Monday, December 30, 2024

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Slow Cooker Cubed Steak with Mushroom Gravy and Mashed Potatoes

This is my third version of this recipe, and I think I got it to exactly the way I like it. There was a recipe in 2022 and another in 2017

So here goes. I liked using the cream of mushroom soup better.

Ingredients
2 lbs. of cubed steak
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of French onion soup
Water
1-2 cups of beef stock
1 package of mushrooms, sliced
Healthy smidge of Penzey's Beef Roast seasoning
Very healthy smidge of Penzey's Northwoods seasoning
Freshly cracked black pepper
Kosher salt to taste
Roughly 6-8 tablespoons of AP flour (depends on how thick you want the gravy)

Process
In the past when I worked with cubed steak, it was just too thick, so I trimmed off any excess fat and tenderized it even more with a mallet, so the steak was super thin and tenderized. 

In the slow cooker on low, add the cans of soup and cup of beef stock. I added some water to the can of cream of mushroom soup and poured it in. I added beef stock to the French onion soup can and pour it in. Add in the seasonings and add them throughout the process as needed. 

Whisk it all together and then place the cubed steak into the gravy. Cook on low for roughly eight hours. 

When it's around the last hour of cooking, make your mashed potatoes. And then put in your sliced mushrooms. Liberally apply cracked black pepper and salt as needed. 

As you're making the mashed potatoes, pull out the cubed steak. 

I ditched the corn starch in the previous version and just went old school with flour. Turn up the heat to high and add in two tablespoons of flour at a time and whisk vigorously. Add as much flour from time to time to get the thickness you like. 

Serve the steak and gravy over mashed potatoes. 

Friday, December 27, 2024

Musing of the Moment: Changes in Football to be Considered

I would like to propose a few changes to the game of football, two of which are related to scoring. 

Proposal 1: Make the Safety Worth More Points
The safety has worth two points forever. However, it's more rare than a field goal, so why not make it at least as much as field goal or maybe even more? A bold proposal would be a safety scoring 4 points. 

Proposal 2: Make Field Goals Over 50 yards Worth Four Points
People are familiar with fantasy football scoring system that give different points based on how long the field goal is. For example, in the fantasy league I am part of, a field goal from 0-39 yards is worth 3 points, 40-49 yards is worth 4 points, 50-59 points is worth 5 points, and over 60 yards is worth 6 points. 

But let's keep it simple. Any field goal over 50 yards scores 4 points, not 3. 

Proposal 3: In the NFL, Change the Kickoff Rules for More Returns
This season in the NFL the kickoff rules were changed for safety reasons, which I agree with. However, teams are still mainly just kicking it into the end zone for no returns and just touchbacks. 

If the NFL wants to really get kickers getting it into the "landing zone," they need to spot touchbacks not at the 30-yard line. Instead, touchbacks should be spotted at the 40-yard line to penalize touchbacks. 

Be bold. 

Music Friday: "Radio Free Europe" & "So. Central Rain"

For the holidays, I received a couple of books, one of which is The Name of This Band is R.E.M. by Peter Ames Carlin.

I'm only a few chapters in, but I'm enjoying it so far. 

In the Introduction, the author talks about the band's TV debut on Late Night with David Letterman, and they played these songs during their appearance. 


Friday, December 20, 2024

Music Friday: "Pictures of You"

The Cure came out with a new album this year, and I'm told it's quite good. 

I had the album Disintegration at one time, but I lost it somewhere along the way of life. So I bought it agin this week. 

Here's one of the "hits" from that opus. 

Friday, December 13, 2024

Music Friday: "Time & Place"

I can't remember if I have featured a tune from 2023 album In Times New Roman... by Queens of the Stone Age, but I'm doing so today. 

Here's "Time & Place" 

Friday, December 6, 2024

Music Friday: "I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All"

I didn't realize Father John Misty had a new album out this month until this video came across my recommendations when I went to YouTube. 

I haven't bought the album yet, but I'm likely to do so soon. 

Sunday, December 1, 2024

Sunday Hangover: Auburn

A victory in the Iron Bowl is always a welcome outcome. The Tide beat Auburn by a two-score margin. 

Milroe had a three-touchdown game on the ground with 104 net yards. Jamarion Miller had 84 net rushing yards, and Haynes chipped in with a touchdown run. 

Bernard had his best game of the season with seven catches for 111 yards. 

One of the real positive trends in this game is that Milroe was targeting the tight ends more than he has in the past. If you go back and analyze past Sunday Hangover posts over the years, one consistent complaint I have had was that the Tide offense needs to pass to tight ends more often. 

They did in this game with a total of 8 catches: 3 to Dippre, 3 to Cuevas, and 2 to Ouzts. And if I remember right, there was a pass each to Dippre and Cuevas that could have been touchdowns if they brought in the passes.  

The defense gave up some yards but foiled the Tigers when they had their chances. I was worried because Lawson is out for the rest of the season, but I think Jefferson did a fine job as the defensive play caller. 

And Jihaad Campbell showed why he's likely to be a first-round pick. He led the team with 9 total tackles in the game. 

Next up is the great unknown because the likelihood of Alabama making the 12-team playoff is low.