steak au poivre!

steak au poivre is usually made with a thicker cut of meat such as a filet, but my fav is rib eye so rib eye it is!

this steak is super simple and super elegant !

4 steaks
kosher salt
fresh cracked peppercorns
1 stick of butter
1 cup of heavy cream
1/3 cup plus 1 tsp of cognac


take your steaks out 30 minutes prior to cooking. season really well with salt and pepper. melt one stick of butter into your cast iron skillet and add steaks once butter has turned a tad brown.

once steaks are cooked about 2-minutes per side depending on thickness. take you steaks out and place on a plate. with a tented piece of foil. turn off your stove and to the pan (brown bits and all) add the cognac and ignite the alcohol and shake pan until the flames are gone. return the pan to the stove and add cream. bring to a boil and reduce heat, and cook for 3-4 minutes until sauce has thickened. serve over steak and serve with the potatoes.

creamy tartiflette !

4 large potatoes 
1 block of havarti cheese 
Butter 
Heavy cream 
Black pepper 
Thyme 
5 slices bacon 
1 large onion 
2 slices of potato bread (for fresh crumbs )

I peeled and diced 4 large potatoes and boiled them in salted water until tender . 

Drain from water and set aside .
Next I cut up some bacon about 6 slices and one large onion .
In a fry pan . Cook onion and bacon until golden brown season with black pepper .
Once onion & bacon are done add potatoes to the pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes .

To make bread crumbs , just put two slices of potato bread in your food processor .

To assemble :
In a casserole dish or individual ramekins spoon in some potatoes and top with a layer of havarti cheese then another layer of potatoes topped with another layer of cheese .
Pour in some heavy cream and Top with fresh potato bread crumbs and melted butter . Bake at 400 until cheese is melted, bubbly and golden brown !
Garnish with fresh thyme and fresh cracked pepper .

split pea and ham soup!

• 16 oz yellow split peas
• 1 smoked ham hock or shank
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 carrots, sliced
• 6 celery stalks, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 8 cups of reduced or no sodium chicken broth or water
• 20 oz frozen green peas
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

 Combine all the ingredients in a large soup pan over high heat.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and continue cooking over medium low for 1 hour or until the peas are tender.  10 minutes prior to serving, remove the bay leaves, add the froze peas, ham from the shank (diced) and season to taste with salt and pepper.

creamy chicken and corn chowder!

For the soup : 
1 whole chicken (roasted ) or you can buy a rotisserie 
1 onion 
3 stalks celery 
3 carrots 
2 cans corn 
4 garlic cloves 
4 cups chicken broth 
4 cups half and half 
1 cup cream 
Salt and pepper to taste 
8 tablespoons butter 
1/4 cup flour 
2 tablespoons olive oil 

Toppings :
Sour cream 
Cheddar cheese 
4 pieces bacon cooked and chopped 
Fresh parsley 
Fresh black pepper 

Cut up chicken .
In a Dutch oven put 2 tablespoons of olive oil to 2 tablespoons of butter . Sauté veggies until tender . Season with salt and pepper . Add in chicken and corn . Then add chicken stalk and simmer for 15-20 minutes . Next add the half and half . Cover and simmer on low . 

In a separate pan melt 4 tablespoons of butter and add a little less than 1/4 cup of flour to make a roux Then add to the soup followed by the cup of cream. And let it thicken for about 5 more minutes 

To serve put a dollop of sour cream , some cheddar cheese , bacon crumbles , parsley and fresh black pepper . 

This also goes well in a bread bowl . Which you can get at panera or make one . 

For the biscuits I use a DIY of bisquick . Or you can use bisquick . 

2 cups of all purpose baking mix 
1 can of corn 
3/4 cup of cheese . I used cheddar , Parmesan , and Asiago - but you can use any 
2 tablespoons of melted butter 
1/2 cup of milk . 
And a pinch of salt or two 
Mix all in a bowl and drop into a lined baking dish . Bake for 8-10 minutes on 400

My diy bisquick is super simple and can be used for anything bisquick can :

5 cups of all purpose flour 
1 cup of shortening 
3 table spoons of baking powder 
1 teaspoon of salt 

Mix flour , baking powder and salt and cut in shortening . Store in an air tight container .

Cinnamon-honey pumpkin butter !

Yesterday  after making that french toast I had  a ton of pumpkin left over so  I decided to whip up this super simple, super Delicious pumpkin butter ! Which goes on almost anything you can think of :) 

1 stick of room temp butter 

2 tablespoons of honey 

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon 

3 tablespoons of pumpkin 

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla 

Beat on high speed for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy !

the best pumpkin french toast!

i feel bad for you non-pumpkin lovers out there because you are indeed missing out! i saw a "official" recipe for this on pintrest but my phone died so i decided to wing it and it came out soooooo good !! its basically fall for breakfast!

1 loaf of fresh french bread
1/4 cup of half and half
1/4 cup of canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of sugar -or two ;)
1 heaping teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
4 table spoons of butter

(for cream)
beat 1 cup of heavy cream and a few teaspoon of sugar until stiff peaks form.

heat your griddle to 350
slice bread into 1 inch thick pieces
in a bowl mix, eggs, half and half, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and pumpkin. until combined and dip bread covering both sides.

cook on griddle for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. top with fresh cream and an extra sprinkling of pumpkin spice and let your taste buds take you away! (don't forget the maple syrup)

creamy tomato & curry butter lobster pasta!

phew that title was long. but boy oh boy does it describe everything in this dish! if you've never made lobster before this is a fool proof recipe and one of the tastiest too! the pasta is super simple to put together , and whats best is the pasta cooks in the sauce! if you can look past all of the ingredients in this recipe you will see it is quite simple to make and its totally loved by all who try it! start to finish this amazing lobster dinner was done in  under an hour. 

here's what you need :

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried basil & oregano (plus more basil)
• salt and pepper, taste
• garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 (28 ounce) crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 pound long cut pasta
• 4 lobster tails
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon spicy yellow curry powder + more 
• salt, to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped + more for serving

heat your pan with olive oil and saute garlic and red pepper flakes. be-careful it doesn't burn (just until fragrant) then add tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil, curry, oregano & sugar. let it mix for a minute and then add wine & water. next add pasta and let it simmer on low until the noodles are tender and cooked through. once pasta is done add cream and cream cheese. taste to adjust seasonings if necessary.

then season the lobster tails with salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and curry powder. and set aside. heat a cat iron skillet to high heat with 8 tablespoons of butter. place the lobster tails belly side down and cook for 4 minutes. turn them over for another minute or two until shell turns fully pink. 

to plate serve pasta in a bowl with lobster on top. drizzle the top with any remaining curry butter from cooking the lobster (optional) 

also if you want those fancy grill marks you can totally throw them on the grill after cooking (just brush with olive oil) but totally not needed ! and that's it folks ENJOY!

DIY kitchen menu board!

so i had a chalk board in my kitchen. and it was cute but it couldn't hold the whole weeks menu without being super squished and too tiny to read. so i scrolled to pintrest to get some inspiration to make my tiny little kitchen wall into a life size menu board. im so thrilled with the results! it adds a color and character all at the same time. 

within 30 minutes i went to home depot bought the chalk board paint and painted the wall . it took no time at all to paint (maybe 8 minutes?) the hardest part was waiting for the paint to dry so i could write one it. (which i did as soon as i opened my eyes this morning) hints the late breakfast we had today. lol anywho if you have a few bucks to spare this is a easy project that the whole family will enjoy!!

i bought the paint at home depot -$14

chalk at big lots- .50 cents

menu letters from walmart- $3

stencils from walmart - $1.49

paint for letters- .50 cents