Monday, February 10, 2014

Stay-at-Home Valentine's Day Dinner: Restaurant-Style Steaks

I don't know about you, but I think sometimes Valentine's Day can be a stressful holiday.  Flowers are three times their normal price, restaurants have ridiculously expensive "special" menus, and not to mention, they're packed so tight with extra tables that you can hear every word of the conversation at the table next to you: not so romantic.

Well do I have a solution for you!  Stay in the comfort of your own home, cook some restaurant-style steaks complete with green beans and Red Lobster copycat cheddar bay biscuits, and enjoy the company of your special someone!

Here's how:

Let's start with the steaks:

Marinade:
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon EVOO
- 1/4 teaspoon rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 roasted garlic head [chopped]
- dash of salt
Combine all ingredients and whisk marinade.  Reserve a couple tablespoons of marinade in a separate bowl.  Put the steaks in the main bowl of marinade and let sit in refrigerator 1/2 hour.  Flip steaks so that other side sits in marinade for an additional half hour.


Looking for something to do with the other half head of garlic?  Or even how to roast it?  Well, first, here's a great way to roast it.  As for the leftovers?  Pull out all the cloves, mash them with a fork, add a couple tablespoons of EVOO, dashes of salt and pepper and use it as a great dipping oil for bread before dinner!

Now to cook the steaks "restaurant style."  You might be wondering what that means.  Basically, we sear the steaks at a hot temperature for a short time and then finish cooking in the oven.

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place an empty glass casserole dish in preheating oven.
- Put 2 tablespoons of butter and a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a pan on the stove and turn heat to medium-high.
- When butter and oil are bubbling, add steaks to pan, topping with reserve marinade as well as additional salt and pepper.
- Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove steaks from stove and place in casserole dish in the oven for 5-10 minutes depending on thickness of steak.  Check this list to see what temperature your steak should be, depending on how you like it.
- Make sure to rest your meat for at least 5 minutes to ensure optimum juiciness! 
[If you own a cast iron skillet, you can cook the steaks in the skillet on both the stove and in the oven.]

I am obsessed with these Red Lobster copycat cheddar bay biscuits!  Here is the link to my recipe.  Helpful hint: Both the steaks and biscuits are cooked at 400 degrees, so to ensure all of your food is on the table at the same time, put the biscuits in the oven 5 or so minutes after the steak.  The steak takes 5-10 minutes [depending on cooking preference] plus 5 minutes to rest outside the oven after cooking, and the biscuits take 10 minutes to bake.

Now for the green beans, they're the easiest part.  You can find these bags at any grocery store.  All you do is poke a few holes in the bag and throw it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes!  We prefer to put them in our steamer, but even then, it only takes 11 minutes.


Last but not least, if you're looking for a great dessert to finish your Valentine's Day meal, definitely consider Valentine's cupcakes, some strawberry shortcake, or my personal favorite heart-shaped samoas!! 

5 comments:

Nichole @ casadecrews.com said...

Yummy! I am all about being at home for Valentine's Day!

Julie said...

We've stayed in numerous times but this year we're actually venturing out on the actual day as we got reservations. Can't wait!

Jen said...

Yumm!!!! We don't celebrate the day but we are going away for two days because life has been really stressful for us lately.

Heather @ From Here to There said...

Adorable idea for the perfect at home Valentines Day!! It all looks delicious! And OMG, those red lobster cheddar biscuits are the best!!!

Jen Mc said...

This looks amazing! I may just do this.
Thanks!

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