You go, grill!

Ladies, I almost blew it this weekend. (And guys, you'll know why in two seconds.) I asked my husband if I could cook the steak. Not because I don't like it when he grills it, but because I pinned a new method and I wanted desperately to try it.

He was kind enough to let me... and words cannot describe the deliciousness. Y'all, there is a reason that none of the high end steakhouses grill their steaks. And. this. is. it.

Oh. And your house will smell HEAVENLY.

Restaurant-Style Steak

Adapted from Whit's Amuse Bouche

Ingredients

• 2 6-8 ounce filet mignons
• 6 tablespoons salted butter, softened and divided
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400*.
• Make compound butter by mixing three tablespoons of softened butter with garlic, parsley, thyme and lemon zest.
• Shape into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• Generously season filets with salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon each per side.
• Heat remainder of butter and olive oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat.
• Sear filets, 2-3 minutes per side, spooning butter over filets as they cook.
• Transfer skillet (filets and all) to the oven and cook 6-8 minutes more for medium rare.
• Remove skillet from oven and each filet with a pat of compound butter.
• Serve immediately.

I don't know about you, but because of this recipe... we're about to starting eat more beef in this house. Please don't tell the Chick-fil-A Cows! : )

Salmon "Steaks"

If Spencer had his way, we'd have steak every night of the week.  But sadly, neither our budget nor our waistlines can handle that.  So we eat a lot of chicken.  But the more ways I can find to prepare things other than steak and chicken... the better.

Up until recently, Brown Sugar Citrus Glazed Salmon was pretty much the only way I knew how to prepare fish. { Scales, eyes, potential stench... I'm still kind of scared of the little creatures. } But in perusing the blogosphere, I came across Pan Seared Salmon Steakettes over at Kevin & Amanda.  Easy and delicious.  My kind of meal!

If you don't follow Amanda, I highly recommend it.  She makes adorable fonts { and gives them away free! }, takes beautiful pictures and clearly posts good recipes.  And she lives right here in the south, to boot.  Amanda even re-tweeted me once.  She'd gone to see Water for Elephants and I told her about hanging out with Tai the elephant.  She seems like the kind of person I'd want to be friends with.. : )

Anyway, the salmon.  Enjoy!

Salmon "Steaks"

Ingredients

• 2 salmon fillets { I go for the skinless variety }
• Dale's Steak Seasoning or soy sauce
• Weber Steak 'N Chop Seasoning or other dry steak seasoning
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter

Equipment

• Shallow container or plastic bag for marinating
• Large, heavy skillet

Instructions

• In plastic bag or shallow dish, marinate fillets in Dale's for at least 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

• Warm skillet over high heat.
• Season both sides of each fillet with Weber seasoning and pepper.

• When skillet is hot, add oil and butter.  Heat until butter is melted and reduce to medium-high.
• Add fillets to skillet and cook until the lower portion of meat is opaque { about 5 minutes }.

• Turn fillets and continue to cook another 3-5 minutes until desired doneness is reached.

• Serve and enjoy!

{ And yes, I think that's The Office on TV in the background.  Told you this was a good weeknight dinner! }