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What's your favorite food? When I ask my son Major, his answer will generally always be pizza, chicken nuggets or maybe even cheese burgers. Sounds about right. My husband's is meatloaf, and my other son's, Jack's, appears to be hot dogs. As for me? I have to say either spaghetti or an ooey-gooey cheesesteak.
I love cheesesteaks. So much. I grew up in the land of the Philadelphia Cheesesteak, and I guess I took for granted the fact that I could have one of those blessed sandwiches - done properly - whenever I wanted. And now a days, sometimes, I just need a cheesesteak.
So what's a cheesesteak? REALLY? You don't know? Just kidding, let me just give you a run down, just in case... It's a sandwich made from thinly sliced pieces of ribeye or top round beef and melted cheese in a long hoagie roll. A true steak sandwich is made with Cheez Whiz, but you'll easily find them with provolone, or even melted an sliced American cheese. Sometimes, they'll come with grilled onions, mushrooms or bell peppers, but for my perfect cheesesteak sandwich, I go with meat, provolone, onions and hot peppers. It's just perfect.
My favorite place for my favorite cheesesteak has got to be Jim's Steaks in Philadelphia, PA. I have such fond memories going there with family and friends while I was growing up, and there's nothing like a visit to South St., Philly. It's an incredibly unique place. And the cheesesteak from Jim's is incredibly sensational. Every. Time.
The last time I visited Jim's Steaks was in December of 2014, and the steak I ordered was even better than I could possibly imagine, mostly because I was pregnant, and at that time, a cheesesteak was all I wanted. For those of you out there who are, or have experienced pregnant cravings being satisfied, it's probably the best tasting food of all life.
But as we all know, I don't live in the Philly vicinity any more, even though being here in Baltimore isn't too far away. But what would I do with my cheesesteak cravings? I'd go to MaGerk's Pub on Charles St. in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Baltimore.
MaGerk's was "established in 2000 by John and Paul Dolaway. MaGerk's Pub gets its name from John Dolaways' three daughters. He took the first initials from their first and middle names and arranged them to get MaGerk('s). It was the perfect name for the Pub. John was determined to have the best Cheese Steaks outside of Philly and the Dolaways had a vision for Philly Cheese Steaks in a gentrified neighborhood of Baltimore called Federal Hill."
The last time we went there was nearly a year ago, even though it's literally 5 minutes from my house on foot. This is atrocious. I need a cheesesteak, and I need it now!! What will I do? I'll make myself a steak and cheese sandwich with what I have on hand in my kitchen. Will it be authentic? God, no! Will it resemble what I can get in Philly? At MaGerks? Probably not. But will it be good? You bet!
Check it out! Here's my home-made, non-traditional cheesesteak. This one was made with super thin bottom round roast steaks, white onions, and sliced provolone cheese.
Basically, I took sprinkled salt and pepper over the meat and seared it quickly in a hot pan, then chopped it up and threw it back in the pan with some sautéed white onions, and more salt and pepper. Once the meat was fully cooked and the onion was tender, I put the hoagie roll in the toaster, and threw two pieces of provolone on top of the meat in the pan. Once the cheese was all melty and the bread was warm and chewy, I filled the bread with the meat and cheese. Ready to eat!
While it wasn't a traditional cheesesteak, like the ones I grew up eating in south Jersey made with thin sliced ribeye or top round, and Cheese Whiz, it was freakin' delicious!
So when your next craving hits you like a bus, don't give up when you are no where near a place that could fulfill your needs. Just make it yourself! It's fun, I promise! Make your cravings come to life in your own kitchen.