Steakhouse dinner at home

Lately if and when we have gone out to dinner, I have been less then impressed.
So I decided to do a steakhouse dinner at home.

Broccoli with cheese sauce, brown rice cooked in beef broth, and a Top Sirloin steak medium grilled on a hot BBQ topped with shitaki mushrooms and red onions in a balsamic reduction. It was pure heaven and since the broccoli and onions came from a gleaning project, the rice was given to us, etc.... the total meal for all 4 of use was less than $20. (steaks priced out at around $8.00) (beef broth was made from neck bone this past fall and stored in the pantry and the cheese sauce was a simple sauce of milk, butter and a small bit of cheese, not super heavy).

It had all the flavor of a steakhouse meal with out the huge price tag.

GrillMates meets burger and veggies and tenderloin, and salad, and...#crowdtap #grillmates

 We had a birthday celebration in the afternoon and decided to take the party to the evening with some friends and the BBQ thanks to Crowdtap and Grill Mates.

I started off with 2 lbs of ground beef we recently purchased from a Washington Ranch. Added Grill Mates Brown Sugar and Bourbon BBQ Sauce and divided it up for burgers on the grill. It really was that easy and since this is very lean beef the sauce mixed it helped keep the patties together.  

I added a quick cabbage salad using olive oil and sesame ginger dressing and served the adults' with a frozen  margarita and the kids' with some simple grape juice.  A simple yet yummy BBQ dinner!

Part 2 of our Grill Mate experience was a little more detailed.

Beef Tenderloin with Memphis rub, zucchini with Bacon and Molasses seasoning and Baby potatoes with Olive Oil and Montreal Steakhouse Seasoning. 

I marinated the tenderloin steaks over night in the Memphis Rub
Seasoned the Zucchini with the Bacon and Molasses seasoning, and marinated the potatoes in olive oil and Montreal Steak seasoning all day.
Grilled to perfection and served a our family outside for a perfect evening!

Needless to say my boys are LOVING these GrillMates seasoning and the outdoor cooking just adds to the enjoyment. Bring on the fall grilling season! Yes we BBQ year round here at Unionvale Mom's Spot.

Thanks to Crowdtap and GrillMates for the amazing package of goodies I received including the various spices mentioned in this post. All other Food and Beverage items were purchased by this blogger and not compensated for.

Garden Fresh Dinner : Cabbage Bowls yes Please

I love summer for the garden fresh dinners I can create!
Tonight was a perfect mix of flavors and ease.
Grilled in aluminum foil these cabbage bowls where not only easy but full of flavor

I started with a medium head of cabbage cut in half. I peeled off a few layers carefully to create the bottom and top of the bowl. I filled the bottom of the "bowl" with chopped onion, zucchini, and tomato. Drizzled olive oil over the pile and sprinkled with herbs.

I placed the top of the bowl on and wrapped the aluminum foil around the bowl and placed it on a medium heat gas grill for about 20 minutes. 

I topped with some crumbled feta cheese and roasted garlic and enjoyed it for dinner

I will be making this again I'm sure especially since both Mike and I enjoyed it. Hope I have enough cabbage in the garden to keep up with the grilling. Happy Grilling!

Week night dinner made special with soup

I usually keep weeknight dinners simple, but also I want meals together to be special.
Last week I grilled chicken on the BBQ and wanted something a little different to go with it so I made bean soup.
When I started I wasn't 100% the boys would like it but they loved it.

3 Bean Soup

3 cans of beans (I used white, black, and soy)

1 medium onion chopped

1 clove of garlic grated or chopped small

2 cups shredded carrots (I used frozen as I have them on hand)

3-4 quarts of water

favorite stock base or bouillon

olive oil

italian seasoning or similar to add some extra flavor

salt and pepper to taste

sautee garlic and onions in olive oil.

dd carrots if raw otherwise add water and flavoring

Add seasoning, beans, and carrots if not added previously

Cook on medium until all is warm

Serve in a shallow soup bowl  and enjoy.

Make even a week night meal fancy with a simple soup as a side dish. I served my soup with BBQ'd chicken and brussel sprouts (my youngest and my husband both love them) and green beans. 

This post is a compensated post as part of Gigcoin although the recipe is mine.