My neighborhood is filled with very colorful, friendly people. But my favorite has to be our next-door neighbor Eddie.

Eddie grew up in the Bronx in an Italian-American family. His father ran a butcher shop. And his mom was/is an amazing cook. So you know he grew up on great food made with incredible family recipes.

Whenever we get together with Eddie and his family we always end up talking about food. Eddie’s the cook in his house and he’s always making something really yummy.

Lately, he’s been calling us to meet him out by the back fence we share. It reminds me of the neighbor on the TV show “Home Improvement.” You never saw the neighbor’s face on that show — only his eyes. Eddie then hands over a steaming Pyrex dish of something delectable and we go inside and devour it.

Where the “drop-offs” occur 

A couple of weeks ago our treat was his homemade spaghetti with meat sauce made with sausage and tender ground beef.

We acted like animals at the zoo at feeding time. We had to hold ourselves back from licking the dish.

Then yesterday, right at dinnertime, he filled that dish again with rigatoni in a creamy vodka sauce. It was like Christmas had come early.

My next mission? Getting him to make Steak Pizzaiola.

Check out the Steak Recipes tab to the right here. There’s a yummy recipe for Steak Pizzaiola there.

I’m interested to see what Eddie’s will taste like. That fence is looking lonely. . .

To me, this photo is the perfect Valentine’s dinner. I’m a simple gal.

But my husband likes things a little fancier. He’s a fantastic gift-giver and he’d put a fourth mortgage on the house just to buy me something sparkly for V-Day.

He’s a sweet man. But that puts a lot of pressure on a girl to come up with something nice to give him on special occasions.

This year, though, I’ve got it all worked out.

We went to visit some dear friends in Boston this fall. Our trip was amazing. They actually live in a seaside town right on the water and the fall colors were beginning to pop around their property.

We watched the Red Sox win the World Series on TV during our stay and almost every night we went to a new place for steak and lobster. It doesn’t get much better than that.

You’d think we’d tire of the same meal, but we couldn’t get enough.

Sadly, we haven’t had lobster since.

So. . . this Valentine’s Day, I have ordered this steak and lobster tail combo. Since we can’t go to the lobster, I’m bringing the lobster to us.

My husband will be thrilled and I get to pat myself on the back. Finally.

My order should arrive tomorrow (or is it Friday?) So I’ll just have to enforce the “no peeking” rule when going in the freezer.

I’ll let you know how it works out!

What’s not to love about a recipe that mixes margaritas, GARLIC and steak? My friends, I cannot think of a thing.

So try this one the next time you’re feeling spicy!

From Loanne in Texas
Margaritas Chipotle Steak with Grilled Avocadoes
Enough for 2 lbs. Sirloin or London Broil Steak

Ingredients for Marinade:
¼ C. Soy Sauce
¼ C. Frozen Concentrated Margarita Mix, thawed
2 T. Tequila
1 T. Grated Garlic Cloves
1 tsp. Ground Chipotle Pepper

8 Dinner flour tortillas
4 Large Hass avocadoes

Mix all ingredients for marinade.  Marinate steaks in this mixture for 30 – 45 minutes. 

Grill steak just 5 – 7 minutes per side or to desired doneness. 

Let rest, then slice into thin slices, against the grain. 

Warm tortillas on periphery of grill. 

Cut avocadoes in half and remove pit, but don’t peel. 

Brush avocado with oil and place cut side down on grill until barbecue marks appear. 

Scoop out avocado flesh and divide over tortillas. 

Divide steak slices over tortillas and wrap with avocado into a cone. 

Eat warm.