Stay Tuned...Pumpkin Pancakes

The Autumn scents wafting through the house will have them running to the kitchen to eat these delicious Pumpkin Pancakes!

Pumpkin Pancakes

I'm off to visit my family in Tennessee tomorrow for some much needed R&R. While I'm there we plan to cook up some of our family favorites and do some recipe testing so I can come back and share all the yummies with you.

In the meantime I'll leave you with a recipe from my recipe box.  
Indulge yourself and have some pancakes over the weekend.  They're good!

When I come back in a week, I'll join you!

Pumpkin Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cup flour

1  t Pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 eggs (separated)

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

3/4 cups pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoons vanilla

4 T melted butter, slightly cooled

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

With a hand mixer, whip egg whites until stiff but not dry.

Mix together buttermilk, pumpkin, sugar, vanilla and butter. Make a well in the dry ingredients and fold in buttermilk-pumpkin mixture; do not over mix. Gently fold egg whites into batter.

Cook on a hot grill until bubbles form at the edges. Flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes more.

  

Chicken Fried Steak

Who doesn't love chicken fried steak?  If you said yes, then leave the room immediately!

This dish has been a staple in my family since forever.  I mean generations and generations of Landon and Corzine women folk have been cookin' up this dish for hungry men and their children since before time began.   

What would life be without chicken fried steak?  Borrrrring!

Now the secret to great chicken fried steak is in the coating.  I needs to be crispy and crunchy on the outside while the steak is still tender and moist on the inside.

I got a craving for it the other day and decided to whip some up for dinner for my love, MGG, and myself .  Now MGG is kinda a "health nut"..anything with the word "fried" in it and he shys away.  But I didn't really tell him that...I said, "Baby, it's not really fried!  It's just cooked in the manner of fried chicken with the technique!"

Well that worked and I got him to eat it and he gobbled it up and was ready for seconds before I got two bites down!


Let's try our hand at chicken fried steak.

First you want to set up your breading stations.  I use pie pans, cause that's how mom taught me.

Put about 1 cup of flour in one pie pan, and salt an pepper the flour liberally.  I find this way of seasoning works best.  Then beat 2 eggs and some milk in the next pie pan and whisk it together for the egg bath.

Before you begin your coating, get a skillet on the stove and put some canola oil in the pan to coat the pan about 1/2"  deep.  You don't have to use much oil to fry.  Get the oil good and hot using a medium high heat.

Now for the breading.  I do a 3 dip method which I find makes for a thicker, crispier crust.  This is important...so follow this method.

First you take your cube steak, dip it in the flour, pressing lightly, coating both sides.

Next you dip the steak in the egg bath, make sure it is completely coated.

Lastly you dip the steak back in the flour.  This time you press down with your fingers or a fork to really get the flour to stick and coated all over.  Both sides.

Check your oil, make sure you see ripples, or drop a spot of flour in it...it is foams and sizzles it's ready.  You want the steak to sizzle immediately, otherwise your oil is not hot enough and your steak will absorb too much grease.

Once all the steaks are in the pan another trick is this...turn up the heat just a little....just a little.  Cooking this at a higher heat will help the coating become crispy and the inside will stay moist.  Don't worry the steak is thin and will cook all the way through.  Now cook on the first side for about 4 min.

Turn it over and cook the other side about another 3 min.

Place the steaks on some folded paper towels to absorb any excess grease.

WooooWeee!    Would you look at that?

Enjoy!



Chicken Fried Steak

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 cube steaks
1 cup of flour
salt and pepper
2 eggs
splash of milk
canola oil for frying

Directions:

Place 1 cup of flour in a pie pan.  Salt and pepper flour liberally and mix well.

Place 2 eggs and a splash of milk in another pie pan.  Beat together.

Dip cube steak in flour, lightly coating each side.  Dip steak in egg bath and coat each side.  Dip steak back in the flour mixture and press down in the flour with a fork or your fingers to press the coating in to the steak on both sides.

In a skillet over med-high heat add enough oil so that it is 1/2" deep.  Heat up oil until hot.  Place coated steaks in the oil.  Turn heat up just a little bit on the skillet.  Cook on the first side for about 4 min.  Turn over and cook for another 3 min.  Cook in batches if need be. 

Place cooked steaks on folded paper towels to absorb any excess grease.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

I love tacos, but I can't stand all the sodium you get in those seasoning packets!  So I came up with my own version through trial and error, and I think this is a winner.

Now this has red pepper flakes in it, so if you don't like it that spicy, just adjust accordingly.

Try it and let me know.   :)


Homemade Taco Seasoning

Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red

pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together all spices. Store in an airtight container.