All month Jordan of Oh Happy Day has been posting the most hilarious "Anti-Valentine" Valentine ideas.  Every time I'm scrolling through them I find myself giggling at her hilarious un-valentine sentiments, like "I need space" or "The magic is gone."

So when I started making one of my favorite cocktails - a Negroni - into something kind of fun for Valentines day, I realized the bitterness of the aperol lent itself perfectly to an anti-valentine cocktail!  

SHOT THROUGH THE HEART

makes 4

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake aperol and gin together.  Strain into four cocktail glasses, dividing the gin mixture equally.  Top with Blood Orange DRY Sparkling and serve while it's cold. Cin Cin. 

2 ounces Aperol 

4 ounces gin

Blood Orange DRY Sparkling

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In the event you forgot to get a dinner reservation for Valentine's Day - or if you're like me - you don't want to waste a perfectly good evening out on a prix fix menu and overly crowded restaurants. - let's eat in!

I have become a master of the "indoor steak" technique over the last few years for a number of reasons, but mostly because it is so freaking easy!  SO EASY!  It's how restaurants do their steaks - there aren't grills in most restaurants - so they skillet sear and broil them too.  It keeps in the moisture (worst word ever) and creates the deliciously crispy crust on the outside.

The video will show you how easy it is to cook steak in the oven + a bonus cocktail and a side dish you can make in minutes.  (Also, my cute husband is at the end)

Steak au Poivre

serves 4

4 NY Strip steaks

4 tbs crushed peppercorns

2 tbs butter

2 shallot, chopped

½ cup cognac

½ cup beef stock

3 large russet potatoes, sliced in rounds

2 tbs olive oil

2 tsp flake salt

STEP 1

Preheat the broiler to 500 degrees. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until the pan is smoking hot.  Pat the steaks dry and push each one into the peppercorns. 

STEP 2

Pop the steaks on the hot skillet.  Sear 3 minutes each side until browned.

STEP 3

Toss potatoes in olive oil and salt.  Spread out on a baking sheet and pop in the lowest rack in the oven for 5 minutes.  Check and flip as needed to brown them but not burn them.

STEP 4

Top each steak with ½ tbs butter and pop the pan into the oven.  Cook 5-8 minutes until meat thermometer reads 145 degrees. Remove from the oven and let rest covered on a plate with foil for 5 minutes.

STEP 5

Place pan on a high burner and pour in shallots – cook quickly.  Add cognac & stock and whisk.  Season with salt.  Cook to reduce by 1/2.  Plate steaks and top with sauce.

NOTES

-       Traditionally this is cooked with heavy cream.  That didn’t seem needed with this gorgeous steak but if you want to add ½ cup cream with the sherry, it’s delicious.

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I don't think you need me to tell you how to make it romantic at home.  But I will remind you that music helps.  A lot.  Have music.  

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I am so lucky to have a great group of girlfriends who are supportive, fun, and are always ready for a gif in the text string.  This January seemed to take us down hard.  Everyone got sick, or their kids got sick, or something dramatic happened that kept us all apart.  

We're due for a girls day.  One involving booze.  

I can't wait to celebrate my lady loves with a fun boozy brunch.  This one is so simple that you can whip it up after the kids have left for school and be done in time for a p.j. clad brunch before 9am! (My kids leave at 7:30am)

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We don't usually go out for Valentine's Day.  We used to.  But then with kids it became more challenging for us to find a sitter, a reservation, and a restaurant we'd want to spend a fortune at for a prix fix menu.  

So we stay at home.  It's fun to spend time with the kids and do something special for them.  I started making a family friendly valentine's dinner when my oldest was a baby and the tradition has carried on.

And then we go out to dinner another night when it's not the night every other couple goes out to dinner.

My favorite part is having them make their own heart shaped pizzas.  They could make plain shapes too, I guess, but it's Valentine's!  Have a little fun with it!  For my kids, all I really need is cheese and pepperoni.  But you can add olives, bell pepper, sausage, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, and different kinds of cheese - like feta.

In the video I made fun soda floats with my kids.  It's a simple option that's a huge win for the kids - and doubles as dessert.  But I really really like dessert and I am not the hugest fan of soda floats...

The point is to have a fun cocktail that's just for the kids.  Floats are a great time for everyone - but Shirley Temple's are just as popular.  My kids also love Dry Soda's - the Rainier Cherry flavor is a favorite!  

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The room that used to be the master bed room is turning into an office/study/computer room that I've decided to call the library.  I like library so much better.  It will have loads of books in the room since I have stacks and stacks of books in the guest room now.  So it does make sense.  

Otherwise, I'm not 100% sure what we're doing with this room.  It will probably have a piano too?   Feeling totally unsure of this space.  I know what I like and what I'm drawn too.  

I do know that this room needs shelves for books + a desk for a computer.  And probably some seating.  There's a chance we'll incorporate some "guest room" elements into this room?  We are accustomed to having a guest room and the new plan doesn't explicitly have one. This space would possibly serve that function.  But it doesn't need a TV - there's one in the living room adjacent.  We don't watch enough television to make two TVs in ten feet of each other make sense.  

Here's what we are hoping to achieve with this room

1. Create a computer space 

2. Build shelves for all of the books that are cluttered all over the house.

Here's how we're doing it

1. Building in shelves and a desk space that will hopefully hold all of the books.

2. Building in seating that could double as a twin bed.

3. Remove the bizarre door and old windows and replace with big windows and a sliding door.

We're actually going to separate off a section of the room to turn into storage.  The master bedroom is a ridiculously huge room because we think it used to be two bedrooms.  At some point, we think they removed the dividing wall and turned it into one giant room with two closets.    Turning the extra space into storage will help with all of the closets that are currently scattered around the house and are going away in the new plan.  

What do you think?  What would you use this room for?

xoxo, ali

shop my library inspiration

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I feel like you're going to think I'm exaggerating.  But I am not.  This cake is THE BEST.  People who don't actually like me that well in real life love this cake.  And they tell me they love the cake.  Trust me - they wouldn't do that if they didn't love the cake.  This cake is the best.

The best part is that it's barely any ingredients.  I think you spend more time fixing a box cake than it takes to make this from scratch.  

I have found that it's best with homemade jam.  But I realize that's not something that everyone keeps in their pantry.  I have loads because it's my favorite and my children hate strawberry jam.  Who could hate strawberry jam?  Something is wrong with them.  

STRAWBERRY JAM CAKE

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the bottom (not the sides) of two 9" round pans.  In a small bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder and set aside.

STEP 2

In a large mixing bowl, neat together the butter and sugar until smooth.  Ad the vanilla until incorporated.  Add eggs, one at  a time, beating well after each one is added.  With the mixer on  medium speed, add the flour and the jam alternately beginning and ending with flour until both are fully incorporated.

STEP 3

Divide the batter between the pans and bake about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.  

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs

1 cup strawberry jam

SIMPLE BUTTERY FROSTING

STEP 1

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until it's smooth.

STEP 2

Add the powdered sugar and beat on low speed until incorporated.  Once the sugar is incorporated turn the mixer to high speed and let it whip for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy.

STEP 3

Mix in the vanilla and any food coloring.  Use immediately!

4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

This year I wanted to host a Galentine's Day for my best gal pals.  Unfortunately, we're dealing with one who is just coming out of the ER, two that have been sick, and two that can't stop traveling for work.  It looks like it's turning into a post-Valentine celebration. 

No matter when we get together, these fizzy watermelon cocktails will go down easy.

WATERMELON FIZZ

serves 4

In a blender, combine watermelon and vodka.  Puree until totally smooth.  Divide equally into four martini glasses and top with DRY Sparkling Watermelon!  Garnish with a heart shape of watermelon skewered with rosemary.

1 cup cubed watermelon

4 ounces vodka

DRY Sparkling Watermelon

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These puffs are a perfect brunch, lunch, dinner or - if made a little smaller - appetizer!  They are so easy and so good.  The puff pastry is the secret.  It does the heavy lifting making these puffs flaky and - well - puffy.  

I brought these to my girlfriend this week for a family dinner.  They're great for delivering to someone because they are just as good at room temperature as they are warm.  Which means... you can make these earlier in the afternoon and have them for dinner!  Even take them with you to soccer practice or a basketball game!  

HAM & CHEESE PUFFS

serves 4

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350.  Roll out puff pastry and cut each sheet into 4 pieces

STEP 2

Divide ham and cheese on top of the pastry. 

STEP 3

Beat the egg yolk and milk together and brush the edges of the pastry with the egg yolk mixture.

STEP 4

Bring up the pastry corners and pinch them together.  Pinch down the sides where the egg wash is painted on. 

STEP 5

Brush the tops of the pastry with beaten egg yolk.  Bake 10 mins until cheese is bubbly

STEP 6

In a jar or a small bowl combine mustard, honey, olive oil, vinegar, and parsley.  Shake vigorously. 

½ lb ham, cut into cubes

8 oz gruyere cheese, cut into cubes

2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted

1 egg yolk, beaten

2 tbs milk

4 cups mixed greens

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon honey

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

½ cup olive oil

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Parker Palm Springs via SugarBuzz

Perhaps the most significant spot in the house is the bar.  I know the kitchen is the heart of the home and blah, blah, blah.  But I guarantee that the minute guests come over they are going to pop over to the bar and grab a drink.  Which means, this is the most significant part of the house.

When we first started designing the house with the architect we mentioned that we wanted a bar of some sort.  Originally, we looked at a space near the kitchen.  We just wanted a second sink and a little fridge near some cabinets for booze and glassware (I have a growing collection of vintage barware that needs to be seen!)

The architect came back to us with a different idea - way far away from the kitchen - and it's brilliant.  The new plan is to have a bar built in near the fireplace.  Perfect for cocktails before dinner - cocktails after dinner  - or cocktails instead of dinner.

I want this little nook to be cool and different from the kitchen and living room.  Both of those spaces will be super basic and this seems like it's screaming for something a little bit "more."  The minute I saw the bench that Sarah Sherman Samuel and Emily Farnham installed in Mandy Moore's house I was obsessed and started stalking down terrazzo designs.  

I adore terrazzo and we know we can't afford total terrazzo floors, but I can probably afford a small terrazzo countertop!  Can you believe how cool this bench is?  Wouldn't it be the best countertop?  Stay tuned because I have to convince Mr. Hedin that it's a great idea...

Because this is a small space, I clearly won't get the entire collection of bar ware loaded into here.  But I want to be able to display some of the goods - probably seasonally?  And I want to not see the booze all the time.  This will be in the middle of the living room and I don't want to look like a total alcoholic.  I've sketched up an idea for an upper level cabinet that will hide the bottles and leave some display space above.  I'm not sure what I think about it.  I still need to have the standard bar ware over here - the glasses we use regularly - and I'm not sure where those live just yet.  

Oh the drama.  Don't I wish all of my life decisions were as hard as "where do I store glasses in the bar."   Let me know what you think!  What would you do?

xoxo, ali

Shop my bar inspiration 

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I think a punch is the coolest.  I love pouring big buckets of booze into a cute punch bowl and serving it up.  I also love that it's a one and done kind of thing.  Make a big batch and you won't have to deal with it again for a while.  What better time to not be tethered to the bar than Super Bowl?  

I made this one 'not too strong' so you can continue  to have cocktails for the four hours of football without being totally on your lips by the award ceremony.  If you want to pop it up a notch, add a little vodka!

FOOTBALL PUNCH

STEP 1

Combine all ingredients in a large punch bowl and stir

STEP 2

Serve in chilled glasses

2 quarts light beer

1 can frozen lemonade concentrate

46 ounces pineapple juice

1/2 cup cointreau

Shop this punch

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