Amazing Dinner

I made the most amazing dinner from Pioneer Woman this weekend.

I started with the Grilled Ribeye with Onion-Blue Cheese Sauce.

Ingredients
•2 whole Ribeye Steaks
•2 Tablespoons Butter
•Salt
•Pepper
•4 Tablespoons Butter
•1 whole Very Large Yellow Onion, Sliced
•1 cup Heavy Cream
•½ cups Crumbled Blue Cheese

Preparation Instructions
Salt and pepper both sides of the steaks. Grill in 2 tablespoons butter until medium rare.

Saute onions in 4 tablespoons butter over high heat. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until dark and caramelized. Reduce heat to simmer and pour in cream. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until reduced by half. Stir in blue cheese until melted. Serve steaks on generous portion of sauce.

Then Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
•5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes
•¾ cups Butter
•1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened*
•½ cups (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half
•½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry's Seasoned Salt
•½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions
Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.
Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.
Turn off the stove and add 1 ½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add about ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper.
Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.
Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.

and finally Texas Sheet Cake

Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
•2 cups Flour
•2 cups Sugar
•¼ teaspoons Salt
•4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
•2 sticks Butter
•1 cup Boiling Water
•½ cups Buttermilk
•2 whole Beaten Eggs
•1 teaspoon Baking Soda
•1 teaspoon Vanilla
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FOR FROSTING:
•½ cups Finely Chopped Pecans
•1-¾ stick Butter
•4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
•6 Tablespoons Milk
•1 teaspoon Vanilla
•1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.


Thank you Pioneer Woman!

Cupid Crunch

3 c. salted peanuts
16 oz. bag of nibblers
15 oz. dried cranberries
12 oz. box of corn and rice cereal
8.9 oz. box of toasted oat cereal
2 (16 oz.) packages of vanilla flavored candy coating, melted
1 c. pink sanding sugar

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large container. Pour melted white candy over the toy and gently stir to coat. Spoon mixture onto wax paper, sprinkle with sanding sugar. Cool completely.

This recipe is from the Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Magazine and it is delicious.