Dinner at Eight: Sweetheart Date

A few weeks ago I stumbled across Rebekah's blog and her effort to be intentional in her marriage by dating her husband after the kids are in bed. She calls it dinner at eight and she and her friend Andi have several posts giving fun ideas but most of all encouraging spending quality time with our husbands.

Well, Derek and I have no kids yet but it is not always feasible to go out on a date with our budget. So often, we  opt to spend the evening in. But there's no reason why that can't be a date! It's easy to just throw on pajamas and watch a movie together (and that is lots of fun) but sometimes it's nice to make the evening special even though we're at home. 

This February the Dinner at Eight theme was Sweetheart. I can't say I put any thought or effort into this date but it was an enjoyable time. My parents gave us two steaks for Valentine's Day which was such a blessing! I had wanted to have a special dinner since I knew we would not be going out, but the groceries kind of piled up and I chose to have more practical items that we normally use instead of spending half the budget on a fancy dinner. So when we got these steaks I was so excited! We could have an extra special meal after all. 

I didn't get home from work until about 6:30 and when I got there, Derek had been so sweet and put a tablecloth on the table, lit candles, and was in dress clothes scrubbing dirty dishes! He left me a nice note and ordered me to change into something nice for dinner. 

He went outside to grill the steaks and I quickly threw together a yummy side dish of asparagus and pasta. We had Empire Biscuits (a sugar cookie sandwich with raspberry icing in the middle) for dessert. Everything was delicious and we enjoyed each other's company and conversation! This was definitely fun and I hope to have many more date nights in. 

I'm including the recipes for the steak marinade, asparagus pasta dish, and cookies we had for dessert. Each recipe is a winner! You should definitely try them out!

Poor Man’s Steak  (I just used the marinade part of this recipe since we obviously had much nicer steaks!)                           

½ cup red wine vinegar

½ cup soy sauce

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp. onion powder

2 lbs. boneless chuck steak  

In large Ziploc bag, combine first seven ingredients. Add the beef; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Drain and discard marinade. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. 

Spicy Pasta with Asparagus  (Adjust red pepper flakes to suit your taste buds)                      

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

2-3 dashes hot sauce

¼ cup olive oil

1 Tbsp. butter

1 lb. fresh asparagus, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces

Salt to taste

¼ tsp. pepper

½ tsp. pepper

¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

½ lb. penne or farfalle pasta

In a skillet, cook garlic, red pepper flakes and hot sauce in oil and butter for 2-3 minutes. Add asparagus, salt and pepper, sauté until asparagus in crisp tender, about 8-10 minutes. Add Parmesan cheese, mix well. Pour over hot pasta and toss to coat. Can top with grilled chicken to make a meal. Serve immediately. 

Empire Biscuits   (A Scottish cookie that our family loves to make. Definitely worth the effort!)                        

Cream:

1 stick butter

½ cup sugar

Beat in:

1 egg

In a separate bowl,, sift together:

1 ½ cup flour

¼ tsp baking soda

½ tsp cream of tartar

Pinch of salt

Add to creamed mixture and mix well. Roll out and cut as desired. Bake in 300 degree oven depending on how brown you want them. Put together with raspberry jam in the middle and icing on top. Put a small piece of maraschino cherry in the center of the icing. Don’t gobble them all up at once.

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

¼ tsp. almond extract

2 tsp. corn syrup or more if you want thinner

2 tsp. milk

Back to the drawing board...

Drawing is something that I'll never stop doing. Even when it's been a busy season in my life and it falls by the wayside, I know that I'll pick it up sometime just because I love expressing creativity in that way! This summer I've done various projects and started to ease back into art, which just inspires me to do more! A couple weeks ago I decided to do a last minute project (very typical for me) as a shower gift for a friend and her sweet baby. I worked the next day, then ran to the store, picked up a frame, came home and framed the drawing, and made it to the shower only 15 minutes late!  Haha. Since I had started drawing the night before at like 9 pm, I just stuck to a less finished pencil drawing, and am pretty pleased with the results! It felt good to put pencil to paper again.

Dutch Pannekoeken (Pancakes)

My mom's side of the family is Dutch and so we have a lot of stories, traditions, and recipes that have been handed down. My "Pake" (Grandpa) immigrated when he was a child, and when he was an adult, took his family to Bonaire, which is a Caribbean island which is owned by the Netherlands. They were Trans World Radio missionaries there, so my mom grew up and learned how to speak the language and has since tried to pass a lot of the heritage down to her own family. I love the heritage that I have inherited, and especially this delicious but simple recipe for Dutch Pannekoeken, or pancakes.

This isn't what American's would think of as a pancake...it is more like a thick crepe, and it is much larger than our fluffy pancakes. You can drizzle it with a thick "koekenstroop" (syrup) that is more like molasses than our maple syrup. There are many Pannekoeken Huizen in Holland; restaurants where they serve this dish. There are lots and lots of toppings and combinations you can order for your pancake--almost how we treat pizza in America! This version is how my mom taught me to make pannekoeken, and our favorite salty/sweet topping combination: ham, cheese, and apples.

The ingredients for the pancake are flour, sugar, eggs, milk, salt and vegetable oil.

 The measurements are different depending on how many pancakes you want to make. 

Keep in mind, these pancakes are pretty filling. 

2 adults: 1 c. flour, 1 1/2 c. milk, 2 eggs, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. oil, 1/8 tsp. salt

4 adults: 2 c. flour, 3 c. milk, 4 eggs, 4 Tbsp. sugar, 2 Tbsp. oil, 1/4 tsp. salt

5 adults: 2 1/2 c. flour, 3 1/2 c. milk, 5 eggs, 5 Tbsp. sugar, 2 1/2 Tbsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. salt

6 adults: 3 c. flour, 4 c. milk, 6 eggs, 6 Tbsp. sugar, 2 Tbsp. oil, 1 scant tsp. salt

You  just mix all the ingredients together in no particular order and whisk it so there are no lumps. 

You can put your hubby to work on that...and if he's stilling willing to help, 

have him grate some cheese after that:

Take slices of deli or leftover ham, and cut into squares. 

Slice a couple apples and set out the grated cheese, ham, and apples out on the counter, ready to go. 

Next, heat a skillet to medium-high and melt a little bit of butter in it, sliding the butter around to coat the bottom. Then pour a scoop of the pancake mixture into the bottom, almost like a crepe, although you don't want it that thin. I use a little less than 1 cup of batter for my pan. 

Now you put all the toppings you want on it, in this case we're using ham and apples. 

Wait until the batter starts to set and the edges start to lift up from the pan, showing that it's cooked. Slide your spatula underneath the pancake, and flip the whole thing over! This might take a bit of practice but it is not as hard as it looks. And don't worry if it folds over, just straighten it out flat and it will be fine. 

The top should be golden brown like this:

Just sprinkle a handful of cheese on top...

...and place a lid on the pan to help the cheese melt evenly.

Derek kept peeking...he was impatient! When the cheese has melted, the underside should be cooked by then and you just slide it off onto a plate. 

This is the syrup we used...it's not quite exactly the same thing that my mom buys at a Dutch store in Canada, but this was at a nearby Amish store and it is very similar. I always pour some into a pitcher and heat it up for a few seconds in the microwave so it's not quite so thick to pour. If you only have maple syrup, just use that! 

After that,  just dig in and enjoy your Dutch pannekoeken! The only downside to this recipe is you can only make one at a time, and if you have a bunch of hungry people they will have to wait for their turn. But this is a really very simple recipe with ingredients that I almost always have on hand. It's fast and filling for a weeknight--one of those dishes that are good for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Mmm...cheesy and syrupy on top....

With ham and apple in each bite. Delicious! 

We hope you enjoy this family favorite!  

I'm linking up to Homemaker by Choice's blog hop...check it out!

Soaking Up The Sunshine...

Last week we had a beautiful sunny day, so we decided to grill outside for lunch, to soak up the nice weather before it turns too cold. I love this time of year, where it's still sunny but not so hot, as the season turns to autumn.

A tasty and simple lunch...brats with green tomato relish, chips, homegrown tomatoes, and peach/blueberry/strawberry fruit salad. Mmmm!

Derek brought his schoolwork out and studied outside for the day...so much nicer than indoors!

 (Notice his serious study face.)

The sun setting over the corn field next to the house. 

The trees in our yard are producing apples...I should do some baking soon! I love the fall apple season.

After he finished school for the day, we drove over to the city park and took a walk and watched the sun set. 

The moon on our way home...it was a great day to just enjoy God's creation and spend some time together!

Not one, but TWO Birthdays!

Today is also a special day because it happens to be my brother in law's birthday as well! Drake, here are 14 things that Derek and I appreciate about you:

1. Derek: He hasn't held any grudges against me for picking on him since he's my youngest brother. That shows maturity.

2. Erin: He is the brother-in-law that feels the most like an actual brother to me, since he's often around and hanging out when I am over at their house, we've spent more time together.

3. Derek: He's had the strength to kick bad habits, and it encourages me to kick the bad habits I have.

4. Erin: He has a good sense of humor! Often when I'm over, he and I will notice something and just laugh about it together.

5. Derek: That he enjoys hanging out with his bros.

6. Erin: He is friendly and kind to people.


7. Derek: I appreciate that he helped in our wedding as an usher and just support as a brother.

8. Erin: He loves his mom and his little sister.

9. Derek: His determination when odds are against him.

10.  Erin: He's held out the longest on our promise to not drink pop for a year...I think most everyone broke it a long time ago.

11. Derek: His humility...when we've picked on him in the past (and sometimes present), he often just takes it and turns the other cheek.

12. Erin: His willingness to try new things, like soccer this year!

13. Derek: I'm thankful that he is a part of my family!

14. Erin: That he enjoys playing games. It's a lot of fun to do when I come over to wash laundry.

Happy 14th Birthday, Drake!

We love you and are thankful for you,

and pray that you have many more birthdays in the future!