Is this thing on?

Another post...another delay. Tis life with me. ;)

So whats new? Well...this isn't so new anymore...

Yup. Baby M will be arriving in April. We are thrilled and I've been prepping like crazy for his arrival! I am hard at work on the nursery (more on that later!) and trying to get in a good routine at work/home that will help us transition to a family of 3.

I really want to get more regular posting here so I always have this to look back at to document what we were up to. So whats been happening lately?

We subscribed to Blue Apron. A friend sent me my first week free and now, I'm hooked!

With the plan we have chosen, we get 3 meals for 2 people once a week. Our first week brought us Ribeye Steak for Two with Oyster Mushroom Potato Hash, Chicken Garlic Chive Meatballs with Quick Apple Brussel Sprout Kimchi and Spiced Catfish and Poblano Cheddar Grits with Collard Greens.

All three were very good but lets be real - not something I would have prepped and cooked on my own. I don't think I have ever bought catfish or oyster mushrooms and I have never made kimchi. I consider myself a good cook. I don't use a recipe for many things and can taste something when dining out and recreate it but I felt like I was cooking the same stuff over and over. This is forcing me to make new things and delivering them right to my door.

Out of the gate I expected the steak to be our favorite but it wasn't. I'm not a ribeye fan (too fatty for me) and I actually got a bad potato (Blue Apron promptly credited me $10 to my account) so the hash was lacking. The other two though? AMAZING. Matthew made the meatballs and they were great. The jasmine rice cooked up perfectly in perfect portion and the sauce for the meatballs was wonderful. Spicy and sweet and just thick enough to coat the meat without being gooey. The quick kimchi was the perfect fresh side and not heavy or fatty and full of mayo! The star for me were the poblano cheese grits! O. M. G. Spicy poblano paired with creamy cheesy grits with savory collards over the top and a seared piece of catfish. Southern girl heaven y'all! That dish and especially those grits are going in the regular rotation for sure.

All in all, I think the weekly delivery is going to force me into the kitchen and since all of the ingredients are fresh, I'll be guaranteed to cook because I won't let it go to waste. Stick around. Later this week I will be blogging my nursery inspiration board and a post about how I'm prepping to become a new mom including what I'm reading, watching and buying!

See y'all soon!

Coffee Crusted Sirloin Steak topped with Caramelized Onions over Creamy Mushroom Brown Rice

I love steak.  LOVE!  I could eat it every day.  I also love coffee.  Black.  Sweetened.  With Cream.  Hot.  Cold.  It doesn't matter.  I love it all.  So naturally, I love them together and I assure you that you will too.  I didn't get any pictures of the prep of this dish (Sorry!) but it is MUCH easier than the name implies.

Coffee Crusted Sirloin Steak topped with Caramelized Onions over Creamy Mushroom Rice 

1/2 pound Sirloin Steak (I have also done this with Filet.  I wouldn't recommend NY Strip or Ribeye as the fat on the edges will prevent the coffee crust from sticking)

1/3 cup Ground Coffee

1 t. Garlic Powder

3 t. Fresh Ground Black Pepper, divided

1 t. Crushed Red Pepper

4 t. Sea Salt, divided

1/2 Sweet Yellow Onion, sliced

2 T. Butter, divided

1 T. Olive Oil plus more for cooking

1 1/2 cups Minute Brown Rice

1 1/2 Cups Low Sodium Beef Broth

1/2-3/4 cup Cream of Mushroom Soup

(I wish I had pictures for the play by play but I don't.  I'll have to make this again soon and get some pictures for you!)

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Combine the coffee, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, and 1 t. each sea salt and pepper.  Pat your steak dry with paper towels.  Coat the edges of your steak with the coffee mixture and put it in the fridge to chill.  

While the steak is chilling, saute the sliced onion in 1 T butter and 1 t sea salt in an over safe skillet.  Cook over low heat until the onions are golden brown and sweet, about 10 minutes.  Bring 1 1/2 cups beef broth to a boil and then stir in rice and remove from heat.  When onions are golden brown, transfer them to a bowl and add the remaining butter and 1 T olive oil to the pan.  

Remove steak from the refrigerator and sprinkle one side with 1 t each sea salt and pepper.  Place seasoned side down in pan and sear for 2 minutes.  Season the uncooked side with remaining sea salt and black pepper.  Flip your steak and transfer the pan to the oven.  The cooking time will depend on the thickness of your steak and your preferred steak temperature.  We prefer ours Medium Rare and tonights sirloin was about 1/2 inch thick.  It cooked for about 8 minutes in the oven.  

While finishing the steak, stir 1/2-3/4 cup of Cream of Mushroom soup into your rice.  I always get compliments on this rice and how good it is and it could not be easier.  You may need more or less soup depending on how creamy you want you rice and how much liquid is remaining after cooking the rice.

After your streak reaches your desired internal temperature, let it rest on a cutting board while you place a scoop of Creamy Mushroom Rice on each plate.  Slice your Coffee Crusted Sirloin Steak against the grain and arrange on top of your rice.  Top the steak with Caramelized Onions and garnish with dried chives or parsley.

This meal gets rave reviews from my boyfriend every time I make it.  He always cleans his plate as does anyone else I am serving.  The richness of the coffee with the meaty steak paired with the creamy rice and sweet onions is a great flavor combination.  I like mine with a lighter red wine to balance out the rich red meat.  Lately, I have been a huge fan of this Apothic Red wine.  It's a good balance of dry and light and perfect for summer.

Enjoy your steak and invite some friends over to show off your fancy dish tonight!