Dinner For Six

My sister, Laura, is visiting from Raleigh for the weekend and i'm so excited to gather some of our friends for a dinner party.   Laura and I have similar tastes in food so I was excited to make some of our favorites!

Here's my dinner menu for six:

Grilled Romaine Salad with Spicy Lemon Vinaigrette

Pesto Pasta Salad

Lemon Garlic Shrimp

Sliced Sirloin 

Oven Fries

Snow Cones for dessert!

Everything on this menu is easy to prepare and since I'm working all day before the dinner party, I like to have a little help by using store bought, frozen oven fries (delicious), and having everyone make their own dessert- what's easier and more fun than a snow cone? 

I'm a big believer in a steak that tastes like steak.   Here's how I make my perfect sliced sirloin:

1) Let the steak come to room temperature (set it out on the counter for 1 hour)

2) Pat the steak dry with paper towels; season liberally with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

3) Heat a sautee pan to medium high heat (let it heat for 2 minutes or so)

4) Add a combination of butter and olive oil to the pan.  Don't overdo it; for these large sirloins (2 12 oz sirloins) I used 1 tbsp. butter and 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

5) Cook the steak to desired doneness; about 7 minutes per side for  medium rare

6) Remove steak from pan and wrap tightly in tin foil; let rest for at least 10 minutes. 

7) Slice against the grain.  Enjoy!