Chicken Fried Steak Sliders with Country Bacon Gravy

This recipe works great with chopped steak, beef or pork tenderloins and chicken or turkey

Ingredients:

For the Chicken Fried Steak:

• 2 – four oz pieces of chopped steak or pounded out filet tenderloin pieces
• 2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• 2 cups of buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 cups Flour
• ¼ cups of a neutral oil, like peanut, canola or grape seed.
• 1 tablespoon of rendered bacon fat
• 4 slices of chopped crispy thick sliced bacon

For the Bacon Gravy:

• Drippings from the Chicken Fried Steak skillet
• 3 tablespoons Flour
• 1 tablespoons Butter
• 2 tablespoon rendered bacon fat
• 2 cups Milk
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Salt (if necessary)

For the Sliders:

• 8 pieces of Chicken Fried Steak (optional Chicken/Turkey or Pork tenderloin)
• Bacon Gravy
• 8 Potato Rolls (or dinner rolls of your choice)

Preperation:

For the Chicken Fried Steak: Cut the chopped steaks or tendeloin pieces in half. Pound them out to make them thinner (about 1/4 inch thick). Next soak them in buttermilk while you fry the bacon (slow and low) and collect the rendered bacon fat (about 2-3 tablespoons) and allow the bacon to crisp.

For Chicken or turkey breasts: For the Fried Chicken/Turkey: Cut the chicken breasts in half widthwise. Pound them out to thin (about 1/4 inch thick) and cut in half again.

After you are done with the bacon, add the salt and pepper to the flour in a shallow bowl or large plate. Remove the steak (chicken, turkey or pork) from the buttermilk and dredge each piece in the flour, generously coating all sides, pressing the steak into the flour. Repeat with the rest of the pieces. Set the pieces of chicken fried steak on a rack to air dry.

Heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and bacon fat. Once up to temp add the chicken fried steak pieces to the skillet, taking care not to crowd. Keep an eye on the side of the chicken fried steak that’s facing down and when it turns a light golden color, turn the pieces over. Then after the other side turns a light golden color, turn them to the other side.

After that side turns a little bit darker, turn the chicken fried steak again. The idea is to not let it cook or brown too fast. If you notice that the drippings in the pan are turning a darker brown color, turn the heat down just a bit. When all sides of the chicken fried steak are a light golden brown (about 7 minutes) turn off the heat, remove them rom the pan, set each piece on a rack or plate, and set aside.

For the Bacon Gravy: Pour out the oil so that just the yummy crunchies are left in the pan. Heat the skillet with the drippings and one tablespoon of rendered bacon fat. Add the butter and let it melt before adding the flour, then stir until the mixture thickens up (about 2 minutes). Next, while stiriing, add the milk, chicken stock and pepper. Continue stirring until the gravy is at the desired consistency (about 5 minutes). Add a few tablespoons of water if you need to thin it out. Season with the salt if necessary.

For the Sliders: Lay the bottom side of each slider roll on the serving plates with the inside of the roll facing up. Ladle some gravy over the roll. Then add a piece of the chicken fried steak, and ladle more gravy over the piece of chicken fried steak. Add the top piece of the slider roll. Serve while warm.

The Moistest Thanksgiving Turkey Ever!

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts apple juice
• 1 gallon cold water
• 1 cups brown sugar
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons sage
• 2 tablespoons thyme
• 2 tablespoons rosemary
• 1 tablespoon pepper
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 4-6 cups of ice
• Oven roasting bags

Directions:

Combine everything, except for the ice, into a large soup pot and bring to a simmer. Stir the mixture to dissolve the salt and allow herbs to season the brine. After about 30 minutes remove from the heat and allow the brine to cool down to room temperature.

In the meantime, remove the neck and giblets, and then thoroughly rinse your turkey inside and out. Pat the turkey dry and wait for the brine to cool.

To prepare the container for brining, place an oven roasting bag in a large stock pot with the opening of the bag over lapping the rim of the pot.  Next, place the turkey in the bag and carefully pour in the brine. Finish by adding enough ice to cover the bird, and then tie with a loose knot.

If you have enough room, place the stock pot into the refrigerator for 12-36 hours.

If you don’t have enough room in your refrigerator, empty out, wash, and sanitize the bottom vegetable/meat drawer of the refrigerator. Afterwards, you need to carefully transfer the bag, to the (cleaned and sanitized) vegetable/meat drawer, in the refrigerator, with the knot facing upward.

*Please note:  It is recommended that you should brine the turkey at least 1 hour for every pound.  Turn the bird half way through the brining period to brine equally. (I say 24 hours minimum!)

To cook the turkey, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine. Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Stuff the cavity with whatever you want, fruit, herbs, stuffing, etc. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil or melted unsalted butter.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F.

A fourteen to sixteen pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Turkey Sandwich & Cheetos (PointsPlus Friendly) Lunch

Ingredients:

• 2 slices light whole wheat bread  
• 3 slices deli-sliced turkey  
• 3 slices tomato  
• 1/4 cup pico de gallo  
• Spinach Leaves
• Sliced Cucumbers
• 2 tsp Hellmann’s Light Mayonnaise  
• 1/2 cup(s) alfalfa sprouts
• 9 piece(s) Cheetos® Cheetos Puffs, or 14 baked

Preparation:

Spread 1 teaspoon of Mayo over the two slices of whole wheat bread. Lay out the turkey slices and top with spinach. tomato, pico de gallo, cucumber, and alfalfa sprouts.
Enjoy with Cheetos.

At the end of the day we are only talking about 5 PointsPlus 

Turkey Sandwich, Chips and Salsa plus an Apple – only 8 PointsPlus

Someone I know started Weight Watchers the other day. So I’ve been working out some menus for her to eat that fit her PointsPlus Program.  In my opinion this is a great lunch you can eat every day.

Assuming your program points are something like only 24 daily.  How can this be a bad thing?  It doesn’t seem possible that this is acceptable.  BUT IT IS!

What’s for Lunch? Turkey on light wheat with mayo, lettuce and tomato; chips and salsa; apple

Subtotal PointsPlus™ values | 8

Ingredients:

• 2 slice(s) light whole wheat bread | 2 PointsPlus values
• 3 oz turkey breast lunch meat (3 1/2-inch square) | 2 PointsPlus values
• 2 tsp reduced-calorie mayonnaise | 1 PointsPlus value
• 3 slice(s) tomato(es) | 0 PointsPlus values
• 3 lettuce leaves | 0 PointsPlus values
• 1 medium apple(s) | 0 PointsPlus values
• 12 item(s) baked low-fat tortilla chips | 3 PointsPlus values
• 1/4 cup(s) salsa | 0 PointsPlus values