Hot Stuff Is Blooming!

Just a few random pics from the front yard for ya today.

This dahlia is called 'Hot Stuff'.

I bought this crocosmia a couple years ago.

According to the tag, it's called 'Canary'.  

I think the tag lied.

The echinacea is in full bloom.

The 'Autumn Joy' sedum is just starting to show color.

I call this my "Tina Rose" because of who gave it to me.

I have no idea what its real name is.

This ivy geranium came back from last year.

It hangs on the front porch.

That's it for now.
The Kid is off school clothes shopping with my mom and my BIL came and picked up The Girl for a special cousin outing at Chuck E. Cheese.
She's never been, so I'm sure they're having a blast.
The best part is, Baby is sleeping.
The house is quiet.
I can't remember the last time that happened.
I have dishes to wash and laundry to fold, but I don't want to waste my good fortune on chores.
Think I'll go sit on the deck with a magazine and just be.

BLT Steak

I sort of posted this recipe last year.  I had made it for a friend's birthday dinner and included it, among other things, in one of my very first posts, but the pictures were awful.  I'm a visual person, so thought I'd try to get some better ones this time around.  For whatever reason, tomatoes, meat, and bacon are a tough thing to photograph for me, but I think they turned out better than the dungeon-like photos in the first post.  And this meal is too good to pass up just because bad pictures aren't sellin' it.

I've had this recipe forever.  I have no idea where it originally came from, but I've been making it for years.  It isn't really even a recipe, just a combo you can throw together for somethin' different on steak night.  You could even slice up the meat and make it a big salad, rather than making the sides to go with it.  Although, it's kinda hard to pass up an excuse to eat garlic mashed potatoes smothered in a balsamic reduction.  For me anyway.

Here's what you need:

Steak
Tomatoes
Bacon
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Mixed Greens

Here's what you do:

Season the steaks the way you like 'em.  I always use McCormick's Steak Seasoning and garlic powder.

Grill 'em up, or cook them however you normally would.

Meanwhile, fry up enough bacon for however many people you're serving.  I like two pieces per person.  I prefer to par cook it ahead of time, that way when the steaks go on the grill, I know the rest of the dish is only a few minutes out.

Reserve a tablespoon or two of the bacon grease and dump in 1/2 cup of balsamic vinaigrette per two servings.  Let it thicken up just a bit.  It goes fast, so if it's too thick, just pull it off the heat and add a bit more to thin it out.

To serve, pile up some mixed greens on your plate.  I added some arugula this time 'cause I had it.  Set your steak on top and pile on sliced tomatoes and bacon.  If I have it, I use fresh basil leaves too.  I picked some purple from the garden this time around.  I've also added avocado before, as well.  Once you've got everything on the plate, drizzle that yummy balsamic goodness all over everything and dig in.

We had ours with garlic mashed potatoes and naan bread.

Here's dinner on my plate:

Even The Dad thought we should try it as a salad next time around.  

And suggested the addition of blue cheese.

Who am I to argue with adding cheese?!

The little peanut was wishin' she had some more teeth to tear into mom's steak too.

Is anyone watching the show NY MED?

Tuesday and Wenesday nights at 10:00 on ABC in my neck of the woods.

Every episode makes you thankful.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cups

You're welcome.  Trust me, you'll be thanking me later.

This is another Pinterest find.  I've had the recipe printed and sitting in my kitchen, just waiting for an excuse to make them.  Last Friday, we had dinner at my sister's.  Excuse found.

The original recipe uses graham crackers in the crust.  I almost cried when I realized I didn't have any.  But, you know me, where there's a will, there's a way.  I used ground up Oreos instead.  The color contrast isn't as pretty as it is in the originals, but that certainly didn't stop us from eating them.  I put graham crackers on my grocery list for round two.  :o)

Also, I almost always read the comments in a recipe post and this time I'm glad I did.  It was mentioned several times that the chocolate wasn't setting up for people, so they cut the amount of milk in half.  I followed the suggestion and mine set up perfectly.

I made them in my mini muffin tins and got 18 out of the recipe, rather than 8 large ones.

Here's heaven on the plate:

Unwrapped and ready for consumption.

Hello, glistening sea salt.

I know, people, I know.