New Year’s #1 Resolution Among Adults was…

Can you guess? You might be surprised. Go ahead, guess. I’ll wait.

It’s saving money! Not losing weight, but saving money. Yes, it shocked me, too. Second to your mortgage, food just may be your highest monthly expense. So, it does make sense to trim that expense as much as you can, right? (Hint, the answer is yes!) Menu planning can help you cut cost and help you resist picking up alot of extra food and snacks at the grocery store, not to mention going out to eat at the last minute…

The owner of DineWithoutWhine.com has given me a coupon code that I can pass onto you so you can save 20% on her menu planning service.

To get started, go to this site DineWithoutWhine.com and choose either the 3, 6, or 12 month subscription option. When you’re checking out, enter this code: 04AO (The first digit is a zero and the last is an uppercase letter “O”.) and you’ll save 20% instantly. Most people give up on their New Year’s Resolution before January 31st. Give yourself the tools to actually make it work this year. You’ll be so glad you did!

Here’s the details again:

20% off a 3, 6, or 12 month subscription

Code: 04AO

Expires: 4/15/2008

Click Here to Grab My Savings Now

How to Cook the Best Steak in the World

Every person likes their steak cooked a different way, so throughout this article I will make sure that I cover each possible different way so that you will always get the best result for yourself or whoever you cook for.

There are several different cuts of beef that will make a great steak, and there are also many grades of beef to consider, depending on what the cow was fed on the farm, so your first step is to choose which one you would prefer. The choices include rump, scotch fillet, porterhouse, eye fillet and T-bone as the main premium cuts generally eaten. The beef’s grading will come down largely to marbling and maturity of the meat. There is a debate as to which is better out of grain-fed and grass-fed cattle, and really the answer is grass-fed beef is healthier for you as it is the most natural form of the cattle, while grain-fed beef will have a lot more marbling and flavour, so I will leave that choice up to you which way you want to go. As for maturity, I recommend finding a butcher that will hang your meat for quite a long time in their meat locker before carving it, I have found that 27 days is ideal. This will help tenderize the meat by having it stretched out and relaxing the muscles, to give you the best possible final result.

The rump and porterhouse are firmer cuts, and the rump in particular can be a bit tougher and chewier than the rest, and you will find a strip of fat at the top of each of these steaks, which will help flavour and tenderize the steak during the cooking process. Both these cuts I would recommend eating rare to medium-rare (I will discuss steak doneness a little later).

Meanwhile the scotch fillet will come very nicely marbled with fat throughout, and can usually be distinguished by a C-shaped piece of fat close to one side. Due to the marbling it will be very tender and full of flavour (however if you’re on a diet it may be one to avoid for now), and I recommend eating it medium-rare to medium.

The eye fillet is the most tender cut of beef, and will normally be free of fat, although this also means you may need to do something extra to add some flavour to it, the most popular way being to wrap bacon around it during cooking, so the fatty flavours of the bacon are absorbed by the steak. This is my personal favourite steak, and is best eaten medium-rare to medium.

Lastly we come to the T-bone, which has both the eye fillet and porterhouse on either side of the bone, and will get its flavour from the strip of fat on the outside of the porterhouse. I recommend eating the T-bone rare to medium-rare, though it can be tricky to cook evenly due to the bone in the middle.

Once you’ve decided which cut of steak you will be eating, you need to work out how big a piece of meat you want. A normal-sized steak is generally around 300g for a good-sized meal, however it could range anywhere from 150g up to 1kg and even more! The size of your steak will become important later when you want to cook it to a particular doneness. For example, two different rump steaks could quite easily weigh the same amount, yet be completely different shapes, sometimes they can be wide and flat, and sometimes short and thick, depending on what part of the rump the steak was cut from. Choosing the size of your steak and the shape go hand-in-hand, it’s best to have a thicker steak for a rare or medium-rare steak, and when you want a medium-well or above thinner is better. This is so it doesn’t take a long time for you to cook, and you can still have a juicy steak without burning the outside.

Now let’s just get away from the steak for a minute and think about what you’re actually going to cook it on. Ideally you should have a chargrill, one that sits on an angle, and has enough space underneath the flame to have a tray that you can put a small piece of wood on. What I personally prefer is mesquite wood, which comes from the USA, and the best thing to do is to soak it in water for a couple of hours before cooking. This will help the wood give off its smoky flavour rather than just burn away, and it will also last longer, usually for at least a couple of hours.

I mentioned earlier that if possible your grill should be built on an angle, sloping up towards the back. As you know, heat rises, so naturally you should find the hottest part of your grill at the back, and get slightly cooler closer to the front. Most grills and hotplates in general will have certain “hotspots” that you will need to find for each one to work out the bests places to position your food when cooking. Once you’ve used a particular grill a couple of times you should find it quite easy to figure out your favourite spots to cook on. The combination of knowing where your “hotspots” are and using an angled grill will make it easier to find the best position to cook your steak. If you don’t have a chargrill to use and you have a flatgrill or a hotplate instead, I would recommend not cooking your steak entirely through on the hotplate, particularly for medium or above, seal it on both sides then place your steak on a tray and finish it off in an oven. Otherwise all you will do is burn the outside and lose all the moisture and juiciness from your meat.

The other element to consider is how you would like your steak cooked. In general, a well-done steak should be placed at the back, a medium steak in the middle of the grill, and a rare steak at the front. Obviously, this leaves medium-rare between the front and middle, and the medium-well between the middle and the back. In some situations you will need to adjust this slightly depending on the size and shape of your steak, a big, thick rump may need to be pushed a bit further up the grill to cook properly, while a thin and flat porterhouse might be best kept a little closer to the front to avoid overcooking. Your steak positioning will come down largely to personal preference and a bit of practice and experience with your grill.

Now that you should have worked out where on the grill you will place your steak, you’re almost ready to start cooking! What you need to consider now is how you will season your steak. You may not want any seasoning, that’s fine, go right ahead and start cooking. If you wish to use salt and pepper, I would suggest waiting until one side of your steak has been sealed before sprinkling any on, as salt has the tendency to leech out some of the moisture from your meat. My preferred method of seasoning is to get a really good steak seasoning spice and generously cover both sides before placing your steak on the grill. When you do place your steak on the grill, if you are going to have a rump or a porterhouse, make sure you place the strip of fat at the top, so as it cooks the fat will melt and drip through the steak, adding extra flavour to your meat.

The process of actually cooking your steak is quite simple, but there are a few key things you need to know to get the best result. Firstly, the advantage of using the chargrill means you can have nice cross-markings on your steak when it’s finished, which looks fantastic for presentation. To achieve this, your steak will need to be turned three times, the first time straight over itself, then on the second turn spin it around 90 degrees so the lines from the grill will cross over each other and make little brown squares all over the steak, and then the third and final turn will be straight over itself again. When you’re finished the steak should have cross-markings on both sides, and you can choose whichever side looks best to serve facing up.
What you should find if you have got the grill positioning right for your preferred doneness, 3-4 minutes in between each turn should have your steak turn out just the way you like it! (If you are cooking your steak bleu, you only need to cook it for 3 minutes on each side in total, just enough to seal each side basically).

This is just a guide to work by only, as each grill will produce slightly different results, but definitely the most important stage of cooking your steak is knowing when it is at the exact doneness you would like. This can sometimes be a little tricky, but there are a couple of methods for testing your steak without needing to cut into it. The best method to use when you’re just starting to learn would be what I call the “thumb test”. Hold your left hand out open and relaxed, and press the flesh of your left thumb with your right index finger. It should feel quite soft, and this is how a rare steak should feel when you press it with your finger.

Now lightly touch your left thumb to your left index finger, and press the flesh of your thumb with your right index finger. This is how a medium-rare steak should feel when it’s ready. Next, lightly touch your left thumb to your left middle finger, and pressing the flesh of your left thumb will feel like a medium steak when it’s ready. Touching your left thumb to your left ring finger will make the flesh of your left thumb feel like a medium-well steak, and touching the left thumb to your left little finger will make the flesh of your thumb feel like a well-done steak. Try this out as a guide to get you started, and as with all things, practice and experience will help you hone your ability and instincts to know just when your steak is cooked to perfection! And just as importantly, make sure you get feedback from every person that you cook a steak for, this will make your progress go much faster. As they say, “feedback is the breakfast of champions!”

Another method to use, which can be a little bit sneaky, is if you can see into the middle of the steak at the edges to see what colour the middle looks like. This works really well for a scotch fillet, as you can gently pull away part of the meat right where the C-shaped piece of fat is without damaging your steak, and see if the inside is red, pink or grey.

Now I will explain to you each doneness, so you can work out how you would like to cook it and so you know what to look for when it is finished.
I will start with bleu, which is basically just sealed, is still very red in the middle, quite mushy to the touch, and will feel a little cool inside, only slightly warmed.

Rare is red in the middle from edge to edge, a little mushy, and will just feel warm inside. Medium-rare is red in the middle and pink at the edges, and will feel warm inside. Medium is pink in the middle from edge to edge, feels tender to the touch, and will be warm to hot inside. Medium-well still has a quarter in the middle that is pink, and will be grey at the edges, feels quite firm and is hot inside.

If you plan to cook your steak medium-well or above, I would suggest you could speed up the cooking time by using a steak weight to place on top of your steak. It should be shiny silver and kept clean, and what will happen is the heat coming up from the flames below will be reflected down on to the top of the steak so it cooks on both sides. Make sure if you use a steak weight that you only place it on your steak after sealing one side so there is no chance of cross-contamination. Well-done steaks are grey throughout, no pink at all, quite firm, although can still be juicy, and is very hot inside. Very well-done steaks are grey throughout with no pink at all, very firm, very hot, and no juices whatsoever. You can also get your steak cooked Pittsburgh, which basically means charring the outside so it is burnt while the inside doesn’t need to be completely cooked. For example, if you want to have your steak Pittsburgh-Rare, you could char the outside, and the inside would be red in the middle from edge to edge. To do this you will need some oil or butter, I personally use lemon butter just for the flavouring, and drizzle some over the steak until it drips onto the flames underneath. Your goal here is to build the flames up so they are licking at the steak and will cook the outside much faster than the inside.

CAUTION! Be very mindful of how much butter you use, make sure you have fire safety equipment, and if necessary that you have adult supervision. Do not do this if you do not feel comfortable working with large flames, it can be very dangerous if something nearby catches fire, so please be very careful if this is how you would like to have your steak cooked.
Everybody has different preferences when it comes to their beef, but I would urge you to try each different way so you can work out for yourself what’s best for you. Many people fear the sight of blood coming out of their steak, if you can work up the courage to try something new for yourself, who know, you might find you really like it! I personally eat my steaks medium-rare, and would like to take this opportunity to mention that once your steak starts getting to medium-well and above, you really lose a lot of the nutritional benefits of eating beef, so I would recommend not cooking your steak any more than medium, but obviously that is a choice that is entirely up to you.

Now all that’s left to do is to serve up your perfectly cooked steak, there are many choices of sides and sauces, far too many to list here. I always love it with a creamy mashed potato and seasonal steamed vegetables, and my favourite sauce is mushroom sauce. If you have the time the best sauce is made using beef bones, cooked off with a little tomato paste, then make a stock by boiling the bones in water with some celery, carrots, onion, leeks, bay leaves and peppercorns. Simmer it for a couple of hours until it reduces about three-quarters, and then remove the bones and vegetables. Add some red wine and port, and reduce it down to about half of where it is now, until it starts to thicken with a nice consistency. From here you can add some sliced mushrooms, or peppercorns if you prefer, and even add a little cream if you like as well. This is very time consuming to make the jus (rich beef gravy), but if you can do it you will find it well worthwhile. One other little tip I have for you is to brush a small amount of lemon butter over your steak before saucing it, this will keep your steak very juicy and tender.

I hope you enjoy cooking and eating many steaks in the future, and make sure you go out and impress your friends with your newfound cooking skills!

 

Mick Reade is an Australian chef, who in 2001 was the winner of the Lonestar Steakhouse “Best Steak Cook in Australia” award, has cooked over 100,000 steaks during his career so far, and has been helping teach others how easy it can be to cook great tasting meals, for more information and recipes please visit www.alleasyfoodrecipes.com

As you prepare for Christmas dinner with your family, you may be wondering how to set your dinner table. Here are some ideas to get your creativity started:

Plan Your Menu - The first and most important step is to plan your menu. Does your family usually serve a traditional Christmas dinner? Do they like tradition, or would they mind something new? What types of meat does your family eat?

Once you’ve decided on the main meat (turkey, chicken, duck, pork, etc.), now you should decide what vegetables to serve. Is anyone allergic to any particular foods?  Do certain members have certain vegetables they prefer to eat with their meat? Plan a nice variety to ensure that everyone will find something they like.

Next, plan your sides and desserts. Will you serve dinner rolls? What types of drinks will you offer? What desserts does everyone like?

When you plan your Christmas menu, remember that it is okay to ask for help. Perhaps it will be easier on you to call your guests and ask that everyone bring their favorite dish or dessert. This will take a lot of stress off you and ensures that there is a nice variety of food to eat.

Set the Table - Now that your dinner is planned, you’re ready to set the table. Try going for a theme that will encompass your dinner. Are you serving lots of casseroles? Go for a country-themed setting. Are you planning a four-course meal? Create a more elegant setting, with china and stemware.

Many family Christmas dinners are relaxed. This may be a good option, especially if you have young children.  Create a simple, yet graceful centerpiece with candles and an edible fruit tree. Sometimes simple is best, offset the simple setting with some delicious food and great company for a memorable family Christmas.

Holidays are a great way to bring your family together. Memories will be made for your children. Start planning your family get together now with these tips.

1. Plan your meal – Don’t wait until the week before Thanksgiving to decide what your Thanksgiving dinner will include. Start planning today.

What kind of meats will you prepare? Will everyone eat the same meat, or should you cook a couple of different kinds of meat? What sides and desserts will you fix? Planning a family dinner can be taxing if you’re not careful. Be sure to plan for everyone so that nobody will go without something they love to eat.

2. Share the cooking – Don’t try to cook the entire dinner by yourself. Ask different family members to bring something with them. Good cooks love to share their food and recipes. They’ll love cooking and bringing their favorite dishes for the family meal.

3. Decide on a time – Don’t send an open invitation with no starting time, unless you are prepared to have guests arrive at all hours of the day. When planning your Thanksgiving meal, be sure to include what time guests should begin arriving. Family will most likely want to come early and stay late to catch up on all the latest, so make sure you stress the right time on the invitations.

4. Make it special – Every family get-together is special in its own way. Make this Thanksgiving extra special by doing something different. Perhaps you might take turns going around the dinner table and sharing what each family member is thankful for. Or maybe you could invite your pastor and his family for dinner and have him pray a special prayer for your family. Doing something different this Thanksgiving dinner is a sure way to create warm, lasting memories that your entire family will never forget.

There are two ways to save money on your groceries, buy less or pay less.  But it doesn’t end there because there are lots of different ways to do these two things. 

Buying less always sounds like you have to cut down on what you buy but this isn’t always true.  Spending less always sounds like going into the supermarket with a bag full of coupons.  True, these are ways to cut down on your grocery shopping bills but with a little bit of thought you could probably cut down your spending many other ways too.

You may be able to buy less because you are using less or reusing the same things more than once like plastic bags and containers.  You can also buy less by making things last longer like diluting fruit juices.  This will help you save money and calories.

Another way to buy less and save on your grocery shopping is to buy smart and think about all the things that you might be wasting because they’ve gone bad or expired before it gets used.  Large yogurt pots and some fruits and vegetables can cause this problem.

Also think about all the disposable items you might be buying that could be replaced by a one off permanent item, for example permanent coffee filters, plastic food containers instead of disposable bags, razors for shaving, even water filters.  There must be tons of people throwing money away because they buy bottled water instead of using a water filter that dollar for dollar gives you probably ten times the same amount of fresh filtered water.

The most common ways to pay less for items is to buy the items on sale, buy cheaper brands, or buying in bulk.  Often items that are reduced to clear are perfectly suitable to consume it’s just that the store has to sell them quick or face throwing it out.

Also avoid impulsive buying.  Many people buy impulsively because the products are there on the shelf in front of them.  You know what they say, never go grocery shopping when you are feeling hungry or without a list.

You can also shop around different stores to find the bargains and you might be surprised by how much you can save.

Be weary of supermarket tricks.  Things like raising the price of a popular brand for about two weeks then ‘price cutting’ to just below the original price to make it look like it’s on special offer. 

Supermarkets can raise and lower their prices to match the supplier’s situation.  So if a product supplier is struggling to supply apples one week, then the price will go up, and when the apples start flooding back in again, a special offer price will appear.

But don’t make the common mistakes that many people make.  When supermarkets put things on special offer, such as ‘buy one and get one free’ people think this is a great deal.  It often is, but this may make you simply consume more so you really won’t be saving much at all.

The best ‘two for the price of one’ offers are on things that you can only consume at a certain rate like bathroom and cleaning products, such as toothpaste and soap powder. 

The same thing goes for coupons.  Sure coupons are a great way to save money on groceries but if you’re buying things you normally wouldn’t buy or twice as much to get the special sale price then you may actually end up spending more.  Often times the coupon offers are higher priced items than the store brands.

By the same token, be careful of store brand or value products that are cheaper imitations of the real thing.  Buying lower quality can be a money saver if you choose wisely, but if you end up using twice as much and the product lasts half as long, then you might as well enjoy the real thing.
 

Junk food might include items like: potato chips, candy, chocolate, artificially flavoured drinks, etc. Junk food is appealing to kids because of the taste, color and appearance. Some junk food companies regularly target children with enticing ad campaigns for fast food.

Parents can easily get sucked into the junk food routine because it’s so much quicker and easier than preparing a full, well-balanced meal. While junk food is faster to grab and go, it can lead to a variety of health issues, such as: tooth decay and cavities, stomach problems, and more.

Here are some ways to curb the junk food monster in your house and create a healthier lifestyle:

1. Family meals – Busy families find it especially difficult to make time for family meals. With soccer practice, track meets and band rehearsals filling nearly every week day, families are spread thin. Schedule a special day once per week for a family dinner. During dinner, take turns talking about your day. Slow down and enjoy your meal and this time together.

2. Involve the family – Get the entire family involved in planning and cooking your family dinner. Homemade pizza is always a fun meal to make with kids. Tacos are another quick and easy meal to make with kids. Put each family member in charge of a certain aspect of the meal, from setting the table to preparing the dinner.

3. Be creative – Create fun healthy snacks and meals. Your imagination is your only limitation. Invent new names for vegetables and fruits. You might call carrots “dynamite sticks” or instead of giving your child baby tomatoes call them “mini bombs.” Pay attention to what your child’s favorite toys or movies, and then rename fruits and veggies with fun, similar names.

4. Variety – Most young children will only eat the foods they are familiar with. Very few are willing to try foods that are different. However, variety is important. Try introducing one new food per week. If you attempt to present too many new foods at once, your child may refuse them all. Give them one new vegetable at dinner time every day for one week. If they refuse to eat it for the week, introduce a new food the following week.

5. Start the day off right – Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Jumpstart your kids’ day with a healthy breakfast. Include sweet fruits, like honeydew and cantaloupe, to make this meal more appealing. Even adding something as simple as a whole fruit juice can give your child a better jumpstart to their day.