Wednesday, November 12, 2008

What's For Dinner...

Tonight was a special occasion and I decided to celebrate by cooking a fairly fancy dinner.  I made sirloin steaks that were pan-seared and then roasted in the oven with lots of butter, garlic, caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms.  On the side was a simple bell pepper salad, which consisted of sliced bell peppers dressed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and some sugar.  I also whipped up some garlic and cheddar mashed potatoes.  The meal was paired with a pinot noir from a great little winery called, The Thirsty Owl Wine Company.  Not only is their wine good, but they've got a GREAT mascot!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

What was the special occasion? Do you actually end up cooking dinner for yourself as well, or only when you have friends over at your place? I find it very satisfying to have a dinner celebration just for myself once in a while.
Nicki

Lorelei Eurto said...

I love Thirsty Owl wine! It's one of my favorites! I love how all the different flavors feature a different species of owl on the labels. Awesome.
Wish I was there to help you finish it off! ;)
congrats on the celebration- whatever it was.

Round Rabbit said...

Yum!

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Nicki,

The celebration was another anniversary. I hardly ever used to have time to cook. Now I've got a little bit more freedom and am enjoying it. Meals that I make for myself are usually much more basic and simple. However, when I'm cooking for someone else, I try to make things a little more elaborate.

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Lori!

We've got a case. So anytime you want to stop on by, we'll open a bottle!

Unknown said...

You are as Intregueing as your Sis Andrew...majic with some spice flavor!
J xx

lorrwill said...

What kind of pan do you use? My balsamic glaze made a holy mess of my favourite cast iron pan last night.

(now i have to do some serious scrubbing and re-seasoning. yippee)

Andrew Thornton said...

Eek! That's a shame about the pan. I use either a cast-iron skillet or a non-stick pan. With searing, I also use a generous spraying of Pam. Pam has a higher burning temperature than butter does, so it doesn't smoke up the apartment quite as much either.

Did you try deglazing the pan and soaking it? That'll save on elbow grease. And seasoning pans isn't so bad - just a couple of extra minutes. But I know what you mean, it must have been a pain indeed!