Aye Carumba...

I'm sorry. I know that I said that I'd post this several days ago, but I keep passing out. You see, my dr. gave me this great medicine for morning sickness that also puts you to sleep. My new best friend is phenergan, and it is amazing. I don't feel sick, and I get to sleep all night. Anyway, I'm sorry again. And just to make it up to you, here is a picture of my latest sonogram. The baby is growing!!! 2 inches, people! Or 5cm for those of you across the pond.

I made this meal last Monday night after a really rough day at work. It had popped up on All Recipes main page as the recipe of the day and looked too tasty to pass up. Of course, because the original featured chicken, which I can't stomach at the moment, I substituted fajita steak. It was delicious! I really can't wait to start liking chicken again because I'm sure it'll be even better.

There were a couple of other changes made. We diced the onion and pepper instead of left them as strips. I used monterey jack instead of cheddar. I also used a full loaf of bread, sliced it down the middle, and put all the toppings across the two halves instead of cutting the bread into individual pieces. It actually worked out pretty well that way but was kind of messy when we went to cut it into individual slices. If none of that sold you on trying it out, then keep in mind that my hubby ate four pieces. He loved it.

Steak Fajita Melts
Recipe from All Recipes, adapted by me

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced/1 lb fajita steak (obviously I used steak, but I wanted you to be able to have the option of chicken if you so chose)
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper
1/2 cup tomato juice
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix (that's one packet, roughly)
1 cup salsa (we didn't use this because I didn't know that I didn't have any on hand so I hadn't bought any)
8 (1/2 inch thick) slices French bread
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (use any cheese you like here)

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken/steak, and cook and stir until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the sliced onions and red peppers, and cook and stir for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the tomato juice and taco seasoning, and mix well. Cook mixture until the juice has thickened and the chicken/steak is well coated with sauce, about an additional 7 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source.
4. Spread 2 tablespoons of salsa over each slice of French bread. Evenly spoon the chicken mixture on top of the salsa topped bread. Sprinkle each sandwich with 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese.
5. Place sandwiches under the preheated broiler and cook for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

Simple and Delicious

I'll keep this short and sweet for tonight (the hubby and I have been ill most of the weekend and are just now starting to feel better). Tonight I made steak with whiskey and cream. I got it from a cookbook given to me for Christmas from my college roommate's mom. Best-Ever 30-Minute Cookbook is filled to the brim with fantastic recipes that are perfect for the beginner chef. I'm pretty sure it is a British cookbook just based on some of the names used for certain ingredients, but in every instance that I noticed that the American equivalent was present (weights and volumes are used as well for measuring which is nice).

We eat ours with some boiled potatoes (tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chives) and carrots. The hubby gets onions sautéed with mushrooms to top the sauce. It's his favorite steak now! Enjoy!

Pan-Fried Steak with Whiskey and Cream
Recipe by Best-Ever 30-Minute Cookbook

4 8-12 oz sirloin steaks
1 tsp oil
1 Tbl butter
1/4 cup whiskey (I used what was on hand, Jameson's Irish)
1-1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Dry the steaks with paper towels and season with pepper. Heat a cast-iron frying pan, or other heavy pan, over high heat. When it is very hot, add the oil and butter. Add the steaks to the foaming butter, one at a time, to seal the meat quickly.
2. Lower the heat to moderate and continue to cook the steaks, allowing 3-4 minutes for rare, 4-5 for medium, or 5-6 for well-done steaks.
3. To test if the timing is right, press down gently in the middle of the steak: soft meat will be rare; when there is some resistance but the meat underneath the outside crust feels soft, it is medium; if it is firm, it is well-done.
4. When the steaks are cooked to your liking, transfer them to warmed plates and keep warm. Pour off the fat from the pan and discard. Add the whiskey and stir around to scrape off all the sediment from the base of the pan.
5. Allow the liquid to reduce a little, then add the cream and simmer over low heat for a few minutes, until the cream thickens. Season to taste, pour the sauce around or over the steaks, as you prefer, and serve immediately.

Southern Cookin'

I find that when I'm depressed or have had a bad day, I crave my mom's cooking. I find myself craving the meals she would have made for me when I was growing up. Maybe she'd make me some spaghetti and meatballs or baked ziti or even just a grilled cheese sandwich. But to really make me feel better she'd make chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy.

I have a super secret recipe for chicken friend steak that is known only by me (and everyone else who calls the south home). So it's not very secret at all, but it really hits the spot. You probably already guessed that I used red potatoes for the mashed taters. I did try to change it up with the meat though by using some different spices mixed in with the flour.

I must have been having problems with my butterfingers today. I managed to crack two eggs as I was unloading my groceries. Luckily I had a bowl handy and was able to get them scrambled up before making a huge mess. This seems to be a common occurrence with me lately in the kitchen (I'm used to being covered in flour or cocoa powder, but this spilling of everything is getting ridiculous).

I hope everyone has a great week, but if you find yourself having a bad day, feel free to come here and vent, have a bite of chicken fried steak, and feel like you're home. Enjoy!

Chicken Fried Steak

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbl cayenne pepper

1 Tbl cilantro flakes

Dash of freshly ground pepper and sea salt

3 eggs

2 cups bread crumbs (I use the packaged kind, but feel free to use homemade)

1-2 lbs cube steak (the package I used had four)

2 Tbl oil (I used olive oil and only eyeballed the measurement, use more or less at your discretion)

1. Mix the flour, cayenne, cilantro, salt and pepper together on a plate. Scramble the three eggs together in a bowl. On another plate, pour out the bread crumbs.
2. Dredge the steaks in the flour followed by the egg. Be sure to let the excess egg drain off. Dredge the steaks through the bread crumbs to coat. Set aside until all of the steaks are covered.
3. Pour the oil into a large pan and heat on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, place one or two steaks in the pan (depending on how big the steaks are; I was able to fit two at a time, but you might only be able to fit one).
4. Cook on the first side for roughly 5 minutes or until browned. Flip and cook the other side about 5 minutes or until browned. Repeat with each steak making sure to cook the steak all the way through. Serve with mashed potatoes and country gravy.