Let Them Eat Steak!

Since we have an extra mouth to feed while Johnnycake's father is our houseguest, we've had to get a little creative in "stretching" our meals to feed three instead of two. We have an extra mouth to feed, so to speak. We also had a few fresh vegetables in the fridge who's days were numbered in the freshness department, namely mushrooms and cauliflower. Lot's of talk of Philly Cheesesteaks prompted Johnnycakes and I to make homemade cheesesteaks using the Lauras Lean brand NY Strip steaks we had in the freezer. I also thought tonight would be a good night for the $6.00 asparagus. It would be a shame to see that go to waste.

Cooking was mainly a solo effort for me tonight because Johnnycakes had some maintenence tasks to tend to around the house. First, I cubed the meat into smaller pieces and seasoned the steak with a steak blend of herbs and spices. I chopped yellow onion and sauteed them with presliced white mushrooms. I eventually added the steak peices to the heat and cooked until pink inside. I also chopped fresh cauliflower which I cooked in a pot with butter (smart balance in our household). In an effort to duplicate a creamed cauliflower recipe of Johnnycake's aunt, I added milk and flour to the cauliflower once it was soft. Unfortunately, I burnt the cauliflower a bit because I did not add enough butter to the pan initally. This resulted in a brownish appearance for the cauliflower but gave it a wonderful smoky flavor! I boiled the $6.00 asparagus but in retrospect I should of steamed it because it turned out too soft and mushy. We piled the meat mixture over yummy rye bread and topped it with reduced fat Alpine Lace Swiss Cheese and toasted until melted. I added some greek salad dressing to the sandwich for extra flavor.

The result of all this hard work was a delicious meal which we enjoyed at our dining room table. These makeshift cheesesteaks might just become a Couple of Cooks regular feature!