So we went to a lovely restaurant to celebrate my mom’s birthday this weekend (Hi, Mom!). I, of course, ordered a steak — ribeye with a garlic mushroom sauce to be exact.

And this time, instead of my safe bet, the baked potato, I went for the steak fries. Pommes frites, as the French call them.

Or are they just French fries?

I must admit, I felt a bit uncouth ordering them. I mean, this is what I eat when I’m forced to spend an afternoon at McDonald’s. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE those fries, but this was a nice, fancy meal. Should I have ordered fries?

They were well presented on a plate with a black folded napkin and sprinkled with parsley on top. And the flavor was out of this world.

But I just felt kind of cheesy. Is it just me?

Now, I’ve eaten at some lovely restaurants in France and they have these same scrumptious potatoes there. Hence, the name French fries. Yeah, I knew that. But have we fast-foodized them so much so that I feel goofy ordering them in the kind of restaurant where they got their start? Even if I ordered them with a ribeye?

See that photo above? It came from a Pommes Frites fan page on Facebook. Yes, there’s a Facebook page dedicated to these babies.

It has over 58,000 fans. Do they seem embarassed?

Um, no. What do you think??

58,000 fans (and counting) can’t be wrong . . . right?

Photo courtesy of Facebook.com/pages/Pommes-Frites.

I was craving meatloaf.

I know, it sounds weird, maybe kind of twisted. And it’s SOOOO suburbia.

But I wanted meatloaf.

It’s been really cool outside here and meatloaf is the perfect warm-you-up dinner.

And my husband couldn’t agree more. Heck, he benefits when I have beef cravings.

I think I had been dreaming about it — which is why I made this picture look kind of dreamy around the edges. Like the meatloaf is floating on a cloud.

Who wouldn’t want to see meatloaf floating on a cloud?

All right, I saw some hands. If you raised your hand, you’re dismissed. The rest of us will discuss how I make my meatloaf.

I use ground beef with onions already in it. It’s scrumptious. Then, add a cup of Italian breadcrumbs, oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Mix in an egg to to help it form the loaf.

Lay bacon strips over the top of the loaf and bake at 350 degrees F for just under an hour.

Oh, the smell is heavenly. The onions, the bacon, the oregano. You can smell it all. FOR AN HOUR.

It’s almost torture.

But then, just when you think you can’t stand it any longer — it’s ready to eat.

It was a dreamy evening scarfing down dreamy meatloaf with my dreamy husband. It was almost like an episode of Mad Men, only without all the yucky stuff on Mad Men.

Hooray for meatloaf!

. . . well, Dena.

It doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, but it’s reality.

I saw the movie Julie and Julia and I found myself really, really hungry the whole way through it. The cooking and the recipes and the talking about food nearly put me over the edge.

My tub o’ popcorn just wasn’t doing it.

So I decided I’m going to be more adventurous and work my way through a rockin’ cookbook I have — Julie and Julia-style.

That’s the cookbook. Inside are gems like Steak Teriyaki, “Poor Man” Steak, Fuzzy Navel Steak, Sunday Night Steak, plus pork, seafood and chicken recipes, too. And sides. Lots of sides.

I HAVE to experiment with these, if not just for the names.

Now, I’m a real person with kids, a husband and a job and stuff.  So . . . I don’t see myself working my way through the cookbook every night for a year like Julie did.

God bless her. I don’t have the stamina.

BUT, I’ll be cooking a bunch of these and I’ll share my photos and thoughts with you. Hint: the “Fuzzy Navel” one involves orange juice.

Cool!

Have YOU ever done what Julie in the movie did? How did you survive it? And are you better for it?

Let me know — and happy cooking!

Okay, we’ve seen the use of coffee in flavoring a steak before. But here’s a different twist on that, PLUS a recipe for barbecue steak fries!

Holy BBQ, Batman! Enjoy . . .

Coffee and Pepper Steak

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped green onions

3/4 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup molasses

1 1/2 tablespoons instant coffee, preferably espresso roast

1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

One 1 1/2 pound sirloin steak (or flank steak)

Salt to taste

Directions:

In medium bowl, stir together onions, vinegar, oil, molasses, coffee powder, pepper and mustard until completely blended.

With a sharp knife, make parallel 1/2 inch-deep slashes, about 2 inches apart, on both sides of steak. Transfer the steak to a zippered plastic bag and add the marinade, making sure steak is completely coated. Refrigerate for six hours or overnight.

Spray your grill with non-stick coating and heat to medium-high. Season both sides of the steak with salt. Grill the steak directly over the heat four to six minutes per side for medium-rare, or longer to suit your personal taste.

Set steak on a cutting board, cover with foil and let stand for about five minutes for juices to settle, before slicing diagonally. Transfer to serving plate and serve with a crisp salad and corn on the cob or your favorite vegetable. This recipe serves about 4.

If you’d like to barbecue a nice accompaniment for your steak, try these easy steak fries on the grill.

Barbecued Steak Fries

Directions:

Cut four medium russet potatoes in half lengthwise and then cut each half into four thick wedges. Bring about 2 cups of water to boiling in a medium sauce pan and add potatoes.

Lower heat to medium and cook potatoes, covered, for about eight to 10 minutes or until they are almost tender. Drain and cool.

Place cooled potatoes in a large bowl. Mix 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon each of your favorite herbs and spices. For example, you could use salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, dried rosemary or whatever else you like. Drizzle the mixture over the potato wedges, tossing gently and being careful not to break them.

Place the potato wedges on the upper rack of the barbecue while your steak is cooking, and grill the potatoes for six to 10 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of kitsapsun.com.

Photo courtesy of KansasCitySteaks.com.

Want to try something spicy this weekend?

TV host Sara Gore gives us her take on a tasty, tasty chimichurri sauce for a tender strip steak.

Uh, yum. Double yum.

Give it a whirl!

Grilled New York Strip Steak with Kickin’ Chimichurri

Sara Gore

INGREDIENTS

Steaks

• 4 New York strip steaks, patted dry

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

• Olive oil for pan

Kickin’ chimichurri sauce

• 2 shallots

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 jalapenos

• 3 tablespoons lime juice

• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

• 2 cups parsley

• 1 cup cilantro

• 1 cup mint

• 3/4 cup olive oil

• Salt and pepper

Guaca “maiz”

• 4 ears of corn (parboiled, drained, ice bathed, and removed from cob)

• 2 avocados, medium dice

• 1 jalapeno, minced

• 1 clove garlic, mashed into paste with pinch of salt

• 1 tomato, medium dice

• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

• 1/3 cup red onion, small dice

• 1 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste

• Juice of 1/2 lime

DIRECTIONS

Steaks
Mix together spices in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over strip steaks. Heat oil in a heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add steaks and cook 4-5 minutes per side or until desired doneness (120 degrees for rare and 125 degrees for medium rare, using an instant-read thermometer). Transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil.food processor, slowly adding oil in at the end. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Kickin’ Chimichurri Sauce
Pulse first three ingredients until well combined. Wipe down sides. Add remaining ingredients in.

Guaca “Maiz“ — A Corn and Guacamole Salsa
Gently fold all ingredients together in a bowl, keeping the avocado intact. Season to taste.

Plating options: Slice the steaks across the grain and fan out on plate. Spoon chimichurri over the steaks. Use a metal round or tuna can with both sides removed with can opener, and fill with guaca “maiz.” Remove metal round. Top with a piece of cilantro. Enjoy!

Recipe and photo courtesy of today.msnbc.com.

How about steak AS a football?

This is the window of a local steakery (that’s what I call the butcher shop) that I drive by all the time.

The art periodically changes and it always cracks me up.

I’ve shown you this one before. But this steak as a football one is a classic. Someone there is totally having fun with his job.

I’d like to meet the guy who came up with this one. Perhaps over a steak dinner???

Mmmm. It’s getting a slight bit cooler outside and that makes me crave rich, red meat.

Come on, I know I’m not the only one.

This amazing recipe for Mustard Beef Tenderloin looks like just the ticket.  See what YOU think!

Mustard Beef Tenderloin

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 beef tenderloin filets
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon pineapple juice
• 1 tablespoon dried tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:

Mix together mustard, vinegar, olive oil, pineapple juice, tarragon and pepper. Simmer in a saucepan until evenly heated. Keep warm. Preheat grill. Lightly pound filets with kitchen mallet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on grill and cook about 4 minutes on each side or until desired doneness. Remove from grill. Place about 2 tablespoons of mustard mixture on a plate and place filet onto the sauce.

Recipe courtesy of bbq.about.com.

Photo courtesy of KansasCitySteaks.com.

This week, I think I may have made the most perfect steakburger I’ve ever attempted.

I pan fried them in olive oil and just at the last moment placed a glistening slice of cheese on the top so it could meld itself to the burger, fitting perfectly.

Out in the backyard, my 5-year-old son ate an orange Popsicle while I took photos of this masterpiece.

“Whatcha doin’, Mommy?”

“Taking pictures of this beautiful burger.”

(What? Doesn’t every mom take pictures of their dinner before they serve it to their family?)

“It looks like sunshine on a mountain,” he said. “And there’s the grass. And a red swimming pool.”

Classic. Now THAT is why you have kids, people. They show you new ways of looking at things you’ve seen a thousand times before.

It made me teary-eyed that he had put so much thought into this. This steakburger had created a real MOMENT between us.

Then, my precious son pummeled his empty Popsicle stick at a rabbit that had the misfortune of hopping through our yard at that exact moment.

That bunny was just trying to live his life, man. Sheesh.

But the moment was good for the 30 seconds it lasted.

We went inside to eat our sunshine-on-the-mountain burgers and the innocent stick that had been turned into a lethal weapon went promptly into the garbage.

But that’s life in the ‘burbs for ya. Go tough or go home, Thumper.

These pork ribs are welcome on my table any day.

They’re St. Louis-style ribs which means they’re pork and they aren’t slathered with BBQ sauce – yet. We took care of that ourselves after we cooked them.

They came to us (we had them delivered) cryo-vac sealed and packed in dry ice. I put them in the refrigerator to thaw overnight and then cooked them the next day. I took them out of the packaging, wrapped them up in foil and placed them in the oven on about 335 degrees F for a little over an hour.

They were already marinated in a mix of spices and the smell of those ribs in the oven was almost too much! My husband and I kept peeking our heads in there to get a bigger whiff.

These puppies were divine. Tender, flavorful and so, so easy.

This was as easy as making a frozen pizza. But I got much bigger props than I do for my $1.89 pepperoni special.

I got these ribs from my fave — KC Steaks. The quality is always unbeatable and they do all the hard work for me.

Seriously, that’s the kind of partner I need in my life.

That, my friends, is but a sampling of the amazing steaks we grilled over the Labor Day weekend.

Strips, filets and ribeyes graced my grill — and only one lonely steak was left after our group scarfed the whole lot.

That steak is coveted by my husband and he eyes me suspiciously every time I go near the fridge.

“Just getting milk for YOUR CHILDREN,” I have to say.

I won’t eat his precious steak. I promise.

Maybe.

In my alone time (which is rare) I debate whether it’s worth it to eat that steak myself and blame it on some apparition . . . or a zombie . . . or a steak burglar.

But in the end, it’s much easier for me to get another steak than to get another husband.

The one I have is one of a kind. And I’d like to keep him, thank you.