Cooking With Stanley Week #4

Happy Wednesday! I'm back with Stanley and we've got one comforting meal to share. I'm happy to report that there were not allergic reactions, burns or wasted artichokes this time around. It was a simple dinner and packed with flavor, kid-friendly too. Anyway, this week is absolutely insane so I'm amazed this post is getting up on time. Have you guys ever been so behind on your to-do lists or responsibilities that it seems practically impossible to catch up? When I was in college, my best friend and I used to say that if our bodies didn't need sleep, we could get so much more done. That sentence never rang more true than right this second. As I'm writing this, completely exhausted, potentially jetlagged and absolutely cringing at the thought of another crazy weekend without rest, I'm about to fall over. Here's to good food, lots of coffee and hopefully getting a good night's rest soon. Cooking With Stanley Week 4 Menu

Appetizer: Pasta with Maria Rosa's Sauce

Main Dish: Steak Oreganato

Side: Fresh Green Beans

Let us start with the pasta because oh my god, yum! Here's a secret you don't want to be telling picky eaters. There are carrots, celery and onion in this sauce. You can leave it nice and chunky with everything to see or you could do what I did and puree it till smooth. There are so many nutrients in this sauce and it's so freaking delicious. We have a container of it saved in the freezer for an upcoming dinner. The boys had no idea there were veggies in it. I mean, they called me out on the carrots but I denied it till I was blue in the face. This was my favorite sauce from Stanley's book so far. Steak Oreganato is surprisingly simple to make. It sounds fancy but all you do is season two top round beef steak (or one if you find a large enough piece of meat), fry it in some butter and olive oil, take it out to let set and then make a sauce with whatever red wine you have lying around and oregano. Couldn't be easier, right?! This was delicious. Everyone liked it and the sauce was really great. I was skeptical at first because it was pretty liquidy but the flavor was remarkable. Since Stanley shared this recipe on The Chew, I have it linked in the menu above. Enjoy!! I paired this with simple fresh green beans that I boiled in salted water. I have to say, this was my favorite meal so far in the series. I know it's only been four weeks and I'm probably going to say that every other week but give me a break. I'm cooking through one hell of an amazing cooking book. The next two weeks we're taking a break from the food and going behind the scenes a bit but after that, I have a few weeks of really jampacked menus that are sure to blow your mind so get excited!!