flour

Skillet Cube Steak

9 Comments

My 11-year-old daughter recently shot her first deer. We hunt for the meat, not for the sport, but I will say there is something rewarding about harvesting your own dinner. My girl was excited and proud to get her first buck!

Venison is delicious, not to mention good for you. It’s a very lean red meat with hardly any fat. Our meat processor tenderizes ours for us so that, it’s so tender, you can cut it with a butter knife. If you don’t have the luxury of hunting your own venison and having it tenderized, you can buy beef cube steak (also known as tenderized round steak) at your local grocery store. We like either/or in this house! ~Erin

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ lbs. cube steak, carefully trimmed of all fat and cut into small (approximately 2 inch) pieces
  • ½ c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. black pepper
  • 3 T. olive oil, divided

In a gallon-sized baggie, place all the trimmed meat along with the flour, salt, and pepper. Keep a lot of air in the bag and seal it well. This allows space for the meat and seasonings to shake around in the bag. Flip and shake the baggie until all the meat is coated evenly. Lay the meat out in a single layer on wax paper or plastic wrap near the stove and let it rest for 3-5 minutes. This helps the flour adhere to the meat.

Preheat a medium-sized heavy nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add one Tablespoon olive oil and swirl to distribute evenly. Allow the oil to get hot for about a minute; then add about 1/3 of the meat in a single layer, being careful not to overcrowd the skillet. My skillet would fit about 1/3 of the batch of meat so I used 1 Tablespoon of oil per batch for a total of 3 Tablespoons. If you have a large skillet, you may be able to cook it all in two batches, using half of the 3 Tablespoons of oil for each of the batches.

Do not move the meat around after laying it in the pan; let it cook for 4-5 minutes undisturbed. Flip each piece and continue to cook for 3-4 more minutes or until the pieces are golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. My family would organize an uprising if I didn’t serve this with mashed potatoes and cream gravy so I suggest you do too. 🙂

WW Freestyle Info.: This recipe makes 5 servings of about 4 ounces each. Each serving is 7 points, whether you use venison or beef.

Easy Homemade Pizza Crust

3 Comments

We are not pizza snobs in our family.  Our table has been graced by so many boxes of Little Caesars $5 pizzas that it’s a little embarrassing.  That being said, I do love to make my own pizza crust and make ‘fancy’ pizza (if there is such a thing).  Homemade pizza crust is actually very easy – this practically foolproof recipe can be the start to some of the best family pizza nights you’ll ever have!  ~Tracy

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Ingredients:  
  • 3 ½ c. all purpose flour
  • ½ c. whole wheat flour
  • 1 package quick rise yeast
  • 1 ½ c. warm (not hot) water
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil

Here’s how to make it:

Sprinkle the yeast over the water in a small bowl.  Stir gently to dampen all yeast.

Combine the both types of flour and salt in mixing bowl.

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Gradually add the olive oil into the flour mixture until just mixed together.

Pour the yeast and water mixture into the flour and oil while mixing; preferably with the dough hook of a stand mixer.  If you do not have a stand mixer you can do this the old fashioned way – with your hands (spray them with cooking spray first to avoid everything sticking to your hands).  Dough should eventually form a ball and pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Swirl a little olive oil (or you can use cooking spray) around the bowl to avoid dough sticking.  Cover the top of the bowl loosely with parchment paper or a lightweight dish towel and allow to rise for approximately one hour or until at least doubled in size.

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Roll out dough on parchment sprayed with cooking spray (helps the dough not to stick) and slide both onto baking sheet or pizza stone.

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Add your favorite toppings and bake at 450 for 12 – 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

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*Makes two crusts approximately 12 x 12 inches.  Adjust the size of your pizza to control the thickness of crust.

*Hint – As dough is rising, you can set your mixing bowl on a heating pad to speed the rising process.

*Hint – If you don’t have wheat flour, using all white flour is perfectly fine.