The following blog post explains how to get kids to eat their steak by tricking them into thinking it’s an ice cream sundae. Hence, the photo below.

Not sure of the ethical implications here. But the picture sure is purdy! (That’s steak and potatoes, by the way.)

Read more — if you dare (courtesy of AgWired.com) . . .

Have a Steak Sundae

I just had to post this because of the picture. We just sent out a Talking News Release for long time client, the Missouri Beef Industry Council on the steak sundae. It had me fooled when I first looked at it. I was wondering how beef would go with ice cream. But read on:

April is the “Month of the Young Child” and anyone who has children knows how difficult it can be to get them to eat nutritious foods. To make it a little easier, the Missouri Beef Industry Council (MBIC) offers a fun idea for even the pickiest eaters – the Steak Sundae. According to MBIC marketing director Dawn Thurnau, the treat can be made by alternating layers of mashed potatoes and chunks of steak with warm barbeque sauce or gravy in a sundae dish.

“Then on the top you put your chunks of steak with another little dollop of mashed potatoes and then a cherry tomato on the very top with some green onions. So it looks just like a chocolate sundae, but tastes like an open-face roast beef sandwich,” said Thurnau.

I received the following on my Blackberry from a Porterhouse friend of mine. I have no idea how he got my number. Oh, and here’s a guide to some of the text lingo in case you’re unfamiliar or you don’t have a teenager living in your house . . .

uok? look, i know u r sad u couldn’t finish me in 1 sitting. dont worry it hpns 2 lots of ppl.

u r not alone.

BTW, my BFF T-bone gets a lot of that 2.

ma-b u can try again 2moro? im just as gud the next day. NALOPKT.

TKS. TTFN.

-P.

I’ve heard of the steak and fish combo but this one is ridiculous . . .

The folks over at Photoshoppix.com don’t exactly tell us how this came about but I am guessing somebody dreamed this up on his computer using Photoshop.

If you like steak . . . and you like fish . . . and you’re in a hurry . . . and you don’t mind oddly-shaped pieces of meat — this might be just the ticket for you.

I’m sticking with my ribeye, thank you very much.

Photo courtesy Photoshoppix.com. Click here to see it in all its glory.

This amazing recipe for Cabernet Filet Mignon comes to us from WhatsCookingAmerica.net.

It looks absolutely divine. And . . . isn’t red wine the perfect complement to a spectacular steak? I think so.

Click here for the entire article on the Web. Or just read below . . .

My husband was in “steak heaven” with this simple and easy steak! You can either cook the steak by Pan-Searing or a very easy technique called Sear-Roasting. Photo shows the steak with some cubes of blue cheese on top.

Don’t forget to check out my Cabernet Filet Mignon dinner menu which includes this fantastic Cabernet Filet Mignon.

Cabernet Filet Mignon

2 (4 to 6 ounce) 1-inch thick filet mignon steaks
Olive oil
Coarse kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup cabernet wine (can substitute any dry red wine)
1 to 2 tablespoons butter

Buying Steaks:

Bring steaks to room temperature before cooking. Coat steaks lightly with olive oil and season both sides with salt and pepper (press in with your hands). Be careful not to over season, as the seasonings are to enhance the flavor of the meat and not to cover it up.

Using the Pan-Searing or Sear-Roasting techniques (see below techniques), proceed to cook your steak to your desired doneness. Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness:

Rare – 120°F
Medium Rare – 125°F
Medium – 130°F

Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil, scraping any pieces of steak off the bottom of the pan and stirring them into the emerging sauce. Let the liquid boil until reduced to approximately 1/3 cup. Remove pan from heat. Add the butter and mix it in by swirling the pan. Pour the sauce over the steaks just before serving.

Makes 2 servings.

In a heavy frying pan (I use my cast-iron frying pan) over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sear the steaks, moving them with tongs a little so they don’t stick to the bottom, for 5 to 6 minutes per side. When the steaks are crusty-charred and done to your liking, remove from the pan, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest 5-10 minutes before serving. During this time the meat continues to cook (meat temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it is removed from the oven) and the juices redistribute; add juices that accumulate from resting steaks to Cabernet-Cherry Sauce). Serve whole or slice thin and fan onto individual serving plates.
 

In the dark recesses of my mind is a twisted view of reality that I only let out every so often. Today, I am sharing it with you. . .

I was pondering life and I decided how much happier we would be if all of the images and talk of s*e*x in our society were replaced with steak.

* We could all get some popcorn and see the “Steak and the City” movie. All age groups would be admitted.

* Victoria’s Secret would be in the business of selling steaky lingerie. Now, doesn’t that sound nice?

* Ross and Rachel from “Friends” could have had a nice filet instead of an unplanned pregnancy.

* My son’s question to me last week would have been, “Mommy, what is steak?” I would much rather have answered that one.

* And, if you’re a “Seinfeld” fan, the now-famous phrase would be, “Steak . . . to SAVE the friendship!”

How much nicer would life be if we could look up at a billboard in Times Square and see a nice, big, juicy Porterhouse? I would not have to explain to my son why there is a larger-than-life photo of a man in his underwear on a city street.

I’m just sayin’ maybe there is room for a movement in our society — away from images of sex and TOWARD images of steaming hot T-bones. I, for one, would be grateful, thankful.

Good day. 

My oldest son’s first-ever basketball practice was held last night. It was a mixture of chaos, some glimmers of raw talent, cuteness and a touch of frustration.

One kid never took his hands out of his pants the entire practice. I’m interested to see how that technique will work in a game — you know, a game where you kinda need your hands.

The coaches are two amazing fathers who have just the right combination of toughness, light-heartedness and drive.

While the kids were taking shots and balls were flying everywhere, they were very encouraging. And when someone put a little too much muscle behind a shot and it went soaring too fast at the basket one of them screamed, “You ate too much steak tonight, son!”

It’s funny because those kids knew exactly what that meant the first time he said it. And they tried to back off a little bit.

This happened a lot because, after all, this is a group of 6-year-old boys. No one is exactly Shaquille O’Neal quite yet.

And since the coach had to use this phrase about a million times throughout the night he decided to just shorten it. Then he started yelling simply, “Too much steak, baby!”

So after all the high-fives and the “attaboys” were done and we were back in the car I was SERIOUSLY hungry for a steak. Those kids are either going to have to get really good in a hurry or I’m going to have to ask the coach to change his phrase to “sea squid” or something. I can’t face a whole season of daydreaming about steak . . .

We all know there are degrees of doneness for steaks — medium rare, well done, etc.

But did you know you can have yours blue rare? That’s a new one on me. So, here’s Dr. Tim Bennett’s descriptions of the many gradations of cooking steaks. I love it when I learn something new!

Raw – for some special dishes the steak is not cooked at all.  Most famous is perhaps steak tartare which consists of seasoned ground raw beef topped with an egg.

Blue rare – the outside of the steak is seared so that the inside is warmed; the steak will retain much of the redness of the uncooked meat.

Rare – the steak appears cooked on the outside and is very pink on the inside; the center of the steak, particularly on filets, will be red.

Medium rare – the steak appears cooked on the outside; the inside will be pink, especially in the center.

Medium – the steak appears cooked on the outside; the inside will be slightly pink in the center.

Medium well – the steak appears cooked on the outside and there will be traces of pink in the center.  The steak may taste slightly dry.

Well done – the steak appears cooked on the outside; there will be no traces of pink at all in steak.  The steak will taste hard and dry.

You can read Dr. Bennett’s full article here — and learn EVEN MORE!

I just read an article about scientists who discovered a gene associated with the tenderness of beef — and, therefore, great steaks.

So, what do we think about scientifically-designed steaks?

It’s a topic that goes much deeper than just great taste. It’s a matter of science, ethics, even politics.

We won’t really get into that here cuz, really, all I care about is nice, tender, juicy steaks. I don’t want to think about what was going on with them before they arrived at my doorstep. Seriously.

But one thing in this article I read made me fall out of my chair with laughter. And it was this quote:

“Scientists have identified a particular gene associated with beef tenderness, and have also found that slower-moving cattle taste better than their quicker cousins.”

So, what we really want is the porky one who dawdles in the back of the herd.

That cracks me up! In almost every other scenario you would pick the opposite of this guy. If you were picking a racehorse, you wouldn’t say, “I’ll take the brown one with the big gut staring off into space at the back.”

If choosing a hunting dog, I can’t imagine a prospective buyer saying, “Yeah, give me the dude who looks like he’s a couple cards short of a deck. Uh huh, the roly poly one.”

So, the moral of this story? When choosing a Porterhouse, make sure it came from the cow who couldn’t keep up with the rest of ‘em.

You can check out the entire article here.

Well, we made it back home in one piece. We did the two-day drive in one day coming back. And I’d do it again.

We had a blast enjoying the sun and the water but the prospect of two more days of driving was enough to push both my husband and me over the edge. We got an early start and did the entire 13 hours in a day. There’s no room for lightweights on our bus.

So, we packed the multitude of sandy beach toys, clothes and towels in the car, put the remaining steaks from our order in the bottom of the freshly-iced cooler and we beat it out of there.

The kids were real troopers as we passed through the same areas of the country it seemed like we’d just seen. Zoom! went the yellow fiberglass cow in someone’s yard. There went the hotel we had stayed in at the halfway point. No stopping this time.

But I think my new favorite sight from my window was the discreet green sign in Mississippi that just read, “Sanatorium.”

Now, I was never sure if Sanatorium was the unfortunate name of a town or if it referred to an actual facility for those needing mental care.

That’s all it said. Sanatorium.

I felt strangely drawn to it. Like it was calling out to me. “Sanatorium! This way!”

But we couldn’t stop. It’s nice to know it’s there, though, should I ever feel the need to travel back there.

When we got home it was 11 pm. Too late for the kids, but they were no worse for the wear. We put them quickly in bed and then went downstairs to assess the damage.

Our house looked like a Tiki hut. No matter how much wash I did over our vacation we still brought home truckloads of sand. Most of it deposited on the floor now.

We put away the things that HAD to be put away. The yogurt that somehow made it back with us and the steaks safely tucked in the cooler.

We put those in the freezer and we were delighted that they were still really, really cold.

Now, next time we grill those steaks it will remind us of the family memories we made on our trip halfway across the country. Nothing could be sweeter.

I can taste it now . . .

That’s what my kids have been saying all day today.

We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate America than to be in one of her greatest treasures — the beaches of Florida. And along the drive here we got to enjoy all that America has to offer like green rolling hills, clean restrooms and lots and lots of beef jerky.

We celebrated our freedom and the amazing good fortune of being Americans last night by grilling the steaks we had the freedom to have delivered to our door. They were in a word:  spectacular. . .

We started off rubbing the steak seasoning on the ribeyes and KC strips.

Then we broke out the dueling George Foreman grills — one for strips and one for ribeyes.

Then we grilled enough steaks to feed an army — well, at least us and the other family who traveled with us.

Anyone who thinks a George Foreman grill takes all the juice out has never used a GF grill. We had loads of juice. And there wasn’t a bite of meat left.

Tonight we celebrate with a fireworks display on the beach. That is too cool.

I’m having my kids wear these matching shirts when they are done swimming for the day . . .

I have to do it now because pretty soon I’ll hear, “Mom, that is so ridiculous! Why do I have to wear the same thing as him???”

Happy birthday, America! Thanks George, John and all the other forefathers for paving the way for the country we have today. It sure has been a great place to explore!