This sandwich is pretty much a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich, but I didn’t want anyone from Philly coming to beat me up and take my lunch money for claiming to have made a Philly Cheese Steak in northern West Virginia. I don’t want to use the name West Virginia Cheese Steak, either, because I’m pretty sure that would have to involve something disgusting like road kill or opossum. So I’ll just keep things simple and leave it at Cheese Steak Sandwich.  Yeah.

To make two sandwiches, you will need:

• 3/4-1 pound of cube steak (round steak that has been tenderized)
• Fresh mozzarella cheese (about 3 ounces)
• 1 tbs brown sugar
• half of an onion, sliced
• 1/3c Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tbs butter (plus more for the bread)
• 2 French/hoagie/deli rolls

Heat 2 tbs of the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes, until they have begun to soften. Add the brown sugar and 1/4 tsp salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes more, or until they are very soft and caramelized. Remove and set aside.

Cut the beef into thin strips (against the grain). Season with the remaining salt and pepper.

Crank the heat on your pan up to high. Add the remaining 2 Tbs of butter. Once melted, add the steak (in a single layer). Cook on both sides until brown, about 3 minutes total.

Reduce heat to low. Add in the Worcestershire sauce and the cooked onions. Stir to combine.

Butter each side of your bread, and toast it lightly.

Assemble as shown. If you have extra juice from the pan, spoon it over the top.

Top with sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese. Pop the entire sandwich back into the oven (on a baking sheet) just long enough for the cheese to melt.

Serve and enjoy!

Side-note: don’t serve this to anyone you don’t like. Else you may have trouble getting rid of them. Unless they are a vegetarian. In which case, have at it. *ducks*

Side-side-note: I <3 vegetarians, and wish I had that kind of willpower. Please don’t send me hate mail.

Side-side-side-note: On second thought, send me hate mail if you want to. I think that’s one of the signs you’ve made it in the blogging world.

So, by now, you probably have gotten an idea or two about my love affair with pumpkin. I’ve posted a disproportionately high number of recipes involving pumpkin lately, and it’s because I have had this recipe roundup idea in the back of my mind.

First I’ll revisit some of my favorites, but I also want to share with you some of the best looking pumpkin dessert recipes I have found from other bloggers.

Pumpkin Scones

Pumpkin Custard Pie

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Trifle

Pumpkin Spice Latte!

Recipes from other fabulous blogs:

Classic Pumpkin Pie by Linzers in London

Pumpkin Bars with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting by Mara at Shared Sugar

Award-winning Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust by Healthy Happy Life

Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream by Braised Anatomy

Pumpkin Candy Cups by What Megan’s Making

Pumpkin Pecan Roll (my favorite dessert in the universe) by Samiwich and Addiecakes

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies by A Bowl of Mush

Whiskey Pumpkin Shortbread Parfait by Tidy Mom

Pumpkin Mascarpone Cheesecake by Slice of Feist

Pumpkin Tartlets with Mascarpone Cream by Tartelette

With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, I’m seeing a lot of discussion on whether or not  diet, low-carb, or low-fat foods belong at the Thanksgiving dinner table. Really, it’s not so much of a discussion, because the general consensus seems to be that it’s one day a year dedicated to food (mostly), so might as well live it up. I tend to agree that for the most part, barring any serious health requirements of course, Thanksgiving fare should be the real deal. Go ahead and add in that heavy cream without guilt. Just don’t tell your cardiologist that lolfoodie told you to.

So, what about the rest of the week? Of course you’ll have leftovers AFTER the big meal, but what to eat before? To me, lighter options seem ideal and will make the indulgence in a Thanksgiving feast that much more special.

That’s where this recipe comes in. It has wonderful flavors of fall and winter with seasonal vegetables and fresh sage, braised in vegetable stock and white wine. A perfect prelude to Thanksgiving dinner, if you ask me.

Check out EatingWell for the original recipe.

To make 4 main course servings, you will need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 2 tbs chopped fresh sage (or 2 tsp dried, if you don’t have fresh)
• 1 tsp ground coriander seed
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup white wine
• 8 ounces (about 2 cups) whole-wheat pasta
• 2 cups cauliflower, chopped or torn into bite-size florets
• 2 cups butternut squash, chopped into bite-size cubes
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 12 ounces frozen lima beans

Begin by heating the oil in a Dutch oven (if you have one) or stock pot. Once it’s hot, add the onions, garlic, and sage (if you’re using fresh sage). Saute over medium until softened, 4 minutes.

Add in the vegetable broth and wine. Bring to a boil over medium-high.

Side note/pic for how I peeled and chopped the butternut squash. It can be hard to work with if you don’t have a very sharp knife. I use this 8″ chef’s knife and have been recommending it to everyone I know who needs a good all-purpose knife.

Anyway. Cut off the top and slice the butternut squash in half into two cylinders, as shown.  I stored the left half for later and only peeled the right half, because once peeled and chopped, it was almost exactly 2 cups. Steady the cylinder on your cutting board, and peel from top to bottom with your knife. From there, you can pretty much cube it like a potato.

Add the cauliflower, squash, salt, pepper, coriander, (and sage, if you are using dried). Cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the pasta and cook for 4 minutes.

Add the lima beans and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until everything is tender and most of the liquid has absorbed.

I made the full 4 servings and stored the rest in the fridge. It makes for great leftovers! Truthfully, it probably makes closer to 5 servings. No complaints here, though.