Chicken Fried Steak

a staple of the south and southwest, but the recipe i found needed help!

Chicken Fried Steak

§       2 to 3 pounds top sirloin steak.

§       1 egg per pound of meat, beaten

§       1/8 cup whole milk per pound of steak

§       1/4 cup milk for gravy

§       flour

§       1/4 cup water

§       black pepper to taste

§       salt to taste

§       your favorite cooking oil (but sausage grease is best)

Cut steak into 6 oz pieces

beat steak with mallet to tenderize

salt and pepper each piece of meat

whisk eggs and milk together

add black pepper and salt to flour and mix well

set up flouring station -

        1 container for the egg,

        1 for the flour

coat meat in flour, then egg wash, then flour again

fry steaks in an oiled cast iron skillet until golden brown on both sides

set aside

Whisk flour, the 1/4 cup milk and water to make the gravy

add salt to taste

serve over the steak

Stuffed Cabbage

I "sang" my thoughts and memories of this dish before making it.
This is the actual recipe:

Stuffed cabbage

my mom's style

§       1 head green cabbage (Savoy is best)

§       2 lbs lean ground pork (or beef or lamb)

§       2 large onions, white or yellow, diced

§       1 cinnamon stick

§       1 tablespoon whole cloves

§       kosher salt

§       8 cloves garlic, minced

§       1 tablespoon dry oregano

§       1 cup cooked long grain rice

§       2 tablespoons parsley

§       1 32 oz can tomato sauce

§       black pepper to taste

bring a large pot of water to a boil with the cinnamon stick and cloves

Salt the water to "pasta water" saltiness

core the cabbage and boil for 10 minutes

reserve the spiced water

Add tomato sauce to 1 cup of the spiced water with 3 garlic cloves

cook this to a "gravy" thickness

remove the cabbage and when it cools, separate the leaves

cook the ground pork with onions, the remaining garlic and oregano

when cooked, salt and pepper to taste

add 1 cup tomato sauce to the meat mixture and mix well

coat a baking pan (or 2) with equal parts of tomato sauce and spiced water

~2 tablespoons of meat mixture per large leaf, fold and place in pan

top with tomato sauce and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes

serve hot

i experiment regularly

Ages ago, i learn how to make the Greek nut cake, known as Karidopida.
I was fascinated by it because the base was not flour, but egg.
I thought, i could do other things with this base and so my first attempt was corn bread, removing the flour and adding corn meal (either finely ground or course ground) with great success.

The base is very light (because  of whipped eggs) and so was the corn bread.

I began looking for other applications and was asked to bring a carrot cake to a dinner yesterday...
I always think of carrot cake as too sweet and too dense and not enough flavor.
I experimented.
it was a success!

Carrot Karidopida

A Greek twist on a classic

The cake ·       8 eggs, separated ·       1 cup brown sugar ·       1/4 teaspoon cinnamon ·       1/4 teaspoon allspice ·       1/4 teaspoon ground clove ·       1/8 teaspoon cream of tarter ·       2 teaspoons baking powder ·       1/8 teaspoon salt ·       1/2 cup raisins, rehydrated ·       1 cup unbleached flour ·       1 cup raw carrots, shredded ·       1/2 cup ground Walnuts

Frosting ·       2 cups powdered sugar ·       2 tablespoons soft butter ·       8 oz cream cheese, softened ·       1 teaspoon orange extract

Frosting

using the paddle attachment, mix butter and cream cheese

add powdered sugar in 4 part increments

add orange extract

Cake

Use a whisk attachment on a mixer first

beat egg whites with cream of tarter on high and set aside

beat egg yokes until thick and then add spices, sugar and salt and continue to mix

separately, mix baking powder with the flour

Change the paddle from the whisk to a beat bar and reduce the speed of the mixer

slowly add the flour mixture to the egg yoke mixture

When mixed remove from the mixer and fold in the egg whites

Fold in the carrots, nuts and raisins

Pour into a 9 x 12 greased cake pan

Cook at 350 F for 40 minutes

Remove from the oven and cool in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before topping

Serve cool