Valentine's Day Feast/Pioneer Woman Recipe Review

So on Friday, I mentioned that because Single Girls Need To Eat, Too, I'd be cooking a feast for Barbie and I on Valentine's Day. It was really just an excuse to try out some Pioneer Woman recipes. And let me tell you, I am SO GLAD that I did!!! I mentioned my cooking experiment to some friends on Friday and I was told that risotto was "very ambitious", ergo, I was totally nervous. BUT, holy crap, did it turn out awesome!!!

I started with the risotto, because I knew it would take the most time. What I really appreciated about PW's recipes are the step by step instructions. It took along time to make, but I really enjoyed the process of cooking it!

Starting with onions, garlic, olive oil, and butter.

Barbie snapped this photo of me. I wasn't quite confident, yet, so I drank some liquid courage!
It's really important to add the 7 cups of chicken broth one at a time and wait for them to absorb before moving on.

Then it's time to add cream.

Then comes the fun...adding 2 cups of shredded cheese. I used a blend of parmigian, asiago, and some other italian cheeses. For those who know me, I'm not a huge cheese person (I like the fake processed stuff - sorry, sue me!), but this ROCKED!

Then I moved on to the flank steak. So, P-Dub gave a warning in her recipe about how smokey the house would get... I am a little slow and underestimated the smokiness. Next time I make a flank steak, I'll do it on the grill...OUTSIDE. Also, I cooked mine for longer than she recommended. I found that 3 minutes on each side still left a moo-ing animal on my plate. Sorry for the graphic nature, but ew, I'm no fan of steak tar tar!

In order to get the groovy flank steak stripes, you need to turn the steak on the angle twice per side.

See?!?!

The finished product! Barbie brought over italian prosecco and made peach bellini's. I drank several. Yum!!!!

After dinner came the BIG DOG! Yep, that's right, the baked fudge. This dessert will heretofore be known as the "make a man declare his undying love for you" cake. I'm not messing around here, you should make this RIGHT NOW.

Begin by using your Kitchenaid breast cancer pink hand-mixer...it's all about pigging out for a cause.

Next, add in your ingredients while your friend takes a picture of you over your shoulder to make it look like you worked really hard or are on a cooking show. Also, it helps to use a Julia Childs accent...seriously, this will make the food taste better...okay, not seriously.

Then, because you are a badass, make your own whipped cream using heavy whipping cream (shocker), sugar, and vanilla. So easy!

I went ahead and mixed all the ingredients in a large measuring bowl because I knew I would have to eventually pour the ingredients into small ramekins...it was ingenious. Also, oddly enough, the full ramekins need to be placed into a baking dish with water...helps with the consistency, I guess.

Then, when the baked fudge is all cooked, you pour your whipped cream all over it until the mixture is oozing with goodness and calories! Sorry about the calories part...there's no helping it, though. You'll work them off later because the boys will be chasing after you for more.

So, all in all, this Valentine's Day dinner was FREAKING DELICIOUS! I really enjoyed making it all and Barbie enjoyed eating it! : ) I highly recommend Pioneer Woman's recipes and find that they are super easy to follow, but let me tell you, they aint healthy, but BOY OH BOY are they divine!!!