I know the rain is a blessing and I truly hope the lakes will soon be full. However, the fierceness in some of the storms we’ve had lately has been amazing. My plants, and especially my grape vines, are taking a terrible beating. Over the last week, I’ve worked to tie and re-tie vines to the trellis so they won’t be beaten against it by the next set of gale-force winds. I think I’ll be happy when April showers are over.

Otherwise, life on my little farm goes along as usual. Wednesday’s dinner was Ben’s to cook. He made flat-iron steaks with a pan sauce. And served it with microwaved baked potatoes and salad. His homemade Caesar salad dressing was a hit.

Flat-iron Steaks in Pan Sauce
4 flat-iron steaks
2 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 tsp. olive oil
1 c. dry red wine
2 Tbsp. cold butter

Ben started by seasoning the steaks with Monteal Steak Seasoning while a cast-iron skillet heated on the stove. He wiped it with a little olive oil and as soon as it was screaming hot, he added the steaks to the skillet. He seared each side for 5 minutes, removed the steak from the skillet and let them rest under a foil tent.

Reduce the heat to medium and add wine. Simmer while stirring and scraping the browned bits on the bottom of the pan for about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in pieces of cold butter until melted. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Once the steaks have rested 10 minutes, cut thin slices across the grain and serve with pan sauce drizzled on top.

Homemade Ceasar Salad Dressing
2 tsp. garlic cloves, minced
3 anchovy fillets
1/4 c. olive oil
4 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 c. Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

In a small sauce pan, heat olive oil and add anchovy fillets and garlic. Cook on low heat until the anchovies melt. The fishy taste will cook off and leave a rich nutty flavor.

Scrape the anchovy and garlic-flavored oil into a bowl and whisk in the rest of the ingredients. It makes a lot of dressing, but keeps for a week in the refrigerator.

On another evening, I made a macaroni bake with a few simple ingredients.

Macaroni Bake
1 pkg. Polska Kielbasa beef sausages, sliced
12 oz. elbow macaroni
10-oz. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables
2 c. chicken stock
1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed
1/2 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
drizzle of olive oil

Cook the elbow macaroni following the package directions until almost tender and then drain.

In the same pot, brown the sausages while microwave-cooking the frozen vegetables following the package directions. Add to the pot along with chicken stock. When it simmers, add the Velveeta and stir until the cubes melt.

Pour into a 9×13″ baking dish prepared with cooking spray. Sprinkle on bread crumbs and drizzle the top with olive oil. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until the sides bubble and the top is brown.

Serve with a salad and some of that wonderful Caesar dressing.