Flank Steak Face Off

I'm surfing the no carb wave and am always excited to prepare food I can enjoy WITH my family and friends rather than make two meals. Go figure. One tried and true recipe my parents always made was for Flank Steak and while at Sam's Club earlier in the week, I picked up some flank steak knowing we had friends coming for dinner Sunday night (dangerously close to the end of my son's lacrosse game). The package I purchased had twice as much meat in it as the recipe called for. Brave (and confident our friends are good enough friends I could try something new on them), I decided to make two flank steak recipes. The family favorite from Colorado Cache Cookbook and then a new one I invented right then and there! Here are the two recipes, which are SO easy you won't believe it.

Marinated Grilled Flank Steak
Colorado Cache Cookbook

• juice of 1 lemon


• 1/2 c soy sauce (I only had 1/4c)


• 1/4c or more dry red wine (OF COURSE I had enough so I used 1/2c to adjust for less soy sauce)


• 3T vegetable oil


• 2T Worcestershire sauce


• 1 large clove garlic sliced (I used 3 and coarsely chopped them)


• pepper to taste


• chopped green onion or chives (optional- I didn't have either)


• chopped dill (optional- I used a pinch of dried dill)


• celery seed (optional- I used a pinch)


• 1 1/2lb flank steak

Combine all ingredients in a ziploc bag (use two). Marinate all day or overnight. Heat grill and cook 5-6 minutes per side for medium rare. Make sure to slice meat diagonal across the grain and serve.

Austin's Spicy Asian Flank Steak

• 1/2c thai chili garlic paste


• 1/4c rice vinegar


• 1/4c olive oil


• 1T ginger powder


• 1 3/4T toasted sesame oil


• 3 large cloves garlic chopped

Combine all ingredients in a ziploc bag (use two). Marinate all day or overnights. Heat grill and cook 5-6 minutes per side for medium rare. Make sure to slice meat diagonal across the grain and serve.

The consensus in our kitchen was the new recipe won. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT!! Try them out and you let me know which one wins at your house!

Paparazzi Pizza

972.820.8686
Northwest corner of Josey & Keller Springs

Do you think living somewhere for four years make you a local? What about three and a half years in the late nineties and then four years now? Enough with the local babble, the reason I ask is because the term "local spot" always conjures up an intimate, under the radar eatery far from the chain infested ways of Belt Line road. Good news for you, local or not, I have found one! If you travel a little West of Far North Dallas on Keller Springs Road, you will stumble upon a fabulous family owned restaurant called PAPARAZZI PIZZA.

You will be welcomed by George & Dasha Kadado, a wonderful couple who make you feel right at home. Whether you enjoy some of their Mediterranean fare or one of their gourmet pizzas, you will not be disappointed. For those health gurus out there, you will be elated to know that Paparazzi works with only fresh, never frozen, ingredients. If all of that wasn't enough, be prepared to be whisked away to Europe with one of the FOUR languages they speak. Whether it's date night or a quick family dinner stop, PAPARAZZI PIZZA will leave the entire crew with happy and full tummies.

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Barefoot in Paris

Ina Garten

Ah, a new dish for the repertoire. The first time I attempted this, it was SO time consuming that my note in the cookbook says, "Fabulous, NOT a week night dish." Not one to be discouraged, I decided to try this again, my way. So, the recipe below is my version (Housewife friendly), adapted slightly from the ever amazing Ina Garten.

• 40 cloves peeled garlic (Sam's/Costco is your best friend now when purchasing the giant tub-o-peeled-fresh-garlic)


• 3-4lbs chicken (pick your poison here, I used thighs with skin but whatever your family likes as long as it's bone in and skin on)


• Salt


• Freshly ground Pepper


• 2 tablespoons unsalted Butter


• 3 tablespoons Sherry, divided


• 1 1/2 cups Dry White Wine (Leftover Pinot Grigio anyone? Cheers!)


• 2 tablespoons flour


• 2 tablespoons heavy/whipping cream

Dry chicken and season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter in a large pot over medium/high heat. In batches if necessary, saute the chicken, skin side down, until nicely browned, about 3-5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs careful not to pierce the skin. When all chicken is done, place on plate.

Add all garlic to the pot, lower heat and saute for 5-10 minutes, turning often until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Sherry and all of the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices, cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Sherry and the cream and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce and garlic over the chicken and serve hot. (Goes great over rice, pasta, potatoes...)

The Mansion

15 minutes from home but a world away.
http://www.mansiononturtlecreek.com/

Being spoiled by a husband who works so tirelessly and is such a true partner in marriage and parenting almost makes one feel guilty about gifts and surprises. Almost. Now when a surprise is a night away with a girlfriend, how can you even begin to repay such generosity? We will leave that response to another post entirely. This is a time to focus on the surprise, the gift, the amazing night away. If you have not had the sheer pleasure of staying at THE MANSION ON TURTLE CREEK, please take notice. To appreciate its elegance, you must immerse yourself in it. Do not assume it is out of reach (keep reading, you know you want to).

There are a plethora of hotels throughout the world claiming to be luxury. If you've visited any, you know that while the rooms, and sometimes the property in its entirety, are blase and predictable, a truly luxurious hotel sets itself apart through amenities and service. Two things The Mansion knows a lot about. From the moment you arrive, little details hint to a wondrous world of well, fabulous. Bakery cookies, fresh peaches, and iced hazelnut lattes while checking in; a surprise knock on the door with chocolate covered strawberries and herbal iced tea brought to the room to celebrate your birthday; sincere smiles and genuine interest from the staff tell you that not only are you somewhere special, but the team at The Mansion thinks YOU are special. That's their job.

If, as a housewife, you've ever been given the second class-standard room booked-no husband with you type of brush off from high end establishments, you will be refreshed to know such ridiculousness does not exist at The Mansion. My girlfriend (who happens to be 8 months pregnant) and I were treated as if we had reserved the Presidential Suite and at any moment our famous high rolling husbands (only in our own minds) would be arriving as well.

So, if you are lucky enough to have a Happy Husband who spoils you as I do, don't forget to look these people up for a special occasion. Even if it's a Wednesday and you just need to create a special occasion. Call The Mansion and speak to their in house reservations department. It's like they've been waiting for you to call all day and with the affordable packages they have available, you will wish you had called earlier.

My job as a housewife is only glorified and appreciated by the people I do it for, my husband and my children. With a night away like this, I am rejuvenated and refreshed to spoil my boys every day of the week.