When I started this blog I thought, I love cooking, and I am kinda good at it, how hard can it be… well, it is actually kinda hard. The cooking, and of course eating is always a pleasure but getting semi creative shots during the cooking process is really quite tricky, remembering to do it when you are getting carried away in a dish is even harder, especially if you are the most forgetful person in the world. Then, once it’s all done, there is the pressure to plate it up so it looks appealing to someone reading my blog so that you guys actually try it.

Then on top of all that is the pressure I put on myself, comparing Eatin’ Mess to other blogs. One great blog that I check regularly is Apartment 34 and a little while ago, when I had just started Eatin’ Mess, Erin did a wonderful post ‘Things I’m afraid to tell you’, and it was exactly what I needed to read. It turns out, it’s not just me, Erin also suffers from blogging envy. Erin wrote, “My jealousy of beautiful blogs, killer content or cool blogging opportunities holds no bounds.” Erin had me at ‘jealousy’. “I constantly look at all the amazingness out there and feel inadequate, frustrated or just straight up angry that its not happening to me/by me/for me.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. Erin’s post was like a big hug from the blogging world, that most, if not all bloggers get a little jealous from time to time, and I knew I had to keep going, keep growing and keep getting better.

I am feeling much better about my blog these days but there is always room for improvement. Hope you guys are enjoying Eatin’ Mess, I love bringing it to you.

This recipe is brought to you with the inspiration from a great blog, The Ravenous Couple.

Serves 4

2 large rib fillet steaks
1 cup apple juice
3 garlic cloves, chopped and crushed
1/2 yellow onion, finely sliced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp ground pepper
Butter lettuce

Shallot sauce
1/2 cup shallots, finely sliced
1/4 cup neutral oil
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
3/4 tsp sherry or red wine vinegar
Salt to taste

My spicy green sauce
3 large butter lettuce leaves
1 tsp sambal oelek

Combine the apple juice, garlic, onion, soy, sesame and pepper in a large bowl, mix well and then submerge steaks. Marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Next make your sauces. For the shallot sauce, combine ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Set aside.

For the strange green sauce which I just decided to make up as the recipe called for Kimchi puree and I didn’t have any Kimchi or Chinese cabbage to make my own Kimchi, so I got a little creative, we had some butter lettuce and sambal so I decided to simply whaz them and see what happened. Delicious. Place lettuce and sambal in a processor or use a stick blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until required. It was actually really nice. The cool fresh lettuce taste with the hot and spicy, garlicy sambal was lovely.

Once everything is ready, grill your steaks on the BBQ or a griddle pan. Cook as desired, although, in my opinion, anything over medium is just a waste of a steak. Serve on some butter lettuce with the two sauces.