Around Here

perfect steak club set up | beef tenderloin & grilled asparagus | bbq cookout - including boiled peanuts! | beautiful Lake Murray sunset | Virginia playing on the "beach" | trunk show provisions | Fall LaRoque Mini line up | Virginia modeling clothes and sampling cupcakes

 



Happy Monday guys!  I swear it was just Friday.  We had such a good weekend - it was full and we saw so many good friends!  Friday night we attended our bi-monthly steak club!  We really had so much fun.  It seems like all of our friends are the best chefs and the best hostesses.  Our friends spoiled the group with beef tenderloin, grilled asparagus and the best summery cucumber salad.  We all had way too much wine and homemade birthday cake for dessert!  Our friends came up with the most clever new game that we'll share.  We all sat around the table for over an hour after we finished up dinner playing.

Saturday, we hit the road to Columbia to celebrate the engagement of one of our best family friends.  His parents live on Lake Murray on what has to be the most beautiful lot on the lake - huge yard perfect for a bbq cookout, music, volleyball and games.  If Virginia sees water there's no chance she's not trying to get in it.  She stripped her clothes and took a little dip mid party.

Sunday, the LaRoque team came to town with their adorable LaRoque Mini Fall Show!  We had the best time.  Virginia picked out a few (adorable!!!) dresses and we made a few new friends over the course of the afternoon.  It's hard not to enjoy an afternoon of dessert, champagne and shopping for cute kiddo clothes. 

We finished the weekend with pimento cheese burgers and called it an early night.  We're trying to savor these last few weeks of summer, and this weekend really felt like the perfect hot, summery weekend.  Have a good week guys!  Heath moves into her new house this week! eeekk!

~Mary Keller

Around Here

pretty clouds as we arrived in PA | Andy checking out his uncle's garden | birthday party fun for Virginia | yummy brisket | sidewalk/porch chalk | Andy's uncle's famous ribs |  steak club tablescape | future garden inspiration 

Good morning and happy Monday guys. So sad the weekend is over but it was a good one so I can't complain. Andy and I had such a wonderful visit with his family in Pennsylvania. We play lawn games, ate delicious food, went for long walks around their charming small town and explored their amazing garden pictured above. You can't see in the images above but they are growing everything you can think of from the standard tomatoes, lettuces and peppers to garlic, onions and asparagus AND raspberries, strawberries and blueberry. We were in heaven! Andy and I are definitely hiring his uncle to lay out a garden in our future home - seriously impressive guys!

Virginia had a birthday party on Saturday afternoon followed by a quick stop at a neighborhood block party - she's a party girl! Our steak club has turned into more of a beef club to keep the menu interesting. This month was a big success including brisket, homemade ice cream, a gorgeous table setting and some fun games to keep the conversation interesting!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

- Heath

Around Here

Beef Tenderloin for Friday night Steak Club Dinner | Steak Club in action | Headed to the neighbors for tacos Saturday night | Virginia's sweet dresses from a visit to her great-grandparents | Perfect weather for a Sunday at the park | Virginia and her Aunt Heath | Virginia - so tired!!! | Sunday blue cheese burgers

 

Happy Monday!  It was such a good weekend guys!!  The weather was perfect, plus we had lots of fun plans.  As much as I love spending a Friday night in watching Dateline, I always end up having the best weekends when we have fun Friday night plans.  Our friend made the most delicious beef tenderloin for Steak Club Friday night.  Beef tenderloin, orzo, a fig & arugula salad, cookies & ice cream, plus more wine than any of us needed!  I think it's fair to say we all really enjoyed ourselves!!  (Beef tenderloin seems like a smart way to feed 12 of us steak in the middle of winter on a chilly night, right?!)  It was really so much fun seeing everyone, and the evening was so nice!

 

Saturday J.D., Virginia and I headed to our friends house down the street for tacos.  The crowd included a few kids all within a few months of Virginia's age which always makes things fun.  J.D. also went skeet shooting with friends and Virginia and I managed to squeeze in a quick visit to see my grandparents.  She had SO much fun with them, and they spoiled her of course!  A really good weekend all together, and I hate to see it and this pretty weather go!

 

Have a good week guys!

 

~Mary Keller

Steak Club Lee Bros. Edition

On Saturday night we went over to a friend's house for Steak Club and now I'm pretty much obsessed with the Lee Brothers.  Our hosts served a side and a dessert from their cookbook, and they both were pretty much perfect.  For drinks the girls enjoyed lots of wine, and the boys enjoyed too much bourbon.  (I think it's fair to call our hosts bourbon connoisseurs.  They have just about every bourbon you can imagine to choose from.  This makes J.D. very happy since at home he has to enjoy the cheap stuff!) 

For the main course we each enjoyed our steaks off the grill, a simple fall tossed salad and the real showstopper, a Pimento Cheese Potato Gratin.  It was as delicious as it sounds.  I think we all scrapped the dish clean.  This dish is from the Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern Cookbook, and it's also floating around the internet a few places including Saveur.  (Bonus, this can be made in advance!)

Lee Bros. Pimento Cheese Potato Gratin via Saveur

3 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
1 1⁄2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1⁄4-inch thick rounds
3⁄4 cup heavy cream
3 shallots, finely diced (scant 1⁄2 cup)
1⁄4 teaspoon crushed dried red chile flakes
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
One 9-ounce jar roasted red peppers or piquillo peppers, with their liquid
8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 2 cups)

Heat the oven to 375°F, racks positioned in the middle and the top third of the oven. In a 3- to 4-quart stockpot, bring 2 quarts water and 2 teaspoons of the salt to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and set them aside.

Combine the cream, shallots, chile flakes, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, the black pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the jar of roasted peppers in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chile flakes have begun to stain the cream, about 2 minutes. Add half of the cheese and stir until it melts, about 1 minute. Remove pan from the heat.

Layer a third of the potatoes in a 6-cup baking dish, overlapping them slightly so that they fit in an even layer. Scatter half of the roasted peppers on top of the potatoes (cut up any peppers that have remained whole so that they lie flat), and repeat layering potatoes and peppers until all the peppers and potatoes have been used. Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes and peppers, and agitate the dish to distribute the liquid throughout. Cover with aluminum foil and bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes.

Uncover the dish, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, and place the dish on the top oven rack. Bake for 8 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and gently browned on top. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

For dessert we had little buttermilk cakes topped with bourbon soaked peaches.  So so good, and thinking about all this makes me hungry.  I highly recommend giving the potato gratin a try.  (Wouldn't it be good with an Easter ham?  Something different from traditional mac & cheese.)  Our host couldn't say enough good things about the Lee Bros. cookbook in general.  I love their fresh take on old school southern cuisine.  Has anyone else tried a good recipe by the Lee Brothers?  Hope you enjoy this one!

~Mary Keller

All images from the host, thanks Meredith!

Summer Steaks

On Friday Andy and I hosted one last summer Steak Club. When we set the date for this last weekend in August I knew I wanted to serve summer sides and keep everything bright and simple.

I set the table with a mix of fun glasses(a trick if you don't have enough of each type of glassware, like me!) and used wicker chargers to keep my china from looking too formal.

We served Moscow Mules as pre dinner cocktails and they were a big hit. Perfect refreshing cocktail to celebrate the end of summer.

We served olive tapenade, basil pesto and gorgonzola and artichoke dip with grilled crostinis as appetizers. We purchased all the dips from a local Italian market to keep minimize our prep work and everything was perfect. I highly recommend grilled bread with a simple dip as an easy and delicious appetizer.

For dinner we kept it super simple with a platter of fresh tomatoes sprinkled with a few herbs and corn on the cob, all from our local farmers market. I sadly didn't get a picture of my steak or any corn, but I'm sure you can picture how summery the plates looked!

 

And for dessert we surprised MK's birthday with her favorite coconut cupcakes from my favorite bakery in Charlotte.

It was such a fun night! All in all a super easy and summery meal, perfect for a late August evening with friends.

- Heath

Steak and Tomatoes

Friday night we went to a friend's house for Steak Club and it was the perfect relaxing evening.  We had really yummy sweet tea mojito cocktails and bruschetta for starters out on the patio, and then headed inside for dinner.

I love walking into a party and seeing a bar set up.  Sure sign of a fun evening!

 Our host mixing up delicious sweet tea mojitos, plus one non-alcoholic version. :)  Sweet tea mojitos-- muddled mint and sugar, sweet tea, rum, sparkling water and splash of lime juice.  (really good!)

For anyone looking to shake up a traditional steak dinner, everyone loved their menu.  Instead of "Steak and Potatoes" (which I love and are always good!) we had "Steak and Tomatoes."  They sliced tomatoes, topped them with parmesan, a few cheeses, spices and hot pepper flakes and they popped them in the oven to cook.  We also had roasted asparagus and realllly yummy homemade roasted garlic butter to top our steaks.  Steaks plus too much wine (sparkling water + lime for me!) and friends is always a good combo. 

Really delicious almond cake plus fresh strawberries.  This was sooo good.  If you're local, this is from Nova's Bakery and we all loved it.  Our hosts used one of my favorite Ina entertaining rules, always pick up something store bought for one course of dinner! :)

What I didn't know was that our hostess for Friday's dinner party was also preparing for a surprise baby shower that she and a few others were throwing for me the next day.  How we made it through dinner (and the wine) without someone spoiling the surprise I don't know!  I surely would have gone home a little earlier had I known she had to get up early the next day to throw another party.

~Mary Keller

Recipe Box | Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries

When we had friends over this past weekend, we served Ina Garten's Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries.  I cannot say enough how easy and delicious this recipe is!  I had been holding off on trying this recipe because I didn't want to purchase little ramekins.  I finally bought a handful for just $3 each at Crate and Barrel, but this set is super inexpensive from Target.   I bought and used the 10oz size so I can also use them for little chicken pot pies, baked egg dishes, yummy side dishes, tiny berry cobblers, etc.

The Panna Cotta part of this recipe is so much simpler than I expected.  It needs to be made the night ahead of serving so it's perfect for a dinner party.  You don't have to mess with cooking or cleaning up the day of your event.  The recipe came together in about 15 minutes.  Recipe is listed below and you probably have almost everything already in your pantry.

Ina Garten's Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries

via Barefoot Contessa at Home Cookbook

1 packet unflavored gelatin powder

3 cups heavy cream

2 cups plain milk yogurt (don't use low fat!)

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean (can be a bit pricey but worth it!)

3/4 cup sugar

4 pints (8 cups) sliced strawberries

5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tables sugar

• Sprinkle the gelatin with 3 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl and set aside to mix/dissolve.
• In a separate medium bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups of cream, yogurt and vanilla extract.  Split the vanilla bean and scrape seeds with the tip of a knife into the bowl.
• Heat the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cream and the 3/4 cup of sugar in a small sauce pan on medium heat.  Once this comes to a simmer, pull off the heat and add the dissolved gelatin mixture. 
• Next add hot cream & gelatin mixture to your cold cream and yogurt mixture.
• Stir to combine and evenly pour in 8 (6-8 oz.) ramekins.
• Refrigerate until cold.  Once cooled, cover with plastic wrap and leave overnight.
• To serve, run a small knife around the edge of the ramekins and invert each ramekin onto a dessert plate.  (If you're having trouble, you can also dip the bottom of the ramekin in a little hot water.)  Top with strawberries or your topping of choice!

For the strawberry mixture, just tossed sliced strawberries with approximately 5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and surprisingly about 1/2 teaspoons of black pepper.  Let the strawberries sit for about 30 minutes to an hour, then serve alongside the Panna Cotta.

Now that I've tried this recipe, I want to try lots of different Panna Cotta variations.  I think that once you have the basic vanilla bean Panna Cotta recipe down, it will be easy to switch this recipe up.  I think next I want to try this delicious looking coffee version, perfect for after dinner!

Coffee Panna Cotta via Art and Lemons

Early Summer Steak Club

Over the weekend we had friends over Saturday night for Steak Club.  Everyone brought over different bottles of wine and their steaks, and JD and I just made an easy side dish and dessert.  When the weather finally cooled off and the sun went down, it was the perfect evening relaxing outside around the table for hours.



I made JD haul our dining room table out to our front porch.  I used herbs from Trader Joes as an easy centerpiece.  (I don't think it was quite like a table setting you'd see of Ina's, but it's a start!)

We set up a bar on the other side of the porch.  With cocktails we just had simple store bought appetizers - grapes, baked brie, crackers and spiced pecans.  Two friends brought over Rose wines, and everyone loved them with cocktails for a nice change!

Early Summer Steak Club Menu:

Steaks on the Grill with Provencal Butter

Roasted Fennel, Fingerling Potatoes, Haricot Verts and Asparagus with shaved Parmesan

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries

  

For the main course, JD cooked everyone's steak on the grill.  We served the steaks alongside lots of Provencal butter in case anyone wanted to doctor up their steaks. 

For the sides, I roasted fennel, potatoes, string beans and asparagus.  For 8 people, I used one fennel blub, 2 lbs of small potatoes, 1 1/2 lbs of string beans and 2 bunches of asparagus.  I chopped up the veggies that morning while I was waiting on my coffee to brew and later on in the day tossed them all with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Cook the potatoes and fennel on 425 for about 25 minutes, then add the asparagus and string beans to the same sheet pan and roast all the veggies for another 15 minutes.  When you pull the veggies out of the oven, shave a little fresh parmesan right on top.  I love this side dish because everything can be prepped and ready in advance.  You only have to toss them in the oven when your guests arrive.  And JD loves this side dish because he only has a sheet pan to clean when the party is over. :)

For dessert I knew I wanted something light because after steaks we would likely all be full!  We tried Ina's Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries and everyone LOVED it!  We'll share the recipe soon because it's one we'll be keeping.

Steak Club: French Bistro



If your friends are expecting the classic American steak and baked potato dinner for this months Steak Club, I think they'll be pleasantly surprised with this French Bistro twist.  Ina Garten's Steak Au Poivre is absolutely delicious, and it's less difficult than many versions.  If you're cooking for a smaller group, I would recommend cooking steaks on the stove top as described in her recipe.  If you're cooking for a large group, you can throw the steaks on the grill, and make the delicious steak au poivre demi glaze sauce on the stove to serve along side the steaks.  Along with the steaks I'd serve crisp, thin cut fries and a simple green salad, just as you would see in France.  We love Ellie Krieger's Garlic Fries.  The fries and salad dressing can be prepped and ready and advance, and then just pop the fries in the oven as guests arrive.  With dinner I would serve a good wine, but for pre dinner cocktails, classic Kir Royales would be delicious with a few store bought cheese straws.

~ Mary Keller

Steak image via Chantelle Grady; Oven Baked Fries image via Becoming Betty; French Green salad image via The Daily Meal; Kir Royale image via The Framed Table

Steak Club!





My parents really good friends belong to a "Steak Club."  They have a group of about 10 couples that meet one Friday night a month, and each couple takes turns hosting.  (At Christmas, all 10 couples throw in for a really nice catered steak party.  This club sounds very fancy and fun, huh?!)  On the menu is always steak.  Each month all couples bring their own beverages and steaks, and the hosts provide all the sides of their choosing.  I love this idea and for this first Steak Club we're sticking to updated versions of the classic steakhouse combination - steak, loaded baked potato and the classic iceberg wedge to go along with it!

This party is easy easy to host.  For the steaks, if you only have a small group, I highly recommend this Steakhouse Steaks method from Ina Garten.  This is hands down the best way I've tried cooking a steak for just a few people.  If you have a large group, fire up the grill and toss everyone's steak on the grill.  The sides can be preparred in advance.  Instead of traditional baked potatoes, serve fully loaded twice baked potatos.  You can serve the potatoes in their skin or in small gratin dishes.  Prepare the potatoes in advance, even freeze them the weekend before, and just sprinkle fresh cheese on as you pop them in the oven to reheat.  For your classic Iceberg Salad Wedge, add bacon, fresh crumbled blue cheese and tomatoes like this version from Katie Lee.  This entire salad can be chopped and assembled in advance, and just add the blue cheese crumbles and dressing before serving.

Even though this party is easily BYOB and Steaks, it would be fun to serve a twist on the classic Steakhouse Cosmopolitan as guests arrive.  Ina Garten's Pomegranate Cosmopolitan's are the perfect starter cocktail!  They're not syrupy or too sweet and they can be made ahead by the pitcher.  They're fresh and strong and just the way to get the party started!

Top image Steakhouse Steaks photograph by Quentin Bacon via Barefoot Contessa; Twice Baked Potatoes image via Food Network; Iceburg Lettuce Wedge image via Katie Lee at Home; Pomegranate Cosmo image by Bon Appetit