Every year, my father, my brother and my husband go to Las Vegas for Super Bowl festivities. And this year was no different.

Meanwhile, the ladies take full advantage of the weekend, doing things together that our guys do not enjoy.

My father has a “thing” against garlic. We don’t know why. We don’t understand it. We just accept it.

So, when the cats are away, the mice will play. . .

We had a “Garlic Fest.”

Mushrooms stuffed with spinach, onions and garlic. Chicken parmesan made with boneless chicken breasts and bread crumbs sauteed in roasted garlic olive oil and a rich tomato sauce swimming in garlic.

And, of course, garlic bread.

The house smelled heavenly. And still does, I might add.

Garlic Fest had to be held at my house so that my father will not see or smell a trace of it. We think he might be a vampire, but we’re not sure.

The Giants won the Super Bowl — an incredible feat. But I’m still not sure it was as big a victory as pulling off Garlic Fest.

Why didn’t I grill some garlicky steaks, you may ask?

‘Cause my husband would kill me. He would feel so betrayed if I made a great steak meal without him.

Oh, the sacrifices I make . . .

If you’re like my husband and me, you’ve been waiting for months for the season premiere of “Lost.” And last night the wait was over.

I had been feeling kind of puny for the last few days so dinner this week was basically whatever one could rummage from the fridge.

Good times.

So I decided last night since I was feeling better and it was a “special occasion” (yeah, it’s sad that a TV show is a special occasion) that I would make a tried and true favorite for dinner — what we call Smothered Steak.

You may know it by a different name. But my mother taught me this one and that’s what she calls it.

Here’s how it goes:

Sprinkle flour on 4 cube steaks

Pound with meat tenderizer until pretty flat

Brown meat in vegetable oil (just brown both sides, do not cook all the way through)

Set meat aside

Clean out oil from pan

Heat 2 cans of mushroom soup, one can of water, salt and pepper

When that is bubbling and well mixed, return meat to gravy-filled pan

Turn down heat and cover

Let simmer for about 20 min. or until meat is cooked to your preference

I like to serve this with mashed potatoes since the gravy is a wonderful complement. Sometimes we do rice instead. Choose a vegetable and a bread and you’ve got yourself a meal!

We paused “Lost” on the Tivo, put our kids to bed, and sat down to watch our show while we ate. 

“Ozzie and Harriet” we aren’t, but it was a banner night at our house.

Enjoy the Super Bowl this weekend if you’re a football fan. We’ll be watching . . . and enjoying some great food. I hope you do, too!  

This is the story of two newlyweds. Like many recently-married ladies, this gal was excited to try new recipes for her husband.

One day, the new wife found a recipe for Salisbury Steak in a magazine. 

“This’ll be great!” she thought.

The next evening after work, she hurried home with all the ingredients for a wonderful, home-cooked meal.

Little did she know she was about to create a “meal” that would go down in family lore as “the grossest thing ever. . . ”

Okay, so the wife was me.

And I hadn’t quite perfected the art of paring down a recipe for six into a meal for two.

The beef looked like a puffer fish because there were way too many eggs and bread crumbs for the amount of meat.

And the onions I used were not “finely chopped.” They were more like something you might see contestants on “Survivor” eating.

But my husband was sweet about it . . . until he saw that I hated it, too. Then all bets were off.

Now, 10 years later, we still talk about that meal. During cold and flu season I’ll ask my husband how he’s feeling when he’s under the weather.  His answer?

“Like I just ate some Salisbury Steak.”

It’s taken on a new meaning in our house. But I prefer to think it brought us closer. Like one of those traumatic events you live through together and nothing seems that important anymore. Like in a hurricane, a tornado, floods, fires . . .

I’ve grown so much as a cook in 10 years. So I think a decade is enough time to break the spell of the Salisbury Steak. I’m ready to get back on that oniony saddle again, so to speak.

This time it’s personal.

So here’s a much better recipe for Salisbury Steak I found on www.cooks.com.

I know how to follow instructions now and I’m thinking I will use this ground beef so I won’t have to do my own onions at all. They’re already in the meat. 

Try it and see if you have great results you can share!