It’s been a pretty cold winter. Even running water can’t prevent ice buildup.
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
Photo of the Week: Woodlawn Falls Read More »
The porterhouse steak is a classic cut of beef that is highly prized by foodies and meat connoisseurs alike. It is very tender and is best enjoyed when seasoned lightly to bring out the natural flavors of the steak. Its nickname is the Lovers’ Steak because it is the perfect size for a couple to share (the sirloin for him and the filet for her) and it’s shaped like a heart. Today we are looking into what makes this steak so delicious and how to perfectly prepare it for this Valentine’s Day.
Steak for Two, Please…
The porterhouse steak is a thick cut of beef from the short loin of the steer, close to the sirloin. This cut of meat contains the flavorful sirloin strip steak on one side and the tender filet mignon on the other, better to be shared between two people. The bone dividing these two pieces is the spinal column and vertebrae.
The porterhouse bone provides a tremendous amount of flavor and also acts as a heat shield that slows the cooking of the steak. The perfect porterhouse steak is seared on the outside and beautifully deep pink in the middle. Season a porterhouse with minimal spices – salt, pepper, garlic – in order to allow the natural flavor to be savored!
For a simple, but impressive recipe, try our grilled Porterhouse with mushrooms and balsamic sauce. The powerful porterhouse is complemented by the quiet flavor of the caramelized mushrooms and highlighted by the sweet balsamic vinegar sauce.
Grilled Porterhouse with Mushrooms and Balsamic Sauce
Prep: 15 minutes, Total: 1 hour, Serves: 2 to 4 people
Ingredients:
(1) 2 inch thick, 3 lb. porterhouse steak
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. butter
12 ounces cremini mushrooms
3 garlic gloves, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp. parsley, freshly chopped
Sauce:
¾ cup balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup ketchup
¼ cup honey
2 shallots, minced
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
¼ tsp. ground allspice
1 to 2 Tbsp. butter
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Preheat grill to high on one side and lightly oil the grate. Season the porterhouse steak with kosher salt and pepper. Grill over direct heat for 4 minutes, then rotate the meat 90 degrees and cook 2 more minutes. Repeat on the other side. Move the steak to the cooler part of the grill and position the smaller end away from the heat. Cover and cook until the meat reaches 125 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit on a food thermometer for medium-rare, 12 to 15 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing. While the steak is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large nonstick pan. Once the butter is melted, add the mushrooms in a single layer. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes to caramelize the mushrooms. Add the garlic slices, season with salt and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the garlic is very fragrant. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper.
To make the sauce, simmer the balsamic vinegar, ketchup, honey, shallots, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, allspice, salt and pepper until thickened, about 15 minutes. Strain, then whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter to add a satin finish. Finish the steak with mushrooms and sauce by placing them on top of the steak. Serve immediately.
Who Would Have Guessed…
The porterhouse is the original pub steak, which is how it got its name. A porter house was a type of restaurant in the 1800′s that served ale along with hearty meals. The Pearl Street in Manhattan was the first such place to coin the term porterhouse steak.
This Valentine’s Day impress your special someone with a Lovers’ Steak. It’s the perfect size to share and will earn you big points with its big, juicy flavor. If you don’t feel like sharing, check out our other Valentine’s Day offerings like our bone-in sirloin, filet mignon or rib eye. Plus our grab-and-go homemade meals will make you look like a professional chef without all the fuss!
We wish you a very happy and delicious Valentine’s Day.
The Meat House is the modern revival of your neighborhood butcher and grocer, featuring a wide selection of expertly butchered premium meats, fresh seafood, chef-inspired prepared foods, Boar's Head deli products, fresh sandwiches, and a wide variety of local produce, breads, desserts and grocery items. Our team of expert butchers and experienced chefs are at your service to help create a great meal or a great event for your family, friends and colleagues. Their collective talents contribute to our regular column and make The Meat House YOUR local go-to place for great food, helpful insights and a friendly smile.
The Meat House Tips: The Lovers’ Steak Read More »
Snow Day. Cardinals flit to the feeder as clients call to cancel appointments. The afternoon becomes a weathered window of opportunity to peruse a stack of books left languishing in a corner.
Hopefully you can benefit from my gleanings so that you can read for yourself a book or two.
Winter is a time for hibernation, not only for the seed in the ground and the bear in the cave, but also for the human psyche—if we allow it to be so. Thus, my first choice on the roster of books to review is Robert Sardello’s “Silence: The Mystery of Wholeness.” This book is a psycho-spiritual antidote to a celebrity and profit-driven culture.
Sardello reminds us that, while our “ever-fruitful companion—presence” that leads us to our true selves is Silence, we run away. “Our choosing to live in the noise of our thoughts and emotions—within the incessant clamor around us—happens almost without our recognition. But we are uncomfortable with the Silence. It does not go with our hectic lives, with what must be done every day, and with our felt need to accomplish something … we have neglected the core of our being. … Anxiety enters.”
Far unlike many self-help books, Silence has no glib quick fixes. Instead, Sardello enjoins the reader to take time to slow down into silence in relation to the book itself. He also provides imaginal exercises to help in letting go of themes and issues in our lives that stop us from living more authentically — silently, in fact.
Another book that requires reflection is James Hollis’ “Hauntings.” A prolific writer, Jungian analyst Hollis gives a compendium for how to “dispel the ghosts who run our lives.” We think we are independent, especially when we cut ourselves off from our family of origin. Yet, it is in the burial of our past where the ghosts most linger. Just as Sardello reminds us to stop running from silence and into cultural chaos, Hollis may say, and in that silence, we may find the ancestral mythology that runs our lives unless and until we become conscious of it.
The invitation is now here—you don’t need to find a deep snow day to find your own deep self.
* Kayta Curzie Gajdos holds a doctorate in counseling psychology and is in private practice in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. She welcomes comments at MindMatters@DrGajdos.com or (610)388-2888. Past columns are posted to www.drgajdos.com.
Dr. Kathleen Curzie Gajdos ("Kayta") is a licensed psychologist (Pennsylvania and Delaware) who has worked with individuals, couples, and families with a spectrum of problems. She has experience and training in the fields of alcohol and drug addictions, hypnosis, family therapy, Jungian theory, Gestalt therapy, EMDR, and bereavement. Dr. Gajdos developed a private practice in the Pittsburgh area, and was affiliated with the Family Therapy Institute of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, having written numerous articles for the Family Therapy Newsletter there. She has published in the American Psychological Association Bulletin, the Family Psychologist, and in the Swedenborgian publications, Chrysalis and The Messenger. Dr. Gajdos has taught at the college level, most recently for West Chester University and Wilmington College, and has served as field faculty for Vermont College of Norwich University the Union Institute's Center for Distance Learning, Cincinnati, Ohio. She has also served as consulting psychologist to the Irene Stacy Community MH/MR Center in Western Pennsylvania where she supervised psychologists in training. Currently active in disaster relief, Dr. Gajdos serves with the American Red Cross and participated in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts as a member of teams from the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Now living in Chadds Ford, in the Brandywine Valley of eastern Pennsylvania, Dr. Gajdos combines her private practice working with individuals, couples and families, with leading workshops on such topics as grief and healing, the impact of multigenerational grief and trauma shame, the shadow and self, Women Who Run with the Wolves, motherless daughters, and mediation and relaxation. Each year at Temenos Retreat Center in West Chester, PA she leads a griefs of birthing ritual for those who have suffered losses of procreation (abortions, miscarriages, infertility, etc.); she also holds yearly A Day of Re-Collection at Temenos.Dr. Gajdos holds Master's degrees in both philosophy and clinical psychology and received her Ph.D. in counseling at the University of Pittsburgh. Among her professional affiliations, she includes having been a founding member and board member of the C.G. Jung Educational Center of Pittsburgh, as well as being listed in Who's Who of American Women. Currently, she is a member of the American Psychological Association, The Pennsylvania Psychological Association, the Delaware Psychological Association, the American Family Therapy Academy, The Association for Death Education and Counseling, and the Delaware County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Board. Woven into her professional career are Dr. Gajdos' pursuits of dancing, singing, and writing poetry.
Mind Matters: From snow to self Read More »
The Board of Directors of the Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau is pleased to welcome Susan Hamley as the organization’s executive director. Hamley has held several executive positions throughout her 30-year career. Most recently, she served as the Snowmass Colorado Tourism Director, a post she held for 10 years. In this role, she was responsible for building awareness, generating visitation and stimulating spending in the multi-seasonal resort of Snowmass, often in collaboration with Aspen as a key strategic partner. “Chester County, and the Brandywine Valley in particular, offer so many diverse reasons for people to visit and enjoy their own customized experiences. I’m excited to join the CCCVB and support its mission of increasing tourism as a viable economic engine for the area and its businesses,” states Hamley.
Chester County Commissioners Ryan Costello, Kathi Cozzone and Terence Farrell commented jointly on the appointment: “We were pleased with the caliber of the candidates that were interviewed for the role of Executive Director of the Conference & Visitors Bureau, and Susan Hamley’s experience and enthusiasm will serve Chester County tourism well. The economic impact of tourism in Chester County is more than $877 million, and tourism employs more than 10,000 people. We’re confident that, through Susan’s leadership, and the dedication of the Conference & Visitors Bureau staff, tourist attractions will continue to thrive, and the selection of Chester County as a sporting or conference event destination will increase.”
The Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau is a not-for-profit, independent agency that serves as the official Tourism Promotion Agency for Chester County. The Visitors Bureau was created in 1963, and is responsible for marketing Chester County and the Brandywine Valley to individual leisure travelers, motor coach and group tour operators, meeting planners and travel writers. The Bureau maintains the Brandywine Valley Tourism Information Center at 300 Greenwood Road in Kennett Square. The center welcomes visitors daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
New executive director for Chesco visitors’ bureau Read More »
The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District has been ranked the number two school district in Pennsylvania by Schooldigger.com. While all schools within the district were highly ranked of particular note are Hillendale Elementary, which is the number one ranked elementary school for the second year in a row and Charles F. Patton Middle School now the number four ranked middle school in Pennsylvania (first in Chester County) jumping 32 spots over last year. Additionally Unionville High School is now the #2 ranked high school in Chester county and number seven statewide.
Schooldigger.com uses published statewide test scores to compile rankings for schools across the country. Pennsylvania schools are ranked based on Math and Reading PSSA results. School districts are rated by averaging the rank percentile of the schools within each district.
All schools in Unionville-Chadds Ford are high performing and these results are in line with recently released Pennsylvania State Performance Profiles. Based on the Schooldigger.com rankings “Across the board, Unionville-Chadds Ford School District students continue to excel and this is in no small part driven by community support, parental guidance and the efforts of every staff member in the district working together to meet the needs of our students.”
Schooldigger.com’s recognition of Unionville-Chadds Ford School District is the embodiment of the district mission to empower each student to succeed in life and contribute to society.
U-CF ranked second in Pennsylvania Read More »
