The Kansas City Steak Company has asked me to partner with them this Holiday season. Clearly Mike was thrilled at the thought of receiving a sampling of all of their steaks on our doorstep… and it happened to coincide with his Birthday so I was happy to oblige. They also offered to do a giveaway for my readers (filet mignon! details below), so everyone wins. 
I’m excited about this post for a couple of reasons – Beef is always the centerpiece of our Christmas entertaining, AND I love the thought of sending these “Kansas City” steaks to my sister and her family in St. Louis : ) Most of you know that I grew up on a farm near Kansas City (Lexington!) and my family raises beef (along with corn, beans & wheat). We love high quality beef with integrity. I especially love it when it comes in a pretty box… 
Isn’t this such a nice gift? I was super impressed with the quality of the packaging that arrived on my doorstep. We plan to give them to my family for our Christmas dinner. Since we aren’t hosting this year, it is our way of contributing! The Giveaway
Four 6 oz. Super-Trimmed™ Filets
This filet mignon is king — butter-tender, cut from the center of the finest aged tenderloin and hand selected from premium corn-fed Kansas beef.
To qualify for the giveaway, leave a commit with your family’s favorite holiday meal. I love hearing what other family’s serve for their special Holiday dinners.
It was wrapped like a box of chocolates!
About The Kansas City Steak Company : Established in 1932, they are known for the highest quality steaks and luxury gourmet gifts – perfect for gift-giving or as the centerpiece for your Holiday celebration. In this post, I’ll share two separate occasions that we enjoyed the steaks – once as a test run, then once for Mike’s special birthday dinner. On both occasions, I seared them just like this :
The Best Seared Steaks My favorite way to prepare steaks at home is to pan sear them, then finish them in the oven – especially thick cuts like these Filets. – The Kansas City Steak Company Steaks -2 tablespoons of butter -steak seasoning* or sea salt & pepper *The Kansas City Steak Company includes a seasoning with each box of steaks, used here. It was delicious. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I like to use a cast iron skillet for steaks because it gets very hot. Preheat the skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Season the steaks liberally with salt & pepper, or seasoning packet. Add butter to the skillet, then add the steaks. Cook for 3 minutes on high heat on each side. Put the skillet in the oven for 5-8 minutes until thermometer reaches 125 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
Before the flip. Be sure to be generous with the seasoning – especially with very thick steaks like these.
After the flip, I put them in the oven.
Along with the steaks, I made the Barefoot Contessa’s Crispy Shells & Cauliflower from her newest cookbook. So good! It can be made ahead of time and would be great for entertaining.
Steaks for Entertaining We serve seared steaks for entertaining all of the time. In fact, it was my staple when I had a small catering business. Everyone was always impressed that I could prepare such delicious steaks without a grill. I really don’t like to do much on the stovetop when I have guests – too risky. So, I sear the steaks earlier in the day or even the day before. Then, I put them on a sheet pan and keep them in the fridge. I put them in the oven for about 10-12 minutes until they’ve reached 130 degrees (medium rare/medium seems to suit most crowds), then remove them and let them rest. It works perfectly because I usually put the steaks in just before we sit down, then take them out by the time I’ve poured the wine and served the salad. Usually the salad takes about 10 minutes, so the rest time is just perfect.
Mike and I were both so impressed with the flavor and quality of these steaks – so, soooo good.
For this dinner, I made a simple greens salad, the Crispy Shells & Cauliflower to go with the steaks. You can see a sneak peak at Mike’s birthday dinner (also another set of filets on the menu) at the end of the post.
Of course, you know who just out of view of most of the photos but snuck in this one!
Down to the last bite. We enjoyed these so much!
Now for Mike’s Birthday dinner : we did a table setting that I felt was “handsome” and special. I’ll walk through the details how how I made the centerpiece and setting tomorrow. 
My current favorite combo – Slate Wreath Block Print with my Spode Woodland Plates and fresh greens.
I love how the table turned out. Everything always looks great with lots of candles ; )
Two more steaks for dinner… we are getting so spoiled.
And homemade truffle pasta! Thanks to The Kansas City Steak Company for sponsoring this post (and for the delicious samples!). Mike also thanks you : ) Don’t forget the giveaway – I’ll announce the winner on Monday morning. The Giveaway
Four 6 oz. Super-Trimmed™ Filets
This filet mignon is king — butter-tender, cut from the center of the finest aged tenderloin and hand selected from premium corn-fed Kansas beef.
To qualify for the giveaway, leave a commit with your family’s favorite special holiday meal. I love hearing what other family’s traditions.