Thursday 4 February 2010

A winter's day . . .



The trees have blossomed overnight . . .




Every twig and branch are covered in frozen white jewels and garlanded with crystal sprays that sparkle in the light of the sun . . .



Each sprig is tipped with beautiful buds of rime. A gift from winter to us.



As lovely as any spring display of flowering plum or cherry . . .



And on the windows I can trace . . . silvery branches which interlace with each other . . . a picture embossed on the pan, a fairy orchard, white with frost.



My eyes are swollen, my head is stuffied up, my nose is running like a tap . . . I feel completely miserable . . . I hope that I feel better soon . . .

I had some steak that I needed to use yesterday and so I made these tasty little morsels for Todd. He really enjoyed them. They are quite scrummy, if I don't say so myself.




*Golden Steak Fingers*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Deliciously tender and golden, these steak fingers make a tasty lunch served with some salad on the side and some ranch dressing to dip them in. Horseradish sauce also makes a delicious dipper.

1 pound of boneless beef top round steak, 1/2 inch thick
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cooking oil



Place the steak between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound to a 1/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle with the lemon pepper seasoning and salt, and then cut into 4 by 1/2 inch strips. Dip the steak strips into the buttermilk and then roll them in the flour.

Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half of the steak strips and brown them well on both sides. Transfer to a paper toweled lined baking tray and keep warm while you repeat with the remaining steak strips and oil.

Serve hot with a dip and some salad on the side. Delicious!



There are some tasty Fudge Walnut Brownies on offer over on The English Kitchen today.

16 comments:

  1. BEAUTIFUL PICTURES..LOVED THE ICE ON THE WINDOW! LOVE STEAK AND THIS LOOKS SO GOOD AS DO THE EVER WONDERFUL BROWNIES! THANKS...GET BETTER! COME SAY HI :D

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  2. Those are beautiful pictures but they do look so cold...brrrr

    I am so sorry that you are still feeling so rotten. I was hoping that you would feel better by today. My computer let me come and visit you again. I hope it will let me leave this comment today. I am sad that my lovely long comment from the other day was lost in cyberspace. I am sure you would have loved every word...hee hee

    Take care dear and GET BETTER!!!
    hugs, Lura

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  3. I hope you feel better soon my friend! Loved those pictures of the ice. Have a good day!

    XOXO
    Jen

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  4. Marie, you have such a wonderful knack of making everything sound great - even our freezing weather! :) Super photo's as always and irresisitable recipes. Take care of that cold.

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  5. Dear Marie,

    I hope that cold soon passes. Thank you for today's post as I have never seen ice on windows before. It looks beautiful but very cold.

    I have been busy. My son suddenly decided that catering was a career option for him. Even though our local technical college started on Monday he was enrolled today and started in the kitchen this afternoon. Thanks to Wills I have found a whole new treasure trove called the chef's shop. Yes we enrolled him at 10, bought his kit and caboodle by 11.30, fed him lunch and popped him off to college by 12.30. What a day. May I say I feel broke now?

    It is great that he has decided that it is time to move forward.

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  6. It sounds like that cold has blossomed too. Hope you are better soon.

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  7. What beautiful wintry pictures--love your window!

    I'm SO sorry you feel like that, Marie! Colds are just the worst!!! Hope you're feeling back to your old self soon.

    The steak fingers look so yummy--I've been craving steak lately...

    Oh! My husband was wanting to make some cubed potatoes last night (he likes to cook sometimes!), and didn't know how he wanted to do them, and he said, "Check and see if Marie has a recipe for them!" Just thought you'd like to know that my husband also thinks your amazing!

    Much love to you on your frosty day! FEEL BETTER!!!

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  8. GORGEOUS, MAGICAL photos, Marie... WOW! We've not had frost like that here...just endless snow... LOL! So sorry you are still under the weater... Do hope you are getting som rest and taking it easy... Sending LOTS of get-well ((LOVE & HUGS))...ooo... those brownies are calling my name! ;o)

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  9. Marie, you have the gift of cheering people even when you are feeling low. Truly unselfish, an example to those who spread gloom!
    Get well soon.
    Bunny xx

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  10. I wish I wasn't diabetic Marie. I really like the look of those chocolate fudge brownies.
    I hope you soon get over your cold. I hate being bunged up like that! It breaks your sleep pattern.
    Get well soon!
    Hugs
    Jeanie xxxx

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  11. Sorry you are still feeling awful Marie and if you have dense fog like here at my place on top of all that snow and frost it's nasty.Love the pictures but Brrrrr it gets colder.Your recipe today sounds delish and well the brownies fantastic,what more can I say,only that I am not showing the Rooster these he-he.Get well soon.Take Care God Bless Kath xx

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  12. What a beautiful post and a lovely blog! I'm so glad you stopped by and signed as a follower on A VINTAGE COTTAGE HOME so I could come and find you and do the same! So nice to meet you! Have a great day! Coralie

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  13. Marie, I do hope you feel better soon! Nasty old cold - leave my Marie alone! We are starting to get some precip here - supposed to get snow - again! Your hoarfrost pictures are amazing! So pretty. We loved it the day we had it earlier. Steak fingers - yum! Much love - Raquel XO

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  14. Enjoyed my visit here via Tracy ... the etching the frost left on the window is exquisite ...

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  15. Wrap up warm, dear friend, and throw out those germs! Your picture of ice on glass is wonderful. We used to see that quite a lot before central heating came along (notably my bedroom window as a kid - on the inside!).

    lover, Angie, xx

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  16. Dear YearfromOakCottage, loved your golden steak fingers! I saved this recipe. I felt like I had stepped into Gourmet Magazine. It was so well presented, clean, photos clear and professionally positioned I shall return for another bite of this wonderful blog. Thank you for sharing.
    Cheers, Gaby
    You can always visit me at http://ptsaldari.posterous.com.

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