Some Smokin’ Valentine’s Day Recipes and Ultimate Recipe Showdown!

Well, tonight is the anticipated night my “dessert” show is on Food Network’s Ultimate Recipe Showdown season 2. It’s always nerve wracking to see how it gets edited and if I make a complete fool of myself! I got to compete with my good friend Camilla from Enlightned Cooking and I also got to meet Lisa Roman and Dennis Deel who were wonderful to compete with. It should make for an entertaining show! I’ll share my recipes after the show airs tonight!

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Now, onto some fabulous Valentines Day recipes….Let’s start with the pizza. It is smoky, beefy and and queso cheesy! Trust me, the man in your life will love this. Ok, everyone will love it. You can adjust the heat by the amount of adobo sauce you add, if you like it spicy add more. How it is written now, is very mild for my man (he’s a bit of a spice baby). The time it takes to marinate the meat is totally worth it. Make it again for some carne asada tacos that will knock your socks off.

Smoky Queso Carne Asada Pizza

Carne Asada Marinade

2 lbs skirt steak or other thin steak

½ Cup extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 Tablespoons lime juice

3 Tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Smoky Queso Sauce

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons flour

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 Cup, milk (I used whole, but I’m sure a low-fat would be just fine)

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 Teaspoons adobo sauce (from can of chipotle peppers)

½ Cup of your favorite mild salsa

A batch of your favorite pizza dough (I LOVE the whole wheat pizza dough from Fresh and Easy or Trader Joes. It’s cheap too!)

2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ Cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves

1.Place all carne asada ingredients into a large ziplock bag.Seal and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.

2.Preheat indoor or outdoor grill.Remove steak from marinade and grill for about 2 minutes per side.It’s quick since the beef is so thin.Transfer to a plate to cool for a couple minutes.Once all beef has been grilled, slice steak into thin strips and set aside.

3. To prepare the smoky queso sauce, melt the butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Slowly whisk in milk whisking constantly until smooth. Increase heat while whisking until mixture comes to a low boil. Once starts to boil, reduce heat to low and stir in cheddar cheese until smooth. Stir in adobo sauce and salsa.

4. Preheat oven to 410 degrees F. Spread out pizza dough onto pizza pan of choice. I’ve also used a square baking sheet for a square pizza that works great too. Pre-bake for 8 minutes and remove. Spread queso sauce over dough, then layer beef over cheese. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove and let cool for 3-5 minutes before cutting into wedges. Right before serving top with fresh chopped cilantro leaves.

Yield, 8 slices

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Now for the brownies. I can’t say enough about these chocolaty, chewy minty brownies. I played around with a recipe from King Arthur that was terrific! I even liked these better the next day in some ice cream all mixed up. Drool. No matter how you decide to enjoy them, your sweetheart will love them too!

The Ultimate Chewy Crème de Mint Brownies!

 

(adapted from King Arthur Flour recipe)

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

¾ Cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hersheys)

2 Cups granulated sugar

1 Cup flour

3 eggs

¼ Cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Cup Andes Thin Mint baking chips

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray an 8×8 inch pan with cooking spray. (I Love my calphalon 8×8 inch square cake pan for these) Place butter, cocoa powder, sugar, flour, eggs, oil, vanilla and ½ Cup baking chips into a large mixing bowl; stir to combined. Pour into prepared pan then sprinkle remaining ½ Cup mint chips and bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from center. Let cool for 3-4 hours or overnight before cutting and serving. Enjoy!

Yield, 9 bars

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Fun Times At The Ultimate Recipe Showdown Season 2

Kim and I stealing a photo with Guy Fierri. He was so cool!

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Smoky Queso Carne Asada Pizza and Ultimate Chewy Creme de Mint Brownies

If you're wondering what to put on the menu for your Valentine's Day dinner, try this Smoky Queso Carne Asada Pizza and these Chewy Creme de Mint Brownies! You won't regret trying this awesome combo!
Course: Dessert, Dinner
Cuisine: American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 17
Calories: 543kcal
Print

Ingredients

For the Carne Asada Marinade:

  • 2 pounds skirt steak or other thin steak
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves fresh garlic peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Smoky Queso Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup milk (I used whole, but I'm sure a low-fat would be just fine)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from can of chipotle peppers
  • ½ cup mild salsa

For the Pizza:

  • 1 batch pizza dough (I LOVE the whole wheat pizza dough from Fresh and Easy or Trader Joes. It’s cheap too!)
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves

For the Brownies:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter melted and cooled
  • ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hersheys)
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • 3 eggs
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup Andes Thin Mint baking chips

Instructions

For the Pizza:

  • Place all carne asada ingredients into a large ziplock bag. Seal and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
  • Preheat indoor or outdoor grill. Remove steak from marinade and grill for about 2 minutes per side. It’s quick since the beef is so thin. Transfer to a plate to cool for a couple minutes. Once all beef has been grilled, slice steak into thin strips and set aside.
  • To prepare the smoky queso sauce, melt the butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Slowly whisk in milk whisking constantly until smooth. Increase heat while whisking until mixture comes to a low boil. Once starts to boil, reduce heat to low and stir in cheddar cheese until smooth. Stir in adobo sauce and salsa.
  • Preheat oven to 410 degrees F. Spread out pizza dough onto pizza pan of choice. I’ve also used a square baking sheet for a square pizza that works great too. Pre-bake for 8 minutes and remove. Spread queso sauce over dough, then layer beef over cheese. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove and let cool for 3-5 minutes before cutting into wedges. Right before serving top with fresh chopped cilantro leaves.

For the Brownies:

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray an 8x8 inch pan with cooking spray. (I Love my calphalon 8x8 inch square cake pan for these.)
  • Place butter, cocoa powder, sugar, flour, eggs, oil, vanilla and ½ Cup baking chips into a large mixing bowl; stir to combine. Pour into prepared pan then sprinkle remaining ½ Cup mint chips and bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from center. Let cool for 3-4 hours or overnight before cutting and serving. Enjoy!

Notes

Brownies adapted from King Arthur Flour recipe.
Pizza yields 8 slices, brownies yield 9 bars.

Nutrition

Calories: 543kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 687mg | Potassium: 316mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 304IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 206mg | Iron: 3mg
Keywords: carne asada pizza, mint brownies, mint chocolate brownies, steak pizza

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57 Responses
  1. Emily

    I was watching food network the other day, and saw you on the show! You did SO great! The doughnuts look amazing – and it looked like the judges really enjoyed them too! You really almost won – sooo cool!! WTG Jenny!!!

  2. Anonymous

    Oooh I wish I could see Guy. He is so cool. Is he as funny in person as he is on his shows?

  3. Carrian

    The brownies look delicious!! I can’t wait to try them in the next few weeks! We thought you did wonderful last night. It’s an amazing opportunity, win or lose. Winning would still be wonderful though!!! We can’t wait to try the peaches when Utah starts bringing them into the store.

  4. Brindi

    Congrats on the great showing on URS! We were only able to catch the second part (I made my husband watch with me.) We agreed that your peaches looked divine! They had good things to say. Eagerly waiting for you to share your recipes!

  5. Live.Love.Eat

    This carne asada pizza looks incredible. Love it!!! And I got to see 14 minutes of the show and was so mad when it turned off. I think we were taping too many shows and someone hit the wrong button when we changed the channel.

  6. Natalie

    You did fantastic!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
    You made it on my menu! lol
    I bet that was such an exciting experience, I have a feeling that it’s definatly not the last TV experience either…

  7. PheMom

    Your doughnuts sure looked and sounded “slammin’ ” to me. I will definitely be making them as soon as I can. Even though you didn’t take first you looked so cool and collected that it was a blast to watch you compete.

  8. The Thompson's

    Jenny, got to watch you last night on food network! You were GREAT! Bummed you didn’t walk away with the prize. But your doughnuts look so yummy! It was making me HUNGRY! Way to go!

  9. Rachelle @ "Mommy? I'm Hungry!"

    I stayed up till 1am watching the show! 🙂 You did great, and seemed the most calm and put together from the bunch! My kitchen is too tall for me too, lol.

    Can’t wait to try your recipes!

  10. Jules S

    Jenny! I watched the ultimate recipe showdown yesturday. You did great and I thought your recipe choices were great picks. I think the peach dessert looks amazing. My husband and I love peaches. I definitly thought you should have won. I thought it was strange how the last dessert alone determined if you won or not. Keep up the great recipies, you have great ideas.

  11. That Girl

    There’s definitely something wrong with me. I’m much more interested in the pizza than the brownies!

  12. The Harris Family Daily Chat

    Jen, it was so fun to watch you on showdown. Avery and Poppy watched it with me. You would have thought you were their mom. Seriously. They have been playing “chef jenny: all morning. Great job!

  13. Marisa

    You were AWESOME on the show!!!! Both of your recipes looked absolutely amazing and delicious! I wished that I could’ve popped one of those donuts into my mouth as I was watching the show! I can’t wait for the recipes!!!

  14. Emily

    Jenny what an awesome pizza recipe! My husband will melt if I make this for him! I can’t wait to see the show! Way to go for entering those contests!

  15. Erica Williams

    Just finished watching the Ultimate Recipe Showdown on my DVR. You did great! I want banana donuts!!!

  16. Sara

    Wow…your pizza looks awesome, and the brownies, I want some now!!! Can’t wait to see the show. My sis-in-law recorded it for me. Way to go!!!

  17. Allie

    I have it taped and can’t wait to watch it! The pizza and brownies look absolutely delicious!

  18. lucy

    Jenny, you did great on the show! The donuts looked AWESOME! My husband was drooling over them!

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