Chicken Fried Steak Recipe

Mmmm - love me some chicken fried steak.  Who doesn't?  It's delicious!  That's what we had for dinner tonight, along with mashed potatoes, vegetables and gravy.

Now - hang on - I do not measure for this recipe - but it's ok. You don't really need to.  Trust me.

Ingredients:

Cube steak (as much as you need to feed your family/guests)
corn starch
flour
2 eggs (look a measurement!)
milk
seasoned breadcrumbs
salt
pepper
oil (for frying)

Directions:

Some people pound out the cube steak before hand. I don't bother with that unless I get pieces that are unusually thick.

Prepare a dredging station with the following:
Tray 1: combination cornstarch and flour with salt and pepper - all mixed together
Tray 2: 2 eggs and a splash of milk lightly beaten
Tray 3: seasoned breadcrumbs

You will need enough cornstarch/flour mixture and enough breadcrumbs to easily coat all of your pieces of steak. So, you don't need to measure. Just eyeball it. If you have to add more, you add more. If you used a little too much, it's not the end of the world. You'll know better next time.

Dredge each piece of steak first in the cornstarch/flour, then the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs.  Set aside in a tray or platter until you are ready to fry.

In a skillet or frying pan, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan well. Once oil is hot, add the steak. (if the oil is not hot enough, your coating will fall off).

Cook until golden brown. Turn and cook until other side is golden brown.  Remove to paper towel to drain.

TIPS: 
- Oil should come up the sides of the pieces of steak when you cook, but not cover.
- For 6 pieces of steak I used about 1 tsp each of salt and pepper, if that helps.
- The use of cornstarch helps make it crispier than just flour alone
- You can easily prepare this in the morning or early afternoon and put the steaks aside until you are ready to cook them.
- If you like spicy things, you could add some chili pepper or red pepper flakes to the cornstarch/flour mixture
- Left overs make great sandwiches.
- Want a different way to serve? Buy some Texas Toast and serve on top with gravy as a hot, open-faced sandwich.

Here is a picture of my dredging station that I bought from Pampered Chef - I love it!  The trays clip together to keep things neat. When not in use, they nest inside each other. Get it HERE

Rhode Island Clam Cakes Recipe

(Originally published on my main blog on 7/5/14)

Last night I tried making these delicious clam cakes. They were pretty easy to make and my hubby couldn't eat enough of them. Even my finicky son liked them.  Recipe below.

RI Clam Cakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk or beer
1 (6 ounce) can minced clams, undrained
1 teaspoon onion powder
pepper to taste

hot oil - 350 degrees

Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Batter will be thin.

I used corn oil to fry them in because it's what I had, but you can use any oil of your choice.  How much you use depends on the pot/pan you are using to fry the cakes in.  You want enough for the cakes to rise in and float freely.

The pic above is a Revere pot that was approx half filled with oil then preheated to 350 degrees.
Drop by soup spoon or cookie scoop into the hot oil. Let the batter drop down into the oil in a straight line. You will get odd shapes. It will hit the bottom of the pot, form up and then float.  The batter is runny so you won't be dropping dumpling like scoops into the oil.

Use a slotted spoon to get out any little bits that form.

Do not over crowd the pot. Just do a few at a time.

As the cakes turn golden on the bottom side, turn them gently in the oil and let them brown on the other side.  Remove to a bowl lined with paper towel to drain.

When you are done you can sprinkle salt on them if you like, or leave it up to your guests to salt their own. Serve with lemon and/or tartar sauce/cocktail sauce.

TIP: This recipe makes a very subtle clam flavor. If you want to amp up the flavor you may consider substituting clam juice for the milk/beer.  You can also increase the amount of minced clams.

TIP: Make to many or want to serve for a party?  Left overs can be reheated in hot oil. Or if you make the day before a party, heat up a fresh pan of oil and reheat the cakes for a few seconds each in the hot oil.

TIP: Cooking burns off the alcohol in the beer, so it is ok to use beer in the batter if you have people who don't drink or minors/children eating these cakes.  Consider using a special brew for your recipe. We used Sam Adams Porch Rocker.

TIP: This same batter would also be great for chicken or small bite size pieces of fish.