Swiss Steak - Home Cooked #89

 We didn't swiss steak growing up because my dad didn't like it so my mom would only make it for herself once in awhile. However, I was searching for new ways to cook some cube steaks I had in the freezer, and stumbled upon this  recipe. It was so delicious, and so easy to make! It does take a bit of time for the cube steaks to cook and become tender, but the active cooking time is very minimal. It makes a great Sunday supper. You can find the original recipe HERE.

Swiss Steak

Ingredients:

• 4 cube steaks
• salt & pepper
• olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced thin
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 TBS tomato paste
• 1 cup low sodium beef broth
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves

*I also used a little garlic and onion powders to season the meat with the salt & pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300. Season steaks with salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you prefer (Montreal steak seasoning was what I used the second time I made this). Heat a Dutch oven over medium and when hot, add oil and then brown the steaks - about 3 minutes on each side. Remove steaks from pot and put aside. Add onions and garlic to pot and sauté for 3 minutes. Add in tomato paste, cook 1 minute, then stir in broth, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire, and bay leaves. Add the steaks back in and place in the oven. Cook for 1 and a half hours. Serve with white rice or mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Country Fried Steak Bites - Home Cooked Recipe #84

I love, love, love country fried steak. I didn't really have it growing up so when I discovered it as an adult I couldn't get enough. There are a couple of restaurants I absolutely love it at, and others that don't do such a great job. I came across this recipe for country fried steak, but in bite size pieces and I was hooked. I experimented a bit and came up with my own version, so here it is! You can serve it with white gravy for dipping, or ranch like I had, or even a horseradish sauce like the kind you get with a fried onion. It is delicious with any sauce you like really.  Also, you can make it as the protein in a meal, or serve them for snacks or an appetizer.

Country Fried Steak Bites

Ingredients

• 2lbs cube steak, cut into bite size pieces (about 1 inch)
• 2 cups flour
• salt & pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp Paprika ( I used smoked Paprika)
• 1 tsp Cayenne
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• oil for frying (use a light oil like vegetable or peanut)

Directions:
Preheat your oil and let it come up to between 350 and 375 (I used a 6 quart pot and had about 2 inches of oil in the pot). Meanwhile, in one bowl mix together the eggs and milk. Whisk together well. In a separate bowl, mix together flour and all spices. Dip your cube steak bites in flour, then in egg mixture, then back in flour. Fry in batches. It should take less than 5 minutes per batch, just look for a beautiful golden brown crust to form. Place each batch on a paper towel lined plate to drain off excess oil. Salt bites when the pieces come out of the oil. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Special Post #4 - Game Night

My friends and or family have been instituting game nights lately.  I love playing board and card games so I am all about this recent trend within my loved ones.  Number one, it's a cheap way to get together and have some fun, especially in this current economy.  Number two, it satisfies part of my competitive nature.  And number three, it gives me the chance to spend time with people I enjoy the most.  We play all sorts of games including card games, Catchphrase, Cranium, Scattegories, Apples to Apples, Battle of the Sexes, Dirty Minds, and are looking to forward to trying new ones.
Another part of these get togethers is the food and beverages.  We vary what we eat from simple snacks like chips and cookies, to elaborate holiday meals, to nice home cooked meals.
The last game night we went to we had quite a spread!  Our friend's Mom made all sorts of delicious dishes for us to enjoy in a sit-down dinner, and we also got to snack on veggies, chips, fudge, and cookies.
The dinner included a delicious salad with lettuce, chickpeas, radishes, cheese and other goodies I chose to eat mine with a homemade Italian dressing that was super yummy), peas, corn, cheesy potatoes, tomatoes and cucumbers seasoned with herbs and garlic, breaded baked chicken tenders, and a delicious steak dish that was cube steak that was breaded and grilled (this was prepared a way I hadn't seen before and I really enjoyed it) and served with a bruschetta type tomato sauce.
It is such a treat to have a homemade meal, especially a delicious one!  There was obviously a lot of work that went in to preparing the meal for us, and I know we all enjoyed and appreciated it. I wanted to share the pictures with my readers in this special post, because this is another aspect of food I enjoy, other people's home cooking!

Full spread (a little blurry!)

Cheesy potatoes (and corn)

Tomato and Cucumber dish

Delicious salad!

Breaded and Grilled Cube Steak (tomato sauce in background)

Baked chicken tenders