HOLY CRAP STEAK!

Guys. Guys, I made an AWESOME steak today.

This might not be impressive for most people, but I have never made a steak before. Hell, I have never prepared any kind of animal product besides fish before!

Also, I didn't really bother to follow any recipes. I was like "Eh, I know what a cooked steak looks like."

Well, I ALMOST lit the kitchen on fire due to spattering oil on an open range, but hey... it didn't happen so we're going to ignore the dangerous aspect of my cooking experiments.

So, okay, I'm not going to exactly give you a recipe since I don't entirely know what I exactly did since I was mostly in a panicky blur, but I'll give you the general idea.



Ingredients:
Porterhouse steak
1 tbsp olive oil
minced garlic to taste
Lawry's Signature Steakhouse Marinade
McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning

Cooking directions:
So: marinate the steak in the marinade for 30 minutes and put in the fridge. Make sure to coat it completely, above and underneath. After this, what I did was put the skillet on high with the olive oil and minced garlic in it, and put the steak on that. What resulted was an oily, spattery, highly flammable danger zone. I grabbed the pan, turned the heat to medium, and drained out a bunch of the oil. I then put more marinade on top, as well as some steak seasoning. I'm not ENTIRELY sure how long I was cooking the steak during the confusion, but I figure it was about 4 or 5 minutes, it was lightish brown on the bottom. I then flipped it, and cooked it for another 3 or 4 minutes, until when cut it was brownish pink inside (I like my meat medium well). Depending on your tastes, you will have to change the times a bit. I think my steak was a bit under an inch thick, so it cooked quickly. I then put it on a ceramic plate, covered it in tin foil and stuck it in the oven to keep it warm while I made the green beans and mac and cheese.

Sides:
Green beans- I just used frozen green beans, steamed them in the microwave and added some salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Annie's white Mac and Cheese shells- follow the instructions on the box, duh.

The next day:
I made the second steak that had marinated overnight pretty much the same way and with cous cous and tomato and feta cheese salad.

Kelly's Spanish Rice and Beans

I'm baaack! Here is my latest creation, more or less made from what I had around the kitchen. It doesn't look very nice in the pictures, but let me assure you, it is deeeeelicious!

Ingredients:
2 cups rice
1 can black beans
1 or 2 tomatoes
1/2 large white onion
1 tbsp garlic (fresh or pre-chopped like I used)
1 cube chicken bullion
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice
to taste:
chili powder
cumin
turmeric
parsley
oregano
dill
salt
pepper

Directions:
Cook rice according to directions on the rice package, but add the chicken bullion cube and 1 tbsp of olive oil, as well as some chili powder, cumin and turmeric. You will also add these to the bean/onion mix so don't put too much in. I cook my rice in a rice cooker, I suggest everybody gets one, it is awesome. Make sure to stir it once in a while to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom. While the rice is cooking, put a skillet on medium heat and add 2-3 tbsp olive oil. Chop the half an onion and add it to the olive oil, allowing it to brown. Add garlic and spices. Once it is brown, add chopped tomatoes, then drain the beans and add those as well. Once the rice is done, mix it in with the onions and beans, add the lime and voila! I had mine with a simple tomato and avocado salad, which was just tomatoes and an avocado seasoned with lemon and sea salt.

Lime-Butter Broiled Salmon and Asparagus

I decided to try another recipe tonight. The original recipe calls for grilling, but it is November and the grill is 4 flights downstairs. This meal serves 2.

Lime-Butter Broiled Salmon
Ingredients:
2 9-oz salmon fillets
1/4 cup butter (half a stick)
1/8 cup lime juice
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tbsp pepper
dash of salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to broil. Melt butter. Add lime juice, pepper and garlic. Mix together. Put salmon in a broiling pan and cover in about half of the marinade. Let it sit while the oven preheats. (This would be a good time to start the asparagus). Cook for about 7 minutes, cover the salmon with the rest of the mixture, and cook for 7 more minutes or until done (check by cutting into the thickest part of the salmon). Sprinkle with more lime juice and serve.

Broiled Asparagus
Ingredients:
1/4 lb asparagus (the amount is pretty irrelevant)
1/8 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic (minced)

Directions:
Wash asparagus and spread it evenly in a glass pan. Mix together olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Cover asparagus evenly with the mixture (don't be afraid to use your hands!). Cook for about 10 minutes, flipping at the 5 minute mark. Add more olive oil if they look dry at the 5 minute mark.



This was surprisingly delicious. I wasn't sure how broiling would do with butter, but this actually came out really well. Also, I burnt my hand in the oven. Ouch! Ah well, battle scars.

Kelly's Breakfast of Champions!

First off: Star Trek Eggo Waffles. I found them at Giant. You have to eat them at least once in your life. Secondly, Morningstar Maple-Flavored Veggie Sausage Patties. Thirdly, Morningstar Veggie Bacon Strips. 

I find that cooking the "fakin' bacon" in olive oil in a skillet leads to the best results. Microwave them for 30 seconds or so if they are frozen, then throw them on the skillet with a bit of olive oil. Cook until they are crisp and pat them dry with a paper towel. Using the leftover olive oil from the fakin' bacon, cook the veggie sausage patties on the skillet. They are UNBELIEVABLE. Morningstar makes the best faux meat on the market. Top it off with a few Star Trek Eggo waffles and the world is your oyster! (Or waffle).

Making Caramel Really Isn't That Hard

I tried to make caramel today, and I think I did okay. There are two different types: wet and dry. Wet caramel starts with a sugar and water base, while dry caramel is simply sugar. I didn't have the ingredients to make caramel apples, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try just having some apples dipped in caramel.

I did some experimentation with it today. I started by making dry caramel and then added water to it. What I got was a thinner caramel base and then some neat-looking crystallized caramel that I could form into hardened shapes. I am NOT responsible for your safety if you try this. Adding water after the sugar is melted is DANGEROUS! It sputters and was probably a very stupid thing for me to do without protective gloves.

Still, it was pretty delicious and I can't wait until I can make my own caramel candies using the base I created!

In case you were wondering, I'll post how to make dry caramel:

Ingredients:
8 tbsp granulated white sugar

Directions:
Heat a saucepan to medium heat. Add the sugar and shift the pan around a bit so it is evenly covering the bottom of the pan. Let the sugar melt. It should take about 5 minutes. It will start around the edges. WATCH IT CAREFULLY! Once it starts melting, stir it a bit. Once it is liquid and is a dark honey color, remove it from the heat and put it into a glass bowl. (If you keep it in the pot, it will keep cooking and may burn.) This was the point where I added 4 tbsp of cold water to the mixture for my experiment. I then put it back on the heat to try to get it to mix better. I poured out the liquid into a glass bowl and ate the hardened part! Nom nom nom.

These are just my directions and this is in no way the best way to make caramel. It is just what I did.

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Do you have potatoes in your cupboard that are just threatening to rot there or sprout into some crazy potato bush? Fear not, for I am to the rescue! Upon realizing that I had about 3 bags of potatoes creating a musty environment in my kitchen, I decided to take action and make some delicious roasted potatoes. (And fake-gravy!)

Ingredients:
3 large white potatoes peeled and cubed (can be done with an equivalent amount of red potatoes)
1/8 cup olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Put the cubed potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Coat evenly with olive oil, stirring to make sure they are all coated. Add in all other ingredients and mix. Spread evenly in a glass pan (I used a 13x9 baking pan). Cook for 15 minutes, flip and if needed coat with more olive oil. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Presto! Roasted potatoes.

This is what I used for gravy. It is idiot-proof.

Broiled Soy and Ginger Salmon Steak

Salmon is hard to mess up. You can pretty much slap anything on it and it will be delicious. That being said, this is some of the best salmon I have ever eaten.

Serving size: 1 person

Ingredients:
1/2 pound salmon steak
Soy sauce
Ginger powder
Olive oil
Garlic
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to "broil". Thoroughly wash the salmon. Put in a ceramic cooking dish. Add enough olive oil to lightly coat the salmon on both sides. Add a bit more soy sauce. Finely chop the garlic. Sprinkle half the garlic on top. Add about 2 teaspoons of ginger powder. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put in oven for about 10 minutes. The general rule with salmon steaks is about 10 minutes for every inch of thickness. After 10 minutes, flip the salmon, add more olive oil, soy sauce, ginger powder, salt, pepper and the rest of the garlic. Cook for 10 minutes more or until the salmon is flaking nicely and is NOT pink on the inside. It should be a (duh) salmon color when cooked properly.

Serve with rice pilaf! I use the kind in the box because I am lazy.