Chicken Fried Steak

This recipe is my first experience with a recipe from The Pioneer Woman. I'm behind the times, I know. Here is her recipe for CFS. And oh my word, it's delicious.

I didn't make the gravy or mashed potatoes from her recipe, so I can't speak to the deliciousness of those recipes. The ingredients listed below are only for the CFS, and also note they are half of what the original recipe calls for. I found that this is just enough for my family of 3, plus one extra serving for leftovers.

Ingredients:
*1 1/2 lbs of cube steak
*3/4 cup of milk (I used 2%, because it's what I had)
*1 large egg
*1 1/2 to 2 cups of all purpose flour
*1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper
*Seasoning Salt
*Salt & Pepper
*Oil for frying (I used vegetable)

You'll need 2 bowls for the ingredients to coat the CFS, as well as a clean dish to put the prepared CFS on, prior to cooking them. In one of the bowls, mix the milk and egg together. In the second bowl, mix the flour with the cayenne pepper, seasoning salt and some black pepper. The amount of the seasonings are really to your taste, so it may take some experimenting to get it just perfect. I use the seasoning salt sparingly, only because I don't want the CFS to be too salty. I add just enough of it to add a bit of flavor. I prefer more black pepper. Set the mixtures aside for just a minute.

Get a large skillet, and pour enough cooking oil into it to coat the bottom, to about a half inch deep or so. Turn the heat on to medium-high, and allow the oil to heat while you prep the CFS.

Now for prepping the CFS. First, sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper onto both sides of the cube steak. Second, dip one of the cube steaks into the egg/milk mixture, then into the flour mixture (coating both sides well), and then repeat into the egg/milk mixture and into the flour mixture again. Set the finished CFS on the clean plate. Continue this process for all pieces of cube steak.

Once the cube steaks are ready, and the cooking oil is heated (you can test by sprinkling some flour into the oil to see how it reacts), place the prepared CFS into the oil. Allow it to cook for about 3-4 minutes, until brown, before flipping and allowing the other side to cook. Once both sides are browned, remove the CFS from the oil and place it onto a clean plate covered with paper towels. Depending on how thick the meat was, you may need to cut into to make sure it's cooked all the way through.

Of course this is best served with mashed potatoes, gravy and some veggies. We like corn and either green beans or carrots around here, but the veggies are yours for the picking!! I will say that I prefer to make this dish on a Saturday or Sunday night, because it does take a little longer to make, and it's a bit messy to clean up. It is absolutely 100% worth it though. I hope that you love it as much as my family does!

TTFN!