Grilled Steak with Baby Portobello Mushrooms, Roasted Asparagus and Potatoes

Last week I had quite a week planned.  My husband's birthday was on the 18th and my recipe swap friend, Justine's 30th birthday was planned for Saturday at our house.  For fifty people. 

Thursday rolled around and I had a lovely dinner planned for hubby.  This was it.  Grilled steak, asparagus and potatoes.  We were going to put our daughter to bed and enjoy a nice leisurely dinner.  I was really looking forward to it.

Later in the day I got a call from our daughter's daycare.  She had caught the stomach virus going around and was throwing up.  Please come get her.  

Birthday night and hubby cooked his own steak dinner and cut mine up while I held Pukey in one arm and scarfed bites of steak with the other hand trying to avoid a direct hit.

Unfortunately this did not happen.  I ended up with several direct hits.  Needless to say she would have to stay home Friday too. 

It was Friday morning.  Hooray!  I was home on a sick day and Pukey was doing much better.  I could get chores done for the party on Saturday. As the day wore on I began feeling a strange little twinge.  No worries.  I figured I must just be a bit dehydrated.  Friday night I could no longer ignore it. 

I had caught the stomach virus.  I tried to wait as patiently for Chris to come home, however, I caved and texted him HURRY PLEASE as I was curled up in the fetal position on the living room floor with my 18 month old trying to climb on and play horsey.  Thank God as soon as he got home he took over and I got to try and go to bed.  In between visiting the porcelin god.

Somehow I got some sleep but was woken up Saturday, the day of the party, at 4 AM to the sounds of hubby now worshipping the same terrible god.  We were both down for the count.

With fifty people coming to the hosue that night.  

We had to call in reinforcements.  The first group cleaned the last bathroom, moved furniture, vacuumed and blew off the front porch.  The second walked dogs, made food and lysoled the entire house three times over.  

Somehow I was able to drag myself out of bed for the party until the birthday girl finally pulled the plug for me.  "I think you should go to bed".  I just looked at her thankfully feeling like a Debbie Downer.  

Hubby and I were stuck in bed while the party went on till 2AM.  The only thing that made me feel better was that the birthday girl and her fifty guests still had a good time!  

The next morning I was dreading the walk from bed to the bedroom door to survey the damange.  I opened the door and behold! The whole house was clean!  My girlfriend Courtney and her wonderful husband Anthony (aka second reinforcements from the day before) stayed over and cleaned up after the party!  I almost cried in relief.  I was able to go back to bed for a while and relax before my mom dropped our daughter back off and I had to figure out how I was going to play horsey until bed time.  Ah, the joys of motherhood.

Somehow I was still able to get a photo.  I told Chris after all this, I'm getting the dang photo. 

Grilled Steak with Roasted Asparagus and Potatoes
Serves 2

Ingredients

2 organic, grass fed strip steaks
1 8 oz package sliced Portobello mushrooms, rinsed
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup red wine
1 tsp minced garlic
Garlic salt and pepper, to taste
1 organic sweet potato, diced
5 organic fingerling potatoes, sliced in wedges
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 bunch asparagus, ends removed
1/4 cup Dales marinade

Directions

1. Set the steaks in Dales to marinate for 5 to 10 minutes, turning half way through.

2. Preheat the grill over medium high heat, the oven to 400 degrees and spray a small pan with cooking spray and heat over medium high.  Prep two baking sheets with foil and cooking spray.

3.  Add the mushrooms, balsamic, red wine, minced garlic and salt and pepper to the saute pan.  Once simmering, reduce the heat to low, stir occasionally.

4. Place the asparagus on one baking sheet and the potatoes on the other.  Spray both with olive oil spray and season with garlic salt and pepper.   Set potatoes in oven for 5 minutes.  Place the asparagus in the oven as well and cook both for an additional 15 minutes.  (Taste both the asparagus and potato to see if they need more time. Time will vary slightly with size of dice and asparagus.)

5. While asparagus and potatoes are cooking, spray steaks with cooking spray, season with fresh ground pepper and place on grill.  Cook to desired doneness.

With any luck everything is done at the same time!

Great job hubbs!