Cast Iron...I'm Ready

 

I got a set of 3 cast iron pans about 8 years ago and have never used them. Yes, I know...I'm sorry. Cast iron is intimidating! I'm not sure what to do with it.

Most cast iron skillets these days come preseasoned, but I'm told you have to season it again. I Googled and kind of put multiple posts together into one thought process to get the job done. I set my oven to 450 degrees and set the skillet in there for about 30 minutes. Then I took it out and rubbed vegetable oil all over the inside and up around the sides and put it back into the oven for another 30 minutes and did it one last time before I turned off the oven and let it sit in there until it cool down. It looked awesome!

Cooking that night...well...I think I have to work with it some. I cooked some nice steaks I found at the store that night. My daughter likes her steaks cooked well done and I thought that maybe the cast iron would cook it a little better so that it didn't wind up looking like a hockey puck. I cooked it for a long time. The house got smokey. The smoke detector went off (which is good because I wasn't sure it was working). I finally, in good conscience, could not cook it anymore. It got to the point where I was feeling bad for the steak. This was NOT how it was supposed to end! The juice was STILL red when she cut into it!

So what happened? What did I do wrong? Give me some tips on cooking steak WELL done! I just can't do it! Give me some tips on cooking with cast iron!

Nothing Bundt Cakes in Annapolis, MD

 

Nothing Bundt Cakes

Annapolis, MD

You really can't get any cute than this! 

IT'S A TINY BUNDT CAKE!!!

This tiny cake was BIG on taste though! This one here is the red velvet and it was perfect with chocolate chips and a cream cheese frosting. There were different flavors. I wasn't able to try them all, but just picked one. 

I work for a public school and Nothing Bundt Cakes in Annapolis dropped off some of these as a special treat for the teachers! 

THANK YOU NOTHING BUNDT CAKES!!!

They were cute and they were delicious AND if you are having a little brunch or baby shower or bridal shower...I highly recommend these little cakes! They do have bigger cakes too! Have a look at their website. The do offer online ordering and curbside delivery!

Nothing Bundt Cakes

Annapolis@nothingbundtcakes.com

www.nothingbundtcakes.com

Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso from Starbucks

 

Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso

This is the second of the newest Starbucks drinks this month. I wasn't too impressed with this one. The coffee flavor was much stronger with this one than the Brown Sugar Oatmilk and it was not very sweet at all. It was darker at the bottom so I assumed that is where the chocolate was. Once I was able to drink down a bit, I was able to shake it up a bit to get that chocolate to mix with the rest of the drink and it made it a little better. I didn't really care for the consistency either. I'm not one to have consistency issues, but this drink seemed on the slimy side, for lack of a better word. 

Overall, I didn't mind the strong coffee flavor and lack of sweetness too much. I wasn't thrilled with the consistency of the drink. I was a little disappointed because I really like almondmilk and thought that this would be my favorite of the two. I'm going to have to say that I don't recommend this drink. 

Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso at Starbucks

 

Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso

This was my first espresso drink from Starbucks! 

It was a good experience! The coffee flavor was not overpowering and the drink itself was rather on the sweet side. It wasn't too sweet though! There was a hint of cinnamon. It reminded me of an oatmeal cookie. I really liked it and definitely would order it again!