Southern Style

Here in the Pink Shoe household we are cooking and eathing healthier in the '08. However back in December of 2007, Adam got his end of semester grades and had done VERY well so as a treat I told him I would cook him whatever he wanted (He is going for his business degree at night, in addition to hockey a few nights a week and working full time. The man is a machine)

Anyway what he wanted, was chicken fried steak.

And so chicken fried steak he got. His mother gave me a Rachael Ray cookbook for Christmas and while I find Ray maddening, I find her recipes pretty great, especially when you are in a time crunch. So I went Rachael Ray crazy and made not only her Chicken Fried Steak but also her Southern Green Beans and Banana Chocolate Pie for my A-student, Adam.

This is not a healthy meal, but it's a delicious meal and one needs room for those in life as well sometimes. Next time I promise I will post something more diet-friendly, but in the meantime this is SO worth saving up points for.

Chicken Fried Steak
1 1 /2 pounds (1/2-inch thick) round steak
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup cornmeal, eyeball it
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt, 1/3 palm full
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, eyeball it
2 eggs beaten
2 tablespoons water, 2 splashes
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups beef broth or stock
1/4 cup half-and-half or cream, 2 turns of the pan
1 package bake-off biscuits, prepared according to package directions
Waxed paper

Preheat large, heavy skillet over medium high heat.
Set steaks on to a waxed paper lined work surface and cover with another piece of waxed paper. Pound steaks to 1/4-inch thick.



Pull steaks off work surface and set to the side.

Line work surface with more waxed paper. Pour 1/2 cup flour into 2 piles on opposite sides of the work space. Add cornmeal, paprika, salt and pepper to 1 pile of flour. Beat eggs and water in a pie plate or shallow dish.

Cut steaks into 4 portions and coat in flour, eggs, then seasoned flour and cornmeal.



Add 2 tablespoons oil to hot pan and cook 2 steaks at a time.

Brown steaks about 2 minutes per side, or until cooked and remove from the pan. Add 2 tablespoons more oil and repeat with remaining 2 steaks.



Remove steaks to serving platter and pour off all but 2 to 3 tablespoons of drippings. Cover steaks loosly with tin foil.



Add 2 tablespoons flour to drippings and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and season with salt and pepper.



Whisk half and half or cream into gravy. When gravy bubbles, remove from heat.

Serve steaks and warm biscuits with gravy on top.



Southern Green Beans

1/4 pounds green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 small onion, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar

Cook green beans in 1-inch simmering water, covered, for 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Return skillet to stove and set burner to medium high. Add bacon and brown. When fat begins to render, add chopped onions to the pan and cook until tender with the bacon.



Add cooked green beans to the pan and turn to coat in bacon drippings and onions.



When the beans are hot and bacon crisp at edges and onions translucent add vinegar to the pan and season with beans with sugar.



Allow the vinegar to evaporate and the sugar to combine with pan drippings, 1 to 2 minutes, then serve.


The chocolate banana pie was extremely easy: One Nilla wafer premade crust + 1 large package of sugar free/fat free chocolate pudding + sliced bananas + fat free whipped cream = One Delicious Pie.





If all this isn't incentive for Adam to keep up the good work, I don't know what is. Good job!