Before I get to today’s amazing recipes I’m taking a trip down memory lane. A “Flashback Friday” if you will.

Six years ago to the day I was asked a very important question by a very important person.

February 6, 2009 was just a normal Friday. Stuart and I both had a break between classes that lined up perfectly for us to grab lunch together. My brother had a break at the same time and Stuart told me that he was going to be joining us. I got out of class a little early and headed down to the concourse to wait for them. That morning Stuart had asked me to bring my camera to campus because he needed a photo for ROTC. We handed the camera to my brother and he caught the proposal on video! They’d obviously coordinated this ahead of time.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t know this was coming. The 7th was our two year anniversary and there’d been comments and hints that we’d be getting engaged then. I have to give a big shout out to my best friend for telling Stuart I was on to him. It’s because of him that I experienced a surprise proposal better than I could have imagined. (Although it would have been nice to have showered, put make-up on, and brushed my hair!) It meant a lot to me to have my brother there – catching it on video was just a bonus. We even got a loud “War Eagle!” from a campus tour that was walking by.

Today’s recipes, which come from the January/February 2014 edition of Food Network Magazine, make a perfect meal to celebrate a special occasion – a birthday, anniversary, or even Valentine’s Day. We enjoyed this meal for Stuart’s birthday this year. It was the first time I’d had rib-eye steak and I loved it! Cooking in the cast iron skilet also provided a perfect sear for this melt-in-your-mouth piece of meat. We enjoyed these steaks alongside the cheesy mashed potatoes suggested in the article and some roasted carrots.

The carrots were Wesley’s first food! He surprised me with how well he took to trying them. He even managed to swallow a little bit. However he hasn’t touched carrots since! He likes yellow bell peppers, flank steak, and apples – at least for now.

These steaks feed 2-4 people, let’s be honest though, they’ll only feed two because you won’t want to share. I doubled the potato recipe and it will serve 4. (I wanted the leftovers.)

Pan-Seared Spanish Steaks

Ingredients:

• 2 bone-in rib-eye steaks (3/4 lb each)
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 C beef broth
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp chopped chives

Steps:

1. Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat.
2. Pat steaks dry, lightly rub with a little canola oil, and season with S+P.
3. Put 1-2 tbsp canola oil in the skillet. Add the steaks. (I had to do one steak at a time.) Sear on one side for 3 three minutes. Flip and cook 1-4 minutes, depending on your desired doneness. Remove steaks and set aside, covered with foil.
4. Add the shallots to the skillet and cook until tender. Add the garlic and cook an additional 60 seconds. Whisk in the beef broth, Worcestershire, and vinegar. Bring sauce to a boil and cook until reduced by half. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter.
5. Serve sauce overtop the steaks. Garnish with chives.

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb gold potatoes
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 C heavy cream
• 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

Steps

1. Place potatoes in a large pot. Cover with cold water, season generously with salt, and bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and return to the pot.
2. In a small sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter. Stir in the cream until just warmed through.
3. Add the cream and cream cheese to the potatoes. Mash to desired consistency. Season to taste with S+P.

UPDATE May 2017: (written March 2018) I honestly can’t remember why I remade these steaks – I mean, other than the fact that they’re DELICOUS! I’m guessing I’d made them for our 7th wedding anniversary last May? Regardless, you really don’t need a fancy excuse to make such delicious steak. The above picture isn’t horrendous, but that giant bone-in steak was tricky to photograph, especially under tricky Ohio winter lighting. For round two, I decided to slice the steak to get the visual of the beautiful pink center and golden crust. Unfortunately, the juices still ran, no matter how long I let it rest. But hey, dragging those cheesy potatoes through the steak juices makes for a perfect last bite.