Tomorrow's Dinner

I went to let the dog out today and there was a hawk as big as a turkey sitting on the ground about 20 yards from the back door! He sat there for a little bit and the flew off to a nearby tree carrying a squirrel! That calls for a manly meal. Steaks seem reasonable. As a side we will have a potato casserole that my mother makes. I haven't personally had it but people rave about it so its time I try it. The recipe seems pretty similar to my Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole recipe so it should be good. As a salad I will make my Great Aunt Darlene's Pasta Salad. Here are the recipes:

Steak au Poivre

Coarsely Crush:
2 T whole black pepper corns
1 T whole white peppercorns
2 t whole yellow mustard seeds

Coat one side of a NY strip in above mixture. Preheat oven to 425 with oven rack in the middle. Heat an oven proof skillet on the stovetop at medium high heat for 5 minutes. If you are using a cast iron skillet you may have to heat a little longer. Add olive oil to bottom of pan and drop in fillets. Sear the steaks without moving them for 5 minutes. Using a tongs, not a spatula, turn filets over in pan and transfer pan to oven. The searing is with peppercorn side up.

Sauce
Saute in 1 T butter:
¼ cup shallots

Stir in and reduce:
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup brandy
1 T dijon Mustard

Finish with:
1 T fresh lemon jice
1 t minced fresh thyme
salt and cayenne to taste.

Darlene's Dilly Veggie Pasta Salad

2 3/4 c medium shell pasta or rotini cooked and drained. Place in a large bowl.

Add:
1 c halved cherry tomatoes
1 c sliced green pepper
1/2 c chopped green onions
1/2 c sliced ripe olives

Dressing:
Whisk together 1/2 c olive oil, 4 T lemon juice, 4 T white wine vinegar or cider vinegar, 2 tsp. dill weed, 2 tsp. dried oregano, 2 tsp. salt (or less), 1/4 tsp. black pepper. Pour over veggies and pasta. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate. Serves 8.

Mom’s Potatoes O’Brien

1 bag of Potatoes O’Brien (found in the frozen section of your grocery store)
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups of sour cream
1 cup of colby jack shredded cheese
1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese.
1/2 cup of milk

Mix all of these ingredients together in casserole dish, salt and pepper a little bit, and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until potatoes are cooked through. If you can't find potatoes O'Brien, its just hash browns that are cubes instead of shreaded potatoes. It also has finely diced onion, red pepper and green pepper. You could whip something like this up at home with ease.