30 Minute Supper For One - Tri-tip steak, rice and caesar salad and a Strawberry Cake

[a_boleyn]

Not particularly imaginative but everything was freshly made from scratch and required minimal effort at the end of a busy work day. The slowest item was the long grain rice which, once the broth was boiling, took 25 minutes to cook.

The strawberry "cake in a mug" recipe came from this site. As I didn't want to make any whipped cream for the cake

Comments

[spikesgirl58]

Great shots as usual and you hit the nail on the head. Fresh cooking doesn't have to take hours.

Last night I did a chicken in a Meyer lemon cream sauce with assorted veggies (it was supposed to be asparagus and peas, but at $4 a pound not likely at the moment. I used bok choy, squash, onions, and peas instead. It was very tasty and took less than 40 minutes from the first slice on the cutting board to the table.

[a_boleyn]

I've never seen or tasted Meyer lemons but been curious as to how they'd taste though I'd be more likely to use them in the more expected fashion as a sweet/tart pie filling. How does lemon and cream pair as a sauce? Is it similar to a hollandaise flavour.

I'm doing a very risky (for me) Tequila-lime marinated tri-tip steak for supper tonight with mashed potatoes. It turned out there were 2 steaks in the package I defrosted yesterday not just one so I tried to do something as different from my usual way of preparing it as possible.

[spikesgirl58]

Meyer lemons are sweeter, their skin is very thin (nearly impossible to zest) and they make a crappy lemoncello. We have a tree just outside the door and I tend to get really creative at this time of the year as we need to strip off the old fruit to make way for the new.

It was supposed to be a vegetable broth based sauce, but I used chicken(1 cup and 1 t. corn starch - whisked together and then cooked until slightly thickened - take off the heat and whisk in 1/3 cup cream and 3 T. lemon juice (I added more because the Meyer lemon is so mild). It was fabulous.

Why is Tequuila-lime risky?

[a_boleyn]

I have never marinated steak in ANY liquor before and I'm afraid the combination of the tequila and lime will taste too alcohol-y tasting and acid. Luckily I didn't make too much of the marinade or commit too much steak (1/2 pound slice) to the experiment.

I had the butcher trim 4 pieces like the one in this post off a larger roast. I braised the roast and made a beef stir fry, a shooter's sandwich, the steak above and now this marinated steak with the 4 pieces.

http://a-boleyn.livejournal.com/117837.html

[anonymous]

You have reminded me of the famous cake in a mug! I have seen it but on a different blog and have bookmarked to make it and... of course I have forgotten. Yours looks great and I would skip the whipped cream too (not a big fan of it). Strawberries alone are a delicious addition. Sissi (http://www.withaglass.com)

[a_boleyn]

The whipped cream made the "strawberries and cream" mug cake look gorgeous in the blog I found the recipe on but it seemed a bit too much. :) After Lent, I'll try the chocolate version of the mug cake.

[anonymous]

Now this looks like a lovely dinner and so quick to make. I love the idea of a cake in a mug, what a clever idea, and your cup is so pretty.
I'm more into soups these days as I'm still struggling with this damn cold, was off two days last week and yesterday, and I spent most of the weekend in bed, which is not like me at all. I'm hoping we won't get hit as bad as they claim with this next storm, I'm just so tired of winter.
Eva http://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com/

[a_boleyn]

Thank you. My Xmas mugs were the perfect size for the batter. Wish I had had a chance to pick up some pretty mugs for Valentine's day to use instead but I just didn't get out to Buck or Two. :)

I'm not in the mood for more snow either. Hope you feel better soon.

[ext_877277]

Hi A_ - The cake in a mug reminds me a little of the microwave cake I make for when I'm making a steamed sponge (because seriously, who has 3 or 4 hours to waste, steaming a damn cake for dessert). I put the batter in a bowl and then cover the top of the bowl with clingfilm... prick a few holes in the top. It keeps the steam in and... I think... helps keep the cake that little bit more moist and spongey. That said, I never tried a cake in a mug like this, so I might be talking rubbish :D.

[a_boleyn]

I've never made a steamed sponge cake but this had a sort of rubbery texture and got more so as it cooled as it was still cooking when removed from the microwave. Next time, I'll have to try cooking it less and see if the texture improves.