Congrats Alexa!!!! What a great accomplishment. I'm smoke free 10 years last month. Like FOAS says it gets easier especially once you start hating the smell of smokers ! I posted a very easy "Greek" Scampi recipe on the New recipes thread. I think it would make a great starter. Ina's Scampi is delish too. For the entree I would go traditional surf and turf . The Iceberg wedge with Blue Cheese is so retro, fits perfectly with Surf and Turf. If you want beyond decadent I had lobster mashed potatoes at a sea food restaurant that was to die for! Very smooth, creamy mashed potatoes with lots of fresh ground pepper, chive snips and chunks (no shreds , chunks) of lobster. Now you have me jonesing for lobster! Broiled Greek Scampi 1/2 stick butter 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice 1 TBSP minced garlic 1/2 tsp dried dill ( I omitted) salt and pepper to taste 2TBSP fresh bread crumbs 1 TBSP grated Parmesan 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp paprika 10-12 extra large shrimp, deveined, peeled, tail on ( butterflied) Preheat broiler with rack placed 6-8 inches from broilers Melt butter in large sauce pan. Stir in lemon juice, garlic, dill, salt and pepper. Let stand off heat to steep. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, oregano, and paprika. Set aside. Coat 2 6 oz casserole dishes with non stick spray and place on baking sheet. Arrange shrimp evenly on each dish. Divided butter mixture evenly between dishes. Top with bread crumb mixture. Broil until shrimp are cooked and topping is golden brown ( about 5 minutes) Let cool one minute before handling Baked Shrimp Scampi 2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, All Rights Reserved Serves: 6 servings Ingredients 2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell  3 tablespoons good olive oil  2 tablespoons dry white wine  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper  12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature  4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)  1/4 cup minced shallots  3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves  1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves  1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes  1 teaspoon grated lemon zest  2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice  1 extra-large egg yolk  2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)  Lemon wedges, for serving Directions Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture. In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined. Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute

linnea56 - use caution when cleaning anything with an enamel finish. It is basically a polyurethane plastic held in resin or something, and will scratch or melt with abrasion and/or chemicals. Here's what I would do for your stove: First, wipe it with a wet paper towel for any loose stuff. Then, use a grease cutting solution (like Dawn dish washing detergent/water 50/50, or Simple Green) on a cloth laid over the gunky spots. Wait 15 minutes to an hour. Use a wet nylon sponge or "no-scratch" sponge to work as much gunk off as you can. Wipe well with a wet paper towel and dry. You can also lay a paper towel down moistened with 50/50 vinegar before you attack the burned on stuff more but DO NOT mix it with anything else and rinse with water before and after you do. For the hardest to remove spots, I suggest using Bon-Ami (it's like Comet, Zud, or Bar Keepers Friend cleanser but will not scratch like that stuff does) with a damp paper towel, second choice would be the cleansers made for glass stove tops - a mild abrasive that may scratch a little. Always rinse and wipe dry. A slow gentle touch and some elbow grease is preferable to an attack. Last choice for stubborn stuff: My husband is a cabinet maker and occasionally uses a tool like a fat razor blade, called a (wood) cabinet scraper, honed to razor sharpness, to take the top layer of burned on gunk off my glass stove top. I have used it for a thick layer of gunk on my black enameled stove top, but you have to be very careful to not get it directly on the enamel. A single edged razor blade also works, and easier to find, to be used only if it is brand new and used on just a few places, then use a new one used for more scraping on the next bunch of gunk. It will scratch and could cut you so a light touch, a little layer at a time, never down to the surface itself, and patience is necessary. Follow up with the Bon-Ami for the last layer of gunk. You might consider not cooking on high heat on gas stoves. For one thing it is not good for your pans and for another it will not get your food cooked quicker, but just burned quicker. If you use cast iron pans, it can take the high heat, but down a notch for cooking is better for flavor retention and less spatter. If you get a lot of spatters while cooking, use a splatter screen and then wipe up with a dry paper towel then with a Dawn solution while it is still liquid on the stove top. If it dries on the hot stove top, it makes gunk. Your husband's fear of self-cleaning is baseless, but a consideration is the cost of the energy/gas used to clean it at up to 700 degrees F. I use the no-fume spray ("Easy-Off" brand) all the time and in 10 years have only used the self-cleaning function once (mine is electric though so gas may be different) and it does not harm electrical connections, otherwise the manufacturers would not be able to sell so many ovens over the last umpty-ump years with this feature and still be able to offer a guarantee. The no-fume spray has a light clean scent, takes only a couple of hours in a completely cold oven, and works like a charm (I do it before I go to bed and clean up later). You just remove the residual softened gunk with lots of wads of damp paper towels (I wear latex gloves). A second application sometimes is necessary. I put a note on my calendar to remind me to do it once a month, whether or not I've been baking/roasting/broiling a little or a lot. Takes 2 minutes to spray and 5 minutes to wipe out. BTW Bon-Ami is the only cleanser that will not remove the porcelain/ceramic/granite/enamel/stainless steel/plastic shiny finish on your sinks, tubs, toilets, and faucets, and also refrigerators/freezers, dishwashers, microwave, toaster, painted walls, vinyl floors, plastic light switches, etc., etc., etc. And, BTW, "Magic Eraser" is so abrasive that it will take the "no-fingerprint" pattern off your refrigerator. For whitening stains and sanitizing (not for faucets), I use Clorox Clean Up. I don't have any affiliations with any manufacturer of anything, I just learned what works for me. Nancy

I always made swiss steaks with round steak, pounded with top of a coke bottle. That was back in the 60's and the way my mother taught me. Think minute steaks cooked as swiss steak would be tough, cause it has to cook a fair amt of time. My opinion only. Same thing with country fried steak. Again, my opinion only.

Thank you Martha. We have been to the one in Poplar Bluff, MO and Dickson TN. Both were really, really good. Since they are a chain, I think lots of times they have bad management and / or bad chefs. I know Red lobster in Pinellas park FL is good, (not great), and the one in Mt Juliet TN is horrible, and Jackson, tn is also not very good. But the one in Franklin TN is wonderful. Same with Golden Corrall, the 2 near Tampa bay were just awful, while Davenport IA and Mobile AL are amazing. St Louis GC is ok, not bad, not great. We really prefer local mom / pop places, but there are some high end places we love too. Bern's Steak House in Tampa is my all time favorite for a truly off the hook steak. We will be heading out to Kansas in a coupe of weeks, so will keep the Pttburgh Colton's in mind Thank you.