it in towns I AM familiar with. So, we ordered what we wanted and it all came to us when we needed it. Like magic.

The good thing is, I can get that same quality anywhere I am in the country. So now that I’m home for the holidays this year, I’m having it delivered to my house. Um, which is not beachside in Florida. Boo.

We’re going to have a turkey, ham and all the trimmings on Christmas Day — and steaks! on Christmas Eve. And I will not be standing in line at the supermarket with the rest of humanity for it all.

Merry Christmas to me!!!

And happy holidays to you. The countdown at our house has begun . . .

This one sounds different.

I can honestly say I’ve never eaten raspberries and figs on my steak before. I just never thought about it.

But why not?

I love raspberries and figs give good flavor. Plus, blue cheese does wonders for steak. Why not combine them all?

You try it, too, and let me know what you think!

Steak with Raspberries, Figs and Blue Cheese 

1 cup red raspberries
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
8 large or 16 small figs, quartered
2 ounces ham, chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 boneless ribeye or beef tenderloin steak, about 2 1/2 pounds total
Salt
6 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Prepare a hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill on high, or preheat a broiler. Lightly oil the grill rack or broiler pan. 
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the raspberries, sugar and vinegar. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until reduced by half. Set aside. 
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the figs, ham, rosemary, garam masala, and black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the figs are very soft. Set aside and keep warm. 
Season the steaks generously with salt and pepper. Grill or broil the steaks for 12 minutes, turning once, or until a thermometer inserted in the center registers 145 degrees F for medium-rare.
Place each steak on a plate. Top with an equal amount cheese and cover with some of the fig mixture. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the raspberry sauce over all. Serve the remaining fig mixture on the side. 

Recipe courtesy of newsobserver.com.

Photo courtesy of greenopia.com.