We love hotel bars of all ilk — fancy and not-so-fancy, wood-paneled and leather-clad, cozy and candlelit, and airy and bright — but while we have a soft spot for even middling versions, a truly great hotel bar is something rare. It’s something to be noticed and appreciated. Here’s how you know you’ve hit the hotel bar trifecta.
Pork chops are one of the tried-and-true weeknight dinners we turn to again and again. Who can resist a plate of lean, juicy meat that’s reliable, quick, and easy to cook? But that’s just one side of pork chops. For a more luxurious dinner where pork chops are meant to really shine, you’ve got to cook them like a prized steak.
I once believed that hearty steak dinners were a meal best enjoyed at restaurants. Oh, how wrong I was! I came to learn that cooking steak at home wasn’t just surprisingly easy, but the results also exceeded my steak-filled dreams. Here are seven helpful tips that will guide you through making the best home-cooked steak of your life.
The hotel bar is a magical place where anonymous locals and transient travelers congregate; where it’s acceptable, and perhaps expected, that the person who just ordered a Negroni is a solo traveler who will devote the next hour to reading 1984 in peace; and where forbidden dalliances are more inclined to erupt with the knowledge that a freestanding bathtub awaits just upstairs.
Wondrous examples are plentiful, but here are some of our favorites to frequent in the States and during European getaways. They all have the power to plunge us into elegant worlds that aren’t our own.
Want to quickly elevate your everyday cooking without trying too hard? Make a pan sauce! Suddenly you’re not simply serving porks chops — you’re serving porks chops drizzled with a rich shallot and herb-infused sauce. It’s a fast and fancy dish that sounds like its destined for a dinner party, but you’re really just making dinner on a Wednesday night. That’s the power of a pan sauce.
Assembling one is incredibly simple. Simply cook up something tasty in a skillet — be it steak, pork, chicken, or even fish — and use the browned bits left behind in the pan as your flavor-packed base. Whisk in a few basic pantry ingredients and voila! Pan sauce. Once you’ve mastered the technique, it’s a skill to keep in your back pocket for weeknights and weekends alike. Let’s get learning!
Steaks at home are sublime. With the right cut of steak, some salt, and a hot pan you can enjoy a flavorful steak with a thin crisp crust and a buttery, tender interior just as delicious as any steakhouse option.
I tend to think people who prefer a steakhouse steak find steak at home too fussy, but I happen to believe the opposite is true. You just have to keep it pretty simple, and that means doing far less than you’d expect. So if you’re looking for an easy way to great steak, here all the things you don’t need to do to make it absolutely mouthwatering.
“What the heck is that?”
“Who puts broccoli on pizza?”
“Congratulations Smitten Kitchen, you’ve ruined pizza!”
To be fair, what my husband and I wanted was broccoli rabe because broccoli rabe is exceptional on pizza, with or without crumbled sausage and a unholy amount of red pepper flakes, but one by one, our offspring have turned against the bitter stalky, leafy florets and now that they make up 50% of the opinions in our family, and the loudest ones too, we ceded to their demands. This one time.*
Friends, I have a new favorite way to cook eggs—in a mug, in a microwave.
No kidding. For reals!
Why??? Well first, it takes only a couple minutes to make, and clean-up is easy.
Second, while so many microwave mug recipes result in a poor substitute for something properly cooked, a microwaved mug omelette is surprisingly tender and delicious.
Third, when I’m trying to eat light, this way of cooking eggs cuts down substantially on added fat. It just uses a quick spray of cooking oil (or a wipe of olive oil) on the inside of the mug. (For those of you who count calories, I counted 200 in this recipe, your analysis may vary.)
Friends, I have a new favorite way to cook eggs—in a mug, in a microwave.
No kidding. For reals!
Why??? Well first, it takes only a couple minutes to make, and clean-up is easy.
Second, while so many microwave mug recipes result in a poor substitute for something properly cooked, a microwaved mug omelette is surprisingly tender and delicious.
Third, when I’m trying to eat light, this way of cooking eggs cuts down substantially on added fat. It just uses a quick spray of cooking oil (or a wipe of olive oil) on the inside of the mug. (For those of you who count calories, I counted 200 in this recipe, your analysis may vary.)
Friends, I have a new favorite way to cook eggs—in a mug, in a microwave.
No kidding. For reals!
Why??? Well first, it takes only a couple minutes to make, and clean-up is easy.
Second, while so many microwave mug recipes result in a poor substitute for something properly cooked, a microwaved mug omelette is surprisingly tender and delicious.
Third, when I’m trying to eat light, this way of cooking eggs cuts down substantially on added fat. It just uses a quick spray of cooking oil (or a wipe of olive oil) on the inside of the mug. (For those of you who count calories, I counted 200 in this recipe, your analysis may vary.)
