For the Foodies – Chicken Fried Steak

Chicken Fried Steak

I was given a Fannie Farmer Cookbook for Christmas of 1990 from my Grandma Kress. It has seen it’s time and was a wonderful help for me learning to cook when I was first married. It started to show its age a few years ago, so I put it in “storage”. A few weeks back, while at Goodwill, I found a copy like mine and picked it up, so now I am back to using my favorite cookbook. Here is a recipe I found and used last night:

Chicken Fried Steak

1 lbs top round steak (I used cubbed steak)

1 C plus 3 T flour

Salt and freshly ground pepper

3 T vegetable shortening

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1- C milk

Cut the steak into 4 to 6 serving pieces. Pound 1/4 C flour into the steaks using a meat pounder or the rim of a sturdy plate. Pound in as much flour as you can until the steaks are saturated and quite thin. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Heat the shortening in a large skillet over high heat. Cook the steaks very quickly, about 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove to a platter and keep warm.

Remove all but 2 T of fat. Add the onion and saute, over medium heat, for about 2 minutes, or until soft. Stir the remaining flour into the onion, continuing to stir, and let it cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Slowly add the milk, constantly stirring, and cook until the gravy is thickened. Serve with mashed potatoes.

This recipe served our little family of 4.

Filed under: Food

For the Foodies – Bread

Oatmeal Bread

In trying to be frugal in our home, I have started making bread again. I had gotten away from it because my bread never cut well enough for sandwiches. This recipe is awesome, though and makes for great sandwiches. (And it is great with Nutella on it, for those who might have a special affection for Nutella!)

Oatmeal Sandwich and Toasting Bread

3 cups King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour (I used both bread flour and unbleached store brand flour and they work just the same)
1 cup rolled oats (old-fashioned oats)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons brown sugar or honey (I used honey)
2 teaspoons instant yeast OR 1 packet active dry yeast*
1 1/4 cups lukewarm milk
3/4 cup raisins or currants (optional)
(I also added 4 tsp of Vital Gluten, available in the baking aisle of your grocery store)

*If you use active dry yeast, dissolve it in the warm milk before combining with the remaining ingredients.

Manual Method: In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all of the ingredients, mixing to form a shaggy dough. Knead dough, by hand (10 minutes) or by machine (5 minutes) till it’s smooth. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow it to rest for 1 hour; it’ll become quite puffy, though it may not double in bulk. Shape as directed below.

Bread Machine Method: Place all of the ingredients (except the fruit) into the pan of your machine, program machine for manual or dough, and press Start. About 10 minutes before the end of the second kneading cycle, check dough and adjust its consistency as necessary with additional flour or water; finished dough should be soft and supple. Add the raisins or currants about 3 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle. Shape as directed below.

Shaping: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled surface, and shape it into a log. Place the log in a lightly greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, cover the pan (with an acrylic proof cover, or with lightly greased plastic wrap), and allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, till it’s crested 1 to 2 inches over the rim of the pan.

Baking: Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 190°F. If the bread appears to be browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil for the final 10 minutes of baking. Yield: 1 loaf

Also, I make mine in the stand mixer, just dump all the ingredients and mix away. I found that I have to add another cup of flour to bring it all together. When it is done kneading in the mixer, I transfer to a greased bowl and place in a warmed oven for two hours.

Filed under: Food

Freedom of Speech no longer allowed!

Seriously, I just read an article that Miss California dared to say, when she was asked, what she thought of “gay marriage”. She said it was between a man and a woman. Great answer. Now she is the scourge of the earth. Society is in the crapper.

Filed under: General Stuff

Uncle Update….

Thank you so much for those of you remembering my uncle in your prayers. He has started on chemo and radiation and will continue to do so for the next month and a half. My aunt says the chemo is rough on him, but he is trooping through.

Please continue to pray for him and his recovery!

Filed under: General Stuff

God is Good

all the time!

Of course we already knew that but, just in case we needed reminding….

Our friends, the Logues have a little boy. I will let you follow the link to the story. (And even if you don’t know them, it is a great read!)

CONGRATS to Brian and Andrea! 🙂

Filed under: General Stuff

Annunciation

Thank you, Mumma Mary, for saying yes!

Magnificat anima mea Dominum,
et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo salvatore meo,
quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae.
Ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes,
quia fecit mihi magna, qui potens est,
et sanctum nomen eius,
et misericordia eius in progenies et progenies
timentibus eum.
Fecit potentiam in brachio suo,
dispersit superbos mente cordis sui;
deposuit potentes de sede
et exaltavit humiles;
esurientes implevit bonis
et divites dimisit inanes.
Suscepit Israel puerum suum,
recordatus misericordiae,
sicut locutus est ad patres nostros,
Abraham et semini eius in saecula
Filed under: General Stuff

On the road again….

Well, we were this weekend. We went back to Indiana to get the rest of our stuff out of storage as well as to visit people that we know. We planned the visit to go from Saturday to Monday, so that we could see my sister in law (Joshua’s brother’s wife) and their new baby after he was born on Monday morning.  My SIL delivered by c-section at 8 something a nice little boy named Blaine Nathan weighing 7 lbs 11 oz (just like his big cousin, Caecilia.)

It just so happened that this weekend Laura had her little baby, a girl and Annie had her baby too, another little girl. (Check thier sites for more details!) I was excited to be able to see both of them and thier babies while visiting Jeremy and Gavra. I know Annie reads my blog sometimes and I read her’s all the time, but we don’t really know each other in real life. We went to the same church and we used to be neighbors. (Heck, J and I used to live in one of her dad’s rentals when we first got married). But still, I didn’t think I knew her well enough to just go knocking on her hospital door. My youngest SIL, Mary Ann pointed me in the direction of Annie’s room. (And if anyone can explain to me how she knows Martin, that would be great). I knocked on the door and Annie had a wide smile and seemed happy to seem me. (So even if you were thinking “What the heck is SHE doing here”, you did a good job covering, thanks!) Seeing Laura was a bit easier, Dan was standing in the hallway eating ice cream and he called her out to see us. We had been told at the front desk that they didn’t have anyone by “That name” regisitered, so it was a pleasent surprise to see him eating away!

After all that we attended to the moving things and got that all settled. The truck is parked in our back yard and I can’t wait to start opening things I haven’t seen in two years. It will be like Christmas! We found a box labled 3T & 4T clothes, so thankfully we don’t have to go out and spend money on new pants for my growing son. 🙂

Oh, and this post would be nothing if I didn’t publically thank the Newcomb family for letting us crash and bring craziness to their house. I always find Michelle a good friend to talk to and a great source of advice.  I did love watching Ken and Joshua make cheese. That was too funny.

Of course, we got to introduce Caecilia to her godparents this weekend. I love the way Mary ohhs and ahhs over babies. I am excited to see them here in a few weeks! Yea!

We got to see Nan, Karol’s godmumma while we were there for a few minutes at the Rectory. She is a wonderful person and we love her so much!

Today I had the kids color pictures to send to their godparents. Karol drew some letters and Ohio for his godfather, Brother Basil as he won’t get the picture until after Easter. The other godparents got pictures the kids colored of Mumma Mary.

I should get back to things, but I wanted to post before I forgot and things got crazy here again.

Filed under: General Stuff

Update on my Uncle

Good news!! While it has been confirmed as cancer, it has also been deemed treatable and curable!! Praise God! Please continue the prayers for my uncle as he faces a road of chemo and radiation!

Filed under: General Stuff