Breaded Cube Steak (GF, DF) – Blog Post #7

Posted on October 7, 2017 by traci

The Imaginative One loves hamburger. In fact, he loves to order hamburgers with ketchup only when we do go to fast food restaurants. Since cube steak is similar to hamburger, he enjoyed this meal.

You could certainly make this with all purpose flour instead of the gluten free flour blend.

Speaking of gluten free flour blends, I’ve shared two recipes that have used gluten free flour blends. My favorite blend is from Krusteaz.

I can find it at Kroger’s for $5.99 a bag.

The Krusteaz’s gluten free all purpose flour is a one to one flour blend which you can replace the all purpose flour with the same amount of this blend.

So what did I serve with the breaded cube steak? I served the remainder of the applesauce and potato casserole.

Breaded Cube Steak (GF, DF)

Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Print

Ingredients

– 1 lb cubed steak

– ¼ to ½ c. gluten free flour mix

– salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat a skillet with a Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
Place the salt and pepper with the gluten free flour mix into a ziploc bag.
Place the cubed steak into the ziploc bag. Make sure the bag is closed tightly.
Shake the bag until the cubed steaks are coated.
Cook in the skillet for 5 to 6 minutes on one side. Flip. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until cooked through.
Enjoy!

Trends and Peach BBQ Pulled Pork – Day 4

Posted on October 4, 2016 by traci

Welcome to Day 4 of the 31 Days of Slow Cooking.

I am a special education teacher by day and a mother by night. Sort of like being a Superhero.

Lots of my stories are about my students or my two boys. Both keep me entertained.

Right now all I am hearing about from the students in my building are about the clowns that are “haunting” the schools. No one has seen these clowns but the students swear they are really out there. I’m not saying the clowns don’t exist. It’s just the students are obsessed about them. Some are downright scared of them. When I ask the students to quit talking about them, they think it’s because I am scared of them.

After 17 years in the teaching field, you realize trends and urban legends come and go. Two years ago, according to the students everyone had Ebola. Last year, it was the Watch Me trend and the Dab trend. Many years ago, we had the shaped bracelets that students traded. Then 3 years ago, we had the rubber bands you could make into bracelets.

It’s just so interesting to see what trends come and go.

One trend I wish would go is the sagging pants. It’s been going on for 10 years.

What are some trends you wish would make a comeback? Or what are some trends you wish would disappear?

Continue onto page 2 for the recipe.

7 up Pork Chops

Posted on February 16, 2016 by traci

I originally posted this recipe in September of 2010. However, I did not have a picture of the pork chops. Since we had them for dinner tonight, I made sure to take a picture of the chops.

Last night I baked these pork chops. Hubby ended up being called into work early so he came back to get the food during his break. The manager where he works saw his dinner and asked if there were any pork chops left over. It so happened that the Wee One did not want his chop because it was too big. Hubby made a detour to our house and got his manager the remaining chop. The manager loved the chop! Score!

7-up pork chops

Stars of the recipe:

4 to 6 pork chops
12 oz. can 7 up, Sprite, or lemon lime soda
1 envelope onion soup mix

Steps:

Place chops in baking dish.
Pour soda over chops and sprinkle with dry soup mix.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Happy eating,
Traci

Meatloaf Muffins with Meatloaf Glaze

Posted on December 7, 2015 by traci

This is one of the Imaginative One’s favorite meals.

Meatloaf Muffins

Stars of the recipe:

1 lb. of ground beef
¼ c. rolled oats
1 egg
¼ c. diced onion or minced dried onion
spices – salt, pepper

Steps:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place ground beef in a mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to the ground beef.
Mix to incorporate all ingredients but don’t mix too much.
Form into muffins. (about ¼ c. to ½ c.)
Place the meatloaf muffins into a muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray.
Top each muffin with meatloaf glaze (recipe below).
Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until completely cooked through. (Internal temp of 155 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.)
Enjoy with your favorite side dish!

Meatloaf Glaze

Stars of the recipe:

¼ c. ketchup
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Steps:

Combine the ingredients together.
Use to top your meatloaf or meatloaf muffins.

For a Printable Version of the recipe

Hamburger Patties

Posted on September 19, 2015 by traci

Since Hubby needs to be out the door soon after I get home, quick meals are important.

Hamburgers are one meal that can be put on the table quickly. Cook up some fries with it or serve some potato chips to serve with the hamburgers. Add some raw veggies and you have a complete meal.

Hint about the hamburgers – Shape the patty and then put an indentation in the middle. This will allow the patty to retain it’s shape as it cooks.

Hamburger Patties

Stars of the Recipe:

1 to 2 lbs of ground beef (80% or 85%) – The more fat the juicer they will be
1 to 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. dried minced onion or grated fresh onion
1 to 2 Tbsp. of your favorite seasoning

Steps:

Heat up a skillet to med. high heat or preheat your indoor grill.
In a large mixing bowl, add the meat, Worcestershire sauce, onion, and seasoning.
Mix together but don’t over mix.
Form into patties and make sure to make an indentation in the middle. (My patties are the size of my hand cupped. )
Cooked until cooked through. If on griddle, turn after about 3 to 5 minutes. Allow to cook for 3 to 5 more minutes.
Hamburger is cooked thoroughly when its internal temperature is 160 degrees.
Enjoy either on a bun or without a bun. Top with your favorite toppings. We had thousand island sandwich spread and cheddar cheese on our burgers.

One Pan Pork Chop Dinner

Posted on September 15, 2015 by traci

This is an easy meal to impress your guests with.

On Sundays, we usually eat dinner with my mother-in-law. It’s a tradition that started when Hubby and I were just married. My father-in-law usually made the dinner. When he died, we continued the tradition. Sometimes I make the dinner. Other times my mother-in-law makes the dinner. Then there are times we eat out for Sunday dinner.

This is one dinner that I made for our Sunday dinner. It was easy to put together. It’s important to make sure the pork chops are thin cut so they bake in the same amount of time as the veggies. Serve bread on the side to make a whole meal.

Prior to going into the oven

One Pan Pork Chop Dinner

adapted from Eat at Home

Stars of the recipe:

4 to 6 thin cut pork chops
1 lb. fingerling potatoes or red or yellow potatoes cut into either halves or quarters depending on their size
3 – 4 c. cut veggies (I used broccoli and zucchini)
your favorite seasoning mix
salt
pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Steps:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Brush Extra Virgin Olive Oil on a big baking sheet.
Toss the potatoes in a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and coat with salt and pepper. Place on the cookie sheet
Toss the veggies in a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and coat with salt and pepper. Place on the cookie sheet next to the potatoes.
Place the pork chops in the remaining space on the sheet or on another baking sheet. Coat with your favorite seasoning.
Bake at 425 for 25 to 30 minutes or until the pork chops are fully cooked (145 degrees Fahrenheit) and potatoes are tender.
Enjoy with a salad and/or favorite bread.

This post has been linked to:
Treasure Box Tuesday

Pork and Sauerkraut (A Slow Cooker Recipe)

Posted on January 10, 2014 by traci

It’s a family tradition to have pork and sauerkraut for our New Year’s dinner. My father-in-law would make a big pot of it and family members would eat the sauerkraut so that they would have good luck for the new year. Since he died two weeks ago, I offered to make it this year.

I made some changes to how it was cooked. First of all I made it in my slow cooker instead of in a big stock pot. I also roasted potatoes instead of cooking the potatoes in the slow cooker with the meat and sauerkraut. Hubby loved it and was impressed because it didn’t have the bitter/sour taste you usually associate with sauerkraut. He even took some to work with him to share with his co-workers.

The boys did taste the sauerkraut so they would have good luck but being kids didn’t really like it. At least they tried it which is better than on New Year’s Eve. I made fish for supper. The fish was cooked with olive oil and a seasoning mix from one of my Foodie Pen Pals. Hubby loved it but the boys wanted to give me excuses on why they could not eat it. They still had to eat it but it was interesting on what excuses they came up with. The best one is their brain was going to explode since I told them fish is brain food.

Now onto the recipe:

Pork and Sauerkraut in the Slow Cooker

Stars of the recipe:

1 -2 lbs. pork roast
16 – 32 oz. of sauerkraut (depending on how much pork you have)
1 big carrot or 2 small carrots, peeled and cut into small pieces
1 apple, peeled and cut into small pieces
1 – 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

Drain and rinse the sauerkraut several times to remove the brine.
Place the pork roast in the bottom of the slow cooker. (Mine is 5 qt.) Sprinkle salt and pepper on the pork roast.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the rinsed sauerkraut, apple pieces, carrot pieces, and brown sugar.
Place the sauerkraut mixture on the pork roast.
Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
Shred the pork and combine with the sauerkraut.
Enjoy with boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, or roasted potatoes (just serving suggestions)!

Printable Recipe

Lemon Chicken

Posted on October 16, 2013 by traci

My husband loves getting food from the Chinese food restaurants in our local mall’s food court. So I decided to recreate one of the dishes he might purchase there. This dish was healthier than what you get at the food court.

When it was cooking in the oven, he thought it was a sweet and sour dish. So he was super excited for dinner last night.

The only issue with the dinner was super lemony but it’s an easy fix. If you really love a lemon flavor, add the lemon zest and additional lemon juice.

Lemon Chicken

Stars of the recipe:

1 lb. thinly cut chicken breast, chicken breasts pounded thinly, or chicken thighs pounded thin (If you are going to pound out the chicken, place wax paper on a cutting board and then the chicken. Place another piece of wax paper on top of the chicken. Using a heavy skillet, pound the chicken until it’s about a 1/2 inch thick. Hint: An inch is from the tip of your thumb to the knuckle. So a 1/2 inch would be to the end of your thumbnail.)
1/4 c, lemon juice
1/4 to 1/2 c, bread crumbs or panko
Optional: 1 Tbsp. lemon zest and additional lemon juice
8 x 8 square dish sprayed with cooking spray

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl big enough to dredge the chicken in, place the lemon juice. In another bowl big enough to dredge the chicken in, place the bread crumbs or panko.
First dredge the chicken in lemon juice and then dredge the chicken in the bread crumbs or panko.
Place in the cooking dish.
Continue with the remainder of the chicken pieces. If you want it really lemony, top with more lemon juice and lemon zest.
Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
Enjoy with rice!

Printable Recipe

Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Posted on October 14, 2013 by traci

Mmm! Comfort food makes you feel good inside. Pot roast is one of those foods. As I was coming up with this week’s menu, I decided pot roast should be one of our dinners. The interesting thing was we had pot roast for our dinner at my in-laws last night. The difference was how we prepared the roast. The side dishes were different also.

I’ve made this recipe for over 10 years. It is super easy and delicious. After we have roast for dinner, another night during the week I make a hash (minus eggs) with the left over roast. Yum!

Even though I like making baked potatoes cooked in the slow cooker, I’m not a fan of potatoes cooked with the roast. We had buttered noodles with our roast.

Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

In the crockpot

Pot roast

Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Stars of the recipe:

roast (size depends on the needs of your family)
30 oz. can of tomato sauce
optional: russet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks, onions cut into chunks, carrots peeled and cut into strips

Steps:

Place roast into the bottom of the slow cooker.
If placing vegetables, place them on top of the roast.
Pour tomato sauce over the roast.
Cook for 3 to 5 hours on high or 6 to 8 hours on low.
Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Sausage and Sauerkraut (GF, DF)

Posted on June 15, 2013 by traci

Sausage and Sauerkraut

Stars of the recipe:

1 package of smoked sausage
1 jar or bag of sauerkraut, drained and rinsed off
3 Tbsp. of brown sugar
3 Tbsp. of Dijon mustard

Steps:

Cut the sausage into rings.
In a bowl, mix the sauerkraut, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard together.
Place sausage and sauerkraut into the crockpot.
Cook on low for 4 hours.
Enjoy with mashed potatoes or roasted red potatoes. (I also had corn and baked apples with it.)

Printable Recipe

Believe in the Magic Traci Diary

Recipes, Travels, and Stories

Meat