Do I look frazzled? Hair a mess? No makeup (gasp!)?
Yeah, that’s a pretty good summation of the previous eight weeks. Turmoil, tears, triumph. We will overcome this period of our lives and one day we will look back on them with a selective blur and remember only those times that shine with happiness and laughter. But for now….it’s hard.
I can’t say I really believe in the umbrella term of “colic”, but this child falls under the official definition. In my opinion, and that of others with more initials after their names, most colicky babies are just underdeveloped in the area of digestion. I can’t say I help her any with my ingestion of anything and everything with no bias. What I eat, she eats and I will not give anything up. Well, okay…I gave up raw garlic (sob!) but only because the mister made me. I don’t think it’s made a difference though…
Each and every night from about the time I start on the task of making dinner, she is awake and she is not happy. She cries, and it is loud. It’s not that gentle newborn cry, it’s an eardrum grating rasp and I think I may have incurred hearing damage from it. We do what we can to comfort her with different holding strategies, bouncing, jiggling, cooing, distraction, diaper changes, swaddles, bicycle legs, etc. but she just keeps on going.
I think we are getting a handle on not killing each other in frustration as we try to keep some semblage of our normal lives, playing with this little one as well as trying to calm down his new sister at the same time, but even with two sets of hands it can be hard.
For now I bring comfort at those most hectic of times with food that we wouldn’t normally have. It’s bad for us, it’s full of fat and calories and I couldn’t care less. I’m filling the tankers as I go and offering them to baby as I eat my own meal, calories in, calories out in less than 10 minutes flat. That’s how it works, right?
On a recent trip to Philadelphia, my husband was obsessed with finding a “Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich” only to discover that they are called simply “Cheesesteaks” in Philadelphia. Also, a “true” Philly Cheesesteak is something that would never see the light of day in my house. (An honest to God Philly Cheesesteak is covered in *shudder* Cheez Whiz and served on white baguette). So we went about recreating something from a place called “Eulogy” in downtown Philly. I wasn’t there, but I imagine the food was similar to this sandwich. Gooey, creamy, garlicky and meaty beyond description. The rich taste of hanger steak is what makes this sandwich really shine, but if you can’t find hanger steak at your local butcher, try using skirt or flank steak instead. The secret is to slice it as thinly as possible (You can try freezing it for 45 minutes and slicing before pan frying for a more evenly sliced steak).
Hanger Steak Sandwich
2 tbsp butter
1/2 lb. white or crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, sliced into thin half moons
1 tbsp brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup dark beer
fresh ground pepper and salt to taste
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 lb hanging tenderloin (aka hanging tender, butcher’s steak, onglet, butcher’s tenderloin or hanger steak)
1 French style loaf (or other crusty loaf style bread)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter
100g Gruyère cheese, thinly sliced1. In a small sauté pan, sauté mushrooms on medium high in 1 tbsp of butter until cooked throughout and slightly golden.
2. Now to make caramelized onions: In separate sauté pan, heat remaining 1 tbsp of butter and add in sliced onions. Sauté on medium high until translucent and soft. Add in brown sugar and allow to melt in. Then pour in beer 1/4 cup at a time. Allow beer to completely dissipate before adding more beer and then season with salt and pepper.
3. Season tenderloin with oil and salt and pepper and grill on a BBQ for 7-10 minutes, turning once or twice. You want the meat to be just over rare when done.4. When the meat is done, allow to rest for five minutes and then begin slicing into the thinnest slices possible. Use a very sharp knife for this (DO NOT use a serrated blade).
5. In a small sauce pan melt the 1/4 cup of butter with the garlic and allow to cook for 5 minutes. Brush this on the loaf (sliced in half and then horizontally to make a sandwich).
6. Heat broiler in oven to high, pile meat onto the buttered loaves, top with cheese and broil until golden and bubbly. Done!
Similarly delicious recipes from other blogs:
Pittsburgh -Style Cheese Steak Panini on Panini Happy
Cheesesteak Dip on The Food in My Beard
Cheesesteak Stromboli on Columbus Foodie
Philly Cheeseteak turnovers on Becks and Posh
Hanger Steak with Shallots on Simply Recipes