Spiced Rubbed Flank Steak

What you’ll need:

2 lb Flank Steak

For the rub:

1/2 cup paprika

3 tbsp cayenne pepper

5 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

6 tbsp garlic powder

3 tbsp onion powder

6 tbsp Kosher salt

2 1/2 tbsp dried oregano

This spice rub will yield about 2 cups. You can store in an airtight container and use it again.

Directions:

Once you have made the rub, sprinkle it generously on both sides of the steak. Turn on your grill to medium high heat. Cook the steak for about 6 minutes on each side (turning only once). Remove from the grill and cover with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes, this will allow the juices to stay inside and keep the meat moist when you cut into it.

Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette and Parmesan Cheese

For the dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp minced shallots

Fresh Parmesan cheese

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

In a small bowl, whisk in the lemon juice, olive oil, shallots, salt and pepper.

Plate the arugula and lightly dress with the lemon vinaigrette. Add fresh slices of Parmesan cheese on top.

For all the carb lovers out there: I love serving this dish with a Black Olive Rustic Bread, but you can choose any bread you like from your local bakery.

Oh Spain…

You guys invented my 2 favorite things in the world: Tapas and Latin Lovers. I am quite short in the Latin Lovers department so I have decided to go heavy on the Tapas.

In honor of the new FIFA World Cup Champions, I thought it would be appropriate to have a little Spanish shindig. Tapas are very easy to make, they require a small number of ingredients, and pack huge flavor. Here are some of my favorites…Tapas that is…not Latin lovers.

The Menu:

Raspberry-Peach White Wine Sangria:

• -1 cup Grand Marnier

• -1 bottle Sauvignon Blanc

• -12 oz of sparkling water

• -1 cup of fresh raspberries

• -2 peaches, sliced thin

• -2 tbsp of fresh mint, chopped

In a large pitcher, pour in the Sauvignon Blanc, Grand Marnier, and sparkling water. Stir in the peaches, raspberries and fresh mint. Serve it up, or over ice.

Chorizo & Quail egg Crostini with Romesco

• -1 Sourdough Baguette (cut in diagonal slices)
• -12 Quail Eggs
• -Mild Paprika
• -1 Cured ready- to- eat Chorizo
• -Romesco Sauce (traditional Spanish sauce made from nyoras, which are a sweeter and drier version of red peppers.)

Toast the crostini until golden brown. Spread 1 teaspoon of Romesco sauce on the toast and top with sliced chorizo.

Heat some olive oil on a skillet. Crack the eggs and cook on medium heat until the egg whites have set. Drain the eggs on paper towels and then lay them over the chorizo crostini. Lightly dust with paprika, salt and pepper, and chop some chives for color!

Sundried Tomato & Goat Cheese Tarts

• -Puff pastry
• -1 zucchini (sliced into thin rounds)
• -Sun dried tomatoes (finely chopped)
• -1 clove of garlic (crushed)
• -Goat cheese

Cut puff pastry into rounds and place on a dampened cookie sheet. Prick the pastry with a fork 3 times to make sure it doesn’t all puff up. In a skillet, cook the zucchini rounds until golden brown, and then add garlic. Remove from the heat. Place the zucchini and garlic mixture on top of each pastry circle. Add the sundried tomatoes and a spoonful of goat cheese.Make sure there is at least ½ inch border on each pastry round.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden.

Triple Chocolate Fondue with Mantecados

• -White chocolate
• -Dark chocolate
• -Milk chocolate
• -Mantecados (traditional Spanish cookie. If you can’t find these I would recommend shortbread or pound cake)

Melt the chocolate on the stove and serve immediately. Dip the Mantecado cookies, green apples, strawberries, bananas or any other fruit of your choice.

I am big fan of living in the gray. If you read TYMNTY with any regularity, you know I am not exactly a fan of rule followin’. So, it should come as no surprise to those around me that when I found out I was having a little girl; I had no intention of painting her room pink. But, when I told everyone that I was planning on painting my little girls nursery gray, everyone looked at me like I had said I wasn’t going to allow imagination or laughter. Well guess what all you judgmental little mommies from baby group…you can suck it because it turned out pretty damn cute if you ask me!

Here is how I did it….

- Semi-gloss paint in Dior Gray

-Cream changing table and crib from Pottery Barn

-Butterflies on the wall- I got these from the craft store and super glued them on the wall in a cool pattern.

-Tree- This one is from an artist, but I have made these trees before and you can too! Just see my other post “Tree Hugger”.

- Rocking chair -I had it made because I didn’t want some cheesy crap from the kids stores. I found a chair I liked that matched with the décor of the room, and asked them to add a rocking mechanism to it. Simple solution and cheap too!

-Picture Wall- Choose any pictures and quotes you want done in different frames. I did quotes from Alice in Wonderland and Coco Channel, a vintage British poster, and black and white photos. I also included one pink princess painting for good measure.

- Day Bed- I had it made and covered in cream fabric (which is fantastic because it doubles as a couch when guests come to see the little monkey). The pillows are from West Elm and Jonathan Adler.

If you have any questions just write me!

Mama loves her some Yoga! I found a teacher who really gets me, and by gets me I mean she lets me listen to Jay-Z while doing Warrior pose.

I noticed a funky smell the other day while lying in Child’s pose…and it was my mat!

All yogis have to admit that they almost never wash their yoga mats (we know who we are).

Here’s a little homemade antibacterial spray to keep your mat smelling minty and delish!

What you’ll need:

Spray bottle

¼ cup White Vinegar

3 tablespoons of Rubbing Alcohol

1 teaspoon Tea Tree oil

Bergamont Mint Oil

Directions:

Fill the spray bottle with the water and vinegar. Add Tea Tree oil and 13 drops of the Bergamont Mint essential oil. Fill the rest of the bottle with water. Spray the yoga mat evenly and allow it to air dry.

Namaste Bitches!

Every time I walk into the Saks 5^th Avenue beauty department I feel as if there must be some undiscovered elixir, cream, or cleanser that will most definitely make me more desirable. Just when one of the snooty little ladies behind the counter convinces me that she knows what “it” is, and that it is worth a second mortgage on my home to buy said cream, I snap back to reality and whip out my iPod, blast me some Christina Aguilera ‘Beautiful’ while I mosey on home shaking my ass extra hard near construction zones in hopes of a cat call to really seal the deal.

But alas one still needs a bit o’face wash and I have found this little recipe makes a great one!

Packed with anti-oxidants, the elderberry is a small but mighty berry often used as an anti-inflammatory.

What you’ll need:

6oz. Unscented base cleanser

½ Organic Cucumber

8 drops of Elderberry Extract

5 drops of Grapefruit Essential Oil

Directions:

Chop the cucumber and puree it in a blender. Strain to get rid of the seeds. In a container of your choice add the base cleanser, cucumber liquid, elderberry extract, and grapefruit oil. Mix to incorporate and cleanse away!

This cleanser is perishable, so make sure you store it in the fridge!

I love the fair. Live stock, belly shirts, and Ferris wheels.

As far as I am concerned that is pretty much the formula for a good time…it’s just missing one thing…the piece de resistance of the fair formula of fun…THE CHURRO.

Is it a donut? A Mexican coffee accompaniment? Something invented by the spice company that makes cinnamon as way to increase sales? Who cares! Let’s make these bad boys!

When you think of churros, the word complicated comes to mind. As it turns out these Spanish little treats are not that hard to make. The key to making great churros is the oil temperature.

What you need:

• 2 teaspoons of Sunflower oil
• 1 cup of all- purpose flour, sifted
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• oil deep for frying

Boil a cup of water along with the sunflower oil and salt. Add the flour and stir constantly until a smooth dough forms.

Heat the oil until it reaches 350°F.

Transfer the dough into a pastry bag with a star-shaped tip.

Make long strips of dough in the oil and cook until browned.

Remove the strips from the oil and place on paper towels to drain excess oil.

Sprinkle with sugar, and enjoy!

To make them a little more interesting, try injecting them with melted Nutella or milk chocolate.

(Cooking syringes are available for purchase online or at most food specialty stores).

There is a point in ones life when you realize you know absolutely nothing and all you want is someone who will tell you what to do. I am there!

Unfortunately, I decided to name my website ‘Things Your Mother Never Taught You’ which implies that I know something…that even your Mother doesn’t know.  So if I were to tell you that my kid just puked on me (sans a burp cloth on my shoulder), I am late turning in my ‘homework’ for work, I haven’t slept in a really long time and all I want is somebody to teach me how to ‘do it all’ you would have to say maybe you should start by renaming your website ‘You shoulda listened to your Mother when she taught you how to do all these things!’  Here are three things she did teach me that have saved my know-it-all ass in the last few days while being in trenches with my 5 week old daughter.

1. Fresh cut flowers in the entry way and Frank Sinatra music make any house feel sophisticated. Try it the next time you have people over and you have no time to do anything else. Porn on the T.V. and heavy metal has the opposite effect… if that’s what you’re going for.

2. If there is a couch there should be a blanket on or near it. It is just a good rule and encourages snuggling, cuddling, and impromptu napping.  The napping is key with the new baby…coincidentally the snuggling from the blanket/couch rule might have lead to the activities that got the baby here in the first place and now makes the naps necessary. Hey Chicken or egg?  Your call.

3. Put a pitcher of juice out on the counter in the summer. It is to this season as the fireplace is to winter. Here is my favorite recipe for summer juice… which I would normally put vodka in but I cannot find a doctor (even one who got their medical degree in the Caribbean) to say that is ok to do while nursing a newborn.

Mint lemonade :

1 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 handful of mint

2 quarts of water

1 cup of super fine sugar

2 lemons thinly sliced

Mix all ingredients and place in pitcher and enjoy all day long.

I would like to make an announcement…I have the smartest child on the planet. There is no hard evidence with which to back up this claim, more of gut feeling, but at any moment I am pretty sure Harvard is going to call and offer her spot in the 2011 class.  She is also quite gifted in the kitchen. This morning I made haystacks and when I stopped pouring the butterscotch chips into the bowl she let out a large burp which I interpreted as a “put more butterscotch in there, Lady” so I did…and it was a better finished project because of it.  I am just saying….

Here is the a recipe for Haystackies written in part by my daughter.

G-E-N-I-U-S. —————->

What you’ll Need:

1 bag butterscotch chips 

1 bag of milk chocolate chips

4 cups of chow mien noodles

1/2 cup of peanut butter

1 teaspoon teaspoon of cinnamon 

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions:

1. Place the peanut butter and butter scotch in the microwave for one minute (the butterscotch will only be partially melted)

2. Mix in vanilla and cinnamon

3. Stir in chow mien noodles and chocolate chips

4. Dump spoon size chunks onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer for 45 minutes

5. Make sure no one whose opinion about you matters is in the general vicinity

6. Lick the bowl 

7. Lick the spoon

8. Remove the haystackies from the freezer and allow to adjust to room temperature 

9. EAT!

10.  ENJOY!

Everywhere you look this summer people are drooling over cupcakes- waiting hours to get their hands on some Sprinkles, swapping their traditional tiers for wedding cupcakes and even good ol Baskin Robbins is now offering ice cream shaped cupcakes.  Here at Things Your Mother Never Taught You, we like to think outside the box or in this case, outside the pan, so today I bring you the Ice Cream Cone Cupcake.  It’s a cupcake baked into an ice cream cone (and it’s awesome). If anyone is interested here are a couple more things I would like to see in combo…

1- The all chocolate-sit on your couch and lose weight diet

2- The No-hangover double vodka martini

3-The self esteem building drunk dial…which usually follows the No-hangover martini…;)

Click here to learn how to make an Ice Cream Cone Cupcake.  In the meantime I’ll work on these other gems in my laboratory kitchen.

Look, I want to like watching Soccer, the guys are HOT and the whole Euro undercurrent feels very sophisticated.  But mostly I just don’t want to be some Cheesy American who says ‘The World Cup is on?  Is that a big deal?”  But I’ve got to be honest, to me it is like a hockey game with no prospect of someone getting the shit kicked out of them.  The chance of seeing more than a few goals is slim to none and Mama needs more action than that. So in typical default mode I feel food or liquor will spice it up a bit for me…so I share with you now a little thing called Game Day Fondue(click for video)…serve it with over priced European beer and you will practically feel like you are at the football* match.

*Look who’s catching on!!!!