I grew up eating steak. Not everyday, of course. But, we had it pretty frequently at home. Don't get me wrong...we weren't overly wealthy or anything. In fact, my mom was pretty thrifty. But she believed in giving us variety and giving us quality. So, when we did have steak, it was a good one. Because of this, I grew up viewing a steak as a good meal, but not some extra special, stop the presses, alert the media kind of meal. Remember "A League of Their Own?" I always get cracked up when Doris' dad says excitedly that he's going to take her out for a "steak dinner" to celebrate.
My Uncle Tommy was a pretty regular meat and potatoes kinda guy. During the summers, my sister and I would get on a Trailways bus and ride up to Spartanburg to spend a week or so with our cousin. It was the adventure of the year. Riding a bus without parents, a satchel full of games, snacks, toys and candy for the ride. It was cool then. My mom always talked to the driver, put us right behind him and he looked out for us the whole way. Today, I can't even fathom putting the Vivver on a bus and watching her drive away. The world is indeed a very different place.
On Friday nights, my Aunt Jennie always made a "steak dinner." I remember it was usually T-bones. We rarely had T-bones at home, so this was a novelty. We had baked potatoes and tossed salad with an assortment of dressings. You know, it was the 70's, the advent of prepared foods of all types! America wasn't satisfied with just oil and vinegar anymore.
The other day I was working on a long overdue grocery list when Neil commented on how long it's been since we cooked steaks. So, I sought out some pretty ones and that's what hit the plates that night. And, I went old school. Salt, pepper, garlic. Pan sear then bathe the steaks in butter as they cooked the rest of the way. Baked potatoes with choices of sour cream, chives from my patio, freshly cooked bacon bits, cheddar.
This was our end result. No salad this time, but steamed pea pods instead. We love those! It's funny how a flavor, a dinner, an aroma can conjure up so many memories for us. This supper made me think of Uncle Tommy, who we lost about 12 years ago. He would have liked having dinner with us the other night!
My Uncle Tommy was a pretty regular meat and potatoes kinda guy. During the summers, my sister and I would get on a Trailways bus and ride up to Spartanburg to spend a week or so with our cousin. It was the adventure of the year. Riding a bus without parents, a satchel full of games, snacks, toys and candy for the ride. It was cool then. My mom always talked to the driver, put us right behind him and he looked out for us the whole way. Today, I can't even fathom putting the Vivver on a bus and watching her drive away. The world is indeed a very different place.
On Friday nights, my Aunt Jennie always made a "steak dinner." I remember it was usually T-bones. We rarely had T-bones at home, so this was a novelty. We had baked potatoes and tossed salad with an assortment of dressings. You know, it was the 70's, the advent of prepared foods of all types! America wasn't satisfied with just oil and vinegar anymore.
The other day I was working on a long overdue grocery list when Neil commented on how long it's been since we cooked steaks. So, I sought out some pretty ones and that's what hit the plates that night. And, I went old school. Salt, pepper, garlic. Pan sear then bathe the steaks in butter as they cooked the rest of the way. Baked potatoes with choices of sour cream, chives from my patio, freshly cooked bacon bits, cheddar.
This was our end result. No salad this time, but steamed pea pods instead. We love those! It's funny how a flavor, a dinner, an aroma can conjure up so many memories for us. This supper made me think of Uncle Tommy, who we lost about 12 years ago. He would have liked having dinner with us the other night!
