Keep It Simple Dinner

I have been a bit under the weather, and I wanted to make a simple dinner for this evening. Tonight the fare is sirloin steaks, baked potatoes and steamed asparagus.

Take the steaks out about an hour before cooking, and season both sides with fresh ground salt and pepper.

Steak seasoned with fresh ground salt and pepper

My husband will be doing the grilling tonight. He says the steaks take 20 minutes.

Steaks midway through cooking on the grill

Scrub the potatoes and rub with a bit of oil and fresh ground salt.

Potato scrubbed, oiled and ground salt and pepper added

These will take 50 minutes or so to cook, so you will need to time the rest of the dinner. Turn the oven on to 375 degrees, and when the oven is ready, place the potatoes on a rack in the center for 25 minutes. Turn 1/2 way through the cooking time. Before removing from the oven test them to make sure that they are soft cooked.

Get the asparagus ready next. Wash them and then snap the stalk.

Bend the asparagus until

The asparagus snaps

Lay these in a steamer basket. When you are ready to steam these get your steamer going and cook until just crisp tender, about 6 – 8 minutes.

When the steaks are done, pull them off the grill and let them stand for 5 minutes. During this time, get those spuds ready by adding a bit of butter, and sour cream if you like. Lay the asparagus on the plate and lay on the steak!

Dinner is served!

Serve this dinner with a really good Bordeaux or try a Cabernet Sauvignon! Enjoy!

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Salt and Pepper

It was back in 1983 that I bought my first collectible salt and pepper shakers. I actually got two sets that day. Today my collection tops over 300. What!?! You ask? Most are usable and I definitely use them! Most are old and there are some newer ones too! At Christmas, I usually get a new set!

What I like about collecting these is that when I host a dinner, I pick a set of shakers that match the personality of who will be sitting at a particular spot. Now, I have a friend who can burn water in the kitchen, so this set is always her place setter!

Maxine

Who does not love “Maxine?”

Enjoy the photos of a part of my collection!

Main Part of the Collection

Do you see the Easter Shakers in the photo below?

See the Easter Shakers?

The set on the bottom right, glass, were dug out of a well by a friend in San Francisco!
The fellow in the top hat…

See the fellow in the top hat?

…his hat is one shaker and his head the other!
Everyone needs a little bit of kick ass, and here is one of mine!

Donkey with salt, pepper, oil and vinegar!

What do you collect?

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