***This blog post went way way bad yesterday and many of you missed it – and it is such a fab give away I didn’t want any of you to miss out – so here is a repost and another chance to win!***
Win today’s giveaway! Just tell us what you did (or are going to do!) for today’s Project by 5:00 PST on Thursday and you will be entered into the drawing for today’s prize:
Monday’s winner? Kim
(E-mail my assistant kimber@kathilipp.com with your mailing address to get your goodie!)
And today’s giveaway?
I am so excited about this giveaway! One of my favorite blog readers, Mica, and her husband are the owners of Open Space Meats and they have graciously donated 2 New York Steaks and 2 Fillet Mignon! These steaks are from their own farm and they deliver all over California (if you are outside of CA you can have them sent to someone you love in CA!!!)
We are customers of Open Space Meats and LOVE them – in fact – here is Roger’s famous Roger’s Burger Recipe (I pried it out of him for the sake of everyone’s marriage…) that we just made Sunday night with Open Space – SOOOO GOOOOOD.
Roger Burgers (We really do need a new name! )
2 pounds ground beef
1 packet of dry Lipton onion soup mix
½ cup barbecue sauce
¼ cup course-ground mustard
Mix all ingredients well by hand. (watch out for wedding rings!)
Patty the burgers a little bigger than normal to bring out the bold flavors, and to help them stay together on the grill.
Grill as usual.
After the last flip, coat top of burgers with a generous amount of barbeque sauce.
Top with cheese.
Wait for cheese to melt, remove from grill.
Serve Immediately.
Project #18
Dinner’s On Me
Take Him Out for His Favorite Meal
Your Project:
Take him out to his favorite restaurant. Or make him something FAB at home.
I know why you like to eat in restaurants. Half of the struggle of cooking dinner is coming up with a plan to feed the two of you (made even more complex if you’re feeding additional, and sometimes picky, members of the family) then shopping for it, cooking it, and possibly, occasionally, not even being thanked for it. A trip to the Olive Garden would be so much easier.
But why does your husband like to go out to eat so much?
I asked a couple of friends to talk with their husbands about the appeal of eating dinner in someone else’s kitchen: Here is what they had to say:
“My husband’s response was ‘a break in the routine or depending on the movie … to romance’ (me). My thought was ‘to get out of doing the dishes!’” ~ Sherry
“My husband said, ’Because it’s relaxing, we get to focus on each other and it’s a special time.’ I asked if it had anything to do with being able to get meals that he doesn’t get at home. He said NO. It has to do with being with me. ‘We could go out to McDonald’s and have a good time, I don’t care.’” ~ Angela
“My husband travels frequently, so he eats many meals in restaurants. Despite that, we still dine out without the kids a couple of times a month. He says the appeal for him is to escape from our crazy schedule and have some quiet time together. More often that not, we combine dinner out with a movie, so in his mind, it’s a good date night event. He noted that since we also truly enjoy the art of food and savoring spectacular meals, that dining out and sharing meals and desserts (which are usually not eaten at our house outside of holidays or dinner parties) is more like an event than just a meal.” ~ Teresa
I have found a great place to find those favorite restaurant recipes that you can re-create at home. Go to www.copycat.com to find all those recipes that make eating out such a treat. With a little patience (and a lot less money) you’ll be able to have your man’s favorites waiting for him as he walks through the front door. (And no credit card aftertaste to regret your choice at the end of the month.)
Prayer for Today
Dear God, it’s my deepest desire that my husband knows he is loved and cherished. Let my words, planning and actions reflect that everyday.
Getting Creative
- If you don’t know whether your husband will be in the kind of mood that an ambush dinner requires, present him with the gift card to be used that night, or on the night of his choice.
- Steaks on the BBQ when he gets home may be just the thing your man would love. See if you can duplicate the steak rub used at your favorite restaurant.
Project Reports
“It’s easy, I just have Chinese ready for him! He’ll love it!”
Stephanie
“We don’t seem to be able to squeeze in the ambush meal these days, so on a Thursday at noon, right before he was getting ready to go out of town, I made his favorite lunch and lit candles and placed an orchid on the table. He looked at the table, smiled with a twinkle in his eye and said: What is this for? He was totally surprised and very pleased!”
Elaine
Since our sons have grown up and are out of the house, I’d planned on a candlelight dinner for project #18 . However, this morning I woke up early and my exhausted husband slept in past me. This just never happens since he is an early, happy riser and I am a late, grumpy riser. So I seized the moment, got up quietly and surprised him with breakfast in bed. Breakfast even included a fruit smoothie made from some wild blackberries that I picked and froze this past summer. He loved it!
I know this is the husband project but I gave up dinner with mine to send him out on a date with his sixteen year old daughter who is having a tough time. Does that count? I will make it up to him tomorrow night with a nice dinner of his choice.
I’m with Anna, been feeding my kids only lately & have been leaving him out. With his working overtime I tend to assume he’ll pick up bite to eat to tie him over but yesterday when he called driving his way home saying wha’s for din din & I say..UH..OH..desperately looking on table to see if we left him any, I responded nothing dear we ate it all.oops.Not good.Tonite I will force myself to think of him 1st & make him his white rice with beef strips he likes so much. It’s frozen meal but that’s what I got goin on in my fridge right now…pathetic yes I know but Payday’s 2morrow 🙂
We don’t go out that often, unless it’s a special occasion or we have a gift card! Both of us cook, we enjoy the time together in the kitchen making a meal, or I just make sure it’s ready around the time he gets home. Another reason we don’t go out alot is cause the cost of a meal for two is practically several bags of good groceries! Sometimes I will ‘plate’ a meal and present it to him/ us/ our family because then it’s kind of like eating out–presentation is the key! We watch foodnetwork (we have a TV in the kitchen) to get inspired, we are always trying new dishes–it keeps things exciting!
My husband is job hunting right now, and in this economy that is very depressing. I am going to make him an extra speical breakfast to help him to have a great start to a long day!
My husband loves steak! I don’t think that he loves to go out to eat though. He would prefer to stay home. I’m the one who would love to go out because it’s a night off for me.
Tomorrow, my husband’s day off, I am taking him to our favorite Chinese food place for lunch (while the kids are in school and the lunch meals are cheaper), and then we’re going to see “The Blind Side” with Sandra Bullock. He loves the Chinese food from this place, and even when we can’t go out by ourselves, I’ll sometimes pick up his favorite meal from there and we’ll put a movie on for the kids, sneak away to our bedroom, sit in our bed with trays, put on a movie, and have a little time together. He just loves the “him only” attention and in a house with four kids, that focused attention isn’t always there for him.
Posting for steak!! LOL
Going out is not an option these days. Lately I’be been feeding the kids and picking and he has to scrounge for meals at 9 pm when he gets home. I know he misses a decent balanced meal with his favorites.
Surprisingly he loves lentils and swiss chard or mustard greens. I know, he’s Italian what can I say. I’ll fix him a great meal with lentils and greens and yes even thaw out a steak for him. He will be SO happy. I’m smiling just thinking about it.
It’s so simple and yet I don’t think to do it since he’s been working such long hours.
My Husband and I share the cooking mostly because he loves to cook we used to cook alot together before the Twins came and experiment with new things well we have gotten to to point that now we cook the same old things on Monday I pulled out some hamburger meat and was going to make tacos but i decides to make meatloaf one of his favorites I cant believe I forgot about this recipe and how easy it was it came out so good my husband couldn’t help but go back for seconds
My Husband does not have a favorite food but he does like to eat a candle light dinner together in the family room with a fire in the fireplace. So that is what I will do for him tonight. Dinner choice: Spaghetti, salad and french bread.
My husband likes to eat out, because he is retired and I never can be, since I am a “happy homemaker”. Taking him out to dinner, is him giving me a gift.
Well, my hubby and I are going to San Diego for a long weekend tomorrow. There will be lots of nice dinners out and long walks on the beach. Doesn’t get much better than that!!!
BTW…this sounds like an excellent prize!!!