“I love meat – from my head down to my feet; fried up or grilled, with my family or the girls, I love meat.” Sounds like a good commercial, huh? I do love eggs…but meat is my best friend. I can eat just about any man under the table when it comes to meatballs…actually, when I think about it I could most likely eat any man under the table PERIOD. I eat more than Barry and Annie combined. It’s that whole breastfeeding thing – it makes me famished. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
But, I do love girly foods…and sometimes that’s a problem for Barry. Sometimes he’s like, “Woman! I’m tired of all these froo-froo foods like puddings, and muffins – I want some MAN FOOD.” No, not really…he’s never said that – but I’ve said it to myself. Man food rocks. Woman food rocks too – actually, food in general rocks. I’m hungry, I need a snack.
The cookbook for this week is The Blue Willow Inn Cookbook (affiliate link butt covering for the FTC). It was a gift from our cousins a few years ago at Christmas – they live in Atlanta, but this cookbook is from Social Circle, Georgia. It tells the history of this home and how it came to be a restaurant. It’s got history peppered all through it – and those are my FAVORITE kind of cookbooks.
It’s full of good SOUTHERN cooking like fried pork chops, gravy, and biscuits. It’ll make you cry with delight – it’ll make you hungry – it’ll make you fix a snack. Gosh…I’m hungry. I love Southern food – good thing I live there. Southern food = man food, plus a chicken salad or something lady-like peppered here and there. But after you fix a man meal like THIS, sometimes he’s okay with chicken froo-froo salad.
Praise the Lord and pass the gravy! I heart gravy. It’s good for the soul.
I nixed the cream-of soup because we just don’t buy those things anymore. Plus, once you have REAL GRAVY you won’t go back to the can. “Gravy love! My gravy love! I need ya, oh how I need ya, love!” (Barry sings that all the time.)
When I coat meat, I like to do it in a bag I can just pitch…it makes clean up easier. You can use a Ziploc if you like…or you can be cool like me and use an empty cereal bag. Add flour and seasonings. Shake. Trash. No clean up. Praise the Lord!
*Please do not leave me nasty comments about BPA. Thank you and amen.*
I do fry my meats in palm shortening instead of butter when I have it…it doesn’t brown or smoke and set off the fire alarm – does anyone else do that? “Oh, Stacy must be cooking again.” I know the neighbors hear and see the smoke coming out my windows. They probably also hear all the 4 year old tantrums – I sometimes wonder what they all think of me. Oh well, who cares. I have gravy.
Palm shortening is just another one of those healthy fats that we like to use – do we use it every day? No, I save that for coconut oil. But, I do so love meat and doughnuts fried in palm. Heavenly.
You can whip up a batch of Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup to go with your steak. I ain’t hatin’….it’s gravy after all. “Gravy love! My gravy love! I need ya, oh how I need ya love!”
Either way – gravy and chicken fried steak are here. It’s a beautiful thing. I’m hungry.
Chicken Fried Steak
- 1 ½ pounds beef cube steak (also called minute steak)
- ¾ cup almond flour/regular flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and dry mustard
- Oil or butter for frying (I like palm shortening from Tropical Traditions) affiliate link love
- Gravy
- Heat oil over medium heat.
- Combine flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and dry mustard in a bag. Shake.
- Dredge steaks in flour mixture.
- Fry in hot oil – flip when browned and cook until desired doneness.
- Remove to paper towel lined plate and keep hot while making gravy.
- Make desired gravy.
- You could also use cream of chicken soup for your gravy topping.
- Serve steaks with gravy and mashed potatoes. Groan with delight and sing Gravy Love.
Yield: 4-5 servings
I think you may be the only other person on the planet who remembers the “I Love Eggs” song! I randomly start singing it all too often but at very appropriate times 🙂 and invariably get these looks like I’ve completely lost it. Thank you for validating my existence today.
From my head down to my legs! Scrambled or fried, with the family or the guys, I LOVE EGGS! 🙂
Ooooh! I’m going to have to try this for my Southern hubby! 🙂 Thanks for linking up at http://www.GrowingUpTriplets.com!
Southern or Yankee – anyone would love this. 😉 Embrace it, y’all. LOL
Thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you have had a great weekend and have a fabulous week.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
I will!
empty cereal bag? I love you! Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friday
No – you love my MOM. 🙂
I love chicken fried steak! What would you substitute for almond flour? Almonds make me break out. 🙁
You could try golden flax meal. 🙂
I recently put this same cookbook in my yard sale pile because it’s so full of processed ingredients. You’re making me want to put it back on my bookshelf!
You can take just about any recipe and convert it. 🙂 Books like this give me fantastic ideas for healthy meals.
Hey Stacy,
Not a comment about the chicken fried steak, but rather about the Trim Healthy Mama book in general. I first learned about it through your blog. I’ve been fortunate that I haven’t struggled too much with my weight in the past in spite of being a mother of five, thanks to good genes and a very, very active lifestyle. But then I passed 40, and had a knee injury that curtailed my physical activity for over a year – and the pounds began to creep on.
I did lots of research into the book before ordering it, as we’re on a tight budget and I don’t make purchases lightly. When the book arrived, we had company staying with us and were deep in preparations for a huge family wedding. I was going to put off reading/starting to follow the THM principles, but decided I would read a little/start experimenting with the recipes as I could. I estimate that I was on plan about 75-80 percent of the time for the next three weeks, but told myself I’d really get started after the wedding when life returned to “normal”.
Yesterday I determined that life was now as normal as it would ever be, and stepped on the scale to see my official “starting” weight. I was absolutely stunned to see that I had already lost 6 pounds. Whoa!!! I’ve never been able to move the scale like that! I’m just a few pounds from my goal weight, and my clothes fit a lot better. I’m having fun with all the new recipes, and definitely NOT feeling deprived!
Thanks for introducing me to this new way of eating!
Rachel
That is SO GREAT, Rachel!!! 🙂 Good job, mama and thanks for letting me know!
Hi Stacy, I found your site/blog a month ago. Love it! You rock!
My husband and I are originally from Texas and are chicken fried steak snobs. Dredging the cube steak in egg before covering in the flour mixture is what I prefer and should not affect the THMness of the recipe, right? This makes a better, fluffier batter when using white flour. Think it would be better with the almond flour too?
Also, thoughts on a white cream gravy instead of a brown gravy?
Sure – I think egg would be just fine. 🙂 And if you want white gravy that’s fine too….mine is just brown from the bits I scraped off the skillet. YUMMO.
I was wondering about a white pan gravy instead of brown too. I’m guessing that using cream or a mix of cream and water, with some gluccie to thicken it, and lots of black pepper would work. Has anyone tried it already?
Hi Stacy! Your recipe looks very YUMMY! Will have to try it soon. I just wanted to mention that you have the wrong link up for Gwen’s post this week 🙂
Blessings,
Rashel
Thanks for letting me know. I had fixed it, but it didn’t take. It’s up now. 🙂
I haven’t tried palm oil yet. I may get some at the HFS, but I did just buy a 5 gallon bucket of coconut oil, so I’m not sure if I can justify it or not.
I loooooooooooooooove coconut oil. Haven’t tried my Palm Oil yet – I’m afraid of it.
This is palm SHORTENING.
Shortening as in Spectrum palm shortening? This is a great looking recipe. When I told my dh we could have chicken fried steak, he was a happy man. I’m with you about the man food- I LOVE chicken fried steak!
I buy the Tropical Traditions brand. It comes in a gallon bucket and lasts me a looooooong time.
Yeah. Durp. I just re-read your post. >.<
LOL