grilled strip steak w/ gorgonzola chive compound butter with puree'd cauliflower and green beans and a tip

i work about 36 miles from my home and with traffic it can sometimes take awhile to get home.. but i don't like boxed meals, frozen  meals or take out not on the week nights.. i believe in home cooked meals and sitting down as a family (which alot of times doesn't happen but the meal is there and gets eaten in shifts) so i plan my meals.. i mean i plan what will be cut, sauteed, made, etc.. when and where on my counter i will do it.. my mom calls me uber organized.. i don't like curve balls but when it happens i can deal with it i just don't like them.. ha since i live so far from work.. i love to listen to books on tape but also on the way home i plan my meal prep.. so i hit the door running.. pete has to be up by 2:00 a.m., so dinner has to be on the table preferably by 7:00.. so my plan for tonight was make the compound butter (which i thought was amazing and shell literally gagged ha) get it in the fridge.. get the steaks on the chopping board to get the chill off and get the olive oil and seasonings on while the grill heated up (and did I mention we cooked these over apple wood? umm hello it's wonderful we had our apple tree trimmed and pete made sure the landscarper left the branches).. steam the green beans.. while they are steaming cut the bacon get it cooking.. while it cooked i chopped the cauliflower.. then shredded the cheese for the puree.. there was alot to do.. but worth it.. i usually don't sit down until dinner is eaten.. i LOVE it!!  tonight's dinner was inspired by this recipe...

strip steaks

prep time: 30 minutes

cooking time: 12-14 minutes
servings: 4

ingredients:

4 strip steaks
1 to 2 tbls. olive oil
salt and pepper
4 tbls. gorgonzola scallion butter (recipe below)

rub steaks with olive oil, salt and pepper set aside for 20-30 minutes while grill heats up.  prepare your charcoal or gas grill to a medium/hot temp.  grill each side for 5-6 minutes for rare or 6-7 for medium-rare.. brush streaks with a little more olive oil after they are turned.. place a pat of the compound butter on each steak as soon as it comes off the grill.. let the meat rest a few minutes before serving..

compound butter

prep time: 10 minutes

ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
4 oz. gorgonzola, cheese, crumbled at room temp.
1/4 cup chopped chives
1 tsp. coarsely ground fresh black pepper
1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar (this makes the butter it's amazing)

in a mini food processor blend butter and cheese until smooth then add the remainder of the ingredients and blend for about a minute longer until incorporated.  lay a piece of plastic wrap on the counter top, scrape the butter into onto the plastic wrap and using the plastic wrap as your guide form the butter into a log.. fold the ends closed and put in the fridge until ready to use..


green beans

prep time: 10 minutes

cooking time: 30 minutes
servings: 4

ingredients:

2 cups fresh greens beans (shell announced she likes it better with canned)
2 slices of bacon
1 tblsp. of left over tomato i make for eggs (we had it yesterday for breakfast) candy tomato sauce
salt and pepper

steam the fresh green beans.. while that is happening cook 2 slices of bacon.. when the bacon is cooked but not crispy add your green beans.. cook until slightly blistered.. then add a the tomato, salt and pepper.. sooooo good..

cauliflower puree

1 head of cauliflower
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
1 tblsp. creamed cheese
pat of butter
salt and pepper to taste

remove the green part and stem of the cauliflower.. chop and boil in water until tender.. drain then add to your food processor then add the cheese, creamed cheese, salt and pepper.. pulse until creamy.. put into a serving bowl and a pat of butter.