My Oven Secret

Is an oven a necessity or a luxury? The new oven was inaugurated with a Spicy Open Faced Roast Beef Sandwich

I have a secret...Well, it is not really a secret. At least I did not think it was a secret until I said it out loud and everyone's reaction was a shocked look. So, a couple of nights ago, I came home and my room-mate had bought a new oven for the kitchen. I was super-excited when I realized it was for general use.

See, I have lived in this house for almost a year and we did not have an oven because the one that came with the stove was not working. I complained once and when nothing got done, I simply just moved on with life. In the grand scheme of life, not having an oven did not seem like a big suffering.

Savory Oatmeal with Ground Beef and Vegetables Stir-Fry

Savory Cheesy Oatmeal served with Ground Beef Stir-fry

One of my friends at work started talking about this recipe he discovered for oatmeal. It is a savory recipe that calls for adding cheese the oatmeal as it cooks. As he spoke about the recipe, I realized that I really wanted to try it out something similar. I am a big fan of oatmeal. The first time I heard about savory oatmeal was years back when Cameron Diaz caused a splash by mentioning her secret way of eating oatmeal. Now that it was back of my radar, my taste bud just won't let go of the idea. I knew that along with the oatmeal, I wanted some crunch to balance the creamy texture. I immediately knew I wanted a stir-fry.

Inspired: Cast Iron Steak

Cast Iron Steak. Image belongs to, and is owned by NYTimes

With the Memorial Day weekend around the corner, summer is officially about to start. One of those things that I associate with summer is a good steak. The juicy tender steak with a salad is for one of my perfect summer meals. The thing  though is I don't own a grill. I am at this stage of life where I am still sharing a house with people so I can't accumulate too much cookware. Cooking for me is really about making do with what I have at hand. This can make things slightly difficult but I have learned to get around it.

The limitation on tools in the kitchen is something the average home-cook has to deal with. That is why I loved reading this New York Times article about how to cook a steak at home. I felt like it acknowledged the limitation of being a home cook so well. I might be writing about food but I am certainly not one of the really seasoned bloggers that have tons of equipments. Lots of people that love food are just like me (some write...some don't).

Now I feel inspired to start planning my Memorial Day meal. Maybe I might give myself a treat and buy a lovely juicy steak, just to try out this simple recipe for cast-iron steak. Although I must confess that I don't own a cast iron pan so this definitely will be done in my lovely non-stick pan.