Pan Seared NY Strip w/ a homemade Fettuccine Alfredo

Can I just pleeeease express to the world my Love (yes, with a big "L") of Steak. S-T-E-A-K. It always amazes me that there are people out there who just don't like a giant piece of barely cooked meat seasoned to perfection. But who am I to judge? 

Luckily for those of us who enjoy the beefy goodness, I have a killer recipe that we use in my house. It's pretty simple, just like most of my other recipes, and in my opinion is a notch above some of your average steakhouse meals. 

• 2 NY Strip 
• McCormick's Spicy Steak Seasoning 
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Olive Oil

1. Take the Steaks out of the fridge and bring them to room temp. 
2. Season both sides of steak liberally and cover lightly with Olive Oil. Let sit for at least half an hour
3. Place your cast iron skillet in the oven and pre heat to 500 degrees. 
4. Once hot, remove from oven and place on a hot eye. 
5. Place your steaks in the middle of the hot skillet and cook unmoved for 1 minute. Flip and cook an additional minute.
6. Remove skillet from eye and place in the pre heated oven for 3 minutes (this recipe is for Medium Rare, cook an additional 2 minutes for well done).
7. Remove from oven and serve immediately

With the wondrous NY Strip I've decided to match it with another tasty dish that could be used as a main course as well. But we are heavy eaters here in the Perez- Pouchprom household, plus you need your carbs to go with all that protein. So the sidekick for today's meal is homemade Fettuccine Alfredo. 

Unlike the jar stuff you usually pick up, try making your own fresh sauce with Heavy Cream & Grated Parmesan. It's tasty, simple and the best part of all, fressssh. You control the seasonings and get to feel like a chef all at the same time... Impressive, eh. 

1. Fettuccine 
2. Heavy Cream 12 oz
3. Grated Parmesan 14 oz
4. 2 Shallots or half an Onion chopped 
5. 2 tablespoon butter
6. A few cloves of garlic chopped *if desired

I usually prepare the pasta before taking the 10 minutes to make the steak. So once removing your steaks from the fridge to bring to room temp, start prepping your side dish!

• Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt and a touch of olive oil to prevent sticking. (be sure not to add too much oil, this will keep your pasta from absorbing the sauce you make)
• Add your pasta and boil 10 minutes or until al dente
• Once done, drain and set aside
• Heat your sauce pan and add butter, letting it melt but not become golden
• Then add your shallots and garlic. Cook for a 3 - 5 minutes or until shallots are translucent and the garlic brings aroma.
• Add half of the heavy cream and heat. Stirring constantly.
• Once the cream comes to a bubble, add your Parmesan, continuing to stir.
• Add the rest of the heavy cream and continue to stir.
• ***This recipe requires attention to your sauce, so no leaving to catch some GoT or Dancing with the Stars***
• After 10 minutes or so your sauce should begin to thicken.
• Enjoy the smells <3
• Once the sauce coats the back of a spoon (or reaches desired thickness), add your already cooked pasta. 
  
• Ensure that your pasta is well coated and mixed and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes
• As the sauce and pasta cool, the flavors will settle and the pasta will soak up some of the flavorful goodness! 
• Serve as a main dish or a side dish and enjoy! You're and amazing chef! 

Homemade Carbonara aka BREAKFAST PASTA

I use to think that making Italian food was difficult, but thanks to my boyfriend and a lengthy waitress gig at an authentic Italian pizza bar, I have found out the secret!  It's not a lot of crazy cooking techniques or expensive ingredients, it's mostly just good cheese and well cooked pasta.

Carbonara aka Breakfast pasta is just like heaven~

Warm pasta and crunchy bacon covered in a cheesy coating, mMm.

This recipe calls for only a few ingredients and about half an hour of your day.

Ingredients:

• Half a pack of uncooked bacon- chopped into small strips or cubes
• 1/2 lb. Pasta - I choose Fettuccine, but on other occasions I have used Rotini with great success
• 1 cup of shredded cheese
• 1 egg
• teaspoon of oregano 
• sprinkle of basil

The steps are pretty easy and the real work comes in during the last 5 minutes or so. 

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add your pasta and a few drops of olive oil to prevent sticking. 
2. Cook your pasta 10 min. or until al dente. Remove from heat and drain.
3. Dry the same pot or a new one and add bacon to cook.
4. Cook bacon until brown and crisp, draining most of the collected oil. 
5. Remove pot from heat and add pasta to the cooked bacon, tossing in the oil quickly.
6. Add half of the shredded cheese and continue to stir constantly *add butter if you'd like
7. Add egg to the mixture and mix in the hot pasta (this will cook the egg)
8. Be sure NOT to scramble the egg, simply mix into the pasta
9. Add remaining cheese and spices and continue to stir until the egg appears cooked and cheese melted. 
10. Serve and Enjoy!