Eatables

The other day as I was sitting in my car listening to Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata,” I was contemplating the biggest mystery of life–what’s for dinner?

I was eating alone and figured I’d eat some leftovers. I scanned the fridge to find some leftover pizza, a hamburger, and a half empty jar of Alfredo sauce. I was thinking I could use the Alfredo sauce for something, but since I was eating alone I didn’t want to make such a big hoopla.

Oh well, I pulled out the sauce, grabbed a thawed piece of chicken, and made some Cajun spices. My end product was Cajun blackened chicken Alfredo fettuccine with asparagus, whew. Okay, this dish was so delicious, it was definitely worth the hoopla!

In the end, I decided that even though I was only cooking for one, food should always taste great (or at least, when it’s in your power to make it so), regardless of who you’re serving. Just because I wasn’t making dinner for others doesn’t mean I can’t treat myself to a little delish dish of my own.

Prep: >5 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp. paprika
• 1 tbsp. onion powder
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp. white pepper
• 1 tbsp. black pepper
• 1 tbsp. ground oregano
• 1 tbsp. ground thyme
• 1 tbsp. table salt

Steps

1. Cajun rub is so versatile and tastes great on many different kinds of meat (salmon, steak, chicken, shrimp, etc.).
2. Just rub the meat with a little oil or butter and sprinkle the Cajun spice according to how spicy you want it.
3. Put it on the grill, in a skillet, or in the stove, and voila, yummy deliciousness!

My husband and I occasionally like to eat at Rock Bottom Brewery where they have these delicious garlic stuff steaks. Since I can’t afford to eat out all the time, I wanted to try and make it at home. And ya’know what? It tasted even better than the restaurant!

I always purchase my beef from Wild Oats Natural Marketplace. They have all-natural meat without antibiotics, artificial hormones or growth-promoting drugs. I highly recommend purchasing organic meat from such stores or your local butcher. It’s much better quality meat and it definitely tastes better.

Personally, I am a garlic lover! I must have got it from my dad, heh. But that’s a good thing! Garlic tastes great and it is quite good for you too! It gives a nice sweet punch to the steaks. I’m also a pepper lover too, so this recipe has a little extra added to it.

Prep: 15 minutes
Outdoor Grill: 25-30 minutes
Indoor Grill: 8-10 minutes
Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 whole garlic bulbs
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoons peppercorns, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 (8 oz.) top sirloin steaks, 1 inch thick

Steps

1. Put spices on steaks and message into the meat with your fingers.
2. Make a slit in each steak. Cut garlic bulbs in half and insert into slit in steak.
3. Since it is the middle of winter, I used my George Forman grill for these steaks. It took about 8 minutes to reach medium. I like my steak a little more cooked, so I left them on for a couple of extra minutes. On a grill it would take around 18 to 22 minutes to reach medium.