Southern Sundays

Welcome to Southern Sundays!

Everyone keeps talking about the end of summer.  Here in Southern California we are still in full swing.  It's still hot and will most likely be hot well into September.  I just love that, because I'm not ready for the end of summer.  I don't want to lose the long evenings.  I'm not ready for fall colors, clothes, or flavors.  Nope, not yet.  I want to savor the summer fruits and vegetables until the very last moment!  

So to give you a little taste of summer in Southern California here are some beautiful pics to feast your eyes upon.  Summer, don't go away.....

Summer Sailing

This little guy is sunbathing!

Another wonderful sunset...

On to the party!  Last week was a blast.  We had three great dishes stand out from the crowd.

Congratulations on your featured recipe!

Strawberry Crumble Cake

by Flour Me With Love

Creme Brulee

by The Chic Geek

Toffee Fudge Shortbread

by With A Blast 

Congratulations again!  

So let's party!  I can't wait to see what you all bring this week.  Make sure to tell all your friends so they can join the party as well!

Guidelines:

Please become a follower by joining my site with Google Friends Connect in the right side bar.
Link back to your specific recipe and not to your main site.
Link back to Southern Sundays either in your post, or grab my Southern Sundays Button located in the right side bar.
Please visit a few of the links in the post and say hello to your fellow bloggers!
Enjoy, have fun, cook lots of food, and relish your Southern Sunday!

Diner Night: Old Fashioned Steak Fingers

Yum

Friday night was "Diner Night" at our house.

I was surfing some great blogs when I came across a recipe on Miz Helen's Country Cottage that just brought back memories of visiting my relatives in Texas and Oklahoma and eating diner food. We used to drive from California when I was little to go see my relatives and stop at many diners along the way.  The more toward Texas or Oklahoma we got the bigger the food, and the more Steak Fingers I ate.  Or chicken fried steak for that matter!  

Steak Fingers was always a popular dish growing up.  My Mom to this day loves Steak Fingers, and often gets them at a local drive thru.

So feeling nostalgic I thought I'd whip up some good ole diner food at home.  On the menu: Old Fashioned Steak Fingers with Roasted Oven Fries and some milk gravy as a dipping sauce.  

Simple, delicious, comfort food.  What a great way to end the week!  Makes you feel all warm and cozy inside eating a meal like this.  So bringing back all the memories was a blast.  MGG enjoyed my stories of travels and all the good times me and my family had.  And let's not forget the food!

Thanks Miz Helen for the wonderful incentive to remake this comforting dish!!!  Make sure to go visit her and say "hi!" She has such a terrific site!

Go here for the recipe on the Roasted Oven Fries.

So tell me, what is your favorite dish you remember from your past that just brings back good memories?

Old Fashioned Steak Fingers

Adapted from Miz Helen's Kitchen

1 pound cube steak, cut into strips
2 cups flour (of your choice)
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
dash cayenne pepper
2 eggs, beaten
Canola oil for frying

Mix the flour, cornmeal, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a dish or pie pan. Beat 2 eggs and place in a separate dish or pie pan.

Heat oil to the depth of about ¼ inch in a large skillet until hot over medium –high heat.

Dip the steak into the flour and cornmeal mixture. Shake off any excess. Then dip it into the egg. Next dip it back into the flour mixture.

Add your Steak Fingers to the oil at a time and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. The heat should be a little on the high side (medium high) so that the meat, which is thin, cooks pretty quickly, crisps well, and does not absorb a lot of oil.

Remove and drain on a paper towel. Serve alongside oven roasted fries and milk gravy as a dipping sauce.


Shared with: Weekend Potluck

Here's another wonderful salad perfect for summer!

This salad is a take on the traditional Italian dish, Panzanella, which is a salad made with ingredients such as tomatoes and bread.  I love Panzanella and I first tried it when my Mom and I went to Italy.  So popular in Rome, this dish made such an impression that I've been making a traditional version for years.  But...this time I wanted to twist it up a bit by adding grilled vegetables.  Ones that you would typically find in a Ratatouille.  The combination is outstanding!

To make it interesting I used a cheese focaccia bread that I grilled and then cubed.  It gives the salad extra flavor and a little flair!  If you can't find the cheese focaccia, a good crusty Italian country bread will be perfect, or crusty french bread for that matter.  

The grilled vegetables bring depth of flavor to the salad.  Eggplant, zucchini, red onion, bell pepper, and tomatoes taste wonderful grilled.  Other special additions are little cubes of mozzarella and a killer vinaigrette.  There is nothing better than bringing fresh seasonal ingredients together in a different combination that allows their flavors to just shine and be the star of the dish!

All together this salad is a winner!  You can put this together in under 30 minutes.  It's great for a weeknight meal and for those that want to enjoy a meatless dish. 

I hope you love this dish as much as we did!

Cheese Focaccia Panzanella with Grilled Ratatouille

Makes: 4 servings

½ lb. assorted sweet peppers, halved and seeds and membranes removed

1 eggplant, cut into ½ inch thick slices

½ lb zucchini, cut lengthwise into thin strips

½  red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

2 Roma tomatoes, halved and seeded

1/3 of a loaf of cheese foccacia, split in half and cut each half in to 4 pieces (8 pieces total) 

2 T olive oil

¼ t salt

¼ t ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, halved

1/3 c olive oil

2 T red wine vinegar

1 T finely shredded lemon peel

6 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed

Salt & pepper

½ c chopped parsley

Lightly brush all sides of the peppers, eggplant, zucchini, onion, tomatoes, and bread slices lightly with the 2 tablespoons oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.   Grill vegetables in a grill pan over medium heat until vegetables are crisp-tender, turning occasionally.   About 10 minutes total.  Remove vegetables from grill.   Allow to cool enough to handle.  Cut vegetables into 1-inch pieces.   Set aside.

Grill bread about 4 minutes or until browned and crisp, turning occasionally.   Cool slightly.   Rub bread with cut sides of garlic.  Cut into 1 inch pieces. 

Place grilled vegetables in a large bowl.  Add bread to vegetables.

For dressing, in a small mason jar add 1/3 cup oil, the vinegar, and lemon peel.  Shake to blend.   Season to taste with salt and black pepper.   Add the dressing to the grilled vegetables and bread.  Add your cubed mozzarella.   Toss gently to combine.   Toss with parsley and serve.

linked to:  Full Plate Thursday
Weekend Potluck