Let me throw this out there now: my boyfriend and I absolutely love steak and other kinds of meat. He is a hunter (his parents hunt as well), and if that’s something that offends you, oh well. I don’t have a problem with hunting (trophy hunting being a huge exception) as a means to feed yourself and/or your family. I guess you could argue that you don’t HAVE to hunt, what with groceries stores and all, but that’s a weak argument. You also don’t HAVE to shop at grocery stores; you could hunt. ;) Meat makes it to tables across the world one way or the other. I’m not here to change personal opinions so I’ll leave it at that.

We don’t just eat beef, however (though we did go on a bit of a binge a few weeks ago >.<). We like fish, pork, and chicken as well. My first summer in Pittsburgh (2011) we smoked two large pork shoulders at his parents’ house, making our own mop and two kinds of barbecue sauce: spicy and sweet. It was for the longest my favorite of any meal I had a hand in. Lately, I’ve been a beef kick …

I honestly believe that if you are going to order or cook a steak, it should be done no more than medium rare. I give a bit of leeway to medium, but well done confuses me. It’s already dead, no need to kill it again. Granted, I am at the opposite end of the spectrum of that in terms of how I like my steak: rare. I feel as though it is at its most flavorful then. And it’s faster to cook! ;)

This past weekend David randomly decided that instead of buying pre-cut filets we would buy a loin and cut our own. I was trusting him on this as I have no clue how to. I must admit, it was a beaut. We were stockpiling on food (and alcohol) for a cold weekend (cold to this Florida girl). There was no way anyone was going to convince me to go outside and do anything in 32 degree weather with snow. Yeah, I’m a wuss. The loin did not contribute to the meal pictured above (pan seared filet, sauteed kale, and creamy mashed potatoes) but to a surf-and-turf dinner. I just like that top picture best. I usually remember to take pictures of my meals (whether at home or at a restaurant), which can be found on my Instagram feed.

Mashed Potatoes From Scratch

• Several small red potatoes or just a few large ones
• Heavy cream, greek yogurt, or milk (I’ve made with all 3 at different times, depending on which I had)
• Fresh rosemary
• Salt Pepper

Put on a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Rinse your potatoes. At this point you can skin them if you like, but I prefer mine skin on.
Cut into quarters (or more for large potatoes).
Depending on the number of potatoes you’re using, boil them for 15-20 minutes. You know they’re done when you can easily push a fork through them and they break apart.
Drain the water and return the potatoes to the pot. Add in your heavy cream/greek yogurt/milk until desired consistency and chopped rosemary.
Mash the potatoes!
Season with salt and pepper.