Sometimes I think my recipes are ways not to cook/get bamboozled into buying too much food at the super market. Take what happened to me yesterday: I wanted to make steak and greens. So, I went to the store and some how ended up with 2 pounds of meat- two freaking pounds of meat that was way over budget and enough food to feed a family of four. Well, I cooked all of the steak yesterday (LOTS of leftovers) and learned my lesson about the butcher counter: do not let the butcher talk you into buying massive amounts meat. Simply stick with your task at hand, buy the appropriate amount of meat for two people (the recommended serving of meat per person is the size of a deck of playing cards) and be on your way.
For the steak: Pat dry both sides of steak and sprinkle with salt, pepper. Coat bottom of pan with oil and turn on medium-high heat. Place steak in pan and brown, about 3-5 minutes. Flip steak over and sear other side. For some additional flavor, add a pat of butter to pan when you flip the steak. Once both sides are nice and brown, turn down heat and cook until steak is cooked to your desired level. I like my steak medium rare/medium, and a way to tell when the steak is done is when the side of the steak is cooked from top to bottom. Remove steak from pan and let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
I was looking for some greens at the farmers market the other day and I stumbled across dandelion greens. I think I have had these once before, but to be honest I can’t remember where. They are a pretty bitter green, but I figured I would try something different than the old standby of swiss chard.
For the greens (a simple preparation): Finely chop some garlic, sauté with olive oil and add greens. Cook for about 5 minutes until greens are wilted and cooked, but not over-cooked. Even though the greens are cooked, they will still have a bite to them. You can cut the bitterness but squeezing fresh lemon juice on the greens. I tossed them in a little balsamic vinegar to add some sweetness (the balsamic also pairs nicely with the steak).
The (expensive) grocery bill:
- 1 beef rib steak (trust me, this is enough for two) $9.14
- 1 bunch dandelion greens $3.50
Total: $12.64
Happy Cooking!
Ten for Two 
exquisitely simple and perfectly executed. you make $12.64 fit to be served in a fine dining steakhouse. (great photography!)