Chicken Fried Steak

I made this dish today for breakfast...Robby was pretty surprised to have steak, gravy, and mashed potatoes when he woke up! This turned out really delicious except that I used the wrong type of steak, it wasn't bad but I know it would be even better with cube steak. I'm excited to try this again and with a really yummy biscuit recipe I have!

This is one of the pioneer woman's recipes but I got it from the blog called, "get off your butt and bake" you can click on her link to the right of my blog page for step by step instructions.

Chicken Fried Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
3 pounds cube steak
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk (for dipping purposes),
plus 2 cups for the gravy
3 cups all purpose flour,
plus about 1/3 cup flour for the gravy
2 teaspoons seasoned salt, such as lawry's
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
3 teaspoons seasoned salt
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil for frying.
Directions:
Begin with assembly line of dishes for the meat, milk-egg mixture, and flour mixture...with a clean plate at the end to receive the breaded meat. Mix the 2 eggs with 1 cup of milk. Beat together with a fork, and pour on plate. Blend the flour with the seasoned salt, paprika, cayenne, and black pepper. Place flour mixture on another plate. If needed, pound each cube steak slightly to flatten and tenderize a bit more. Season with salt and pepper. Dip each side of steaks into milk/egg mixture. Now place wet steak on top of flour mixture. Coat both sides. Place back into milk/egg mixture...wetting both sides again. Now place the meat on top of flour mixture again, and coat both sides. Place prepared meat on a clean platter and prepare for frying.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Test the oil: Drop in a few sprinkles of flour over the oil. If it sizzles it's ready. Fry as many pieces of meat as you can comfortably fit into your pan. Cook approximately 2 1/2 to 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Place cooked meat on a paper towel lined plate, and keep warm in a low heated oven. (I use 170 degrees oven)
Continue frying until all the meat is done.
After frying, pour off the grease into a heat proof bowl. Do not clean the pan! Leave all the golden bits and pieces that are stuck to the bottom of your fry pan. Return 1/4 cup of the grease back into the pan, and allow grease to heat up over medium low heat. Stir together to help remove all the golden bits that are stuck.
Sprinkle 1/3 cup flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix the flour with grease, creating a golden brown paste called a "Roux." You want this roux to attain a deep, rich color. If the paste seems more oily than pasty, sprinkle in another tablespoon of flour. Whisk again and check the consistency. After a couple of minutes, the paste will start to turn golden brown. That's when it's ready for the milk. Whisking constantly, pour in 2 cups of milk. Whisk to combine, until the gravy comes to a slow boil. I turn my heat down to low, and continue whisking until it's the thickness I desire. If it seems to thick for you, simply add a little more milk, being careful not to make it too thin. It will take about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if needed. I also add a bit of sugar. Taste it....is it salty enough?...add to your liking.
Place the warmed meat on a plate with a heaping pile of mashed potatoes. For mashed potatoes...Follow my above pictures. Drizzle with gravy. Yum...enjoy!

Here are some random pictures from the last few days, the picture above was taken right when Paden woke up this morning and the picture below was taken yesterday afternoon. Notice the same pajamas, he's had them on since Wednesday and the sword that goes everywhere with him!

Silly Boy!

Here I am at 16 weeks, right before Robby and I left on our Wed. night date...it was FUN! Robby was teasing me saying he's never seen me leave the house so fast.

I was ready to go out I guess!

Kai wasn't too happy about our date but it wasn't anything a few chocolate chips couldn't solve!

Lasagna Rolls

Look how cute!

Surprisingly I have NEVER made lasagna before and Robby has been bugging me to make him some forever. My mom made lasagna all the time for us growing up and everyone loved her recipe, it was pretty typical with cottage cheese and ground beef. I am not a big fan of ground beef and found this recipe on foodnetwork.com, it was the most popular and highest rated lasagna on their sight so I thought I would give it a try.

This lasagna recipe is different from most other lasagna recipes, instead of laying the noodles flat and layering the other ing. on top, you take a noodle and place the ing. on the end and then roll it up.

This recipe also called for a bechamel sauce on the bottom with marina sauce on top.

Delicious!

I am a big fan of this recipe...give it a try but take my advice and double the bechamel sauce and double or even triple the marinara sauce. This recipe calls for 1 Cup of marinara sauce but instead I would take a jar/can spaghetti sauce and pour the whole thing over the lasagna.

I also used half and half instead of whole milk for the bechamel sauce and it was very yummy.

Try this out, you won't be sorry!

P.S. Robby loved it and has forgiven me for never making him lasagna before today however I think I will be making this from now on!

Ingredients

Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg

Lasagna:
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
1 large egg, beaten to blend
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

Directions
To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamelsauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.

Week 2

Sausage Tortellini Soup

I'm not sure how many recipes I'm going to post this week because I hate writing out the entire recipe but I had to share this one. Last night for dinner we had this yummy soup and everyone loved it...it was SO delicious. I thought that the chicken cordon bleu was my favorite but this one beats it.

This is a recipe that everyone should have it is the BEST!

Ingredients

3 links Italian sausage

4 cloves pressed garlic

1 onion diced

1/2 Cup Water

2 Cans chicken broth (use 3-4 if you like it more soupy)

1/2 C apple cider (don't leave this out)

1 16oz. can diced tomatoes

1 8oz. can tomato sauce

1 C. sliced carrots (I used about 2 C. shredded carrots that you can buy in the bag)

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 medium zucchini grated

8-10 oz. package cheese tortellini (I used the fresh tortellini and it was so delicious but a little pricier than the dried or frozen tortellini)
2 Tbsp. dried parsley

Begin cooking sausageover medium heat in a large pot, stirring frequently. Meanwhile chop onions and garlic and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until your onions are translucent and the sausage is cooked through.

Add water, chicken broth, apple cider, tomatoes, tomato sauce, carrots, basil, and oregano. Cover and simmer for a 1/2 hour.

Add zucchini and parsley and simmer for another 15 minutes or so.

Add the tortellini and cook until tender.

Serve with warm bread, freshly grated parmesan and a yummy salad!

Primary Program

Yesterday was the Primary program at our Church where all of the kids ages 3-11 sing songs and share stories and scriptures that they've learned over the year. The kids did such a beautiful job and were very brave. I loved watching Paden up there on the stage singing loudly and even giving us an occasional wave!

This was Paden's very 1st Primary Program, he was the cutest Sunbeam on the stage!

I was so proud of him!

I was a little worried for Paden wondering how he would react being in front of over a hundred people without his mom or dad near him but he did perfect! When all the kids began singing their first song, they sang so loudly and powerfully that it shocked me...I was even able to hear Paden's voice over all the other kids!

He was so cute!

Some of my other favorite moments of the program were when all the kids sang, "Love One Another" and signed the words as they sang. Whenever they signed the word "ye" or "you" all the other kids would point their fingers straight forward but Paden pointed to the child to the left and to the right of him...it was really funny! Paden's favorite song to sing has been the builder song, he sings it all the time and has taught Evan most of the words. When they sang the song during the program he was doing a lot of different hand motions to it and then got really excited at the end.

Silly boy.

Here are some pictures that I took right before it started Paden is holding up the program titled, "My Eternal Family" the Primary theme for the year.

Another funny thing that happened was during the Saturday rehearsal. I was told by a couple different people that Paden was talking constantly about how "nice" his Grandma is and how much he loves her. So it was a really fun surprise for him to have his grandma and grandpa there to watch him on Sunday and then to go their house afterwards for dinner and dessert! After the program he was walking out of the chapel holding her hand and telling everyone how cool his grandma is!

Almost every day Paden and Evan tell me that their best friend is Grandma except today Evan said his best friend was "pancake!"
Being confused, I asked again and he said "pancake" and then I realized he was saying, "Anna Kate"!

Not pancake!

Recipe 6:

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This is the BEST recipe I have made all week and is one of the best meals I've ever made. It was SOOOO good!

This picture really doesn't do this dish justice...it was juicy chicken with warm ham and melted Swiss cheese inside with a rich creamy white sauce on top...mmmm! I wish Robby hadn't eaten his share and all the left overs because I would be finishing it up right now. Everyone should try this recipe out.

Ingredients

6 boneless chicken breasts (I only used 4 and they were skinless too)

6 slices Swiss cheese

6 slices ham ( I used 2-3 slices of ham per chicken because they were thin)

3 Tbsp. all purpose flour

1 tsp. paprika

6 Tbsp. Butter

1/2 Cup white wine or 1/2 cup chicken stock

1 bouillon cube

1 Tbsp. corn starch

1 Cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

Pound chicken breasts to about 1/2 - 1/4 inch thickness. Place a ham and cheese slice in the middle. Fold the sides over the filling and roll the chicken up securing with tooth picks. It probably won't look so pretty but it will come together after it's cooked. Mix the flour and paprika together and coat the chicken pieces.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over med. high heat and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine/chicken stock and bouillon cube reduce heat to low cover and cook for 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

I did it a little differently after browning the chicken on all sides I put the chicken in a glass dish in the oven at 350 for about 2o minutes. The pan with the butter in I poured most of the butter out and then added the chicken stock and bouillon cube. I let that come to a boil before adding the cornstarch/cream.

Remove the toothpicks and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl and whisk slowly into the skillet with the butter mixture. Cook stirring until thickened and pour over the chicken.

The sauce is DELICIOUS so double or triple the sauce. You can even serve it with mashed potato's or rice and pour the sauce over that too!

Enjoy!

Recipe 5:

Warm pumpkin soup, the perfect green salad, sourdough bread and for dessert...spiced applesauce cake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting!

Delish!

After lunch we went on a walk and played outside together, today was such a beautiful sunny autumn day.

I wish for more days like today.

Playing soccer baseball

Paying really close attention!

Silly Face!

After playing outside we came in for some of this!

Sorry but I don't want to type up the recipes, so if you want them let me know.

Recipe 4:

Homemade Pizza!

My boys love pizza and could eat it every day of the week, Robby has even bought me a "Little Caesars gift card" during this pregnancy to make dinners easier.

I told you we're pizza crazy!

As much as we love pizza over here you'd think that I'd know how to make a homemade pizza but I didn't until today.

The pizza turned out pretty good, everyone ate a good amount and the boys enjoyed making it even more.

Cheese and pepperoni for these guys

mushrooms, red/yellow peppers, and fresh basil for this girl and Robby!
Yummy!

I made my own pizza dough and sauce and thought they were both delicious ESPECIALLY the pizza sauce however if you have a better recipe that you think awesome, send it my way.




Pizza Dough

1 packet Active Dry Yeast
1 Cup warm water
1 tsp. sugar
add these Ing. together and let sit for 5 minutes

Mix
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 Cups of flour
2 Tbsp Oil
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning



Bring the Yeast Mixture together with the flour mixture with your hands until a ball forms. I let the dough sit for 5 minutes and then go back and knead it together if it's not working the way it should. Knead it until it comes together...add more flour if the dough is too sticky. Let the dough sit for another 5 minutes or until you're ready to roll it out.

Roll dough out on a floured surface, moving it around constantly also make sure the rolling pin is floured.

Place dough on a pizza stone at 425 for about 5 minutes take dough out and add toppings then put back in the oven for 15-20 minutes.




Pizza Sauce

1 6oz. can tomato paste
6 oz. water (use empty tomato paste can)
3 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning
1 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes ( I put in more because we like it hot)

Mix together ingredients!




Garlic Bread Seasoning

1/2 Cup powdered Parmesan cheese
2 tsp Kosher salt
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp basil
2 tsp. marjoram
2 tsp. parsley