Monday, October 27, 2008

Homestyle Chicken Fried Steak

Chicken Fried Steak
4 servings

1 1/4 cups flour, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon each salt, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder and pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 2/3 cups buttermilk, divided
4 beef cube steaks (1 pound)
oil for frying
1 1/2 cups milk

In a shallow bowl, combine 1 cup flour, baking powder and seasonings. In another shallow bowl, combine egg and 1 cup buttermilk. Dip each cube steak in buttermilk mixture, then coat in flour mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 inch of oil on medium-high. Fry steaks for 5 to 7 minutes. Turn carefully; cook 5 minutes longer or until coating is crisp and meat is no longer pink. Remove steaks and keep warm. Drain, reserving 1/3 cup drippings; stir remaining flour into drippings until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk and remaining buttermilk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over steaks and enjoy!

Pumpkin Time

Yes, it's exciting to pick out the pumpkin.
It's fun to plan the jack-o-lantern face.
The carving is nice.

But, for me...

It's all about the pumpkin seeds!
Roasted to a crisp and covered in salt -
fall snacking at its finest. :-)

Walkin' On Sunshine...Prizes! :-)

Surprise! At the beginning of Walkin' On Sunshine I planned to give a prize away at the end, but...I didn't tell the participants! Aren't I sneaky? ;-)

The 15 participants were -
Heather at family forever
Kerri at 4 arrows farm
Christa
Raeann, the "Lady Farmer" at lady farmer parables
Giggles at life in my lane
Giggles' Mom
Linda C. at seasons of life
Canadian in the Country
Regina
And so, without further ado, I present to you the "sunshine walking awards" - in three categories! :-)

The first award goes to the Sunshine Walker that posted the most days of exercising! The winner even started a few days behind the rest and she still posted 14 days of exercising! Way to go Deb!

The second award goes to the Sunshine Walker that posted her progress the most. With 19 comments, the winner is Giggles! Part of the walking habit is thinking about walking everyday and I know Giggles was thinking about it, since she posted almost every day!

And the last award goes to a randomly drawn name from all the participants. The winner is...Raeann, the Lady Farmer!


Deb, Giggles and Raeann will all be receiving pedometers from Heritage Schoolhouse, so they can track their progress as they continue walking on sunshine! :-) Deb and Raeann, if you will please leave an e-mail address in the comments of this post, I will contact you to find out where to send your pedometer. Giggles, I'll bring yours to you on Wednesday. :-)

I hope everyone enjoyed the challenge of Walking on Sunshine for 21 days! And, I hope many new healthy habits were formed. :-) Thank you all for walking with me. I had fun!

Cappuccino Muffins


Cappuccino Muffins
12 servings

for espresso spread
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
for muffins
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Combine the spread ingredients; refrigerate. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; set aside. Stir milk and coffee granules until coffee is dissolved. Add butter, egg and vanilla; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve with espresso spread and enjoy!

These muffins are equally delicious with cold milk or hot coffee!