Oh. My. Gosh.

Aren’t these gorgeous?

You know, presentation means so much when it comes to a wonderful meal.

I’ve found that to be true with my kids. If I turn the carrots into a smiley face they get eaten up with much more vigor than if I just slapped them onto a plate.

We adults are a bit more sophisticated, so we don’t really want our food to smile at us. But we do want it to be pleasing to the eye. It makes the whole experience more, well, pleasing.

That’s why these colorful Steak & Boursin Wrapped Bells are perfect for a dinner party — or just when you want to please someone special.

Steak & Boursin Wrapped Bells

EatingWell Test Kitchen

For an even quicker preparation, try deli roast beef.

Servings: 16 pieces
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ease of Preparation: Easy
Health: Low Sodium, Diabetes Appropriate, Heart Healthy, Low Cholesterol, Low Sat Fat, Low Carb, Low Calorie???

Ingredients: Steak-&-Boursin-Wrapped Bells
16 thin slices grilled steak, such as filet mignon (about 8 ounces)
1 cup light Boursin cheese, divided
4 ounces thinly sliced bell pepper ???

Steps:

1. Spread each steak slice with 1 teaspoon Boursin cheese and top with bell pepper slices.

2. Roll the steak around the bell pepper slices.

Nutrition: (Per piece)

Calories – 37

Carbohydrates – 1

Fat – 2

Saturated Fat – 1

Monounsaturated Fat – 0

Protein – 5

Cholesterol – 13

Dietary Fiber – 0

Potassium – 66

Sodium – 34

Nutrition Bonus – Protein, vitamin C, potassium, zinc.

Photo and recipe courtesy of arcamax.com.

Oh, it’s getting cold outside. And that means it’s time for stew.

You know, the kind you take your time with and let simmer until you’re ready for dinner — the old-fashioned way.

Here, “Pa” gives us his secrets for making absolutely perfect steak stew.

P.S. Do you like other stuff (like peas in the photo below)? Add them to personalize your own stew!

Recipe courtesy of Cooks.com.

Photo courtesy of Janni402 at Recipezaar.com.

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!