Slow Cooker Cube Steak with Gravy

A dear friend blessed me with a couple packages of cube steaks, and I knew just what to do with them. Tuesday's are very busy for us ever since our girls started cheerleading. I'll be out of the house from 3:30pm to 6:15pm. Let me tell you, there is nothing worse than coming home at 6:15pm with hungry cranky kids in tow and having no clue what you're going to fix for dinner.

Here is my take on a traditional cube steak with gravy dinner.

Ingredients:

Beef cube steak (thawed)
1 cup flour
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
1 onion chopped
4 beef bouillon cubes
2 cups water
2 tbsp. oil
2 small cans cream of mushroom soup

Directions:

1. Place 2 cups water in a small saucepan with bouillon cubes, chopped onion, and a dash of garlic powder. Bring to a boil and simmer.
2. Place flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in a pie plate. Mix with fork. (I don't give exact amounts, because I don't know! I would guess about 1 tsp. of each.)
3. In a large frying pan, heat the oil.
4. Dredge the steaks in the flour mixture and place in hot pan.
5. Brown the steaks on both sides. You're not cooking the steaks, just browning them. They will cook in the crock pot...you don't want them to be dry.
6. Remove from pan and place in bottom of slow cooker.
7. Don't skip the flour. It's important for two parts of this recipe...it will help form the thick gravy in the slow cooker and it's vital to this next step.
8. Remember the bouillon mixture you've got going? Add that to the hot pan of crusty, brown, flavorful goodness you just took the steaks out of. It will be very bubbly, very fast...but don't panic, just whisk it all together. Whisk, whisk, until everything comes up off the bottom of the pan.
9. Now, dump the two cans of cream of mushroom soup over the steaks and spread evenly.
10. Pour the onion soup mixture into the slow cooker...right on top of everything!
11. Cook on low for 6-8 hours and enjoy the smell permeating through your house.

Now, I'll also go ahead and cook some mashed potatoes at this point. When they're done, I'll put them in the fridge to warm up when I get home. The cube steaks make a perfect gravy to top the potatoes, add a side of corn and I'm in heaven. If I were really ambitious, I would make some biscuits...but I'm just not feeling it today!!

***Helpful Hint: Did you catch on to what the beef bouillon and onions essentially made? French onion soup!! I never have that in the house, and a jar of bouillon is so much cheaper that I'd just as soon make my own. If you don't have a particular ingredient, search the web for an easy alternative. Many times you can make a substitute that's just as good or better.

It's Monday, but Sunday's A Comin'..

We had a wonderful service at church yesterday. The singing was beautiful, the preaching was powerful, and God was definitely present.

It got me thinking. What do I do daily, to prepare myself for Sunday? Other than church, how did we make Sunday any different than the rest of the week. The answer....I didn't.

I am already in the habit of making sure the kids have their church clothes picked out on Saturday so I can iron anything that may be wrinkled. This also prevents the last minute, "You are not wearing that to church", conversation. But other than that, we really don't do anything special.

Sunday should be special. Sunday is the day we corporately meet our Lord and unashamedly worship Him together. Sunday is the day we see our church family that we might not otherwise see during the week. Sunday is a day to learn more of God and what we need to do to walk daily in His will. The Lord's Day should be our day of rest. Sunday should be special.

Too often, in our family, we find ourselves scrambling out the door at 9:15am Sunday morning. Most of the time someone's temper is flaring, the kids are arguing over who sits where, we get half way to church and someone remembers they've forgotten something. I get everyone to their Sunday School classes, only to get to mine and feel the urgent need to collapse.

I was reading about the Jewish culture, and how their entire week is planned to prepare for Shabbat. They clean all week in preparation for their special day. Special meals are prepared and ready so Shabbat can be a time of rest. Worshiping God is so important, their daily activities are scheduled as such to make the coming Shabbat holy and set apart as it should be, an anticipated event. Our Lord's Day should be an anticipated event.

So this week, I'm going to try something new. I would like to do something each day to prepare our home in anticipation for The Lord's Day. I'll try to post a schedule (or something) as it comes to me. In the mean time, I'd love to hear from you. What do you do to make Sunday a special and anticipated event?

Acts 2:37-38

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Read about baptism here.

Teach them to be Chaste

Titus 2:5

"To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."



Titus 2:4 begins by teaching us how we should, as godly women, treat others. In verse 5, we are given instructions on how we should act.



Here is a very challenging, and well written post by Kelly at Generation Cedar on teaching young women to be chaste. Her blog is full of thought provoking truths. Enjoy.

A few of my favorite things....

A centerpiece of fresh fruit in my favorite ceramic bowl. There's nothing special about this bowl. It's one of three that were bought at a garage sale by a friend of mine. She knew I needed some mixing bowls and thought these would be perfect. They are. They're cracked, chipped, and worn. Every time I use them, I have visions of a grandmother somewhere, lovingly mixing up something wonderful for her family. I love this bowl.

My favorite cup. Again, another hand-me-down from who knows where. I love that it's dainty, feminine, and worn. I can be caught drinking coffee from it as well as tea. It makes me feel pampered.

Fresh, homemade, peach pie. With coffee, please. Do I need to explain?

A finished project. This one is bound for Nebraska.

A new project. I'm not sure where this one headed, or what it will be. I need some new dishcloths, maybe I'll be keeping these.

And the occasional, random shot found on my camera. Put there by someone under the age of 10, just waiting to be discovered by yours truly. I love their goofy personalities.

Today's To-Do

Here's my to-do list for today. I've been a real slacker, so I'm hoping to accomplish this before the big kids come home from school. I'll fill you in tonight as to how well I did.

1. Shower, dress, fix hair


2. Start laundry (wash all today to catch up)


3. Unload dishwasher


4. Load dishwasher


5. Straighten kitchen


6. 409 kitchen counters and doors


7. Straighten dining room area


8. Wipe down dining room table and chairs, sweep


9. Straighten living room area, sweep


10. Clean bathroom: mirror, counter, sink, toilet, tub, empty trash, sweep


11. Make bed


12. Fold and put away clothes


13. Cut fabric for Erin's nightgowns (sew later)


14. Cut fabric for napkins (sew later)


15. Cut table cloth and add elastic to fit (cut scraps for napkins to be sewn later)

That should keep me busy until the big kids get home, then my night looks something like this:

________________________

1. Help with homework


2. Supervise chores


3. Start supper (kids usually go out and play at this point)


4. Eat


5. Clean up (clear table, dishes, wipe down table, sweep)


6. Supervise baths


7. Give Ty nightly med routine


8. Prayers and goodnight to kiddos


9. Collapse on couch hoping to watch something mindless


10. Fall asleep on couch and begrudgingly make it to the bedroom
I actually made it to bed before I fell asleep!

:) What's your schedule look like?

So, how do we love them?

The question now, is "How do we really love our children?" I think first and foremost we need to go before the throne of God Almighty and beg forgiveness for how we view HIS children. Not only for ourselves, but for the horrendous murder of the unborn that this nation is practicing. Pray the Lord will guide our hearts and our actions as He changes us and our thinking. Then, turn our hearts toward our children.

Moms, you have your very own mission field right in your home. Christians travel thousands of miles to spread the gospel to the unreached people of the world, and you only have to take a few steps. Even if your children have accepted the saving grace of Jesus Christ, they still need to see a godly, christian life, lived out before them. There is no higher calling than to care for our children.

So how do we love them?

Proverbs 22:6

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

Ephesians 6:4

"And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."

I Corinthians 11:1

"Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ."

2 Timothy 3:16-17

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

Matthew 25:40

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

James 1:19

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:"

Moms, there are so many more scriptures that will pierce your heart, search the word and allow God to speak through them.

I have to be honest, this post took 3 days to write. Not because it is so eloquently worded or a deep theological discussion, but because mothering is hard. I don't have all the answers, I fail each day. I struggle with remembering to have a soft answer and a patient attitude. Praise God for His mercy, grace, and forgiveness that is new each morning.

Really loving our children

A good friend of mine wrote a post on loving our children over at The Frazzled Mama . She dives deep into the meaning of "love" in reference to our little ones. Go, visit her site, and open your hearts to the challenge of really loving our children.

To Love Their Children

Do we really love children? Oh, sure, we think they're cute...most of the time. We take care of them, clothe them, feed them, give them shelter. But do we really love children? Do we look at them and see them the way God sees us? Helpless, learning, growing, wonderfully made. Sinful, prideful, selfish people in need of the saving grace of Jesus.

Do we really think children are a blessing from the Lord? I challenge you to think about this for a minute. Think of all the blessings the Lord could bestow on you right now. Money, friendship, stuff, etc. Do children even come to mind? Yet the God's word in Psalm 127:3 says, "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." Children are a reward from God. Could you imagine doing something worthy of recognition and being handed a baby! I have a feeling many people would settle for a parting gift instead.

We live in a society that views children as a liability. When thinking of having more children we often consider our lifestyles and how they would change. Questions start popping into our minds...can we afford them, can we love them all, can we handle them???? The Lord promises to give us everything we NEED. Do all of our children NEED designer clothes? Do they really NEED their own rooms? Do they NEED a toy every time you go to the grocery store? NO! That is a lifestyle. God does not promise a certain lifestyle to his children, only the promise of basic needs being met. Food, clothing, shelter. Are we willing to give up a lifestyle to accept a blessing of God? More than likely, we're willing to cut off the blessings and accept the curse of becoming slaves to a lifestyle. A mom of lots once said, "Children aren't expensive, lifestyles are."

I cut off that blessing. After we found out Ty was going to be born with special needs, we panicked. We listened to all of the wrong, but well meaning, advice that told us we were being responsible. Who could blame us, right? The genetic counselors told us there was an increased risk of having more children "like Ty". Hindsight can kill you. I'd give anything to have a housefull of children just like Ty. But here lies the problem with choice, you can be sorry, but you can't go back.

Do we really love children?

Prayer Request

Please pray for our family. I have been in the hospital with Ty since Monday. He had to have emergency surgery Tuesday morning. After a rough several days, he is finally doing better and they are looking to send us home. Within minutes, my husband called to let me know he has been deployed to assist with hurricane preparations at prisons in South Florida. He is expected to be gone for 4-7 days. It remains a very trying and stressful time for our family. Your prayers are appreciated.

Labor free morning

Happy Labor Day everyone. I'm taking a break from my Titus 2 entries to post about my breakfast! I tried this recipe from Pioneer Woman called Sleepin' In Omelete. This woman is about the best cook slash photographer slash hilarious blogger I've ever seen. She lives on a ranch, home schools her 4 children, and bottle feeds helpless bovines....ah, the life. Anyway...here is the attempt at her yummy brekky in pictures. I should point out that this is also the frugal/modified version. There where a couple of ingredients that I didn't have, so I made due. PS - My photos are no where near as good as hers, I just don't have the equipment or the eye, so back off.

First, you start by ripping apart 6 onion rolls and placing them in a greased 9x13 pan. Use your slave labor..ahem, helping hands, to sprinkle 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese over the top.

Have that slave laborer, I mean helper, begin cracking 10 eggs. Yes, 10! I look at it this way, that's actually less than if we were eating eggs by themselves. So for me, 10 is good. Besides, it's good practice for the help. :)

Add 1/2 tsp. of salt.

Add 1/2 tsp. dry mustard.

This is where changes were made. The original recipe called for cayenne pepper. I didn't have any, so I used a couple shots of hot sauce. Yum! Also, it called for chopped chives. Didn't have any, so I skipped that part. Besides, if #2 were to have seen something green, she wouldn't have touched it with a ten foot pole.

Whisk everything together with 2 cups milk. While whisking, try to take a picture and figure out why everything is so bright. Turning off the flash didn't help. I told you I wasn't much of a photographer.

Before you pour it on, this is where it gets good. Crumble an entire 8oz package of cream cheese over the top. Also, slice 1 1/2 sticks of butter and place over the top. That's where the other modification came in. I don't usually have sticks of butter, so I used about 1/2 cup margarine and dolloped it over the top.

Then pour the creamy milk/egg mixture over the entire thing. Again, too bright..I know!

Next, cover it with foil and let it rest in the fridge over night. Forget about and play on the computer, watch a movie, or love your husband. Oh, wait...it's a family blog.

In the morning before you can even function, pop it in the oven at 325 for 45min. covered. Uncover and up the temp. to 350 and bake for 10-15 min. more. This is what you get...

A flaky top, gooey cheesy middle, sinfully good breakfast. Disclaimer...don't write in telling me how fattening this is. You shouldn't make this for Uncle Phil who's already had triple bypass..it's a disaster waiting to happen. It really is this good....the original recipe says, "Eat, faint, repeat"...you can't improve on that. Except I'm thinking ham, bacon, or sausage crumbles would be heavenly!!

Spoon it up with your favorite cup of joe....or chocolate milk for the slave labor.

And before the crust can leave their sleepy eyes, they will be singing your praise.


The pop tarts? Oh, those. Well, he doesn't really sing praise in the morning unless he has his pop tarts. What???? He'll grow out of it!

Finished!

Ah, the accomplished feeling of the first finished Christmas gift. There is none like it. The power, the pleasure, the realization that you only have about 22 more to go. What?? Oh well, it felt good for awhile.

The recipient of this "lap-ghan" (small afghan) is a devout Dallas Cowboys fan...one of many faults! She's also from Texas, so the star is very appropiate (one point looks shaped funny, but that's just the curve of my bed...promise).

Gee, I hope my aunt doesn't read my blog!!