<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Sithy Things]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://aggiesprite.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[LC Aggie Sith]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://aggiesprite.wordpress.com/author/aggiesprite/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[Back to Basics]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p>When I was newlywed, I used to take one day of the week to cook a gourmet meal. I would get the ingredients, measure everything, clean up as I went along, and make something fantabulous for the two of us.</p>
<p>Eldest was still on mashed peas and squash. She didn&#8217;t get to enjoy the spoils.</p>
<p>Once our family grew in size I placed that habit on hold, much to Hubby&#8217;s chagrin. Not many kids will appreciate Dover sole cooked in a white wine reduction, right? Well, I know mine didn&#8217;t. But now that they are nearing adulthood (ZOMG!!! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN!!??), I have been doing different dishes and getting back into the gourmet thing, slowly.</p>
<p>Of course, Little One is Miss Picky and she is still a problem. Son has a block against sauced things. Eldest will eat anything I serve her. She&#8217;s my favorite at mealtime. AT MEALTIME!!!</p>
<p>That last is for her benefit so that she doesn&#8217;t tell the other two that she has favorite child status for life, or something like that.</p>
<p><em>Anyway&#8230;.</em> I noticed that a lot of the favorite meals growing up have been seriously absent from the repertoire. I mean, no mac and cheese, no Southern fried chicken, no <em>comfort</em>. So, I&#8217;m going back to the basics with this:</p>
<div data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_2070" style="width: 500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://aggiesprite.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/pioneer-woman-steak.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2070" data-attachment-id="2070" data-permalink="https://aggiesprite.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/back-to-basics/pioneer-woman-steak/" data-orig-file="https://aggiesprite.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/pioneer-woman-steak.jpg" data-orig-size="630,418" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D2Xs&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1185117333&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;50&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}" data-image-title="pioneer woman steak" data-image-description="" data-medium-file="https://aggiesprite.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/pioneer-woman-steak.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://aggiesprite.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/pioneer-woman-steak.jpg?w=630" class="size-full wp-image-2070" title="pioneer woman steak" src="https://aggiesprite.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/pioneer-woman-steak.jpg?w=490&#038;h=325" alt="" width="490" height="325" srcset="https://aggiesprite.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/pioneer-woman-steak.jpg?w=490&amp;h=325 490w, https://aggiesprite.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/pioneer-woman-steak.jpg?w=150&amp;h=100 150w, https://aggiesprite.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/pioneer-woman-steak.jpg?w=300&amp;h=199 300w, https://aggiesprite.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/pioneer-woman-steak.jpg 630w" sizes="(max-width: 490px) 100vw, 490px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-2070" class="wp-caption-text">Courtesy of The Pioneer Woman, because she is a far better photographer than I am.</p></div>
<p>Chicken Fried Steak, my peeps!! I miss it so. I add different seasonings to the flour, and tend to add a bit of half-sharp Hungarian paprika for a bit of a kick (the bottle says &#8220;half-sharp&#8221;, but it peeled the skin off the roof of my mouth once when I mistakenly used it for <em>Chicken Paprikás. </em>Hubby loved it, though). Tonight there will be steak, and mashed potatoes and lots and lots of gravy that I make from the pan.</p>
<p>But I shall have back-up gravy from a jar, just in case I screw that up 😀</p>
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