It’s been 5 years since traveling to my hometown. This time I’ve been here for 2 weeks. Good times spent reconnecting with my siblings, parents and friends all filled with laughter and great food and beverages.

I don’t know about you, but when I go home there are places that I have to stop. Memories that get jogged by smells and tastes. I have to stop at Merichka’s because there is no other place that makes a steak poor boy sandwich like they do with copious amounts of garlic butter. Since it’s the fall my mouth waters for a caramel apple from Dan’s Candies. They make their caramel with real butter and cream and tart apples. The perfect combination of sweet and tart. I could go on and on.

Unfortunately, the good stuff is also offset by the places that are no longer around. That is more true today than in the past. With a pandemic that continues to create restrictions on going out it feels more important than ever to support local small businesses. It’s easy to be lulled into the convenience of prime day deals and online orders brought to your car, but those places don’t create community. They are not where memories are made.

I am thankful that so many of the places that I love are still around and that even in these crazy days there are new places to discover. I now have a new crepe place in Homer Glen La Crepe that almost knows my name after 3 visits in 2 weeks. We stumbled on to a few new breweries that will be revisited the next time we are in town, Elder Brewing in Joliet and Tribes Beer Company in Modena (where you can have Aurelio’s Pizza delivered right to your table).

After taking Kelly (my beautiful wife) on a tour of all my old stomping grounds all the way back to the first house I ever lived in I wanted an easy delicious meal. Being in the Midwest I couldn’t pass up a delicious steak from my favorite CP Meat Market. Cooking on a really hot cast iron skillet can be a RV smoke alarm challenge but it doesn’t take long and is mouth watering good. Pair it with some fresh tomatoes from the garden or your favorite farmers market, fresh mozzarella and basil or some smashed potatoes And you have yourself a quick simple tasty dinner. For beverages a local beer with a bit of maltiness or a red wine with a long finish and some tannins to balance the steak’s fat will round out your evening. If you want to make it even better, light a few candles and put on some soft music and enjoy.

Cast Iron Skillet Steak

Ribeye, T-Bone, or New York Strip
Salt
Pepper
Garlic butter
Cast iron skillet

Take out your steak preferably the night before if not then as early in the day as possible and salt liberally on both sides. Return to the refrigerator. Take out 45 min before cooking and let it come to temperature. Heat skillet with a bit of oil, grape seed if you have it. Grape seed oil has a high smoke point. Let skillet get hot enough to almost smoke. Place the steak on the skillet and be prepared to deal with your smoke alarm. Cook until nicely browned about 2-3 minutes on each side. Baste with garlic butter after you have slipped the steak. Remove from heat and cover letting rest for approximately 5 minutes so as not to loose all the juices. Slice and serve. Garnish with sautéed mushrooms or blue cheese. Enjoy!