FRONT BURNER: Steak Tacos are reward for a deprived husband

LITTLE ROCK — I recently took a solo vacation, leaving husband Joe home alone for a five-day "weekend."

It wasn't the original plan. We were supposed to spend a week on the beach in Florida - first to attend a friend's wedding.

Then we were going to call the rest of the week our honeymoon.

(We didn't actually go anywhere when we got married last year, just a weekend at a bed-and-breakfast near Lake Maumelle.) But due to circumstances beyond our control, the trip to Florida was scrapped.

Upon hearing that I had time off but no white sandy beach to spend it lounging on, some friends in Chicago extended an invitation.

Girlfriends, I should add. And Joe wasn't all that interested in spending five days with me and my gals. It's understandable. If the situation had been reversed, I probably would have opted to stay home as well.

So leaving him at home with a kitchen stocked with basics - milk, eggs, fresh vegetables, a watermelon and plenty ofcoffee - I headed north.

I imagined Joe would use my time away as an opportunity to eat all of his favorite bachelorhood foods. In my head he was feasting on sloppy Joes, chili, tacos, hamburger pizza, burgers and french fries.

In other words, he would spend the week enjoying a beef festival while I was girl-gallivanting around the Windy City. I'd be dining on Brazilian-American fusion, Greek delicacies, Chicago style pizza and jibaritos (an out-of-this-world delicious Chicago specialty sandwich I'll share more about in a future column) - all while swilling frilly cocktails or drinking beer from a glass.

He went to the grocery store and bought all of thenecessary ingredients. Plenty of beef, hamburger buns, taco shells, lettuce, sloppy Joe sauce, and so on.

There was nothing to feel guilty about.

But what did Joe eat while I was feasting on a variety of artisan Wisconsin cheddar cheeses, aged Spanish Manchego and creamy Spanish goat cheese accompanied by blueberry jam and Marcona almonds, while sipping margaritas, mojitos, sangria and peach martinis?

Peanut butter and crackers.

What did Joe eat while I was enjoying Cuban empanadas, roasted red and golden beets, bacon-plantain fufu, Arrachera (grilled skirt steak with caramelized onions and chimichurri) and tiramisu cheesecake?

Frozen pizza.

There was still nothing to feel guilty about. He could have cooked if he wanted. He could have indulged his beef-and-potato core.

He didn't have to eat a whole box of crackers and half a jar of peanut butter.

Of course, I did feel guilty. To assuage my guilt, I attempted to re-create a steak taco dish I enjoyed during my vacation. It turned out more like fajitas, but was tasty nonetheless.

Steak Tacos 3 /4 pound flank steak, sliced into thin strips 1 red OR yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon bold and spicy steak sauce A few shakes of Southwest seasoning blend such as Pampered Chef's 4 to 6 (6-inch) flour tortillas Shredded cheese, sour cream, chimichurri, fresh cilantro, diced tomatoes or other garnishes as desired.

In a large shallow bowl or re-sealable plastic bag, combine steak, bell pepper strips, sliced onion, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce and Southwest seasoning and toss to coat. Cover (or seal bag) and refrigerate 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat until pan is very hot. Add meat and vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until beef is cooked to desired doneness.

Meanwhile, warm tortillas according to package instructions.

Serve beef mixture in warm tortillas, topped with desired garnishes.

Makes 2 servings.