:the smith family:: March 2010

I am not one to post recipes often...but I thought, why not!

The way to my hubbies heart is meat and potatoes. I found three new recipes on The Pioneer Woman's Blog (that I had all the ingredients for in my freezer, fridge and pantry...score!). Jon enjoyed them all. If you have a meat and potato lovin' man to cook for these recipes are worth a try!

(I have tried again and again to put the link to the site on my blog, but can't. So here is the link to The blog: http://thepioneerwoman.com/ And here are the recipes (that you can find on her blog with step by step directions and pictures on how to cook):

Menu:
Bacon Onion Cheddar Biscuits
Grilled Marinated Flank Steak
Roasted Asparagus
Perfect Potatoes au Gratin
Desert: Honey Bun Cake (a cinnabon in cake form) -thanks to Kristen & Ritta Hover!

Bacon Onion Cheddar Biscuits

* 2 cups All-purpose Flour
* 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
* ¾ teaspoons Salt
* ¼ cups Vegetable Shortening (crisco, Etc)
* 10 Tablespoons Milk (whole Milk Is Best)
* 4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
* 1 whole Egg
* 10 slices Thick Cut Bacon, Fried And Crumbled
* 1 cup Finely Diced Onion
* 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut in shortening until all combined.

Combine milk, oil, and egg in a separate bowl. Whisk together.

Combine flour mixture, milk mixture, bacon, onions, and cheddar cheese in a large bowl. Stir gently until all combined.

Spoon batter into greased muffin tins. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes on 375 degrees until golden Remove from pan and serve warm.

Marinated Flank Steak

* ½ cups Soy Sauce
* ½ cups Cooking Sherry
* 3 Tablespoons Honey
* 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
* 2 Tablespoons (heaping) Minced Ginger
* 3 cloves (to 5 Cloves) Minced Garlic
* ½ teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
* 1 whole Flank Steak

Perfect Potatoes au Gratin

* 4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean
* 2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
* 1-½ cup Heavy Cream
* ½ cups Whole Milk
* 2 Tablespoons Flour
* 4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
* 1 teaspoon Salt
* Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
* 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Grated

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Smear softened butter all over the bottom of a baking dish.

Slice potatoes, then cut slices into fourths.

In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes.

Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and really bubbling. Add grated cheese to the top of the potatoes and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Honey Bun Cake
Cake:
Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
1 package (18.25-ounce) plain yellow cake mix
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
Filling:
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
Sugar glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Set the pan aside.

Place the cake mix, sour cream, oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the spatula.

Add the filling. Drizzle the honey on top of the batter, then sprinkle on the brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans, if desired. With a dinner knife, swirl through these ingredients to blend slightly. Place the pan in the oven.

Bake the cake until is it golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 38 to 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool while you prepare the glaze.

For the glaze, place the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla in a small mixing bowl and stir until the mixture is well combined. Pour the glaze over the top of the hot cake in the pan, spreading it to the sides with a spoon. Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes more before cutting it into squares and serving warm.

Today is Jon's birthday. We had a lot of fun celebrating as a family tonight. Last week Carson and I began to make a Happy Birthday Banner for Jon. It was Carson's idea to draw a beach theme (since Dada loves the beach and surfing so much). This banner drove the theme of our celebrations tonight. We decided to have a Smith Family Luau. Before Jon got home from work we decorated the house as tacky as possible. We then got dressed in our best summer attire. We greeted Jon when he got home with a lei! I took out this blow-up ball pit that we have to play with which turned into a big game of hide and seek (or find Dada hiding under the pit). It was a wonderful night!
Dada- we love you more than words can say and we thank God for the AMAZING gift that you are to all of us.

Our beautiful decorations: