Chicken Fried Steak

 Cubed steak or tenderized round steak is a favorite cut of mine because of it's versatility. I use it for Steak Tampequena, Instant Pot Barbecue Swiss Steak, Chicken Fried Steak, Stir Fry, and Oven Swiss Steak.

I've been on decision overload lately and asked DH what he wanted. His vote was Chicken Fried Steak. Saturday was the first day we'd been home in 14 days and we were both looking forward to a homecooked meal. However, Chicken Fried Steak makes a HUGE mess, so be prepared. Make it for those you love. 😉

A wife of one of our camp men showed me how she made this years ago and it upped my Chicken Fried Steak game to gold medal status.

It's more of a process than a recipe. I use 3 pie plates. 

1. Buttermilk (I just add lemon juice to milk) + pepper, seasoning salt, granulated garlic, paprika

2. 3 eggs, beaten + pepper, seasoning salt, granulated garlic, paprika

2. Flour + pepper, seasoning salt, granulated garlic, paprika

* No measurements. Just depends on how much steak you're making, but taste the flour - it should taste seasoned, not bland. Seasoning all the layers makes a difference.

* Dry your cubed steak very well with paper towels.

*Then pull on it, stretching it in all directions, being careful not to tear it.

*Dredge it in the buttermilk. Then flour. Into the beaten eggs. Then back into the flour, pressing the flour into your cut of meat both times. You will use more flour than you think you will. Don't forget to season the flour, if you add more. Set aside on a cutting board while your oil heats in your cast iron skillet. And yes, the cast iron skillet is non-negotiable. I guess you can use whatever oil you want, but vegetable oil was standard, before it became villified.

And yes, I know this is not healthy, but we don't eat this often. We've been here 2 years and this is the first time I've made it since we moved. 

*Cook steaks slowly and do not crowd. (I have a gas stove and have the burner set pretty low - just high enough for the oil to bubble when you add and turn the steaks) 

*Using a metal spatula, kind of frequently lift the steaks up a little from the bottom as they cook. Turn when golden and repeat. Don't ask me why, but I'm not messing with the process because the end result is crispy perfection.

*Serve with peppered milk gravy and mashed potatoes. I made black-eyed peas, cooked a few asparagus spears I wanted to finish up, and the last of the garden tomatoes with it for us, but when I cooked for a cowboy crew, I'd add a few more sides and bread. I don't know how, but they'd eat all that AND dessert. 

This just really hit the spot. Afterwards, we hiked up and around a steep hill-side, measuring for our never-ending fence project so I think we burned the Chicken Fried Steak calories off. 😉

Class is in Session

 Our daughter flew to California this week to teach a Grazing Essentials course and I just had to share this shot she took and her clever caption. 😂🥰

Days Filled to the Brim

 Oye! It's been a crazy 11 days around here. We exceeded our bandwidth about 3 days ago, but we're shuffling forward.

My FIL called us, upset, on the morning of the 3rd saying my MIL had fallen again and was very confused. We told him to call 911, but he refused so we jumped in the truck and drove over. It takes us an hour.  When we got there, she was sitting up at the kitchen counter, still confused, but that's not unusual, as she has dementia and there were no signs of a head injury. We thought possible UTI, but they don't talk about those kinds of things and my FIL still didn't want to go to the hospital. We had ordered oxygen the day before. We called home health care (that we had just started 3 days earlier) and they said she needed to go in so we made them go. 

We stayed all day and then met up with our son, DIL, and granddaughter as we had a supper reservation 

To celebrate our son's birthday

We were also keeping our granddaughter for 2 nights as our son and DIL had to leave the house at 2 a.m. so our son could catch a 6 a.m. flight out to Delaware.

DH spent Sunday in the hospital with mom, while I kept little E.

Treasuring every moment

I drove our granddaughter to school on Monday and worked the book fair for a couple of hours before scooting back to the hospital. 

They kept my MIL for 3 nights so that she would be eligible for skilled nursing via medicare. My FIL was there for a few hours each day, but he is dealing with this by not dealing with it so we are tending to everything. Understandably, he is very overwhelmed. No one wants to be in this position, but we can't abandon my MIL. 

Now, don't get me wrong. My FIL is the BEST. He's just VERY old school and neither of them have ever had to deal with elderly family...ever. And if something is unpleasant, and they don't talk or think about it...it doesn't exist. Sigh. So we're very grateful that we are able to help them navigate this difficult season.

The hospital is 1 1/2 hours away from us and on Tuesday they moved her to a skilled nursing care facility, another hour away. DH called his sister, in Texas, and said she needed to come. Everyone needed to be on the same page. She stayed with my MIL on Wed. and Thurs. during the day and drove back to Texas on Fri.

DH drove 3 hours to tend to our cows in Texas on Thursday and made plans for us to wean the calves in November.

On Thursday, I drove to the town we do our business in and spent the day touring skilled nursing facilities, as the current 5 hr round trip to see my MIL multiple times a week is not feasable.

DH and I met up as he came back from Texas at 5:30 and grabbed something to eat. It was 8 when we got home.

Friday, he had to load his horse and drive back in because he is a judge for the 2 day ranch rodeo. 

I drove down and spent the day with my MIL, drove up to our gate just after 7 and realized I didn't have a gate key because we had given the one I keep in the truck, to my BIL when he stayed with us. 🙄 

No big deal, except I was just plumb give out. So I walked down our very steep hill to the house (a ways, but just 0.2 of a mile), in the dark, got the key, walked back up the very steep hill, unlocked the gate, and drove back down. You can see the pindots of light after you drive through the gate and take the curve...that's the house and barn

I fed horses, bees, cats (too dark to find the heifers), shut up chickens, and found a visitor in the barn. 😂 I just backed out and let the stinker be. I was too tired to do anything else. The thought of having to de-skunk myself or Skeet was just too much.

Saturday morning, I tended to critters, made a quiche so we'd have something to eat on Sunday, packed and drove to town to help DH, and meet up with our DIL and granddaughter for the ranch rodeo

and carnival at the fairgrounds.

She got to ride with Pap while he warmed up his horse

Concession stand hot dog...

And spiffy pink boots for the win!

A good friend puts on this ranch rodeo and he comps us motel rooms for the 2 nights so after getting DH's horse fed, watered and settled in for the night,

We hit the hay too.

We were up at 4 a.m., back to the fairgrounds to load and drove home on autopilot. 

We were gone every single day for 12-17 hours, 8 days straight. That's unsustainable for this 62-yr old, introvert, hermit. And boy howdy! I needed a little reset in order to tackle another week.

Most importantly though, my MIL is doing better. It's doubtful she'll be able to come home, but she's well enough to complain about the food and honestly, she's not wrong. 😉

DH is headed to see his mom today and hoping to get her transferred closer and I am spending the day at his folks' home, cleaning with Jesus.

The Tiny Joy Project

 Besides writing here, I don't participate in a lot of social media. I pop on Instagram every so often and pick up recipes or quilty inspiration and a while back this account called the tiny joy project popped up and it was simple...and sweet...and profound...all at the same time. 

I've always approached my days with a sense of wonder and taken notice of the many, tiny, quiet gifts that are tucked into every day. I shut out much of the 'news', the loud, the noise from my life. I make room for Christ...and family...and friends...and tiny little joys.

And I wanted to share that with you.

The Tiny Joy Project