Love is in the air...

As the Valentine weekend began, at work yesterday there were several treats to start it off.

When I got home last night, I had a surprise.  I won the drawing from the giveaway give by Rhodes Creations.

* Potpourri and Hot Maple Tody potpourri liquid
* All Natural Furniture Spray - Lemon scent
* Microfiber Cloth
* Pretty handmade ornament
* Rustic star ornament
* Help from Above - a collection of Bible verses
* All Natural Dusting Powder
* Bath Melts
* Vanilla Latte Sugar Body Scrub
* Aller Herb Tea
* Mixed Herbal Blend Honey
* Mint Lip Balm
* Massage oil

It was a nice surprise for the day.  :)
Check out Laura's website at www.laurarhodes.blogspot.com

In celebration of today, I had told David I would cook.  He had requested chicken fried steak with all the fixings.  :)

I've never cooked chicken fried steak, so I looked for a recipe but didn't find one that suited me.  So I picked a recipe out to follow and then changed it up for our Valentine meal.

I'm happy to say it turned out good.

Here's how I made it.

• 4 pork cube steaks, salted and peppered on both sides
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 egg
• dash or two of cayenne pepper
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 2-3 cups vegetable shortening for frying

Put 2 cups of flour in a shallow bowl.  Stir together the baking powder, baking soda, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper in a separate bowl - add the egg, garlic and buttermilk and mix well (this is your batter).  Dredge each steak first in the flour, then the batter, and in the flour again.  Be sure to pat the flour on the steaks so that they are covered completely with dry flour.

Heat vegetable shortening in a deep fryer or a deep cast iron skillet to 325° F.  Fry each steak until evenly brown on both sides, about 3-5 minutes per side.  Place the fried steaks on a plate lined with paper towel to drain while you cook the rest of the steaks.

These are tender and easily cut with a fork, and are yummy.

In a blog or two back, I mentioned getting a darning/free motion foot for my sewing machine.  I've practiced some, then decided to dive in  and give it a shot.  I have updated the Quilts, Etc. tab with how it went.  Check it out.  :)  Lessons learned for sure.

I trust you had an enjoyable Valentine's day.

Until next time,
Hugs,
Sonia