Yummy Steak

One night we really wanted steak one night so I came up with this little recipe. It is really simple and tastes great.

I used these ingredients:

Fresh chopped Rosemary

chopped garlic

Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

I didn't measure anything out, just eyeballed it. First I salt and peppered them and then coated each side in the rosemary, garlic and worcestershire sauce. I let the steak marinate for about an hour before we cooked them.

It came out great! We did a simple baked potato as a side.

Do you remember "The Next Food Network Star" season that ended a while back?

This recipe is from the last season of "The Next Food Network Star". My husband and I really liked the show and thought Melissa d'Arabian's pilot she auditioned with on the last episode was great and I decided to make her recipes from the show.

5 Minute Individual Potato Gratins

Vegetable spray

2 large russet potatoes, roughly peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese

2 green onions, finely chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

¾ heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray 8 muffin tins with vegetable spray. Layer potato slices, cheese, and onions into each muffin cup. Season with salt and pepper and top each gratin with 1 or 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Cover with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, removing the foil halfway through cooking time. Invert gratins onto plate and serve.

Flexible 4-Step Chicken for Family and Company - Rustic Lemon-Onion Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves,

1 teaspoon dried thyme, plus 1 small bunch fresh thyme, leaves chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup white wine, optional

1 cup chicken broth

3 lemons, juiced

1 to 2 tablespoons butter

Season chicken with dried thyme and salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add the oil. Dredge the chicken in flour, add to the hot oil and saute until cooked through. Set chicken aside to rest on plate tented with foil.

In same saute pan, over low heat, add onions and fresh thyme and cook until aromatic.

In a measuring cup, measure out wine, if using, and broth, and add the lemon juice. Turn the heat up to high, and deglaze the pan with the broth mixture until starting to reduce.

Remove the pan from the heat and finish the sauce by whisking in butter. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Cinnamon Cake with Nutella Buttercream

I used this recipe for my mom's birthday cake back in July (shows how far behind I am!!) I got this idea from these wonderful little cake bites that I have made before (didn't get a picture but they are soooo good!). If you get a chance read the blog, she has some amazing stuff on there especially recipes having to do with Nutella.

Cinnamon Nutella Cake Bites

Cake recipe from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

Makes approximately enough cake for 2 8/9 inch rounds

2 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

double pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups whole milk

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 2- 8 inch round baking pans, and line bottoms with parchment or wax paper. Place pan on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, the 2 1/2 cups sugar, the baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients over the flour mixture, and whisk gently until you have a homogenous batter. Now, using the whisk or rubber spatula, fold in the butter with a light touch until the butter is absorbed. You'll have a smooth satiny batter. Scrape the batter into the pans. Smooth the top. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until cake is puffed and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. A thin knife inserted into the middle will come out clean. Transfer cakes to a cooling rack, and let it rest for 15 minutes before unmolding them onto another rack. Peel off the paper, and cool to room temperature.

Nutella Buttercream

I believe I almost tripled the recipe to make sure I had enough..besides, who doesn't like snacking on buttercream??

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup Nutella

Mix butter until smooth and creamy. Add in Nutella and mix until nice and fluffy.

Add sugar 1 cup at a time until smooth. This will take about 3 to 5 minutes to get the desired consistency.

Carrot Ginger Cupcakes with Orange Ginger Frosting

My absolutely wonderful brother sent me this recipe to include in my blog since I have been MIA for awhile. Unfortunately, he gave it to me a month ago! Sorry Earle! Well here it is and I can't wait to try it. Enjoy!

You can find the recipe here.

Here are the great pictures he sent:

What's been going on?

So if you have wondered why I haven't been posting lately, it's because we are expecting! We are so excited and can't wait to find out what we are having in December. I am 12 1/2 weeks and due May 10, 2010.

I never thought that I would be one of those pregnant women who couldn't stand to cook early on in their pregnancy. I was sure this couldn't happen because I love food too much! Well it happened and I took a break from blogging. Now I am back and have lots of posts to catch up on. Please continue to enjoy reading my blog!

Nola Potatoes

These potatoes are amazing! We had these with the ratatouille and some steak. I would definitely make these again!

Ratatouille

I have made this a few times and I got it from one of the cooking blogs I frequent. It is an amazing dish and she is a phenomenal cook! Enjoy!

Before baking: