Trying Momma's Sunday Dinner - Episode 6

A Middle School graduation, a Grandma and Grandpa visit, a vacation & Bastian’s birthday party conflicted with Sunday dinner but this week we got right back in the saddle with a Moroccan Vegetarian dinner. Ivy had seen the Moosewood cookbook and a recipe for spaghetti squash and wanted to see what we could do with a vegetarian meal. Dad enjoyed the meal. I think for the rest of us the particular spice combinations in Moroccan cooking are not to our taste. The one big boon to this meal was that we tried out a spaghetti squash for the first time. We thought it was delicious and will definitely try it again with a different sauce.

Bastian was invited to go out with a girl he’d met at the HS Orientation Camp. After some deliberation, I gave him a pass to go and skip the cooking and grocery shopping. When he got home, he was happy and eagerly sat down to organize the quotations and visit with the family. It’s a hard balance to find between consistency and rigidity. I lean towards the rigid but try very hard to remember to be flexible. 

It's not easy.

Signed,

Trying Momma

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Recipes and Cooking Notes Below

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Microwaved Spaghetti Squash

Source: Moosewood Cookbook

Trying Momma's Notes: 

The only recipe I'm going to include here is the tip we got for cooking spaghetti squash. The recipe we used called for it to be cooked in the microwave. It's fast and almost foolproof.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Take 1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) spaghetti squash and pierce (about an inch deep) all over with a small sharp knife to prevent bursting. Cook in an 800-watt microwave oven on high power (100 percent) for 6 to 7 minutes. Turn squash over and microwave until squash feels slightly soft when pressed, 8 to 10 minutes more. Cool squash for 5 minutes. Squash is now ready to be topped with your favorite pasta sauce.

Trying Momma's Sunday Dinner - Episode 5

The last words my son said to me last night: “today was really fun. I think this was my favorite meal, this and the chicken fried steak.”

And I heard a sweet chorus of angels singing hallelujah.

Don’t get me wrong, fun doesn’t mean perfect. After all, following dinner I did come upon Bastian and Rose engaged in a belligerent staring match. I don’t even want to know what they were all het up about. I walked on by and called out I was watching modern family to anyone willing to give up their position and join me. They both did eventually. There was also some keen disappointment over our dessert efforts; we’ve decided to leave the baking to the professionals for a while.

Our menu was Chinese Egg Drop Soup, Cucumber Salad, Chicken Fried Rice and Long Bean Salad (dessert was Red Velvet Brownies)

The soup and the fried rice get cooked minutes before you’re going to hit the table. So we prepared all the ingredients in advance and placed them in tiny bowls next to the stove so we could just skip down the instructions adding as called for. The instructions are like add scallions and sauté for 30 seconds then add sugar and sauté for 1 minute… it’s fast moving cooking. I had forgotten to measure out the rice so there was some chaos as the kids are running around falling over each other trying to get the rice measured before my 30 seconds are up. Some comic relief, that was.

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it but I’ve been doing 4 course meals: appetizer/soup, salad, main, dessert. The salads have been interesting. I’ve discovered it’s not that hard to come up with a simple salad to serve that matches whatever we’re cooking. Last week I served tomatoes on a bed of arugula with lemon-parmesan dressing. This week I got an Asian cucumber and had the kid’s slice it, arrange it on a plate and drizzle with sesame ginger dressing. Yum.

The results were, across the board, amazing. The Long Bean salad was crisp and refreshing, served with crispy fried (not sautéed) shallots and garlic. The Chicken Fried Rice was far, far better than anything I’ve gotten at a restaurant and the Egg Drop Soup was so yummy that even those of us who don’t usually like it couldn’t get enough.

A rhythm has begun to emerge in our Sundays that pleases me and is beginning to sink into the kids and the husband. We hang and relax in the early part of the day. I take that time to put together a menu based upon the kids selection for the main course. Around noon, Bastian, Rose and I go food shopping together. We come back put the stuff away and relax until around 3:00 when the kids and I start to cook. Husband works in the yard and, if he can, he reads and relaxes a bit. We’re usually sitting down to eat around 5 or 5:30. We eat dinner til whenever, usually at least 7:30 and then I clean it all up, washing the dishes by hand. I clean the kitchen by myself and enjoy the quiet time and the hot water. Plus, the children feel less oppressed if their entire day isn’t taken up by Sunday Dinner. It’s not how my mom would have done it. We’d all have pitched in to clean but it’s become something of a meditative time for me and as such it is work I don’t mind doing.

Next week my in-laws are coming to town and instead of using a recipe we’ll probably make an old favorite for simplicity’s sake.

Signed,

Trying Momma

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Recipes and Cooking Notes Below

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Chicken Fried Rice 

Source: adapted from "Pork Fried Rice" from Simple Chinese Cooking by Kylie Kwong

Trying Momma's Notes: 

We prefer chicken fried rice so this recipe has been adjusted a bit to accommodate a different meat. I've put my changes in italics. I recommend preparing absolutely everything in advance and putting each ingredient into little bowls. The pace of cooking once it starts is insane so you need to be completely ready. The hoisin sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil should all go into the same little bowl as they are put into the pot together. We don't own a wok so I used a paella pan and a huge BBQ grill spatula, worked great! 

Also there is a Chinese restaurant by us (Pei Wei) that has the very best brown rice. I went the day before and purchased plain brown rice from them. While you can certainly make your own rice a day ahead, making this meal with brown rice takes it from the mundane to the sublime and their rice has this certain nutty flavor that can't be beat.

Yield: Serve as a meal for 4 or as part of a banquet for 4-6

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast

1/3 cup vegetable oil

4 free-range eggs, lightly beaten

1 small red onion, finely diced

1 tablespoon finely diced ginger

2 teaspoons white sugar

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 tablespoon malt vinegar

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

4 cups steamed rice

2/3 cup finely sliced spring onions (scallions)

Using a sharp knife, cut chicken breasts 1/4 inch slices, then cut into 1/2 inch squares. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in wok and stir fry chicken until nearly fully cooked but not yet brown. Set aside on a paper towel covered plate to drain.

Heat half the oil in a hot wok until surface seems to shimmer slightly. Pour beaten eggs into wok and leave to cook on the base of the wok for 10 seconds before folding egg mixture over onto itself with a spatula and lightly scrambling for about 1 minute or until almost cooked through. Carefully remove omelette from wok with a spatula and drain on kitchen paper. Set aside.

Heat remaining oil in hot wok and stir-fry onion and ginger for 30 seconds. Add sugar and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken and stir-fry for a further 30 seconds. Stir in hoisin sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Toss in rice and reserved omelette and stir-fry, using a spatula to break up the egg into smaller pieces, for 1 minute. Lastly, add spring onions and stir-fry for a further 30 seconds or until well combined and rice is heated through.

Transfer rice to a platter and serve.

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Long Bean Salad

Source: www.epicurious.com

Trying Momma's Notes: 

I used regular green beans because I couldn't find the long beans and it was fine. It's possible Central Market would have had them. Also, if you have access to a place to buy spices by the scoop, get the sesame seeds that way. I paid .08 cents for a scoop at HEB  instead of $5.00 for a jar.

Chinese long beans, also known as yard-long beans, really are long — about 18 inches.

Yield: Makes 4 side-dish servings

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

1 bunch Chinese long beans (1 1/4 lb), trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

3 large shallots (6 oz), sliced lengthwise and fried

2 large shallots (4 oz), thinly sliced

4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced and fried

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

2 tablespoons salted roasted peanuts, finely chopped

1 tablespoon peanut oil

Garnish: fresh cilantro leaves and lime wedges

To fry the shallots and garlic heat vegetable oil in a deep heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then fry sliced shallots and garlic, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer shallots & garlic with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

Cook beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain, then plunge into a large bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Drain beans well and pat dry.

Toss beans with remaining ingredients and season with salt.

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Chinese Egg Drop Soup with Noodles

Source: Gourmet | February 2002

Trying Momma's Notes:

We did not make this with the noodles. Since Fried Rice is such a high carb meal we decided to skip adding carbs to this traditional dish. It was still wonderful.

Though egg drop soup is not traditionally made with noodles, we love the texture and substance they add.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Active Time: 10 min

Total Time: 20 min

5 cups chicken stock, or 4 cups chicken broth plus 1 cup water

1 teaspoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons medium-dry Sherry

1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, smashed

1 cup dried fine egg noodles (1 oz)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 to 2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil, or to taste

Bring stock, soy sauce, Sherry, ginger, and garlic to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Remove ginger and garlic with a slotted spoon and discard. Stir in noodles and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 4 minutes. Stirring soup in a circular motion, add eggs in a slow, steady stream. Simmer, undisturbed, until strands of egg are cooked, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in scallions (to taste) and sesame oil. Season with salt.

Trying Momma's Sunday Dinner - Episode 4

Wow! Once you miss, it’s hard to get back isn’t it. We’ve been doing our Sunday Dinners religiously and we haven’t missed a week. Week 4 I was sick and Steve stepped in to cook phở with the kids. It was very authentic and very complicated but yummy. The following week (Week 5) was Easter and we enjoyed our traditional meal of Glazed Ham, Black Beans and Rice.

Week 6 was amazing! We made this whole fish dish with striped bass that was very strange to cook. You stuff the fish with seasoning, coat it in tons of coarse sea salt and bake it. The sea salt forms a hard outer shell that you rap with a knife to take off as one piece, very high tech! It was, in my opinion, the best meal we’ve made to date. We served it with Crisp Rosemary Potatoes, Three bean salad and deviled eggs. The only glitch was that I dropped almost half the fish on the floor as I was serving it. What a tragedy it was.

Week 7 was Mother’s Day and Steve and the kids cooked homemade pizza for me.

This brings me to this week (week 8). It was not the most successful week we’ve had in terms of cooking. We made Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Mustard-Dill Sauce & Quinoa and Spring Vegetable Pilaf. The pork was not extraordinary and though the flavor of the Quinoa was great, we overcooked it and it was mushy. I’d like to try the Quinoa again someday, I think it could be a real treat. The mint creates a very subtle flavor and really complements the vegetables.

As we realized the meal was not going to be very good, we ended up talking about the energy you bring to making food. There was a lot of conflict yesterday as we cooked. The kids were both in awful moods and pecked at each other and me throughout the entire process. There was no fixing their attitudes but I told them both that this is what happens when meals aren’t cooked with love. Anger sours the dishes. I really believe that all the negative energy we had ruined the meal.

The good news is that dinner time was perfect. Somehow, their moods turned around and we visited and told stories and played a guessing game way into the evening. It was everything a trying momma could have hoped for.

Next week: Chicken Fried Rice

Signed,

Trying Momma

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Recipes and Cooking Notes Below

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Whole Fish Baked in Sea Salt 

Source: www.epicurious.com

Trying Momma's Notes: Have the fish monger prepare the whole fish for you. It is mush easier. They will ask you about removing the gills. Leave them on, it prevents the salt from leaching into the fish meat.

Yield: Makes 6 servings

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 3-pound cleaned scaled whole fish (such as whitefish or salmon), fins removed

1 cup thinly sliced leek (white and pale green parts only)

1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds

2 large egg whites

1/4 cup water

2 26.5-ounce boxes coarse sea salt (6 cups)

Extra-virgin olive oil

Lemon wedges

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 450°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with foil, leaving generous overhang. Combine first 3 ingredients in small skillet. Toast spices over medium heat until beginning to pop, stirring frequently, about 9 minutes. Cool spices. Coarsely crush in mortar with pestle or in heavy resealable plastic bag with mallet.

Rinse fish inside and out; pat dry. Sprinkle all of spice mixture in fish cavity. Stuff with leek and lemon slices.

Whisk egg whites and water in large bowl to blend. Add salt. Stir until salt is evenly moistened. Spread 2 cups salt mixture in 4-inch-wide, 12-inch-long strip (or use more to equal length of fish) on prepared sheet. Place fish on salt. Cover fish completely with remaining salt mixture, pressing to seal.

Bake fish 25 minutes. Let stand in crust 10 minutes.

Using large knife, rap crust sharply to crack. Brush salt from fish. Cut into portions and serve, passing extra-virgin olive oil and lemon wedges alongside.

TEST-KITCHEN TIP:

For 8 to 10 servings, cook a 4 1/2-pound fish instead (you'll need to use 3 egg whites, 6 tablespoons water, and 3 boxes of salt). Bake the fish for 35 minutes. Whatever size fish you use, be sure to preheat the oven for 30 minutes, using an oven thermometer for accuracy.

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Quinoa and Spring Vegetable Pilaf

Source: www.epicurious.com

Trying Momma's Notes: Don't make the mistake I did. It is crucial that you not overcook the grain. We made the vegetables perfectly and the whole dish was ruined by mushy quinoa.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes 

1 1/2 cups quinoa, well rinsed

1 cup vegetable broth

2 cups frozen petite peas, thawed, divided

5 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves, divided

1 garlic clove, peeled

3 tablespoons butter 

1 large leek (white and pale green parts only), halved, thinly sliced (about 1 cup) 

3/4 cup sliced shallots

8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, thickly sliced

1 14-ounce bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces

Bring 2 1/2 cups water to boil in small saucepan. Add quinoa and 1 teaspoon salt; return to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender and water is absorbed, 15 to 17 minutes. Drain if necessary.

Puree broth, 1 cup peas, 4 tablespoons mint, and garlic in blender until smooth

Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leek and shallots; sauté until soft and light brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, then asparagus; sauté until mushrooms are tender and asparagus is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in puree and 1 cup peas; stir until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add quinoa; stir to coat.

Divide pilaf among bowls; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon mint and serve.

Trying Momma's Sunday Dinner - Episode 3

Despite our best plans, phở was not to be. Rose asked to go to a friend’s house and given that she couldn’t go to the school dance that week, I let her off the hook. Her free time is so rare and I don't want to make Sunday dinner a burden. She did come home with enough time to make the salad, remind Bastian to get quotes for each of us and enjoy dinner.

Last week Bastian used one of my father’s old books to find a quote for each of us. This book has a copyright from 1948 and this particular printing is from 1965. 

It is 2,666 pages.  

We each picked a page at random and he closed his eyes and pointed to select our message. Then he typed and printed it up and placed it on our plates. Apparently this was a winning idea since they both made sure to do it again. They are also keeping track of the quotes and who got them. Posterity, here we come. Since my father has passed away, it is a nice thing that has happened, using this book. It is a comforting reminder connecting the past to the present and the future.

As for the cooking, for the most part, it was just Bastian and I. This is ironic since he's the one who didn’t want to cook. He’s getting into the rhythm of it though. Bastian enjoyed the cooking more this time. It was quite a bit less labor intensive and time consuming. We started with sauteed mushrooms with smoked mozzarella and had tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce for the main course, canollis for desert (of course).

He learned how to cut an onion and peel garlic; he cut the herbs from the garden and stripped the leaves off the stems. He was surprised that a meal would need to simmer for such a long time. I had him taste it at after an hour of simmering and then four hours later, nothing illustrates the difference quite like actually tasting the food. This is a recipe I used to make when my husband and I were first married. It was a new experience for the kids and they enjoyed it immensely. I’m not sure why I stopped making this sauce but it was amazing as usual.

Conversation was lively and we ended up googling an obscure preacher whose quotes came up at both dinners. We finished the night as we did last week, watching Modern Family and laughing out loud.

Signed,

Trying Momma

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Recipes and Cooking Notes Below

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Bolognese sauce with tagliatelle

Source: "The Classic Italian Cookbook" by Marcella Hazan

Trying Momma's Notes:

This is THE most delicious meat sauce I've ever tasted. It is prepared early in the day and then left to simmer for 4 hours. Well worth the wait!

Garlic bread

Source: Trying Momma

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees

2. Use fresh Italian bread and slice lengthwise

3. heat 5 tbsp butter and 1/4 cup olive oil in skillet

4. add 6 cloves of finely chopped garlic and saute until garlic is a light golden brown

5. brush garlic, oil and butter mixture on both pieces of  the bread

6. wrap completely in tin foil and put in oven for between 30 minutes and an hour

7. Unwrap and enjoy!

Sautéed Mushrooms with Smoked Mozzarella

Source: Trying Momma

Trying Momma's Notes:

This is an easy peasy appetizer that you can whip up in ten minutes and it is awesome. The kids both asked for more though there was none to be had... it is an appetizer after all.

1. heat equal parts butter and olive oil in skillet

2. add washed, qartered mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are soft but firm

3. place in mini casserole dishes and grate fresh smoked mozzarella on top - enough to cover but still see the mushrooms underneath

4. place in oven or microwave until the cheese melts (oven: 10 minutes, microwave: 2 minutes)

Trying Momma's Sunday Dinner - Episode 2

On Tuesday I set about putting together the Sunday Dinner Box. A few family heirlooms and $50 bucks later I had it together. Everything matched beautifully. I put it all aside and waited to bring it out, oh so casually, on Sunday.

I only got one inquiry on the box. It was from my daughter. My explanation? "I needed a bit of storage."

Wednesday afternoon, in passing, I mentioned to the kids that I'd like them to pick whatever they wanted for dinner on Sunday and we'd cook it. Bastian enthusiastically led off with chicken fried steak, gravy and mashed potatoes to which Rose replied "ugh..." I observed that there may be some give and take necessary here.

Right off the bat, the "we" in "we'll cook" seemed to have gone unnoticed. I believe they thought I meant the royal we, as in me. It took my son about 2 days to process it, at which point he came back to me.

"Mom, do you mean we're all cooking this dinner on Sunday?"

"Well, yeah" I said

"Okay, never mind, I don't want a special dinner." he replied. 

On Sunday my daughter was excited to start but my son, not so much. Rose chose an Orange Fruit Dip for an appetizer and we went with my son’s dream meal of Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes & Fried Okra. Our dessert was Angel Food Cake with strawberries and cream.  We started at noon picking recipes and making a shopping list. I was busted by Rose before we’d even reached the supermarket. 

“Are we going to do this every week?” she asked. 

“I’d like to.” I said. With a huge grin she asked if it was a surprise.

"It’s a surprise for some and a 'stealth attack' for others" I replied… Bastian snorted.

Our trip to the grocery store did not start out well. Bastian was extremely resistant, refusing to look at the list or push the cart. He followed his sister and me around with a generally sullen teen look about him for the first 15 minutes. Later, as we were checking out, he informed me that he knew people there and couldn't just be following his mom around the store carting groceries and flowers… “I have an image to maintain.” Nice. And eye opening. I forget what it’s like to be 14 and embarrassed by the mere presence of an adult.

After he settled down (or the unknown peers left), they learned some things. The dip called for Orange Marmalade. Rose grabbed some Smuckers and announced she had the jam. I grabbed one from England and said “well let’s look at the ingredients. Mine has sugar, oranges and pectin… what does yours say?” Rose reads: “high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, orange peel, orange juice…” at that point, Bastian reached around me, grabbed the one I was holding and put it in the cart. Rose laughed and I called it a victory for informed, healthy eating.

At home the cooking went smoothly except for a slight hiccup when it came time to agree on the ambient music during our work. When he couldn’t stomach pop and she proclaimed hip hop utterly inappropriate, I turned on classical and declared myself the winner.

They worked so hard. This is a huge meal and very labor intensive but they really got into it. They followed the recipes. Bastian cooked the Fried Okra solo, Rose cooked the Chicken Fried Steak and we all had a hand in the potatoes, the dip, salad and dessert. When I brought out my box with all the special supplies, they oohed and aahed like small children and I was so warmed and so happy to see the little kids peeking out of the older ones eyes. Though the table was lovely, I was too tired and too eager to sit down to take a picture.

My husband, like my daughter, knows me too well. He sat down to dinner, looked at me with a smile and asked “darling, what are we up to here?” Sheepishly I explained my “plan.”  He thought it was a great idea. 

All my plotting was both ineffective and, apparently, unnecessary. He does love good food.

It took me two hours to clean but it was well worth it and I am excited for next week - which will be Rose’s pick…

Phở!

Signed, 

Trying Momma

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Recipes and Cooking Notes Below

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Old-Fashioned Fried Okra

Source: www.texascooking.com

Trying Momma's Notes:

This can be prepared at the very start of the cooking and set aside to fry in the last 15 minutes. The batter is a light coating on the okra and not the thick bread found on fried okra in most Texas restaurants. It is a lighter version of this dish.

Fried okra is a southern staple, and now that frozen chopped okra is available in most supermarkets, it can be enjoyed year round. (Mind you, fresh is better than frozen, but good, fresh okra can be hard to find outside the southern states.)

•1 quart okra (4 cups)

•1/2 cup all-purpose flour

•1/2 cup cornmeal

•1/2 teaspoon salt

•1/8 teaspoon pepper

•1 egg, well beaten

•1 cup shortening

Wash okra well and drain. Cut off tip and stem ends. Cut in 1/2-inch pieces, and set aside in medium bowl. 

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper. Pour the beaten egg over the okra, and toss until okra is coated. Pour flour mixture over okra, and toss to coat. 

Heat shortening in a large skillet over medium heat (oil should be hot, but not smoking hot). Add okra and fry until brown and crisp. Drain well on paper towels. Makes about 6 servings. 

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Texas-Style Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy

Source: www.texascooking.com

Trying Momma's Notes:
Husband is a true Texan and felt this was the genuine article. However, we made the mistake of preparing these puppies first, cooking the rest of the meal and then frying them just before we sat down. In my opinion these bad boys need to prepared, fried and served all in one fell swoop with no delay. That should give a better crisp and yummy chicken fried steak coating. Otherwise this recipe, though hard work is virtually idiot proof.

It is hard to get much more Texan than Chicken Fried Steak. Quality of the beef really counts in this dish. This recipe calls for cube steaks, but good round steak that you have asked the butcher to run through the tenderizer or that you have tenderized yourself with a mallet (no big deal and can be a real stress reliever) can be even better.

•4 tenderized beef cutlets (known in supermarkets as "cube steak") OR 1 round steak, with fat removed, that you've tenderized yourself (see above)

•1 egg

•1/4 cup milk

•all-purpose flour

•cooking oil or melted Crisco®

•1/2 teaspoon salt

•1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

•1/4 teaspoon paprika

•1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Beat together the egg and milk and set aside. Mix together the salt, black pepper, paprika and white pepper and sprinkle on both sides of beef cutlets. 

Dredge the cutlets in the flour, shaking off the excess. Then dip each cutlet in the egg/milk mixture, then back in the flour. (You're going to get your hands messy here, so take your rings off.) Set cutlets aside on a piece of waxed paper. 

Heat the cooking oil in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Oil should be about a half-inch deep in the pan. Check the temperature with a drop of water; if it pops and spits back at you, it's ready. 

With a long-handled fork, carefully place each cutlet into the hot oil. Protect yourself (and your kitchen) from the popping grease that results. Fry cutlets on both sides, turning once, until golden brown. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 4 or 5 minutes until cutlets are done through. Drain cutlets on paper towels. 

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Cream Gravy 

Source: www.texascooking.com

Trying Momma's Notes:

Keep adding water and milk alternating until you get the consistancy you desire. This gravy should be thick but as it cooks up it will thicken even more so make it just a tad thinner than you'd like to make up for that.

After the cutlets are removed from the pan, pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of oil, keeping as many as possible of the browned bits in the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat until hot. 

Sprinkle 3 tablespoons flour (use the left-over flour from the chicken fried steak recipe) in the hot oil. Stir with a wooden spoon, quickly, to brown the flour. 

Gradually stir in 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup water, mixed together, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon and mashing out any lumps. Lower heat, and gravy will begin to thicken. Continue cooking and stirring a few minutes until gravy reaches desired thickness. Check seasonings and add more salt and pepper according to your taste. 

Trying Momma's Sunday Dinner - Episode 1

As a momma who's trying really hard to keep the family link alive there comes a time when you look around and realize that dinner, each and every night, together as a family, is going the way of play dates & bedtime stories.

My children are 14 and 12. For years we've had dinners together with my husband every single night. They are my favorite time of the day. They are a time for telling stories, quizzing each other from the Almanac, laughing and connecting. The last few weeks I've looked around and noticed that one day one child is staying at school through dinner for drill team, another day the other child is at practice til 8pm. Suddenly a week happens when there are consistently only three of us sitting down to those meals each night. Awful!

And it's only going to get worse as they get older.

My solution? Sunday Dinner. No one schedules anything for Sunday, at least not in Texas they don't. This week we begin. It's a bit of a secret though. If I tell my husband that I'm creating another obligation, I'm sure to get blow back. No, it's simply going to be the slow development of a habit. He won't even notice til it's too late.

I'm thinking I can get the kids involved in picking the meal and shopping for fresh ingredients Sunday afternoon. They can help cook and it wouldn't hurt for them to begin to learn their way around the kitchen. I'm going this week to buy a few things to kick off Trying Momma's Sunday Dinner. A special table cloth with cloth napkins, a low candle stick with candles, a bread basket, and a box.  

Sunday dinner supplies, in their own special place, sets the tone that this day is different.

In this blog I'll post process and results: the recipes, the shopping, the successes and the failures. Wish us well.

Signed,

Trying Momma