The hubs has been at his current job just shy of four years. He began the job as a six month contract, and he was fortunate to have the contract renewed a number of times. It has been disconcerting, though, to see a number of people laid off each week because there were no new projects and thus no need for such a large staff. To give some perspective, the hubs' department began as a team of about 30 people, and it's now down to only seven. If you include turnover people, that's 108 total. So, the hubs was lucky to make it this far. Nonetheless, it's been pretty stressful knowing that he could be laid off any day.
The hubs went on a job interview yesterday. They called him today to tell him he was hired! Woohoo! The worries of a weekly menu consisting of PB&J and Ramen are no longer!
So to celebrate, we had a lovely dinner - a fancy steak sandwich. (Granted, this meal was planned and put on the weekly menu on Friday when I did the grocery shopping, but we can pretend it was a special meal planned in honor of the hubs' new job.) The recipe comes from Rachel Ray's 365: No Repeats cookbook. The hubs refers to RR as "the bitch," but even he enjoyed this meal.
Steak Sandwich...Knife and Fork Required
1 sheet of puff pastry, defrosted, kept chilled
Salt and pepper
1.5 to 2 pounds flank steak
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
1 small bunch of thin asparagus
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 large bunch of arugula, stemmed, cleaned, and coarsely chopped (I used a couple handfuls of the bagged stuff)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Preheat a grill pan or outdoor grill on high.
With a sharp knife, cut the thawed puff pastry sheet into four squares, arrange on a cookie sheet, and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Bake the puff pastry according to package directions, or until golden brown all over, about 12 to 15 minutes.
While the puff pastry is baking, season the steak with the 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Grill the meat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove the meat and let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. While the steak is cooking, trim the woody ends off the asparagus. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. As soon as the steak is off the grill and resting, add the asparagus to grill.
Grill the spears, turning frequently, until the asparagus is tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the asparagus from the grill and cut into 2-inch lengths.
In a bowl, toss together the grilled chopped asparagus, crumbled blue cheese, and chopped arugula. Season the mixture with balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Slice the steak thinly across the grain. Top each golden-brown puff pastry square with some slices of the steak. Top the steak with the asparagus salad and serve.
The hubs went on a job interview yesterday. They called him today to tell him he was hired! Woohoo! The worries of a weekly menu consisting of PB&J and Ramen are no longer!
So to celebrate, we had a lovely dinner - a fancy steak sandwich. (Granted, this meal was planned and put on the weekly menu on Friday when I did the grocery shopping, but we can pretend it was a special meal planned in honor of the hubs' new job.) The recipe comes from Rachel Ray's 365: No Repeats cookbook. The hubs refers to RR as "the bitch," but even he enjoyed this meal.
Steak Sandwich...Knife and Fork Required
1 sheet of puff pastry, defrosted, kept chilled
Salt and pepper
1.5 to 2 pounds flank steak
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
1 small bunch of thin asparagus
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 large bunch of arugula, stemmed, cleaned, and coarsely chopped (I used a couple handfuls of the bagged stuff)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Preheat a grill pan or outdoor grill on high.
With a sharp knife, cut the thawed puff pastry sheet into four squares, arrange on a cookie sheet, and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Bake the puff pastry according to package directions, or until golden brown all over, about 12 to 15 minutes.
While the puff pastry is baking, season the steak with the 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Grill the meat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove the meat and let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. While the steak is cooking, trim the woody ends off the asparagus. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. As soon as the steak is off the grill and resting, add the asparagus to grill.
Grill the spears, turning frequently, until the asparagus is tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the asparagus from the grill and cut into 2-inch lengths.
In a bowl, toss together the grilled chopped asparagus, crumbled blue cheese, and chopped arugula. Season the mixture with balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Slice the steak thinly across the grain. Top each golden-brown puff pastry square with some slices of the steak. Top the steak with the asparagus salad and serve.
4 servings
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