Caramelized Onion and Bacon Pizza

I had just enough pizza dough the other night to make a pizza for two, so I decided to make something a little less kid-friendly than my normal pizza. My husband and I enjoyed this after the kids went to bed. Ah, a peaceful, fancy meal...the kind of things dreams are made of! This pizza was wonderful. The flavors worked together really well. The roasted garlic I used as the "sauce" and the caramelized onions added a nice sweet flavor to balance out the saltiness of the Gruyere and bacon. One warning: this is a more time consuming recipe than a basic cheese or pepperoni pizza. If you are short on time, use some alfredo sauce instead of roasted garlic for the sauce, and take care of making the onions and bacon the day before, or earlier in the day. That way you just have to assemble and bake. This is definitely worth the time and effort to make the pizza. If Gruyere cheese is not in the budget (I found a good price at a local produce market), feel free to use provolone, swiss, or even white cheddar cheese instead.

Caramelized Onion and Bacon Pizza
Adapted from How Sweet it Is

8 oz ball of pizza dough
4 slices thick bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
2 onions, sliced
1 head of garlic, roasted (if you are short on time, feel free to use alfredo sauce or olive oil as your "sauce")
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided, or 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon bacon fat
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese
1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese

1) Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil or bacon fat in a heavy skillet over medium low-heat. Add onions and butter. Saute over medium low heat for 30-40 minutes, until onions are light brown, stirring occasionally.
2) If making roasted garlic sauce: Squeeze roasted garlic into a bowl. Add remaining olive oil and mash together.
3) Preheat oven to 400. Roll out pizza dough into a 9-inch circle.
4) Spread roasted garlic and olive oil on the crust of the pizza and top with grated parmesan/romano cheese. Add 1/2 of the mozzarella and Gruyere cheese.  Add the bacon and caramelized onions. Top with remaining cheese.
5) Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crust is done and cheese is bubbly and brown.

Bacon Mac

I was in the mood for mac and cheese the other night, but wanted to get my son excited about it. He is a shells and cheese (from a box) kid. He's not a picky eater, except when it comes to mac and cheese.  I asked him if macaroni and cheese with bacon sounded good. He got really excited when I mentioned adding bacon.  I ran to the computer and looked at tastespotting for mac and cheese recipes.  I found two recipes  that looked fun. I combined and tweaked them using cheese I had in the fridge.  The recipe turned out great. We all loved it.  My son wasn't wild about the panko on top of the bacon mac, but he scrapped it off and ate his food.  This recipe is definitely a keeper! One of these days I'll get up the courage to add lobster to it!

Bacon Mac
Adapted from Food 52 and Recipe Girl
Serves 4 - 6

8 oz elbow macaroni (or other pasta), cooked according to package directions.
1/2 pound bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled
 5 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 cup flour
2 3/4 cups whole milk, heated warm
2 cups grated cheddar
2 cups grated Gruyere
1/2 cup grated romano cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
dash of nutmeg
dash of cayenne
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1) Preheat oven to 375. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a 4 quart dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat (if your pan isn't ovenproof, grease a 2 quart casserole dish). Add flour and stir until smooth.
2) Slowly stir in the warm milk. Add the ground mustard, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture bubbles and thickens (about 10 minutes).
3) Add cheese, and stir until melted.  Add pasta and crumbled bacon.
4) Melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan or glass dish.  Add breadcrumbs and stir to coat breadcrumbs in butter.
5) If using a casserole dish,  pour the mac and cheese into the dish.  If you are using a dutch oven, just leave the mac and cheese in it.  Top with bread crumbs.
6) Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

French Onion Soup

I love French onion soup!  Until recently, I had no idea how easy it was to make.  I had some beef soup bones in my freezer, so I bought some oxtail and made some beef broth.  Homemade beef broth is a lot of work, but it is worth it!  I make mine in the crockpot so it can simmer all day.  My favorite recipe is Alton Brown's recipe.  I packaged the broth in a few different sizes and tossed it in the freezer.  I decided to use one quart of it for French onion soup.  I'm so glad I finally made it on my own. It was delicious! My husband and I ate a ton of it (the kids stuck to grilled cheese that night).  I will definitely be making this again!

French Onion Soup

serves 3

2 large yellow onions, sliced

1/4 cup butter

1 quart beef stock

2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

seasoned salt, to taste

Sliced white cheese (muenster, swiss, asiago, etc.)

Croutons

1) Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions. Cook over low heat for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2) While onions are cooking, combine beef stock, worcestershire sauce, and seasoned salt in a 2 quart pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. 

3) Preheat oven to 400. Add onions to broth and simmer for 5 - 10 minutes. 

4) Ladle soup into oven-safe bowls. Top with croutons and cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and begins to brown.

Simple Cooking Part 2: Sandwiches

I love a good sandwich! Some sandwiches are a little too much work (or a little too rich) for a quick lunch, so I try to make sandwiches for dinner from time to time.  I've found that sandwiches are a huge help when we are busy and I need to do some simpler cooking.  I love being creative with sandwiches.  One of my favorite things to do is buy some ciabatta rolls, set out meats, cheese, and condiments and let my family pick what they want on their sandwiches, then toast everything in the oven.  One of my personal favorites is spicy honey mustard, brie, and tart apple slices (served open-face). There really are no rules with sandwiches. You can use homemade or store-bought bread. Sandwich bread, bagels, rolls, pita, naan, etc.  They can be packed full of veggies or 3 kinds of meat. Hot or cold.  You can even make breakfast sandwiches for dinner!

Below is a list of previous posts about sandwiches. Some are simple, others are more complicated...but they are all tasty!

Thai Chicken Burgers
Pulled Pork
Croque Madame
Muffaletta
Buffalo Chicken Sub (very easy)
Cube Steak Sandwich
Veggie Panini
Fried Pork Tenderloin (good for weekend cooking)

Shortcut Croque Madame

My friend Shelley invited me over for lunch and a playdate a few week ago.  This is what she made for lunch. My son loved it, so I decided to add these to the menu at our house.  This is not a traditional Croque Madame that you would find in France.  It is a shortcut from the Food Network.  It is also much cheaper than a traditional Croque Madame because it uses Swiss cheese instead of Gruyere. I followed the recipe exactly as it was on the website, so I will post the link instead of rewriting everything.  If you don't keep wine in the house, leave out the white wine.  If your family doesn't like Swiss cheese, any good white melting cheese would work great in this recipe. For the recipe, check out Quick Croque Madames on the Food Network website.

My husband enjoyed this sandwich so much that he offered to make himself a second one.  I was so flattered that I got up from the table, turned on the skillet and oven, and made him another one!

Spaghetti with a Fried Egg

I first tried a variation on this recipe a few months ago, after reading about it in Cooks Illustrated.  The article I read scared me.  It went on and on about the importance of timing the spaghetti and the egg just right. I was pretty scared the first time I made it.  It was also a very white meal.  Just spaghetti, bread crumbs, eggs, and parmesan cheese.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm learning that I'm not cooking for gourmet chefs and foodies, I'm cooking for my family and friends...I don't have to follow all the "rules."  I decided to try and make this again and I added some veggies for color.  I left out the bread crumbs because I felt like they didn't really add anything.  I also left out the parmesan cheese because I felt like there were enough flavors in the dish.  My experimenting and relaxing paid off!  It went from something my husband thought was "ok" to something he truly enjoyed and will gladly eat again.  My son even loved the pasta with egg yolk.  I used eggs from a local farm for this.  Since the yolks stay very runny in this recipe, I would recommend either farm fresh eggs or organic eggs.  Feel free to substitute the vegetables in this recipe.  I used up things that were in my fridge.

Spaghetti with a Fried Egg
serves 2

4 oz spaghetti
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 red onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 handful matchstick carrots
1/2 bag spinach
2 eggs
salt and pepper, to taste

1) Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain
2) While you are waiting for the water to boil, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and saute 10 minutes. Add bell pepper, matchstick carrots, and crushed red pepper. Saute 5 minutes.  Stir in spinach until wilted.  Set aside.
3) When the spaghetti has 5 minutes of cooking time left, heat a large skillet over medium heat.  After 5 minutes, add 2 tablespoons butter. When butter is melted, crack the eggs into the skillet.  Cover, and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.
4) To serve: place half the drained pasta a bowl.  Top with half of the vegetables, and 1 egg. Add salt and pepper to taste. Repeat for second bowl.
5) Break the yolk as soon as you sit down.

Asiago Herb Ciabatta

 This is not an authentic Italian ciabatta recipe full of steps.  I've been wanting to make ciabatta for quite a while, but all the steps were a little intimidating.  I don't do well with breads that call for starters or sponges, because something usually happens to distract me.  This is the method from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a day, with a few modifications on my part.  I've come to realize that since I am not a chef, I don't have to follow all the "rules" about food, so I did a shortcut ciabatta.  I'm also pretty sure that no one in my family cared that this wasn't an authentic ciabatta loaf.   They just knew it was yummy bread! It had a nice sourdough taste because I left the dough in the fridge for a week.  I want to try it without the asiago and herbs sometime and make a brie, turkey and apple panini with it.  I think my days of spending $4 on a loaf of ciabatta are behind me!
 The dough for this is pretty sticky and wet.  I was afraid that if I shaped it and put it on a baking sheet, it would turn into one large blob of dough.  I have a 10-inch bread pan that I never get to use, so I decided to use it in this recipe.  It worked great and I will use it again.  My 9-inch pan would have been fine, it just would have given me a taller loaf.  This recipe makes enough for 2 loaves.  I made ciabatta with half of the dough and 6 rolls with the other half.

Asiago Herb Ciabatta
Adapted from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day
makes 2 10-inch loaves

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
3 1/4 cups unsifted, unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 - 1/2 cup diced asiago cheese
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1) Mix all ingredients in a large bowl or dough bucket.  Mix until well-blended. Allow to rise covered for 2 hours.
2) Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 weeks.
3) Cut off one pound of the dough.  With wet hands, shape the dough into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all 4 sides.  Flatten into an elongated oval, no thinner than 3/4 inches.  Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or baking mat. Optional: Place in a well-greased 9 or 10 inch loaf pan.
4) Let it rise, uncovered for 20 minutes.
4) Bake at 450 for 20 minutes, or until deeply browned.

Fried Green Tomato BLTs

My garden is full of tomatoes this year!  I decided to harvest a few tomatoes while they were still green and try making fried green tomato BLTs.  These are a lot of work, but if you have the time, they are worth it!  

Fried Green Tomato BLT
Makes 2 Sandwiches

1 green tomato
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1/2 cup peanut oil
6 - 8 slices bacon, cooked crisp
10 spinach leaves
2 slices havarti cheese
4 slices bread, sliced thick and toasted
Red pepper-cilantro mayonnaise (recipe below)

1) Slice the green tomato into 4 slices. Pat dry.
2) Heat peanut oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
3) Combine the cornmeal, flour, and seasoned salt in a shallow dish.
4) When oil is hot (about 5 - 7 minutes), dredge the tomatoes in the flour and cornmeal and place in the oil.  Fry for 3 minutes on each side.
5) To assemble the sandwich, place a small amount of the red pepper-cilantro mayonnaise on one slice of bread.  Top with spinach, cheese, bacon, and fried green tomatoes.  Drizzle mayonnaise on top.  Top with second slice of bread.

Red Pepper-Cilantro Mayonnaise

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1) In a food processor, combine mayonnaise,  roasted red peppers, and garlic.  Pulse until the red peppers and mayonnaise are smooth.
2) Stir in cilantro.

White Pizza

I made this recipe because I had a ball of pizza dough that needed to be used and 1/2 cup of heavy cream that was about to expire.  I was trying to think of something to do with 1/2 cup of cream, but most recipes called for more.  A friend of mine mentioned that she made white pizza for her family and it was a hit.  It inspired me to try and make my own white pizza.  I am so glad I did.  It was easy to make and was so yummy.  Both of my kids loved it.  My husband is not usually a big fan of white pizza, but he really enjoyed this one.  I am very excited about this because it means I can have white pizza without having to pay $10 for one when I go out!

White Pizza

1 pound of pizza dough
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup parmesan, asiago, or romano cheese (I used a mix of all 3)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan, asiago, or romano cheese

1) Preheat oven to 375.
2) Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes.  Add heavy cream.  When the cream bubbles, stir in the cheese.  Stir until smooth.  Remove from heat.
3) Roll dough into a circle and place on a pizza pan.
4) Top dough with alfredo sauce.  Sprinkle Italian seasoning on top.  Add the mozzarella and remaining parmesan, asiago, or romano cheese.
5) Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

Blackened Chicken Alfredo

I love alfredo sauce.  Until I made it for this recipe, I assumed that it was too hard to make, so I either bought the stuff in a jar, the dry pasta and sauce mixes, or just waited until I was at a restaurant that served it .  When I decided to try it on my own, I posted something on Facebook asking for recipes for alfredo sauce.  My friend Kathleen sent this to me.  It was her mom's recipe and she always loved it growing up.  It was exactly what I was looking for.  It had very simple ingredients and was easy to make.  The hardest part was grating all the cheese for the sauce.  If you are short on time, wait until the good grated parmesan (not the stuff in the green can) goes on sale and use that.

Blackened Chicken Alfredo

1/2 pound penne or ziti, cooked according to instructions on package
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons blackening seasoning, such as Big Kevin's Bayou Blend
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 stick of butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 pint heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 tomato, chopped
shredded parmesan, if desired

1) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Sprinkle blackening seasoning over both sides of the chicken breast halves.
2) Cook the chicken for 5 - 7 minutes on each side, or until chicken is fully cooked. Set aside.
3) In a large skillet or saucepan, heat butter over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
4) Add cream.  Stir to mix it with the butter.  Slowly add the cheese and stir until the sauce bubbles and thickens.
5) Add a small amount of the sauce to the beaten egg to temper the egg.  Add egg to the sauce.  Cook for 2 minutes longer.  Stir in parsley.
6) Add pasta to the sauce and stir.
7) Slice the chicken.
8) Combine chicken and pasta.  Top with tomatoes and shredded cheese, if desired.

Ghee

I decided to try some Indian cooking last week, which meant that I needed to make some Ghee.  I knew it was very simple to make (and much cheaper to make it on my own).  Kerrygold Irish butter finally went on sale, so I picked up a pound of it to make the Ghee.  The only ingredient you need is some butter.

I melted the butter over medium-low heat.

After the butter was melted, it bubbled and became white and foamy. I allowed the butter to simmer for about  10 minutes.  The top became golden -brown and the sediment on the bottom became an amber color.  The butter also went from being yellow to a deeper golden color.

I used a mesh strainer and a coffee filter to get any sediment and milk solids out of the Ghee.  I am storing it in a mason jar in my fridge.  The color is a little bit off in this picture.  The ghee is actually less brown.

Apple Cider Fondue

April 11 is National Cheese Fondue Day.  I'm pretty sure it is sponsored by fondue restaurants so that people will make reservations and spend tons of money on fondue dinner.  My 4 year old recently discovered cheese fondue.  I realized that it was an easy way to get him to eat his vegetables.  We have a fondue pot that we don't use very often, so I decided to make cheese fondue for dinner one night.  Most recipes call for beer or wine.  I know that most of the alcohol cooks out, but I wanted to experiment with a non-alcoholic cheese fondue.  I read several message boards that debated whether or not it was OK to use chicken broth in place of wine or apple cider instead of beer.  I finally decided to search for a recipe that used hard cider and substitute sparkling apple cider for the hard cider.  The fondue was great.  I think I might use less chicken broth next time because the fondue was a little thin. We all loved the taste that the apple cider added to the fondue...a little sweet, but not too sweet. My son's favorite dippers were celery and "brown" bread.  The recipe I used suggested using chicken apple sausages or chorizo as a dipper.  I didn't have any when I made this, but they would be great with this fondue.  If you don't have a fondue pot, you can use a double-boiler or crock pot.  The crock pot method will take longer, but the fondue will be great.

I took a picture of the fondue and dippers, but never transferred it to the computer...then I deleted the photos from my camera.  Oops!

Apple Cider Fondue
Adaped from Food Network

12 ounces sparkling apple cider
3/4 cup (or less) chicken broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 pound grated swiss cheese (I used 1/2 swiss and 1/2 Kerrygold Dubliner)
1/2 pound grated sharp cheddar (I used Kerrygold Red Leicester)
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Dippers: Cubes of bread, carrots, celery, cauliflower, apples, brocooli, etc.


1) Heat cider, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic over medium heat.  Simmer for 5 minutes.


2) Add cheese, stirring until cheese is melted.  


3) Add cayenne.  Cook fondue over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Jambalaya Pasta

Since it is Valentine's Day, I am going to post one of my husband's favorite meals instead of doing something meatless.  I had this dish for the first time at a restaurant called Semolina when I was in college.  I didn't eat there very often because of the location, but I always enjoyed the food.  A few years ago, my friend Shelley invited me over for Jambalaya Pasta.  She has so many wonderful cajun recipes and I always enjoy her company, so I accepted the invitation!  When I saw the recipe, I was excited to see that it was from Semolina.  This is a pretty long, involved recipe, so I am just going to post the link to the recipe.  I used shrimp and hot Italian sausage for the meat in this recipe.  I also used linguine as the pasta because I had an open box that I wanted to use up. I didn't have any taso, so I left that out. I have never made it with taso and it always turns out great.  You can be creative with this recipe.  Feel free to change the meats, add more veggies, or use a different pasta.  Just make sure you don't skip the cheese.  The smoked gouda is really important!  The toughest part is the creole sauce.  It makes quite a bit more than you need, but it freezes really well.  I know that Shelley has made cajun pizza with it before.  I read variations of the recipe online that called for canned tomato sauce with hot sauce added to it.  I think that it is worth the time to make the creole sauce.  It could easily be cut in half.  I like to make the creole sauce the day before I make the pasta.  I froze the leftover sauce in freezer bags so that I can make more jambalaya pasta or maybe even some cajun pizza.  I'll have to get more ideas from Shelley!

Chicken Vegetable Lasagna

This is probably the classiest thing I make.  It is definitely more work than just about every other recipe I have, so I only make it once or twice a year...but it's always worth it.  The picture is of an 8 x 8 pan, but the recipe is for a 9 x 13.  I made a large one for a recipe contest and made a smaller one for us to have at home.  If you don't have the patience for layering, make it with ziti, it still tastes great. 


Chicken Vegetable Lasagna

2 chicken breasts with bone and skin

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 bag fresh spinach

½ cup sun dried tomatoes

1 red pepper, julienned

1 yellow pepper, julienned

1 cup shredded carrots

1 pint ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 egg

8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded

¼ cup parmesan cheese

2 jars alfredo sauce

1 package no boil lasagna noodles

1) Brush chicken breasts with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast at 350 for 45 minutes.  When chicken has cooled, cut into cubes, set aside. Note: Save the drippings, bones, and skin and use them to make broth.

2) Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet. Heat over medium heat and add garlic.  Saute garlic for about 2 minutes and then add peppers and carrots.  Add spinach and sun dried tomatoes and cook until spinach is wilted.

3) In a large bowl, mix ricotta, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and egg.

4) Grease a 9 x 13 pan with butter or oil.  Pour about ¼ cup alfredo sauce into the bottom and spread evenly.

5) Line the bottom of the pan with lasagna noodles. Top with half of the ricotta, vegetables, and chicken. Add one-third of the remaining alfredo sauce and one-third of the mozzarella and parmesan.  Repeat for second layer. For third layer, top lasagna noodles with remaining alfredo sauce and cheese

6) Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. 

Pesto

I am not really a fan of traditional pesto because I find that it is a little bit overpowering and usually has too much olive oil in it.  A few years ago, we were at a party where sun dried tomato pesto was served.  Both my husband and I really enjoyed it, so I decided to learn how to make it. My recipe doesn't use pine nuts.  In my opinion, pine nuts do nothing, but make this recipe expensive.

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1) Combine basil, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor,  Pulse until well blended.
2) Add olive oil and run the food processor until it is well blended.
3) Stir in parmesan cheese.

Steak and French Fries

My husband is a very adventurous eater.  He loves sweet potatoes, mushrooms, eggplant, beans, and is always willing to try new things.  One of his best eating traits is that he is not a food separatist.   In fact, he encourages throwing everything together in one pot or piling it as high as it can go on one plate.  We had a variation of this steak dish at a wedding a little over 2 years ago.  My husband loved it! I wasn't sure how I would feel about my fries being on top of the steak, but then I realized that whenever I get prime rib or a cut of beef that has a sauce on top, I end up dipping my fries in the au jus or sauce anyway.  The only unusual ingredient in this is demi-glace.  I looked into making it once, and it is a 2 day process.  It seems a little bit excessive when you only need one cup of it.  You can also buy demi-glace at Williams-Sonoma and good meat markets, but it may cost up to $30.  I found envelopes of powdered beef demi-glace at a local market.  They cost about $1.75 and make one cup.  I buy the Wagner's brand and have used it in quite a few recipes.  I am not usually a fan of powdered mixes, but this one gets the job done. 

Steak and French Fries
2 1-inch thick sirloin steaks 6 -8 ounces each
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak seasoning
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

8 oz package sliced baby portabella mushrooms

1 envelope Wagner's beef demi-glace
1 cup water
1/2 bag shoestring french fries

1) One hour before you begin cooking, set out the steaks and pour the Worcestershire sauce over them. 
2) Preheat the oven to 450.  Bake the fries according to package directions.  Add salt right after they come out of the oven.
3) While the oven is preheating for the fries, heat oil in a stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle steak seasoning generously on both sides of the steaks.
4) Cook the steaks for 5 -7 minutes on each side, or until a thermometer registers just below where you want your steaks.  I like my steaks just above medium, so I cook them just above medium rare.

5) Set the steaks on a clean cutting board and cover loosely with foil for 10 minutes.

6) Cook the mushrooms over medium heat for about 5 - 7 minutes in the drippings from the steak.  Add more oil or butter if necessary.
7) Combine the demi-glace and water and bring to a boil.
8) Place the steak on a plate, top with mushrooms, demi glace, and fries.