A day spent in the kitchen

It all started when Steve asked me if I would make Rusty's dog treats he bought on clearance at Target just after Christmas. I was making lunch so I figured I'd make the treats and put in a load of dishes. Doing dishes right away is a huge thing for me :) because I never do it, ever. Making Rusty's treats sent me on a mad online search for more homemade treats that I could make him.



Dog Biscuits

After I pinned a few dog treat recipes on Pinterest I went on a crazy search for something sweet for me... only I didn't want to have to leave the house to buy more supplies, so whatever I found had to have 2 or less eggs in the total recipe. Eventually I came across these brownies on Allrecipes.com. Allrecipes.com is one of my "go to" websites for ideas of how to change same ol' meals into something a little different. It gives me ideas on how to cook differently... use spices I wouldn't have paired together... Anyway, the brownies are more cake like than fudgy like I was hoping but still flavorful. I'm bringing them to work tomorrow to share/ensure I won't eat them all myself.  

Simply Fudgy Brownies from Allrecipes.com

 While the chocolatey goodness baked, I got this idea that it would be a great time to bust out the mandolin my aunt gave me and try it out. I found a lovely potato recipe (again on Pinterest) and wanted to make it "my way." So while I sliced 3 huge red potatoes and 1 1/2 small onions , I put a boneless chuck steak in a baggie to marinate.

Steak Marinade:
1.5 lb. steak (cut in 1/2 for the 2 of us)
1/2 a small onion sliced
1/2 Tbsp. of minced garlic
1/3 c. Wishbone Italian dressing

Put it all in a resealable bag and squish together a bunch with your hand. Refrigerate 2+ hours, squishing once in a while. For the last 20 minutes of marinating, I set bag on the counter to come closer to room temp.
Grill for 5 minutes each side Med-Low heat. I'm so excited to be grilling!!! Just shoveled the pathetic amount of snow off the deck and turned that sucker on. Going to be mid 50's this week so I see more grilling in my future... weird winter but I accept it.  :)



Crispy Potato Roast

These are the super yummy potatoes. They're sliced really, really thin. I read the recipe about 5 times and then just couldn't put off cooking something like it RIGHT NOW. The official recipe calls for shallots and thyme... I just put in onions and garlic. I love onions and garlic :) However, after eating them... they need some kind of spice. I don't really know how thyme will change the flavor but I'll try it!



My steaks almost got burned... oops. Can I just say that it's first time grilling after having months off so I'm out of practice??? :) K, I thought so.

This is my plate of deliciousness before I ate it all up... and mom? see those kernels of corn? I made them and ate them... didn't like them, but I ate 'em. Next time maybe beans or broccoli will make me a happier girl...

So yep, I cooked pretty much all day. I also got potatoes ready to "go bad" so that I can plant them and grow russets and reds in my garden this summer... then I washed the shelves in the fridge - can we say gross?

I have stew meat in a baggie with taco seasoning defrosting in the fridge overnight. They have a play date with the crock pot while I'm at work tomorrow... Make shift shredded beef tacos anyone? :)

A smiling face is half the meal. - Latvian Proverb

~Angel