Are you someone who has a lot of trouble telling different kinds of steak apart? It is not an uncommon tendency, particularly among those of us who eat our steak mostly in restaurants. However, if you would like to start making your own steak dinners at home, you can learn how to do it. Let us take a look at the options available and the best ways to prepare them.

Rib Eye – One of the best cuts for all around cooking, this is a steak with a high fat level that makes it almost impossible to ruin. Even beginners can turn out a tender, flavorful, juicy rib eye steak with minimal difficulty. This steak is great under the broiler, in the pan, or on the grill.

New York Strip – A tender, versatile cut that has a reasonably good level of flavor, this steak grills, or pan cooks well, but do not bother broiling it. Trim fat only after cooking to preserve the greatest amount of flavor.

Tenderloin – This is one of the most expensive cuts of steak on the market, and is extremely tender and lean. That has why many decide to pan sear it in butter, or cook it in a wrapping of bacon. Due to its price, most people only cook tenderloin as a special treat.

T-Bone – This is one of the classic steaks, combining a tenderloin and a New York Strip. The familiar Porterhouse is a kind of t-bone steak cut further up the loin, and known for tenderness and size. They can be tricky to cook, since the bone makes it hard to get the center fully done – this is not a steak for those who like theirs well done. Avoid searing or pan frying this steak in favor of putting it on the grill or under the broiler.

Flank Steak – This long thin cup of meat is traditionally used for making London Broil. Many people like it during grilling season, as it is a good choice for large groups. This steak is more flavorful but tougher than the above steaks, and should be marinated, grilled or broiled whole, and sliced across the grain on the diagonal.

Skirt Steak – A lot like a flank steak, this is a piece of meat that can be cooked a number of different ways. Many choose a pan, but cooking steak on a grill works well here, too. Use this kind of steak in traditional fajitas and have a great Mexican or Tex-Mex themed cookout.

Top Sirloin – A popular budget steak, top sirloin is more tender than flank steak but tougher than tenderloin. This lean cut ought to be pounded and marinated, and is great in kebabs. However, it can be cooked in an assortment of other ways.

What if I told you I could teach you how to save hundreds of dollars a month with your food budget? What if I told you that in addition to this I could save you hours in the kitchen?

Cooking slower can actually help you go faster and spend less time in the kitchen in the long run. Make sense? When you prepare a crock pot meal in the morning (or the night before while you watch tv), the food will be ready when you get home.

Here are my top reasons to buy a crock pot and start slow cooking again.

1. Save money. Starting a meal in the crock pot in the morning can save you from the temptation of grabbing fast food during the evening family rush hour. Save those fast food bucks for a meal out at a nice restaurant on the weekend when you have time to sit and enjoy it.

2. Save money. This reason’s so nice we said it twice. Crockery cooking can make less-expensive cuts of meat tender and delicious.

3. Save time. Cook when you have more energy and less stress. Have your food ready and waiting for you rather than the other way around. Youll also save time on clean up. After the meal, you’ll have just one pot to wash. If you have a crock pot with the removable crockery liner (and you really should), clean up is extra easy.

4. Eat healthy. It doesnt take a nutritionist to know that a meal of meat and veggies with a green salad on the side is going to be better for your body than another frozen pizza.

5. Keep your kitchen cool and your food hot. You won’t have to heat up the whole house just to roast a chicken or cook a pot of stew. The crock pot also frees the oven and stove for other foods when you’re cooking a big meal. Whatever you do, don’t peak inside your crock pot by opening up the lid. That’ll ruin your meal!

Chinese New Year Eight Treasure Rice Pudding

Chinese New Year is around the corner! Surely reunion dinner is an essential event for Chinese New Year. In this ever-changing era, dishes for the dinner on Chinese New Year�s eve show great variety as well. It has unique meaning, which is closely related tour great Chinese culture. However, preparing a healthy meal for reunion dinner of the whole family is a challenge for all housewives.

Chinese New Year Eight Treasure Rice Pudding:
Energy: 158 calories, glucose: 30g, fat: 2.2g, protein: 5g

Ingredients: Purple Chinese yam 120g, black soybean 1 cup, buckwheat 120g, purple glutinous rice 120g, semen coicis 120g, minced meat 30g, 3 mushrooms, 30g dried shrimp, bamboo shoot 30g, konjaku (Amorphophallus rivieri) 30g, semen ginkgo 30g.

Seasonings: Small amount of lotus leaves tuber of multiflower knotweed/ radix polygoni multiflori / �he shou wu� 5 qian (25g), radix rehmanniae praeparata 1 liang (50g), small amount of acorn, soy sauce, oil 10g, 2 lotus leaves.

Method:

1. Peel Chinese yam and cut into slices. Soak black soybean, buckwheat, purple glutinous rice and seed of Job�s tears in water for 1 hour and steam for 30 minutes.
2. Cook lotus leaves, �he shou wu� and radix rehmanniae praeparata into soup which to be used later.
3. Add oil into frying pan to stir fry minced meat, mushroom slices, bamboo shoot and dried shrimp.
4. Fry black soybean, buckwheat, purple glutinous rice, seed of Job�s tears, purple Chinese yam, then add in konjaku and semen ginkgo. Wrap into stick shape with lotus leaf and tie with cotton rope. Place into steamer to steam with boiling water for 30 minutes.

Lotus leaf is able to expel body�s heat and regulate blood lipid. Ingredients are made up of specially selected black soybean, purple Chinese yam, buckwheat, purple glutinous rice, seed of Job�s tears and etc. these can increase intake of dietary fibers and help to regulate blood glucose, increase fullness sensation as well as prevent and improve constipation; Radix Polygoni Multiflori, radix rehmanniae praeparata, semen ginkgo and etc are included into ingredients as well. Radix Polygoni Multiflori is rich in polyphenol compounds including chrysophanol, emodin, rhein and etc which have anti-oxidative effect. Radix rehmanniae praeparata itself has effects of enhancing liver and kidneys as well as nourishing female reproductive and blood system.

Wish You All Happy Chinese New Year with this Happy Healthy Meal!