Baked Steak to Fight the Winter Doldrums

If you've been hanging around the Cafe for the last week or so, I think you've noticed that all of us have been suffering from some aspect of the late winter doldrums. From East to West, from North to South, we're getting over colds, dealing with more and more snow, or ice, or just the winter blahs.

But I think we're over the hurdle - dirty snow banks notwithstanding.

Because SPRING has finally come to the Black Hills.

So we're kicking sickness and doldrums to the curb, opening up the windows, and letting the fresh air in.

We drove up into the Hills on Saturday, to what some people consider the Jewel of the Hills: Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park. If the granite walls look familiar, you might recognize this area as part of the scenery in the movie, "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," with Nicolas Cage.

Whether there really is treasure in those Hills or not (I think not), it's a beautiful place.

Even the geese think so! And look who else we spied! The Western Bluebirds are back from their winter in the south!

We found two of the beauties searching for food on the ice. Now we know it's truly Spring!

To celebrate the end of winter/beginning of spring/end of the crud that's had me down the past couple weeks, I decided to hunt up a new comfort food recipe.

There's really nothing more comforting than a retro, throw-back to the 20th century, meat and potatoes meal.

Baked Steak

serves two 
ingredients:

two steaks - round steak works best, I had rib-eye on hand

1/4 cup flour

salt & pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons oil (I used one Tablespoon each of coconut oil and butter)

2-3 cups beef stock

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1 small onion, sliced

Preheat your oven to 375°.

In a Dutch Oven, or other large pan that will go into your oven, heat the oil.

Mix the flour, salt and pepper together and dredge the steaks in it. Place the steaks in the pan in the hot oil and brown both sides.

Remove the steaks, and pour in part of the beef broth and bring to a boil. Scrape the yummy bits off the bottom of the pan as the broth is heating and mix them in. 

Add the Worcestershire sauce, more broth, and half of the sliced onions.

Layer the browned steaks on top of the onions, add the rest of the sliced onions, and the rest of the broth.

Cover and bake at 375° for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Cook some potatoes in your favorite way - I quartered and boiled some red potatoes and seasoned them with salt, pepper, and butter.

Serve with a big salad, and maybe some homemade bread, if you have any. 

It was a delicious meal for a cold and rainy early spring evening. 

What is your favorite way to push through the winter doldrums?

Jan Drexler loves her family, her home, cooking and just about anything made by hand. But she loves her Lord most of all.

Stop by Jan's website to learn more about her books: www.JanDrexler.com

Need a Spring Break?

Last week we had the mother of all crazy snow and ice storms. This week, the temp was in the 70s. Welcome to North Carolina. Ever since I moved here, there has always been a week in the middle of winter that looks like spring, feels like spring and provides a welcome break from winter. Back in my college days, the girls (including moi) would put on our bathing suits and go down to "Tucker Beach", a green square in the midst of the guys' dorms. We'd work on our tans, attract wolf whistles from the guys looking out their windows, and play volleyball. Yes, ManO was one of those looking. No, you aren't getting pictures.

The problem is that warm weather is just a tease. Trees blossom, daffodils appear and then comes the wicked winter again. This year, I decided if my Spring Break outside wasn't going to last, I would at least make Spring come a little early inside the house and, more importantly, inside my soul.

Before with "iced" branches and a snowman. After with my garden baskets and hydrangeas.

Someone on Facebook mentioned people need to stop singing "Let It Go" from the movie Frozen, that every time they do so, the weather turns winter stormy again. That is what got me thinking I needed to put away my winter decor. No snow men, no snow paintings (Man O and I are big aficionados of any painting with snow), no winter quilts.  Let go of winter and bring on all things floral!

The frozen barnyard was put away and I am looking for a painting like this award winner from the State Fair. Lots of flowers AND wonderful characters!

My spring watercolors are out. Some vases are filled with forsythia and pussy willows, giving a nod to the earliest of Spring's pretties. (My mother was a floral arranger of the highest order but I think she would approve of my high quality silk flowers to brighten things.) Pinks, blues, yellows, lavenders are coming out of closets.     

I visit Springtime, thanks to my trip to Monet's garden in Giverney in April years back. If you don't have your own pics, Google and visit, especially Butchart Gardens in Canada.

It looks like Monet's painting because it is Monet's garden. One of the best trips I've had...Paris and Giverney in April!

 

 

 

 

That gives me a boost to plan my own garden. Got to be inspired to think green with gray out there.

Notice I haven't led with food suggestions. When it comes to meals, this is the worst time of year for me. I am tired of winter stews. The farmers' market hasn't really started producing, still a few weeks to go. So I do what I refuse do the rest of the year. I buy "out of season," i.e. I get spring veggies from far away where the growing season is topsy turvy or there are no seasons, just growing season. I ignore the cost. I pretend it's already Easter. Asparagus, strawberries, new potatoes, and spinach salad appear on the table. I make deviled eggs. One meal and leftovers and I'm over the hump. I know I can survive til REAL Spring comes along.

Note: if you find these teeny tiny Simply potatoes in your grocer, get them. They're divine.

So what about you? Do you have a meal that reminds you of spring or signifies it's finally arrived? Do you rearrange or change your decor ahead of seasons? What says Spring to you? Is it daffodils, the arrival of certain birds or the temperature finally being above freezing?