Rosemary Beef Skewers Rock

I love simple and easy cooking. But I also want things that taste great, not just to me, but the little people who share my dinner table. Rosemary Beef Skewers with Horseradish Dipping Sauce deliver!

This a super easy recipe that kids will like. What could be better? Oh wait, there's this: I call it steak and BAM! I just saved $40 I would have spent on T-Bones.

Here's the recipe from Everyday Food complete with my annotations:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves*
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 flat iron (shoulder top blade) steaks (1 1/2 pounds total), gristle removed**
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 tablespoon prepared white horseradish, drained***

 

1. Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. Soak eight 6-inch wooden skewers in water for at least 10 minutes. (I use the metal kind.)

2. Meanwhile, on a work surface (where else would you do it?), chop garlic and rosemary, and sprinkle with a little salt. Press blade of knife back and forth across mixture to make a paste. (I use a garlic press for the garlic.) Place in a medium bowl, and stir in oil; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

3. Cut steaks into twenty-four (???) 1 1/2 inch chunks. Add to bowl; toss to coat. Thread three chunks of beef onto each skewer (or you know, ten); place skewers onto prepared baking sheet.

4. Broil (without turning) 4 to 6 minutes for medium-rare. (This is pretty rare for my taste, but that may also have to do with the fact that I'm low on skewers and I pack the meat pretty close together. Just cook them as long as you want. I go for about 10 minutes.) Meanwhile (and don't forget this part, like I did the first time), in a small bowl, stir together sour cream and horseradish; season with salt and pepper. Serve skewers with horseradish sauce.

* If anyone knows which variety of Rosemary comes back year after year, please share. You do NOT want to buy this stuff when you can grow it for pennies.

** I have no idea where to find this cut of meat. You are welcome to find it at your specialty meat shop, but I'm a Wal-Mart gal and I'm here to tell you - this recipe is delicious with sirloin. Super good, and super cheap. I feed the family of four (and we're not shy about portions) AND have leftovers for two Mom Lunches or one additional Kids Only supper.

*** I just mix prepared horseradish sauce with sour cream, but it all depends on your taste. It will be stronger if you use the real thing as the recipe directs.

 

Voila! I hope you'll add this to your summer menu and let us know what you think!

The Martha Experience

A few months back, my friend Angel and I went to see a taping of the Martha Stewart Show. It was actually our second time going (the first was a year ago).

Have you ever been to a taping of Martha Stewart? It's quite a whirlwind experience. You arrive about an hour before the taping and pick up your tickets. You go through security (standard metal detector and bag search) and check your coats and anything else you want at the coat check (completely free). There are drinks and sweets laid out for the taking. It was delicious chocolate chip cookies this time.

While waiting, we were asked to sign forms that allow the show to use our images. This time, we were also asked to write down questions we'd like Martha to answer. I thought long and hard, but the first thought that came to mind was "Does she wear sweatpants?" I think it was because I had recently seen an episode of Oprah where she showed her favorite loungewear. Anyway, I wrote something to that effect down and the woman checking the questions loved it and wanted me to be the first to ask a question during the Ask Martha segment.

Unfortunately, they ran out of time so that segment was axed, but we did get some awesome seats out of it (right up front, and the camera LOVED us - check out the whole show here, I am the brunette in the red).

The guest for the episode was Elisabeth Hasselback, whom Angel and I aren't really fans of, so that was a little disappointing. She and Martha made some very cute stenciled stools (check out here). They would be awesome for a child's playroom. However, it was the fussiest of fussy crafts. It requires you to cut out intricate patterns on three overlay stencils to create a very detailed (and adorable) animal picture. Then you have to stencil them one by one. Honestly, it's too much work (I think) for an ACTUAL parent.

There was no chef (darn!) but they did a tip segment with the staff chefs. We picked up some good tips like save your scraps in the freezer until you have enough to make a stock.

Want your own Martha experience? The show isn't currently ticketing, since they are going on hiatus soon (but have taped a lot of shows for first-run in the summer). However, this is the link to get tickets. They will be doling out more tickets for the fall.

Photo from Martha's site.