the pan that came with the oven

There is a pan that comes with the oven. I first noticed it in our first apartment together.   We were moving wedding gifts and my furniture in.   I opened the oven and said, “someone left a pan in the oven”.   My dear husband rolled his eyes {behind my back…we were newlyweds afterall} and replied that no one left it, it comes with the oven. I put it in the drawer under the oven and didn’t think about it again until we moved. Moved into another house with a pan that was left in the oven. I put in in the drawer under the oven and didn’t think about it again until we moved. To yet another house that came with a pan.   It just kept happening.   It was pan deja vue.   What is with that pan? Was it REALLY different pans each time, or was that pan that came with the oven following me? When we built our home 7 years ago, we put in a fancy range.   It came with a fancy pan. A fancy pan that has remained unused and is as shiny as the day the oven arrived. Until tonight.   The legacy of the pan that came with the oven dormancy has ended on this very night. {pause and feel the weight of this moment} This 20 year tradition was shattered with the making of…

Sirloin with Sugar Snap Peas and Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1 boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut 3/4 inch thick
• 2 cups fresh sugar snap peas
• 2 cups corkscrew pasta
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in halves
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 t black pepper
• grated lemon peel
• chopped fresh parsley

Gemolata Dressing

• 1/4 c fresh lemon juice
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T chopped fresh parsley
• 2 cloves, minced
• 2 t grated lemon peel
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t black pepper

Instructions

1.   Cook the pasta and cool. 2.   Cook the peas in boiling water for 2-3 minutes until crisp, yet tender {I did 3 minutes and it was too much}.   Drain and rinse with cold water. 3.   Combine peas, pasta and tomatoes in large bowl and set aside. 4.   Whisk Gremolata Dressing ingredients in another small bowl.   Toss 2 T of dressing with pasta mixture. 5.   Combine the 3 cloves minced garlic and 1 t of pepper.   Press the mixture evenly into beef steak. 6.   Place steak on rack in broiler pan so surface of beef is 2-3 inches from heat. 7.   Broil beef for 9-12 minutes for medium rare (145 degrees) to medium (160 degrees), turning once.   I ended up broiling for close to 13 minutes which was WAY above 160 degrees.   Next time I would watch it more closely. 8.   Carve steak into thin slices; season with salt, as desired. 9.   Add steak slices and remaining salad dressing to pasta. 10.   Toss to coat evenly. 11.   To be fancy, you can garnish with lemon peel and parsley. This recipe can be found in its entirety at the Texas Beef website:   Sirloin with Sugar Snap Peas and Pasta Salad {and used here with permission from the sweet beef people}. We ate it up.   It is gone.   The boys were more thrilled with the steak than the salad, but because the salad has pasta covered with a lemony taste, they ate more of it than I expected.   Despite the fact that I over-cooked the beef a bit, it was delicious.   My husband and I are plotting the next use of the pan that came with the stove. I have decided to no longer call it the pan that came with the stove.   From now on it will be called the pan that won’t fit into the dishwasher. I am really excited to be working again with the Texas Beef Council {some of my very favorite folks} over the next month to host a series of nutrient-rich family-friendly meals. Watch for a weekend family recipe round-up here at June Cleaver Nirvana and join in on the fun on twitter with the #TXBeef hashtag.   There will even be a twitter party on March 6 8-9 CST!