The Perfect Steak

I like my steak more rare than medium, but I understand that some people (Mum included) like their steak to be well and truly cooked. She doesn't quite eat leather, but it isn't far from it.

I'm going to start with a few obvious pieces of advice on meat.

1. Working meat is tough. The neck, the tail, the legs. They get used. They're naturally tough. They should be slow cooked.
2. Non working meat is more tender. The meat from the back, the belly, the rump. All good steak meats.
3. Cast iron is a godsend, if it has been cured and stored right. Look after it, and it will look after you.
4. You don't need much seasoning on good meats. You also don't need much oil. You're sealing it, not deep or shallow frying.
5. Your oven is your friend.

Pre-heat your oven to 180C (350F)

Start with heating up a good oven proof frying pan. I have 3 cast iron frying pans. They are my friends.

While the pan is heating up, brush the meat with oil, or spray some on. Season lightly on both sides. If you're brushing with oil, make it garlic or chili oil, for a nice bit of extra flavour. Still sprinkle a little salt on it.

When the pan is hot, gently place your steak in it. Ignore it for a minute or two. Turn it once only.

Place the steak (still in the oven proof pan) in the oven.

Cook until perfect for you - 5 minutes for rare, 10 for medium, 15-20 for well done.

Serve with whichever sides you want. I suggest mash and season vegies.

I've also cooked chicken breast this way. Much more tender, not as dry, and super yummy.

Flavoured vodka

THIS RECIPE IS FOR ADULTS ONLY. HERE IN AUSTRALIA, YOU MUST BE OVER 18, AND IN THE US, 21.

I'M SPECIFYING THIS BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE ARE IDIOTS WHO DON'T DESERVE TO HAVE CHILDREN, AND I WILL LIKELY BE FLAMED FOR NOT SPECIFYING THAT THIS IS AN ADULTS ONLY RECIPE.

Inspired by this post over at A Cozy Kitchen, I think flavoured vodka is in order.

I can see candy cane vodka for Christmas, cinnamon vodka (for any gods be d@mned time! - I can see {and taste} it now, cinnamon vodka with apple juice), musk stick flavoured vodka for my birthday...

I wonder how I could make chocolate vodka.

I see a bottle of vodka and experimentation is required.

Crispy Chicken Pieces

This recipe is one of my old favourites, I just keep making it again and again, and no matter what, everyone loves it.
It gets it's name from the fact the skin on the chicken goes crispy.

1 Kilogram of chicken pieces (drumsticks, legs, wings, nibbles, whatever....)
3 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Paprika (I prefer the smoked variety)

• spray the bottom of a baking dish with oil
• place chicken pieces in dish evenly (you may need more than one dish, depending on size)
• brush chicken pieces with say sauce and then sprinkle with paprika
• bake in preheated 180C oven until cooked. I'd love to give you a time on that, but it's dependant on the chicken pieces. Most of the time I use wings, and find it's done in half an hour.

Serve with rice and steamed vegetables, or as a finger food at a BBQ.

Italian style meat sauce

This is another of my "I never actually measure anything" recipes.

I use this meat sauce for lasagne and also for spaghetti/pasta. The ever picky Katharine won't eat the lasagne because it's "too spicey", so I just throw some cooked spaghetti through a cup of it for her when we are eating lasagne. She seems to think it tastes different. I also get to add vegies to this, which is great. Neither my husband nor Katharine eat carrots, so I get them in whenever I can *grins*

• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped chili
• 1 cup tomato paste
• 1 large tin of tomatoes (use the whole peeled ones. The diced ones seem to be slimier, and have too much juice around them)
• 1 cup red wine
• 500 g mushrooms, finely diced
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1.5 kg mince (preferably beef)

1. Heat a small amount of oil in a large frying pan or large saucepan
2. Add onions, garlic and chili - cook until transparent
3. Add mushrooms and carrots, stirring through until the pan is dry
4. Add wine, and simmer for a short while
5. Break up minced meat into pinches, stirring occasionally while doing it
6. Continue breaking up meat as you're going
7. When meat is almost completely browned, add tomato paste, and stir through thoroughly
8. Add tin of tomatoes, crushing in your hand as you are going
9. Simmer until you have a thick, rich sauce.

This makes 2 family sized lasagnes, 1 serve for Katharine, plus around 2 cups of sauce left over.

I'd also suggest adding salt and pepper to taste - but since I have a husband who adds snow to all meals, I don't bother.

Chicken with mushrooms, leeks and ricotta

This one is a hat tip to an earlier recipe.

It's Autumn (Fall) here, so I'm cooking winter-y recipes.

• 3 kg chicken drumsticks (legs)
• 2 large leeks - finely sliced
• 500 g mushrooms - finely sliced
• 2 cups white wine
• 500g Ricotta cheese

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F)
2. Line 2 baking dishes with the leeks and mushrooms
3. Evenly divide the drumsticks between the trays
4. Pour 1 cup white wine over each tray
5. Cover each tray with baking paper and foil, to keep some of the moisture in
6. Bake for approximately 45 minutes
7. Turn drumsticks, and replace in oven for 15 minutes to brown
8. Take drumsticks out of trays, and stir through 250g of ricotta in each tray (with the wine, mushrooms and leeks)
9. Replace drumsticks, and return to oven to heat the ricotta through

I served this with rice, and blanched snow peas.

The teastick

Again, not a recipe post!

I was stumbling last night, and came across The Teastick, a single serve way to get a lovely cup of tea.

This for me is wonderful in a few different ways.

1. I love tea. And it's because it's tea that I've posted it here
2. I love sleek looking designs that combine form and function so well, which is why it is also posted on InfoxicatingDesigns
3. I could see me using it, not just in a cup (I always drink my tea in a cup, with matching saucer), but I can also see my mother using it, for her plain, bland, boring black tea, in her bone china mug with a design of otters chasing butterflies badgers chasing a worm (I spoke to my mother yesterday. She chipped her otters mug)

I might have to buy it, just to check to see if it is as good as the reviews say

Cinnamon donut muffins

I've been craving donuts for a few days, so I figured I better either buy some, or cook some.
I opted for the latter, and got my favourite cookbook out - Google.
I came up with this recipe, which aren't quite donuts, but are quite delicious.
If you don't feel like link clicking, here's the recipe:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking power
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup milk (low fat is fine)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F)
2. Lightly grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or vegetable oil
3. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg until light in color
4. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg
5. Pour into egg mixture and stir to combine
6. Pour in vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract
7. Divide batter evenly into 10 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full
8. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean

1. While muffins are baking, melt butter and pour remaining sugar into a small bowl
2. When muffins are done, lightly brush the top of each with some melted butter, remove from the pan and roll in sugar
3. Cool on a wire rack.

So, the verdict.

Next time, I make it with butter instead of vegetable oil. It requires that richness that butter gives, and the vegetable oil, while giving it moisture, didn't give it the richness it needs.

Also, I used cinnamon instead of nutmeg, which made them gorgeous. Bast and I discussed it earlier, and I have to agree, there is no such thing as too much cinnamon.

And the last thing. I used mini muffin pans. Perfect size for kids, or a mini muffin or two (donut hole?) with a mug of coffee.