I want to know who decided that good food has to be hard.  It’s not.

It’s Mother’s Day weekend, and many of you feel compelled to take mom out for dinner. Personally, heading out to fight the crowds and stand around forever waiting for a table is not really my idea of a good time. If that’s your cup of tea – have at it.

If you’d rather have a relaxing day – here are some quick easy ideas.

One store by me has Filet Mignon on sale – a 6 oz. steak for $4.99. The secret to a great tasting steak at home? Buy it and bring it home and cook it. Don’t put it in the freezer.

I soak mine in Worcestershire sauce for 15 – 30 minutes before grilling. A little garlic and fresh ground black pepper and you’re good to go!

Make a big salad full of all kinds of good things.

A baked potato or sweet potato.

Fresh green beans steamed til they’re crisp-tender, lightly coated with a little butter and maybe some slivered almonds for an elegant touch.

Maybe a white chocolate fondue with fresh strawberries for dipping for dessert?

All really easy stuff. Takes hardly any time at all.

Here’s another recipe that’s a little more elegant –

Bourbon and Brown Sugar Marinated Steak with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Steak

¼ cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup minced green onion

¼ cup bourbon

¼ cup soy sauce (can be low sodium)

¼ cup Dijon mustard

½ teas. black pepper

couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce

2 lbs. flank steak

½ teas. corn starch

Mashed Potatoes

3 lbs. red, Yukon gold or Idaho potatoes

4-6 garlic cloves, chopped

½ cup sour cream

1/3 cup milk

2 ½ Tbls. Butter

¼ cup green onions or chives

1 teas. salt

¼ teas. pepper

Steak

In a bowl, combine brown sugar, green onion, bourbon, soy sauce, Dijon

mustard, black pepper and Worcestershire sauce.

Place meat in a shallow dish and pour marinade over. Cover and marinate for

at least 8 hours, and no more than 24.

Just before grilling, drain marinade and reserve for gravy. Grill or broil the

steak about 5 min. per side. Watch carefully. Marinade will caramelize and may

flame. I prefer a non flaming grill, like a stove top or counter top.

In a saucepan, pour the marinade and cornstarch. Bring to boil and cook until

thickened.

Mashed Potatoes

Boil potatoes with garlic until potatoes are very tender. Drain. (keep garlic in)

Mash potatoes with garlic, sour cream, milk and butter. Stir in green onion or

chopped chives. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

I was looking through my cookbook for more ideas.

Pecan Chicken is another impressive dish.

Caribbean Chicken is fun. So is Mole Chicken (chocolate chicken)

Honey-Ginger glazed salmon with grilled pineapple is all the rage these days – and really simple to make. I didn’t see any salmon on sale this week, but when you consider what you’d pay in a restaurant…

So, if you’re taking part in the Franken Foods Boycott – Good for you! There’s lots of great real food that’s super easy to make!

Gosh, I hate opening that cookbook. I always find all kinds of things I want to eat!

That’s enough food talk for one day.