Outback Steakhouse's Steak Seasoning

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Onion powder *
1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper **
1 dash Coriander
1 dash Turmeric ***

* I didn't have onion powder so I just took dried chopped onion and ground it to a powder.

** I didn't have cayenne pepper so I used chili powder instead and halfed it.

*** I didn't have turmeric, so I didn't substitute it at all.

Recipe:
1. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.
2. To prepare steaks with this seasoning: Preheat a flat grill or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle some of the seasoning blend over both sides of each cut of beef. *
3. Grill the steaks on each side to your desired level of doneness. Be sure to use tongs to sear all the edges of each steak to a rich brown color. **

* I rubbed each side of the steak with olive oil and then srinkled the seasoning. I then seared the meat on both sides for 1-2 minutes.

** I actually cooked the steaks in the oven after searing them. The oven was at 500 and I had them in for about 5 minutes.

Rating: 4.75 of 5

Yeah, they were that good. So good, we almost didn't use A1 sauce.

Source: http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/164169/outback-steakhouses-steak-seasoning

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
8 medium russet potatoes (about 4 pounds)
1 head peeled garlic cloves (about 15)
Coarse salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cut into small pieces

Directions:
1. Peel potatoes and quarter lengthwise; cut crosswise 1/2 inch thick.

2. In a 5-quart saucepan, combine potatoes and garlic cloves; cover with water (about 8 cups) by 1 inch. Add 1 tablespoon salt.
3. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Drain; return garlic and potatoes to pan. Stir over medium-high heat until dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. In a small saucepan, bring milk to a boil; pour over potatoes. Add butter and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mash until smooth and creamy.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

I liked these mashed potatoes. I didn't put enough garlic in so that taste wasn't stong, which was too bad. I'll have to add everything next time.

Source: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/garlic-mashed-potatoes-2?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/quick-potato-side-dish-recipes#slide_1

Garlicky Roasted Asapargus

Ingredients:
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss asparagus with oil and garlic; season with salt and pepper.

3.Roast until tender and browned in spots, 15 to 18 minutes.

4. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

I love asparagus, so there's really no way that it could have turned out poorly. It was a good recipe, but not the perfect recipe that I have imagined in my mind. I guess I'll still have to hunt for that one.

Source: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/garlicky-roasted-asparagus?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/quick-vegetable-side-dish-recipes#slide_1

Chicken Corn Quesadillas

Now that I am back in town, I decided to get creative and have an experiment night tonight.

Ingredients:

1 can corn, drained

1 cooked chicken breast, shredded

1 shake of coriander seed

a small handful of dried chopped onion

a small drizzle of olive oil

shredded chedder and mozzerella cheese

tortillas

Recipe:

1. Combine corn, chicken, coriander, onion, and olive oil in a saucepan and sautee. Some pieces of the corn should be browned, but not too much.

2. Thrown the corn-chicken mix and cheese between two tortillas in a pan. Cook until cheese is melted to make a quesadilla.

Rating: 4 of 5

I was loving this tonight. It's got good flavor, thanks to the onion, and is just sweet enough, thanks to the olive oil. I felt so, so, so stuffed after eating a whole one of these. I'll have to see how LaDon likes it when he's around. Ally liked the corn and chicken mixture so that is always a plus!! I'm thinkin' next time I'll make some kind of green chili sauce or some kind of tomatillo sauce to dip in or serve over it.....that could be good.