Comforting Cube Steaks

So my parents bought part of a cow a few months ago and they were kind enough to share with my sister and I, but here is the dilemma... what is a cube steak????  Of course busted out Google (the computer nerd I am) and found out that a cube steak is used to refer to a cut of meat that has been run through a mechanical tenderizer. The resulting steak is called a cube steak because of the cube-shaped indentations made by the tenderizer.  Now that explains what it is but my burning questions is how do I prepare it?  So I continued with my research and found this information: Cube steak can be braised, sautéed or pan-fried. Cube steak can even be baked in a casserole. Examples of cube steak recipes include chicken-fried steak and Swiss steak.  Well, I went in search of some recipes because I was determined to use my cube steaks for dinner... and this is the recipe I choose.

I varied the spices because I didn't have dry onion soup mix at home.  Did you know that you can make a homemade onion soup mix (probably less sodium too)?  That recipe will have to wait for another day...  

I also thinly sliced onions and baked them too.  I would have added mushrooms but I didn't have any.  The soup and soda make a thin gravy mix so you could make mashed potatoes, thicken up the gravy and you have dinner done. Bonus: the house smells amazing.

I was also reading some of the reviews for this recipe and many people used the slow cooker to make this recipe.  The website link is at the bottom of the recipe if you want to read the reviews too.

Ingredients:
4 (4 ounce) cube steaks
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Season the steaks on both sides with Cajun seasoning and black pepper. Place the steaks into the prepared baking dish. Pour the lemon-lime beverage over them. Combine the cream of mushroom soup and dry onion soup mix, and pour over the steaks.
Bake, uncovered, for about 1 hour, or until meat reaches desired doneness. Do not open the oven door during the first hour of cooking. Serve steaks with gravy spooned over. 

Allrecipes.com - Comforting Cube Steaks

Slow cooker Orange chicken

I love orange chicken, the non-spicy variety, from Chinese restaurants so I was on a mission to find something similar that was much healthier.  I made the recipe below over the New Year's weekend at my cabin and it turned out very good.  Not quite the same as a Chinese restaurant but close enough.

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut in 2-inch chunks
1/2 cup flour

olive oil, for browning the chicken
1 tablespoon kosher salt (use less if you use table salt)
6 ounces (1/2 can) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed (I'd opt for little-to-no pulp. The pulp can taste a bit bitter when cooked)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup

Directions: 

Use a 4 quart slow cooker for best results. Dredge the chicken pieces with the flour, and shake off the excess. Go ahead and throw away any remaining flour, we won't need it. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove and brown the chicken on all sides. There is no need to fully cook it, just sear it enough for the flour to stick and get a nice coating.

Plop the chicken pieces into your slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Taste. If you'd like the chicken to be a bit sweeter, add a touch more sugar. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the chicken, and toss gingerly to coat.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4. Serve over white or brown rice.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2009/09/slow-cooker-orange-chicken-recipe.html

Fun new crockpot website

I found this crockpot website the other day when I was looking for a orange chicken recipes (recipe will be posted soon). 

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

To die for crock pot roast

I was looking for a new and exciting Crock pot Roast recipes and I stumbled across this one.  It has been added to my favorite recipe collection... YUM YUM YUM!

Ingredients
1 beef roast, any cut, to fit size of crock pot.
1 pkg. hidden valley ranch dressing mix
1 pkg. brown gravy mix
1 pkg. Italian dressing mix
1 Cup water
small red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered. (optional)
1 Cup celery , chopped (optional)
1 pkg baby carrots (optional) 

Directions:Mix together packets and water in a bowl. Put roast in crock pot and pour mixture over the top of the roast. Cook on low for 8 hours.  Add veggies during the last three hours.