Treat Your Sweetie!

Valentine's Day is a couple week's away so there's still time to plan a special evening, that is if you are inclined to celebrate.  It is not a serious holiday for us, meaning that we are not consistent in our celebrating.  Sometimes we go out for dinner, sometimes I cook.  Sometimes we exchange cards, sometimes we don't.  Occasionally there are flowers or gifts, but more often not.  Now we do have a good excuse for our lack of heart-shaped enthusiasm.  We both have birthdays in February, and we actually met in February 1986, so we have a lot more meaningful dates to celebrate.

That's not to say that there haven't been any special V-days or never any surprises.  One year I got a big balloon and some candy (Hershey's dark chocolate kisses).  Was that the year I got flowers, too?  After nearly 23 years together, the lines between the years begins to blur a bit.

Anyway, one dinner I clearly remember was in 2005 (I kept notes on that).  I had a recipe that I'd been wanting to try, and Valentine's seemed like the perfect occasion.  It is from Southern Living's Easy Weeknight Favorites.  Everything I'd made from this book was good so I figured this would be too, and it was.

I got a couple filet mignons from the Fresh Market just to make sure I started out with good quality.  That, of course, was when I didn't have to go across town to get there.  The recipe is for four steaks but if you're just cooking for two as I was, it's OK, just make the gravy as instructed. You'll just have a little more gravy for your potatoes.

I followed the recipe to a tee, and those were probably the best steaks I ever made.  My side dishes were homemade mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus.  I had French bread (probably from the Fresh Market as well) and a nice Cabernet to wash it down.

Now I know we had dessert, but please forgive me, I don't remember what it was.  If it comes to me, I'll update with that critical information.  Here is the recipe.  I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as we did. 

 Happy Valentine's Day!







Filet Mignon with Horseradish Gravy

4 (5 oz.) beef tenderloin steaks

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1 (3/4 oz.) package brown gravy mix

½ cup water

½ cup red wine

2 ½ TB prepared horseradish

1 (8 oz.) package fresh mushrooms, sliced

Heat a heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper.  Add steaks to hot skillet; cook 1 minute on each side.  Place steaks in a greased small baking dish.  Add gravy mix and next 3 ingredients to skillet.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened.  Stir in mushrooms.  Pour mixture over steaks.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or to desired doneness.  Yield:  4 servings.

Notes:  The times in this recipe work with 1-inch steaks to give you a perfect medium.  Allow more time for thicker cuts or more doneness.  You may also make your own gravy from scratch and then add the wine.  The package makes about 1 cup of gravy.

The Quest Continues

In spite of the wintry blast we received this past weekend, the quest for wheels continued today.  At least our sales guy didn't come out and say, "Oh it's you again".  The search seems never ending.  Today was another round of SUVs.  As you recall, last time it was the Highlander and Escape.  Now it was a 2002 CR-V and a 2003 RAV4.  Both were great vehicles and I didn't dislike either, other than the color, they were both black.  

I should state that the terms I use when describing steering are not technical terms, but just me trying to describe how it feels compared to other vehicles, and that aspect that is important to me.

The RAV4 steering had a softer feel than I have been used to, and the 2.0 litre engine seemed to lack get up and go on the highway.  There were some nice features including front wheel drive,  the outside temperature and a compass on the rear view mirror, the gear stick was on the floor, and it had a center console, albeit a small one.

The CR-V had a nicer ride, it seemed more solid on the road (it was a 4WD and had a 2.4 litre engine), and the steering was more solid, too, although my DH didn't like it as well.  The gear stick was on the dash, which is not my choice, but it was OK.  It did not have a console, but a cup holder/tray that would fold down to allow access to the back seat. Helpful, but I would prefer a console.  I went down some streets that were not cleared, but not slick.  It powered through with no problem.  On the highway, I felt secure, and it had good power and smooth acceleration.

With regard to ease of parking, I honestly didn't park the RAV4 other than just to stop in an empty parking lot to change drivers.  I successfully parked the CR-V between two cars in a 90 degree spot.  I cheated and pulled through instead of backing up, so I parked again but this time beside a car with no car on the passenger's side.  I find that the shorter wheelbase and tighter turning circle presents a different challenge in that one can cut the wheel too soon when backing up.  It is something that would take practice, but is not a negative like the car being too long.

The down sides to both, other than color, were the lack of power seat controls and cloth seating. They put in a sunroof, but no power seats.  Go figure.   I understand that the CR-V isn't available with these options until the 2009 model.  That pushes the price point out of my ballpark.  The search continues...

Quote of the Week

A man may smile and bid you hail

Yet wish you to the devil;

But when a good dog wags his tail,

You know he's on the level.

- Author Unknown

I participate in an on-line community devoted to good food, good wine, and good people.  One of those people is grieving this week, as she lost her beloved dog, a loyal and much loved member of her family.  My heart goes out to her in this time of sadness. 

A Snow Day

It was a snow day in the not-so-sunny South.  For all y'all who don't live here, this is what it looked like this morning.

 

 This is the view from my front door. There is a street straight ahead in the picture

  

This is at the street looking right.

 

This is at the street looking left.

The snow began about 5:30 last night, and started sticking immediately even though it was slightly warmer on Thursday (upper 50s).  It appears that we got the bulk of the snow under cover of darkness.  Isn't that the way it goes?  I love to watch it snow, but it seems we get most of ours during the night.  It was sleeting when we got up this morning, and that lasted until after lunch (maybe 2 p.m.).  We bundled up and went for a walk.  Mind you the temperature was about 20 with a wind chill of 6 or 7 degrees.  Our faces were freezing, but hands and feet (at least my hands - I wore gloves, 2 pair actually) were quite warm.  Long johns help a lot, too!

To combat the chilly willies tonight, we had Shrimp Creole & garlic bread, washed down with half a bottle of Manyana Tempranillo.  This is some good wine for a good price.  I got it for $6.99 at Harris Teeter.  Might not be everyone's choice with Creole, but it went down quite well.

As I was getting dinner ready, we had another band of light snow come through.  It looks like everything has moved out for now, although we may get another round later depending on if it shifts a little further south.  I'm not a fan of the cold, windy days of winter, but I do love a good snow.  The temperature is supposed to dip to 14 degrees tonight.  Might be good sledding tomorrow!

Chick-fil-A is Spicing it Up!

Everybody loves Chick-fil-A, right?  Well I just heard about a spicy new addition to their menu [drum roll, please].  Coming this June from the Inventor of the chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A presents their new spicy chicken sandwich. 

Here's what they have to say about it straight from the horse's, um, cow's mouth (sorry what was I thinking).

Be sure to try our hand-breaded sandwich seasoned with a fiery blend of peppers, pressure-cooked in peanut oil and served with dill pickle chips on a toasted buttered bun.  This spicy variation of our signature hand-breaded, pressure-cooked Chick-fil-A^® Chicken Sandwich will be coming to your Chick-fil-A this June. 

I know I'm looking forward to it.  I love spicy food!