Celebration!

This has been a week of celebration!  On Friday, March 30, Rocky defended his dissertation and is now officially Rocky Dailey, Ed.D.  This has been a long time coming and I’m so proud of him having reached this goal.  And on Tuesday, Rocky turned Jessie’s car seat around and found my wedding rings! So, to celebrate [mostly Rocky’s dissertation completion] I made a special meal for us: Cocoa Rubbed Strip Steak, twice-baked potatoes and for dessert Towering Flourless Chocolate Cake; the entire meal inspired by the March issue of my Food Network magazine.

The steak was wonderful!  The cocoa powder in the rub added a new level to the golden brown & deliciousness of the crust.  I let the steaks sit for about 30 minutes with the rub on before searing in a cast iron skillet.  8 minutes per side, about 10 minutes in the oven and 5 minutes resting prior to carving.  We all enjoyed the steak, and Maggie even enjoyed it without Ranch!  Rocky has stated that this can be added to the go to list with the Ribs.

For dessert, I thought this might be a good time to try something I have wanted to try for a while, and wanted to attempt for some friends, one who has allergies and I have heard good things about flourless chocolate cakes.  I love almost anything chocolate and the picture in the magazine was amazing!  Now, obviously, my cake is not “Towering.” My folding skills suck, but mostly because I don’t do it often enough to be any good at it.  So, my meringue fell.  I think if, when, I attempt this again, I will get a stiff peak on the meringue before folding.  The cake is a bit more bitter than we like [the recipe has bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate and very little sugar], but it’s not bad with the meringue. 

Rocky enjoyed Moose Drool with his meal.  I enjoyed a glass (or 2) of Hecula, a nice Spanish red wine with a nice berry flavor and a wonderful floral finish.