I don’t have any of those at the moment, so I ask you. How would you cook a 1 1/2 inch bone in, porterhouse steak? I have all the spices, but I can either cook it in a non stick skillet, or in the broiler.

How would you cook the steak, and how long would you cook a 1 1/2 bone in steak to get it medium to medium rare?

Grilling is the best option but seeing as you don’t have that luxury at the moment i can offer you this advice. Most of the time at any major chain like lets say Outback or Longhorns they use a flat iron to cook your steaks anyway. Broiling has a tendency to dry out thick cuts of meat. Searing it will lock in the flavors. The key is finding the right temperature on your stove-top. Depending on how you want your steak cooked you would want to use a slightly lower temperature for higher degrees of doneness throughout. Or a higher temperature to sear the outside quickly and lock in the goodness. Make sure that your using butter in the bottom of the pan and another tablespoon when you flip. A good pinch of regular old salt hear and there on a steak can add a tremendous amount of flavor as well. Good luck!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_20765,00.html

I’ve also baked this in a muffin pan for brunch Thanksgiving morning. Bake at same temp, but start testing for doneness after 15 min or so.

You could also make a compound butter by blending softened unsalted butter with some pumpkin pie spice.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/RecipeIndex

Here is my favorite website. Leave out anything that you think is not healthy in the recipes:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/ch/main_dishes.html

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Don’t forget that you can now get sealed packaged precooked meats of all types at your supermarket in the cold section. Roast beef, pork chops, baked ham, meatloaf, chicken, and many more. They come in sealed packages and can be held in the refrigerator for long periods of time. Dates are on the packages. Just add canned or frozen veggies for side dishes. Ask a clerk to help you find these wonderful sealed precooked meats.

The new types of frozen dinners are very good and are healthy. Look for "No Preservatives" stamped on the boxes. You can buy them in Family Sizes or in large bags. All of these are found in the freezer section.

Supermarket deli’s have roasted and fried chickens. If you are in a hurry, pick up a cooked chicken on your way home. The deli will also have lots of side dishes and desserts ready made.
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1. What is a crock pot/slow cooker:

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-crock-pot.htm

"The crock pot is designed to cook unattended so that you can add ingredients to the pot in the morning before work, then come home 8-10 hours later, to a perfectly cooked meal.

A crock pot never needs preheating and meals cooked in a crock pot retain their juices and flavors because of the design and slow-cooking method. You can even add frozen meats to a crock pot. Just add 1 cup (235ml) of warm liquid to the pot first and calculate in an extra 4-6 hours if cooking on low, or an extra 2 hours cooking on high."

2. Here are a few recipes:

http://southernfood.about.com/library/crock/blcpidx.htm

Here are 1,160 Crock Pot recipes:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/search?q=crock+…

3 tbsp. flour
1/2 stick butter
2 c. milk
1 green pepper; optional
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 c. grated sharp cheese
1 sm. jar pimientos, chopped
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
3 c. chopped chicken

Cook spaghetti in broth for half of the time required (listed on package).
Melt butter and blend in flour until smooth. Stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thick. Add green pepper and cook 5 more minutes over low heat.

Add cheese, soup, and garlic powder. Blend well. Add chicken and spaghetti. Put in casserole and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350°F degrees for approximately 30 minutes.

I know I posted this 2 hours ago but I wanted to see if I got any different answers!

New products make cooking easy now days. I have tried many of the following and they are delicious.
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1. Check out the sealed PRE-COOKED beef tips, roast, pot roast, pork roast, chicken, ham, pork chops, meatload, and etc. You will find these packages near the meat section, they are not frozen. Ask a clerk for help in finding them. Use this for your meat dish with a side dish or two of vegetables, rice, or potatoes which can all be found on shelves in packages or boxes, or in the freezer section, or canned.
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You can now buy packaged rice that you pop into the microwave.
OR bags of rice that you put into boiling water (package and all). The chicken flavor is delicious. Ask a clerk where to find them on the shelves.
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Packages of dried REAL potatoes that you add water to; they are found on the shelves. Read directions.
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Gravies in jars. (always read directions)
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The top brands of frozen dinners are very good now and are perfect for one or two people house holds. These are found in the freeze section at the store.
Just add a canned or frozen vegetable as a side dish.
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You can buy salad greens in lagre packages now. Buy the ones that have been pre-washed. Check the date!
Add your own dressing which you can buy in bottles.
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Supermarket deli’s have roasted chickens, fried chickens, roast beef, and side dishes. You can stop in on the way home and grab a quick dinner to take home. No cooking.
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Crock Pot Cooking (also known as Slow Cooking).
Put the food into the crock pot in the morning, set on low heat, and dinner will be ready in the evening. Here is a quick video on how to use them:

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Secrets-of-S…

(Crock Pots can be bought at grocery stores and places such as Walmart/Lowes/K-Mart/etc)
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I go to this website for easy recipes…a category is on the left hand side of the screen:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1740,151…

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No need to "bake". There are many pies and cakes that are precooked. You can find them in the freezer section at your grocery store. Ask a clerk to help you find them. Be sure to read the directions before you buy.

The stores bake shop has cakes and pie too. These are made daily and are not frozen.

Having lived in Maracaibo gave me an advantage of knowing what you are looking for.
This is the classic recipe and needs refrigeration but if you make the meringues alone you do not need to refrigerate them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meringue

This is the best I can do for southamerican desert recipes most of the sites are in Spanish but I am unsure if your Spanish is up to par for the translations needed.

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?s_type=%2Frecipes.php&q=south+american+desert+recipes&Search=Search

Suspiro de Nisperos

INGREDIENTS

for Meringue or suspiro
White of 4 egg;
1/2 a lemon; rind
1/8 teaspoon cream of Tatar;
1 1/2 cup sugar;
1/4 teaspoon vanilla, optional;

Cream filling
2 cups heavy cream to beat
Ice in a bowl for beating placed under the bowl with heavy cream
4 tablespoons of powdered; sugar
(add more powdered sugar if you want a sweeter cream filling)

Nispero filling
2 pounds of mature; nísperos (apple sauce can be substituted)
5 tablespoons sugar;
4 tablespoons of rum.

1. heat oven at 200 degrees.

2. in an electric Blender add egg whites, the cream of Tatar and the half lemon rind and whip to sigh (or to the point it forms peaks.)

3. While beating add sugar slowly and the essence of vanilla continue beating about 15 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl often to make sure it is well beaten..

4. fill a pastry bag that has a large enough metal tip with the mixture and pipe three separate circles for one finished cookie on a metal baking tray covered with parchment paper and this in turn covered with a thin layer of cooking spray, do not make too large or too small. Try to keep the size consistent.

5. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 25 min. or until it begin to brown. Oven should be at 200 degrees

6. Remove tray from the oven and use a spatula to place meringues on a rack to cool, they can be stored in a container with lid preferably metal.

7. Wash and cut in half each Mesipilus(Nispero) remove seeds; extract the pulp with the help of a spoon and skin is discarded.

8. Blend Mespilus with sugar add the rum and continue blending. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve to eliminate any solid chunks and refrigerator to cool completely.

9. Whip two cups of cream in a bowl with electric Blender until thickened add sugar slowly and beat for a few more seconds, refrigerate until very cold.

Assembly

10. put a tablespoon of whipped cream on the first suspiro to assemble the dessert, then a sigh and on this two tablespoons of the Mespilus puree and so on until completed three circles or sigh.

Refrigerate and serve cold.

The traditional music of Colombia is the Cumbia and Vallenato and yes they do dance Meringue and Salsa there.

Good Luck you are way ahead of time today is 04/20/09