This is nearly like confessionals of a blogger, a trend I aim to continue as time passes. But I know that you have all been there before. That long day where you have a special dinner planned for either a lady friend, your significant other, or a group of friends or what have you. What I am getting at is this. You were supposed to get your grocery shopping done the night beforehand, and make sure that you had everything ready for that gourmet dinner you so wholeheartedly and solemnly committed to, and much like the ‘dog ate my homework’ excuse, you find yourself in quite the dinner pickle.
Not to worry, as my confession will reveal the easy way out. I will even be brash enough to reveal with whom I made this gourmet dinner mistake with, even if some brownie points are detracted from my waning pile. But nonetheless, it can serve as great blogger fodder, and hopefully this can get you out of a meal time bind, should you find yourself in as precarious of a situation as I did myself, a few months back.
So here is the easy way out of that gourmet dinner you promised but failed to deliver. And deliver it you shall. Hint-hint—you will just be cutting a corner, that’s all. I screwed up and forgot that I had promised my sister a fabulous gourmet dinner for her birthday at the start of this year. About an hour until dinner time she calls me up, saying she is coming over soon. WHOOPS! Here was my hurried plan that worked to perfection for a gourmet dinner that she was wowed over. Feel free to use it, no charge or tip required!
- I get the call on my way back from a meeting, and realize it’s going to be interesting to see if I can pull this thing off. I flip my car back around and head to Whole Foods, knowing they have the day-saver.
- Steaks become cowboy burgers with fillet mignon, as they cook faster and don’t require meat fabrication.
- Sides become their already deli-prepped, double-stuffed potatoes with bacon and cheddar, which are delectable and pretty well-priced.
- Other sides include an easily tossed (prepackaged) Caesar salad.
- Desert included selections from their awesome bakery, of which I chose to go with triple-layer moose cakes.
- A case of gourmet beer and a bottle of wine are easily discovered.
- I get home, heat up the grill, slap on the burgers, toss the salad, set the table, light some candles, put on some tunes, heat up the tots in the oven, arrange the moose cakes elegantly on a plate, slice up veggies for on the burgers, and have it all ready in about 20 minutes flat. And yes, I claimed it was all homemade. Sorry sis, but those burgers were still damned good! Right?
For me, grilling up a New York Strip steak on the barbeque in my backyard is a long and cherish pastime. A trend that my steak-loving father got me hooked upon at a very early age. That being said, I have always thought of cooking a great grilled steak as something that is tantamount to making scrambled eggs, or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich—it is really easy to do, and I find it to be disturbing that many people are not in the know about how to properly grill up a tasty steak these days! Perhaps this article has been prompted by my most recent steak-eating disaster, where I was over at a buddy’s house and the steak was so tough and rough, I could have sworn it was an over-cooked pork chop! So to better enlighten you all with what I have learned over the years, here are some really quick and easy steps to making that delectable New York strip steak perfectly every time!