Recipes from the Farm

We've loved chicken fried steak since our days eating at Luby's Cafeteria after church on Sundays. A good chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and green beans with gravy is probably the perfect meal as defined by John. Even better, because we dry age our beef for an extended period, our cubed steak turns out even more tender. 

During the last few years, we've learned a bit about making the perfect chicken fried steak. Three changes I've made that have made a huge difference:

1. Hot Sauce...adding a few shakes of hot sauce- i.e. Franks or Cholula brand to your egg and buttermilk (or regular milk) mixture. This just adds a richness to the flavor. Yum!

2. Buttermilk... I've started using buttermilk in my milk and egg (plus hot sauce) mixture.

3. Don't crowd your pan! This one I just learned at age 40 but two steaks at a time max in our 10 inch cast iron. It's magic how much better everything works. Just trust me on this. 

Anyhow, sometimes the guys want steak fingers. I use the exact same recipe and method but cut the steaks into strips before we get started. Perfection. 

We love to have "Guiso" as we call it. Carne Guisada is a popular Mexican dish that our whole family loves. This recipe is truly mild enough for everyone with a great flavor. As a busy mom, I love that I dump it all in together and it comes out perfectly. Its a great alternative use of stew meat. Our sassy and smart Aunt Jessie shared this recipe and I promise your family will love it.

Osso Buco is essentially braised beef shank and involves, wine, butter and rich beef broth- all of the good things. The recipe hales from Italy and, translated, means “bone with a hole.” The hole being the marrow in the middle of the bone that cooks out into your dinner- with amazing health benefits and delicious richness. Italians have been serving this for centuries but this is our take on it and we will sub in mashed potatoes for the traditional risotto because the guys love them and it’s a little simpler.

Our flat iron steak tacos are great for a quick weeknight meal or your weekend tailgate party. They are simple but tasty and will truly be a fan favorite.

The flat iron steak is named for is uniformity in thickness and rectangular shape. It has really grown in popularity as a less expensive, but very tender cut from the chuck, or shoulder, primal. The flat iron is great on the grill but can be marinaded and seasoned much like a flank or skirt steak. We recommend searing it at high heat and then finishing to medium rare at a lower temperature.

Flat irons are highly marbled, full of beef flavor and tender.

As a busy farm mom, I'm always looking for easy, hands-off dinner ideas that the whole family will love. This one hits the spot every time. It's also a huge favorite for large groups. 

We make this for our Farm Day field trip volunteers and for a church potluck but also just as an easy crockpot meal. 

Enjoy!