Oh - if I wasn't going out again tonight I would definitely be making stuffed cabbage! I haven't had that in AGES and it sounds just awesome!

Not really sure about tonight, DH has a late appointment, the kids want spaghetti with Prego, garlic bread and salad (I know, I almost fell over at that request too) and my girlfriends are going to a martini bar tonight that has free happy hour food. The caveat here is the martinis are fantastic, the food usually sucks. (Can I say that here or will I get a warning?!?!?!)

Maybe I feed the kids, let DH eat the leftover Jambalaya and I grab food at a different restaurant before meeting the g-friends?!?!?? Or just play it by ear....

Alexa

It's pot roast here tonight with root veggies over taters. We've been fussing with a furniture delivery & knew we'd end up with take-out if a slow-cooked dinner wasn't waiting for us. It actually sounds pretty good. It's cold/windy & we're still on our comfort food kick.

/tricia

We had our work Christmas party lunch at the golf club today. A huge chicken and potato dish. Will polished off the leftover sweet and sour pork for lunch so we weren't very hungry. I got home early and started working on cookie dough for the freezer. There were some that didn't fit on the freezer tray ;->

I baked a few chocolate chunk and chewy molasses as samples. After his third pass in the kitchen he asked if we could just have cookies for dinner. Fine with me! Now I am about to have some amaretto for dessert. How nutritious. LOL

Those chewy molasses cookies were a huge hit. I am so glad I have about 6 dozen in the freezer. I better get the sugar cookie dough shaped into a log before I start drinking though.

Chinese Food tonight! Ah-So!

Tonight we had leftover Lebanese Chicken (excellent) and last night we met friends for dinner at a mediocre restaurant (no need to mention the food but Ken said the Manhattan was good) and the night before was Rachael Ray's Florentine Meatballs (always a winner here) and we had it with Buitoni light Alfredo sauce (shhhh, I did not make a sauce but it wasn't bad). Some vegetables and ALWAYS a salad was on the plates as well.

Inspired by a recipe I have from the Italian Village restaurant in Chicago, on Tuesday I made manicotti but with crepes rather than pasta tubes. I find that there's something so relaxing about making crepes. It's time-consuming but mindless, so it's a good time to just think, perhaps with a cocktail or glass of wine on the side. Anyway I really liked the outcome and it'll be repeated.

And inspired by Ann T, roast chicken seems to have become a weekly meal. It really doesn't get any easier and there's always something to do with the leftovers. So Wednesday was chicken.

Thursday I bought a couple chicken backs and together with Wednesday's carcass I made a small batch of stock. This has become a weekly routine as well and I like the addition of the cooked bones. I made a gravy or sauce (what's the difference?) with some of the stock and poured it over egg noodles with chunks of leftover chicken.

Last night I was really excited to grab one of the recipes from the duck thread but then the poultry farm was all out and I didn't have time to defrost one from the supermarket. Driving back from that failed attempt I passed the German butcher and made a quick decision to pick up some Bratwurst and Knackwurst.

Today I'll make a batch of avgolemono with the rest of the stock for my sick wife, but that's all the cooking for me. Tonight we're celebrating my father's 82nd so mom is cooking.

I've got a duck on order for Sunday. I was going to try the Joy of Cooking method but now jkom's stuffed boned duck has me thinking about a trial run for a potential Christmas dinner. We'll see.

Happy Eating!

FOAS looks like you shook whatever cooking doldrums you were in ...can I come for dinner?

Tonight we are having prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, gravy and something healthy on the side. Funny how such a good dinner can be so easy to prepare. This and roast chicken or turkey is my "do it asleep" meal.

Got to get my act together for cooking this week. I have sooooooo much food in the freezer so I have to focus on what I have.

I'm thinking a Shepherd's Pie would be good one night, either that or Salisbury steak. Ham steaks and Mac and Cheese another night, pan fried pickerel another night. Gotta work some pork in....

That's three nights , enough planning for me!

Oh wow! I haven't had duck in ages and would love to try that boneless recipe. And Sharon, Prime Rib was a close contender for tonight too, but since we will have it with all the trimmings over Christmas, I decided to hold off. Since I hadn't pulled anything from the freezer and I was at the store buying brown sugar for the bog baking day today, I grabbed a couple of lbs of Snow Crab clusters that The Little Gourmand and I have been nibbling on all afternoon while we made cookies and decorated the tree. There is also a roast chicken in the oven for dinner later, and I decided on GBC as a side since I didn;t get it at Thanksgiving.

Dessert? Well, there are 14 dozen cookies, biscotti, truffles, etc to choose from tonight so I guess we're set there! LOL!

Alexa

Alexa, Snow crab clusters are on sale at our local grocery this week. I picked them up, put them down, picked them up...and finally put them down. $8.99 a pound, on sale......just didn't seem worth it. What do you do with them?

going out for Mexican with friends...

Holy Crab Clusters, Sharon! I paid $4.99/lb which is why I got a couple of lbs. We just heated them a bit and dunked the meat in butter as a messy snack (eaten leaning over the sink and giggling I might add). Not sure what else I would have done with them... maybe crab cocktail?

Alexa

FOAS, my daughter and I were just talking about crepes. With the economy not doing that great, we expect a see a revival of crepe making. They're filling and a good way to strech a small amount of meat, poultry or seafood into a delicious meal.

We have been attending holiday parties since Friday so I finally got back to cooking. I made French onion soup and sausage-eggplant soup (froze half) for this week and a large container of caponata for a covered dish dinner at our church. I won't add the parsley, olives and capers until Tuesday morning.

Dinner tonight will be chicken marsala, rice pilaf and a Turkish salad with lots of sumac powder. We love the flavor of it - sort of citrussy and earthy at the same time. Also baked a blueberry crumb cake. I use the Betty Crocker Wild Blueberry muffin mix with the can of blueberries in it, follow the recipe for the muffins but add some grated orange peel and use 1/4 cup of orange juice for part of the milk. I put the batter in an 8" pan, top with homemade crumbs and bake at 350.

Ooh, I love crepes. Haven't made them in ages. My favorite sweet crepe is just filled with lemon juice and sugar.

It's been a really stressful month for us and it's catching up with me. Tonight we are having one of my favorite comfort meals. Breakfast tacos. We'll have flour tortillas with eggs and bacon. Fried potatoes with onions and refried beans both on the side. I have lots of home made salsa in the freezer but my fave is a store bought brand called Mrs. Renfro's habanero.

Shortly after eating this I'll be struggling to keep my eyes open, of course. That's ok, I'll just snuggle up on the sofa with hubby and the cat. :-)

I channeled LindaC and went out for Mexican with friends.

Last night we had brisket and potatoes. I will keep trying brisket recipes until I find a favorite. Last night I tried the classic ketchup, chile sauce, beer and brown sugar version. Tonight was beef and chorizo chili over white rice. I got to test out some of the mystery peppers from my CSA box.

Think I'll get some soup out of the freezer......
Or succumb to temptation and make a small pot of potato soup.
Linda C

GROAN! I am going to another holiday party at a restaurant tonight. I never thought I would say it, but I am sick of eating hors d'oeuvres for dinner! I want to stay home and make chicken pot pie with the leftover roast chicken from last night. Go ahead and pity me for facing another night of coconut shrimp (seems that is THE appy everyone is ordering this year), Cheese board, bruscetta, roasted veg, satay, stuffed mushrooms, etc etc etc......

I am making penne with garlic sauce for the Little Gourmand and The Picky One will probably have Cheerios and a piece of garlic bread and red sauce.

SIGH.......

Alexa

Had some company - Alexa's white turkey chili for lunch, brisket (with that classic chile sauce/beer/brown sugar/onion/garlic sauce) and mashed potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts/cherry tomatoes/garlic (Christmasy colorful) and salad with apple, walnuts and blue cheese on top - some clam casino spread with cocktails, creme de menthe brownies and cinnamon coffee cake for breakfast thsi morning. Company is gone and leftovers for dinner tonight. The brisket was outstanding - melt in your mouth good. They loved it and so did I.

Sat. we did burgers and fries. Very good. Sunday was brunch with friends with lots of steamed spiced shrimp - yum! Tonight is meat loaf with mashed potatoes and green beans.

So Woodie care to share that classic recipe. Clive saw a brisket done on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and he wants me to do one. The only one I have ever done was in the smoker and...well lets just say , not my finest culinary moment.

Oh and you have to tell me what part of the brisket , there is the flat and the point and I'm never sure which to use ...or maybe it's both?

Sharon - we really love this recipe - its like a rich, beefy bbq sauce. I prefer the flat cut but sometimes use the point - it usually has more fat on it - but you can trim it a bit more and I usually make it the day before and pour the sauce into the blender and refrigerate overnight so the fat rises to the top, then I take the fat off and blend it up - with so many onions it is a very thick sauce.

BEEF BRISKET FROM SARA MOULTON

1 Beef Brisket, any size
Salt & Pepper
2 onions (more or less - just cover the meat with plenty of onions), thinly sliced
Minced garlic
Mix together:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chili sauce
3 TBL brown sugar
1 bottle beer

Lay meat in oven going baking dish. Salt & pepper it, spread garlic over top, spread onions over the garlic. Pour sauce over the meat. Cover tightly with foil and roast at 300* for 3 hours if small 1/2 brisket or 4 hours if large, whole brisket or if its pretty thick.
Uncover, let meat rest, and pour gravy into a saucepan. Puree with handheld blender, or pour carefully into blender and puree. Slice meat across grain and serve with gravy.

Last night was egg whites with sauteed mushrooms, fire roasted tomatoes, and goat cheese, and a mug of cocoa-- dark chocolate with freshly ground cinnamon and nutmeg, a pinch of salt, and a splash of vanilla

Thanks Woodie! I like the flat too but my attempts have turned out shoe leather. I'll keep at it though!

Last night was prime rib, and all the usual suspects. Tonight I'm serving "himself" hot beef sandwiches. I wasn't in love with the prime rib round one so for sure won't have it round two! Not sure what I will have......maybe a quesidilla with Jack cheese, hot peppers and bacon. Sour cream and salsa on the side.

Sharon, glad to know I am not the only one that has turned a brisket to shoe leather in the smoker. It was almost like jerky. It will be along time before I waste a brisket in that smoker again.

Tonight was pizza.

I had leftover pork roast so I simmered it in Mojo sauce. Then made Cuban roast pork sandwiches with cheese on Cuban bread. Also a feta, walnut, cranberry, mixed greens salad with raspberry dressing.

Last night I had the extended family over for the first time since August to celebrate the pre-Christmas December birthdays. I'm not feeling too energetic so just made pot roast with the requisite buckets of garlic mash and gravy. One brother brought baked beans which were a hit, and a Costco birthday cake that was rather gastly (gee, I'm getting picky!).

Tonight we had the leftovers (except for the cake, which DD has promised to take to school to inflict on her classmates). I made Yorkshire puddings to soak up all the gravy, which is one dish with which I've always struggled. I think I'm getting close, but will use less fat next time, and annotate my recipe that it makes 12, not 6.

Cooksnsews, Gastly-details? I've never bought a decorated cake from Costco.

Awwwww sorry aboaut that cooksnews. I always love Costco cakes!

Last night was Montreal steak seasoned porterhouses with steamed broccoli. I've found a way to use up all those jars of frozen turkey stock - with Trader Joe's cornbread stuffing, bwahahaha. Demolished.

I haven't figured out tonight yet. I'm thinking simple spaghetti and meat sauce with 6 in 1 canned maters.

I was thinking I'd be energetic and do homemade gnocchi with a veal parmigiana.

After going to the doctor (regular geriatric sh!t), going to the hairdresser (trying not to be geriatric looking) and going to the post office I am no longer interested in the gnocchi!

So tonight I'll do the veal but the side will be a quick and easy Pasta Puttanesca (sp?) which is , of course how the dish got it's name!

(Sharon I've been MAJOR CRAVING ricotta gnocchi lately - I have the ricotta - I just haven't had the mojo to get up and make it!)

Love Puttanesca! And I have never made gnocci... actually, I don't know that I've ever eaten gnocci! They just look doughy to me..... maybe I should give them a try.

Anyway, tonight is shrimp po' boys (frozen shrimp), spinach salad and something....

Tomorrow I am making Chicken Pot Pie, I still have a HUGE craving and have most of the bird left from Sunday.

Alexa

Today I was having the rut feeling. So, I dug around in some cookbooks.

The result is we're having a Thai green curry with pork over rice. And, what else, a salad. I've never made this curry before. It's ok. I was more in the mood for the pork vindaloo that I ran across but I didn't have all the ingredients. :-( I think I'll keep that in mind for the next week.

In the middle of cookies, candy, cleaning, decorating, etc. so I'm trying to make meals with leftovers. Especially since I've got the Sweet little grandson 3 days a week. (Bug's 18 months.) And boy was he busy today.
Had Blackened Loin Chops with spiced spaghetti squash from the garden instead of applesauce, twice baked loaded potatoes with the leftover potato and shells from the potato candy, and green beans. For sweets we sampled the molasses cookies, toffee candy and homemade snickers bars. Nice herbal home made Sleepy Time tea to get rid of all the sugar plums break dancing in my head. A busy day tomorrow. The bug will be here for 12 hours tomorrow and Christmas and family party is looming. Out of town family Wed. and Thursday. DH family (about 40) on Saturday. I'm getting too old for this I think. LOL

Now that a few of you have mentioned it, perhaps I should have been a bit more explicit re the ghastly Costco b'day cake. I have had a few very nice cakes from there, like their mousse cakes. But this one was a sheet cake, iced too thickly with that shortening-&-sugar goo that masquerades as buttercream in way too many supermarket bakeries.

Ate more leftovers tonight... just enough beef still left for my lunch tomorrow. I found a recipe for "meatball stroganoff" that I think I'll test drive tomorrow night. I have a box of frozen meatballs (courtesy of the same brother that brought the cake) that have been taking up space in my freezer for too long. I'll also try homemade spaetzle as a side.

Mikes100.......YOW you are one busy puppy. The Bug alone would be enough to tire me out!

Alex , thanks for mentioning the pot pie. I have a recipe of Peppi's for chicken and dumplings I really want to try. Not sure why I did the mental jump from one to another but Thanks anyway.

I have pork chops thawing, can someone please tell me what to do with them! Why do I find pork chops so darn hard to make a meal out of?

chase, I find myself having a hard time with pork chops, too. I always just sprinkle with seasoned salt (I like Tony's), seer both sides on high, turn down to low and add a tiny bit of water, cover and steam gently. I usually serve with baked or mashed potatoes, a green veg, and sometimes a cream gravy. If I don't do the gravy, hubby loves a little Habanero Gold with them.

I've also just baked them with soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Stir fry some vegetables and serve over rice.

Why are they such a stumper, I wonder?

Oh, chicken fried pork chops are great! But I only do them about once every 5 years, if that. Way better than chicken fried steak, to me anyway. I'll have to remember those for next time. It's been a while.

Its pretty late and I'm sure you're making dinner already - but here are some that we like - my biggest fav is Pat T's, yumyum - not the heart healthiest I suppose but really good!

Pork Chops- Smothered
Via Gardenlad

2 Tbl flour
1/2 Tsp pepper
1/2 Tsp salt
6 thick pork chops (I use boneless center cuts, myself) 1+ tbls oil
1 large onion sliced thin
1 Cup hot chicken broth
1/2 Cup hot apple juice
Preheat oven to 350.

Mix 1 tbls flour with the salt & pepper on a plate. Dredge the chops in it on both sides. Brown the chops in the oil until golden brown. Transfer to a baking dish just large enough to hold them in one layer.
In the same skillet saute the onion until soft and golden. Add the remaining flour and stir thoroughly. Add the hot liquids slowly, stirring. Cook about three minutes more, or until sauce begins to thicken.
Pour sauce over chops. Cover tightly with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes

GINGER'S SOUR CREAM PORK CHOPS
(serves 4)
4 thick pork chops
2 TBL vegetable oil
1 small to medium onion, sliced
2 cups beef bouillon
8 oz jar sliced mushrooms, drained (I omitted - fresh would work)
2 tsp prepared mustard
2 TBL chopped parsley
Salt & pepper to taste
1 cup sour cream, light sour cream is OK

Brown the chops in the oil in a large skillet over medium heat; drain. Separate the onion slices into rings & arrange over the chops. Mix the bouillon, mushrooms, mustard, parsley, salt & pepepr in a bowl. Pour over the onions. Simmer 1 hour or until the chops are cooked through.

Stir in the sour cream. Cook for 15 minutes.

Serve w/hot rice or pasta.~~ From Seaboard to Sideboard.

One-Pan Whiskey-Flavored Pork Chops

Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2002

2/3 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms (or slice your own)
1/2 cup whiskey

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Combine the first 6 ingredients (sour cream through black pepper) in a small bowl.

Sprinkle pork with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; sauté 5 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove pork from pan.

Add onion and mushrooms to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Carefully add whiskey to pan; cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates. Stir sour cream mixture into pan. Return pork to pan; spoon sauce over pork.
Wrap handle of skillet with foil. Cover and bake at 300 for 1 hour.
Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 servings.

Velodoug's Pork Chops
Posted by velodoug (My Page) on
Mon, Jan 8, 07 at 22:11
I do a dry rub of salt, ground black pepper and oregano on the chops, let them sit out for half an hour or so to come to room temperature, dip them in an egg wash with generous amounts of Worcestershire and Tabasco, dredge them in flour with a little more salt, put them in a greased baking dish and bake them uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 F. Then I turn them and bake for an additional 10 or 15 minutes at 400 F.

PAT T'S IDIOT PORK CHOPS

2 sticks butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
Italian bread crumbs
6 pork chops

Mix the melted butter and the eggs being careful that the butter is not so hot it will cook the eggs. Dip your pork chops in the butter/egg mix, and then the Italian bread crumbs, and then dip it AGAIN in the butter/egg mix and Again in the Italian bread crumbs. You have to dip it in each twice as it is not as good if you only do it one time. Bake the pork chops at 350° F. for 40 minutes to 1 hour depending on the size of the chops.

Pork Chops with Sweet-and-Sour Cider Glaze
Gourmet : December 2000
Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 25 min
Yield: Makes 2 servings

2 (1-inch-thick) pork rib chops (1 lb total)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup apple cider
1 1/2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

Preparation
Pat pork chops dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté chops until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes total.
Stir together cider and brown sugar and add to skillet. Simmer, uncovered, turning chops once, until meat is almost cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer chops to a plate.
Add vinegar and mustard seeds to sauce and boil, stirring to scrape up any brown bits, until reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Return chops with any juices on plate to skillet and simmer until meat is just cooked through and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.

OMG - I never realized how many pork chop recipes I have! And these aren't all - but I started to feel like that shrimp guy from Forest Gump. (Anyway, I have made all of these recipes and like them.)

LOL Woodie, I have Pat T's in the oven. First time I've made them , serving scalloped potatoes and squash along side.

trsinc, I don;t quite get the chicken fired thing? It's not a dish you see in Canada but I know it's popular in the States. It's the one served with a white gravy isn't it.....I could go there!

Those Idiot Pork Chops sound way too good and EASY to scroll on by.

Chase, I want a report on them!

My family, all of whom are rabid (and very good) cooks, have decided to do a Latin American Xmas dinner. I volunteered to do a Cuban Orange Roast Pork, and fortunately our local supermkt had pork butt on sale. I picked one up (87 cents/lb, so happy) and tried out the recipe to see if it needed any changes.

It does need some minor changes, but the pork (slow roasted for 7 hrs at 250 degrees) comes out tender and juicy. It needs more orange flavor, or perhaps I might use tangerines for something more flavorful. We had our usual green salad to start with, then some leftover mashed Yukon Gold potatoes as our side with the pork.

Clearly there will be no early dinner, though, on Xmas day, with the roast taking as long as it does! Menu for Xmas so far is:
Peruvian Ceviche
Cuban Roast Pork with oranges
El Salvadorean Pupusas with Curtido
Fresh tortillas and fillings
Shrimp and aji spinach pie

desserts: Coconut rice pudding and a peach tart (my niece went peach-picking this year and has some fabulous O'Henry peaches in the freezer)

Cathy, they were really good. Clive especially enjoyed them. I posted a pic on the WFD thread.

I did add a bit of herbs de Provence to them but other than that followed the recipe.

Woodie, thanks for posting all those p chop recipes!! I can never think of anything new for them. Thanks!!

Chase, the 'chicken fried thing' is just anything fried like a chicken. You know, dip in flour, then in egg, then in flour. Do you like fried chicken? So, a chicken fried pork chop or steak is the same thing. I'm Southern so I love anything fried. It's a vice and is in our genetics! Unfortunately for the national cholesterol level, I think a great deal of people both north and south are infected as well, lol.

And yes, the chicken fried steak is traditionally served with a white gravy and mashed potatoes. But, you could serve it with lemon wedges, saur kraut, and a tomato, onion salad and call it German, I guess. That's what the German restaurants around here do, but I don't really know how authentic they are. This is a German part of Texas (as in founded and populated by Germans a couple hundred years ago) but things get changed once they cross international boundaries.

Guess I'm a little gabby tonight....

Thanks trisnic.....sounds really interesting, I have never made fired chicken but I have eaten and loved it. I can imagine pork done that way but still trying to get my head around steak done like that.

So now i need to know how to make that white gravy......

I pulled a Niman Ranch corned beef out of my freezer, tossed it in a pot with a bottle of beer, water, carrots, potatoes, cabbage. (veggies added at end!)

Easy.

Sharon - I have no basis for comparison because I've never had chicken fried steak other than my own, but I really like Cook's Illustrated's recipe. It reads long but it's not bad.

Steak
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
6 cube steaks , about 5 ounces each, pounded to 1/3 inch thickness
4 - 5 cups peanut oil

Cream Gravy
1 medium onion , minced
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
cayenne pepper

Instructions
1. For the steaks: Measure the flour, 5 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and cayenne into a large shallow dish. In a second large shallow dish, beat the egg, baking powder, and baking soda; stir in the buttermilk (the mixture will bubble and foam).

2. Set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels and sprinkle each side with salt and pepper to taste. Drop the steaks into the flour and shake the pan to coat. Shake excess flour from each steak, then, using tongs, dip the steaks into the egg mixture, turning to coat well and allowing the excess to drip off. Coat the steaks with flour again, shake off the excess, and place them on the wire rack.

3. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position, set a second wire rack over a second rimmed baking sheet, and place the sheet on the oven rack; heat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a large plate with a double layer of paper towels. Meanwhile, heat 1 inch of oil in a large (11-inch diameter) Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Place three steaks in the oil and fry, turning once, until deep golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes (oil temperature will drop to around 335 degrees). Transfer the steaks to the paper towel-lined plate to drain, then transfer them to the wire rack in the oven. Bring the oil back to 375 degrees and repeat the cooking and draining process (use fresh paper towels) with the three remaining steaks.

4. For the gravy: Carefully pour the hot oil through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot. Return the browned bits from the strainer along with 2 tablespoons of frying oil back to the Dutch oven. Turn the heat to medium, add the onion and thyme, and cook until the onion has softened and is beginning to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the flour to the pan and stir until well combined and starting to dissolve, about 1 minute. Whisk in the broth, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the milk, salt, pepper, and cayenne; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until thickened (gravy should have a loose consistencyit will thicken as it cools), about 5 minutes.

5. Transfer the chicken-fried steaks to individual plates. Spoon a generous amount of gravy over each steak. Serve immediately, placing any remaining gravy in a small bowl.

Thanks FOAS, looks like something my DH would really enjoy. Not so much me as I don't care that much for beef but I bet it would be great done with a thin pork cutlet.

Can't see why not!

Ok, my week in review:

Monday - McDonald'ssize>

Tuesday - Turkey cutlets dipped in a very thick egg/parm mixture, sauteed. Nice change from both breading and chicken. Served with "fake risotto" - orzo instead of rice.

Wednesday - An awesome seafood lasagna which I posted about in the "seafood pasta" thread.

Thursday - Kids ate at my parents', wife had leftovers from Tuesday, I ate nothing.

Tonight - Leftover seafood lasagna which I am not at all looking forward to. I like leftovers, but leftover seafood doesn't do anything for me. But, it is a meal's worth so I'd hate to see it go to waste.

FOAS That seafood lasagna looked amazing. Is it super rich? Clive likes seafood sone in a sauce but he can't handle it if it's too rich....now me!

Took ground beef out thinking I'd do meatloaf, or shepherd's pie but I just didn't feel like it so I fed DH leftovers and I had butter tarts and a glass milk. Not sure why but I'm off cooking and eating.
Tomorrow and Tuesday we are out for dinner, so I'm thinking I'd better cook the ground beef up, add some tomato sauce and refreeze so I can morf it into Lasagna some day.

FOAS admitted he had McDonalds!!!!

I myself cannot be stopped when I have a craving for McD's Filet o Fish. Ah that soft, steamed bun...

(can someone else start Menu Part 3?)