What An Extra Rib Eye Steak Taught Me...

This post isn't about a recipe, just some random thoughts today. The boys gave me a new grill for Christmas and I christened it with bone-in rib eye steaks-very nice! We had one leftover steak that day.

Thought #1: When dinner was over I kept thinking about those smoky steak bones and how I bet they'd make a tasty stock for a small batch of soup...

In case you're worried... We did use a knife and fork for dinner, I have a good friend that joked that her family would be gnawing on the bone, but that wasn't the case here. I added the leftover steak, all of the bones and 2 cups of water to my ♥QVC 4 Quart Electronic Pressure Cooker♥ and set it for one hour. It made a very nice stock and I shred/cut the meat, then froze it to use later.

Thought #2: My ♥4 Quart Electronic Pressure Cooker♥ is without a doubt the best money I've ever spent on a kitchen toy! And if you know me, you know I love my kitchen toys:@) It produces great flavor, reduces cooking time and does not heat up the kitchen in the summer. Over the course of a year I use it at least once a week and if I actually put pen to paper, I'm confident it's much more often.

Thought #3: Don't be afraid to change recipes, use things up, mix things up, and make them your own in the kitchen! There is an amazing recipe in Food Network Magazine this month French Onion Soup With Braised Short Ribs, truly drool worthy and great inspiration!!! Well, I'm not buying short ribs but did have my rib eye stock and meat, so that's what I used and made a half batch. I also wanted to cut calories so I chose to caramelize the onions then add cooked barley (17 minutes in my pressure cooker) instead of bread and cheese. I made French Onion Beef and Barley Soup. This is a very flavorful soup and I never would have thought to caramelize the onions without seeing this recipe.

Thought #4: I know we're all feeling the $ pinch these days and think using the rib eye bones for stock is a very good example of the old-time saying "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!".

Have a happy day:@)