Well, old Matty turned 40 yesterday and all is right with the world.

He spent his birthday whoopin’ it up with his buddies, his family and his blue, blue eyes, er, I mean, keen intellect.

So how will he spend today — his first full day at 40? Here’s what he said:

“Spend some more time with my family and friends today, grillin’ steaks and sippin’ beers, celebratin’ more to live for.”

Sounds good to me, Matt. Sounds good to me.

Quote and photo courtesy of People.com.

This one is filed under “Eerie Entrees” over at MyRecipes.com. But, really, there’s nothing scary about this scrumptious grilled steak on a homemade pizza — except for the fact that if you cook this for your Halloween dinner and little ghosts and goblins come to your door and smell it, they will never leave your house.

Now THAT’S scary.

Grilled Pizza With Steak, Pear and Arugula

Prep: 10 min., Grill: 30 min., Stand: 10 min.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

Vegetable cooking spray

1/2  pound  flank steak

Salt and pepper

1  tablespoon  olive oil

1 1/2  teaspoons  white balsamic vinegar

1  (12-inch) prebaked pizza crust

1  red Bartlett pear, peeled and sliced

1 1/2  cups  fresh arugula, divided

1/4  cup  crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Freshly cracked pepper

Preparation

1. Coat cold cooking grate of grill with cooking spray, and place on grill. Preheat grill to 350° (medium heat).

2. Season flank steak with salt and pepper.

3. Grill steak, covered with grill lid, at 350° (medium heat) 8 to 10 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness. Cover and let stand 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, whisk together oil and vinegar in a small bowl.

5. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin strips. Cut strips into bite-size pieces (about 1 cup).

6. Place pizza crust directly on hot cooking grate. Brush top of crust with oil mixture; layer with pear slices, 1 cup arugula, cheese, and beef strips.

7. Grill, covered with grill lid, 4 minutes. Rotate pizza one-quarter turn; grill, covered with grill lid, 5 to 6 more minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove pizza from grill, and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup arugula and freshly cracked pepper.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used 1/2 (16-oz.) package Mama Mary’s Thin & Crispy Pizza Crusts.

Oven-Baked Pizza With Steak, Pear, and Arugula: Assemble pizza as directed, and bake according to package directions for pizza crust.

Southern Living, OCTOBER 2007

Photo and recipe courtesy of MyRecipes.com.

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.