Another Lazy Meal

It's funny, last year at this time, it was as though time had stopped.  I was home with Thatboy and our new baby and nothing was expected of us.

This year, I am beyond busy.  I was once again working late tonight, stuck in arbitration till after the sun went down.  And because I was in arbitration, I couldn't run home to prep dinner.  Instead I had to go with an easy crowd pleaser- steak frites.  The other aspect of tonight's dinner was trying to get some of Thatbaby's favorites. He's been waking a lot these past few nights, and not eating as much as he normally does during the day, so we're hoping that a fuller stomach will keep him down longer.  Steak and french fries are both objects he rarely turns from.

To dress up the steak, I turned to a delicious sauce I discovered long ago on Mary Ellen's blog.  This versatile topping works on so much more than just steak.  It's already on the meal plan for next week as dressing for some grilled corn.

Three Chile Butter (From Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations)

Ingredients

• 2 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, thinly sliced
• 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 3 shallots, chopped
• 2 whole chipotle chiles (from can), drained, stemmed, seeded, sliced
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Directions

• Heat large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add guajillo and ancho chile slices. Toast until fragrant and beginning to darken, stirring often, about 30 seconds.
• Add butter, shallots, and chipotle chiles. Stir just until chiles are coated with butter and shallots begin to soften, about 2 minutes.
• Add 1 cup water and simmer until dried chiles are soft and all water has evaporated, about 15 minutes.
• Mix in chives; season with salt.
• Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm before using. (I just gave my leftover sauce to my dad to pour over his London Broil tonight - we'll see how well it reheats, but I'm guessing it will be fine based on how it looked this morning)