Not from Philly Cheesesteak

I'm from Northwestern Pennsylvania. Within driving distance from Pittsburgh.

Ask anyone from PA, and they'll tell you the state should be divided in two, down the middle.

Because the West and the East are so very different.

The main cities for comparison are Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

The Burgh is very much a blue-collar, working-man's town; Philly (the former capitol of the US) is a bit more...high falutin'.

While I can't really think of too many foods, nationally known, that would spotlight Pittsburgh (pierogies aren't necessarily native, although there is Iron City Beer!), everyone's heard of the Philly Cheese Steak.

Even when I was still a carnivore, I didn't really consume much beef. It just wasn't my thing...I preferred chicken and turkey.

And the few times I did eat a cheese steak, it was courtesy of Steak'ums! Not exactly authentic.

But Matt...Matt likes a good cheesesteak.

It's not the sort of thing we make. For starters, there weren't any meat substitutes out there for sliced beef.

But last week, while shopping, Matt and I noticed something new in the freezer section, where all the 'fake foods' are kept.

Morningstar Farms now has two new ' Meal Starters'; a 'chicken' strip, and a 'steak' strip.

Surprised, we figured it was worth a try. And Matt's had a chunk of sirloin kicking around in the freezer, so cheesesteaks suddenly appeared on our menu.

Finely sliced onions are cooked down till soft. Add to this your thinly sliced beef (or 'steak' strips); cook until done. Toss in some (I'm kind of embarrassed here) Velveeta (!) chunks; continue cooking until cheese is melted.
Fill a good roll with the meat and cheese.

Matt was very happy to have it, and we were both impressed with the flavor and quality of the 'steak' strips. Good texture, and the 'meat' comes already seasoned; very nice.

To go with, it seemed only appropriate that we fry up some potatoes, right?

Thanks to the mandoline, we had nice, crunchy fries (soaked in an ice bath for a while first). That quick blast from the boiler kept them crisp.

A fun, filling meal...

Looks like those new Meal Starters may open up some new doors for us.


Don't forget; Blog Party#4: The Gang's All Here: The Holiday Edition is coming soon! There's no such thing as a too early submisssion! Entries can be left in link format here, in the comments, or you may email them to me at thehappysorceress at gmail dot com.
Hope to see you there!