DINING IN with my VALENTINE...

Candle lit meals all day...

Valentine's Day this year was a VERY snowy, cold day. In fact, a perfect day to spend puttering in the kitchen, enjoy reading, writing and our favorite Sunday TV programs.

Natureman took care of breakfast with homemade waffles topped with Amish maple syrup, our raspberries and some whipped cream. 

Lunch was a recipe I had seen in the Little Rock paper the day I left. It caught my eye because we always have an abundance of squash. It was perfect timing for the squash as the Butternut Squash Mint Chile Soup actually tasted sweet and warmed up a cold day. 

The day's Coup de Gras was our Valentine's supper which sated our appetites with grilled marinated rib eye steaks (local grass fed beef), home grown kale and squash accompanied by Natureman's pickles.

Below's the Allrecipes.com marinade which is reported to also work well with other meats.

A day or two of marinating gives its full benefit.

Meat marinade: 

1/2 c balsamic vinegar
1/4 c soy sauce
3 T   chopped garlic 
2 T   honey
2T    olive oil
2 t    ground pepper
1 t    onion powder 
1/2 t salt
1/2 t liquid smoke flavoring
1 pinch cayenne pepper

2 (1/2 pound) rib eye steaks

Whisk marinade ingredients together. Place steaks in zip loc bag and pour marinade on top. Refrigerate and remember to flip bag a couple times during the marinating time. 

Remove steaks from the bag and grill meat. Allow 7 minutes per side.

Enjoy...