The Weekend & Easter Sunday!

We had a very relaxing Easter weekend! Every Friday I make a list of things I need to get done over the weekend, and we collectively decided we wanted a break, so I was done with the list in about 2 hours. Then we Decided to (finally) get our garden framed. Dave and my dad tilled up a section of our yard a few weeks ago, and we purchased the wood to box it off. But we didn't actually do anything with it. So now it's all boxed in, and just waiting to be filled with good soil, plants, and covered with black plastic.

The little box on the left is our strawberry patch. We got a few starts from my parents, and are hoping they will multiply and take over that little section. Some of the plants died, but a few are looking very promising. I'm looking forward to strawberries on our cereal, in our salads, and maybe even some jelly! Probably not this year, but in the future for sure.

Dave also has been dyeing to start some seeds, so we picked up a few herbs (basil, rosemary, cilantro), and a pack of Sweet 100's (sweet cherry tomatoes). It's not warm enough out yet to stick them outside, so we started them in pots on the kitchen window seal. Hopefully they'll sprout, and by the time it decides to stop snowing we'll be able to plant them outside! I've been watering them every morning and really hoping my brown thumb will turn green just for a little while. 

Sunday we enjoyed church followed by a relaxing day at home. We took a nap, went on a walk, and made a leisurely dinner. I made and enjoyed deviled eggs (and have three more waiting in the fridge for me to finish off) and Dave got his meat on the BBQ. Sort of. He decided he wanted to make Steak Gorgonzola for Easter (his favorite Olive Garden recipe), but we didn't have gorgonzola cheese. So he substituted some asiago (it was pre-shredded in the freezer), and it turned out really tasty too!

We've made this recipe a few times now (once making the entire sauce from scratch, and all the other times just substituting a jar of sauce to save an hour of cooking) and just love the results. So whether you make Steak Gorgonzola or Asiago Steak, it takes about 20 minutes to prepare. 

This isn't the cheapest recipe to make, the cheese can be pricy, as can the steak. But I stock up on the meat when it's $2 or less a pound, freeze them in serving size chunks, and wrap them in aluminum foil for later. Dave made this for our anniversary, and now we had it for Easter. So if you're looking for something a little more fancy that doesn't take too long but tastes fabulous!

Asiago Steak

2 small steaks (for us 2 normal servings = 4 servings)

1 jar alfredo sauce

1/2 c asiago cheese (or gorgonzola)

1 c packed full of spinach (cubed)

1T sun dried tomatoes (marinated in olive oil & cubed) can also use cubed tomatoes

Balsamic Vinegar

Fettucini (4 servings)

Combine alfredo sauce, spinach, tomatoes, and cheese in a small sauce pan. Heat on low and stir periodically until everything else is done. Cook the fettucini noodles according to directions, while cooking the steak to your desired color (we did medium rare). When everything is done, combine sauce and drained noodles. Serve noodles, top with steak, and drizzle with Balsamic Vinegar (more or less depending on individual preference).

Either cheese gives the recipe a little more robust of a flavor than regular alfredo sauce, and the steak and balsamic vinegar just has the right kick to really get your taste buds going. I can't taste the spinach in it, but Dave swears he can (it's a great way to get the veggie into our diet, so I don't complain).

It was a great dinner (even if it didn't really go with the deviled eggs)! We followed it up with the church movie "To This End Was I Born", which might just become a tradition for us. It was nice to have a reminder of why we were celebrating, even though it's always a hard one to watch for me. As we watched we consumed Starburst Jellybeans, Reeses Pieces Eggs, and Cadbury Chocolate Eggs. I didn't quite find the time to pull out easter baskets this year, but these treats did make it on top of vanilla ice cream (for Dave, not for me) so there was something festive about them after all!