Swiss Steak and an Update

Hey ya'll! Have I told you lately that you guys are looking SPECTACULAR this holiday season? Well you do! Sexy and saucy.. How can you people stand yourselves? ;) heee! Quick update.. my mom is getting better and better each day, I'm happy to say! The nurse is only visiting once a week now and her physical therapy is going well. She's able to walk around her apartment without getting winded. Yay! We've a bit of a scare to deal with as of late.. the cardiac guy has ordered an ultrasound on her carotid artery, because he thinks there might be a blockage there as well. We're hoping not, of course, but I'm pretty sure (I think??) that unblocking a carotid is a relatively simple procedure, yes? But we won't know anything until she gets her results back on Tuesday - so keep your fingers crossed, pretty please! Also.. FISH. Dear sweet Jebus, kids start eating more fish and vegetables! Put down that greasy burger!! Fakkin cholesterol is a total biatch. Sheesh. Ugh, I just heard my cat hork up a hairball. Just thought I'd share the visual with ya'll. Anyhoo.. now that I've grossed yous out, let's talk Swiss Steak! Mmm mmm good! I'm keeping this brief.. basically because I made it over a month ago so that "brand new recipe" excitement has kinda dwindled. Yanno? But it was quite excellent in both taste and tenderness, so give this a try! And you know what?? Just how has the love of my life, the apple of my eye, the cream in my coffee, Ms. Paula Deen NOT had a myocardial infarction? Now I'm kinda hoping she only guzzles butter for the cameras but ingests only olive oil in her "real life".. Paula!! Everything in moderation, ya hear? I don't know if I could live a proper life without being able to watch new episodes of Paula's Home Cooking! Where was I? Ahhh yes.. Swiss Steak. As per usual I found the recipe on Recipezaar and as per usual I tweaked it to our liking. Hubbs helped me with this recipe and I think he got a lil too much enjoyment out of it.. My man.. pounding his meat. :D Here's the recipe, with my changes: Swiss Steak Courtesy of Karen from Colorado and Recipezaar Original recipe here Makes 6 Servings 1 1/2 lbs. beef round steak, cut 3/4 inch thick 2 TBS. flour 1 tsp. Kosher salt 1 tsp. dry mustard 1/4 tsp. pepper 3 tsp. garlic powder 2 tsp. olive oil 1 (16 oz.) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, with juice 1 small Spanish onion, sliced 3 stalks celery, sliced 2 medium carrots, sliced 4 Portabella mushroom caps, sliced 1 TBS. Worcestershire sauce 1/4 c. red wine - (I used Pino Noir) 1/4 to 1/2 c. hot beef stock 1 to 2 TBS. cornstarch Hot cooked noodles, mashed potatoes or hot cooked rice - (I omitted all of it and just served it by itself with garlic bread and salad.) Cut meat into 6 serving pieces. Combine flour, salt, mustard, pepper, and garlic powder. Pound 2 T. of the flour mixture into the meat. Brown the meat in the olive oil on both sides. Drain off excess fat. Add undrained tomatoes, onion, celery, carrots, Worcestershire sauce and red wine. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes then add the portabello mushrooms and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes or until meat is tender. Remove meat to a serving platter and keep warm. Combine 1/4 to 1/2 c. (depending on how much juice you already have in the skillet) hot beef stock and the 1 to 2 TBS. cornstarch, whisking until there are no lumps. (The original recipe calls for 3 TBS. of flour - using the last TBS. to thicken the sauce with water, not beef stock. I have never ever had luck thickening sauces with flour, so I always use cornstarch.. and I figured why use water when I can add stock to give it more depth, yanno? If you do go my way, heat the stock as it makes it easier to get the lumps out of the cornstarch when mixing.) Stir into tomato mixture until thick and bubbly. Place the meat back in with tomato mixture. Serve meat and sauce with hot cooked noodles or rice. Or by itself. ;) Crock pot directions: Prepare swiss steak as above except cut meat to fit your crock pot. After browning meat, transfer to crock pot. Stir remaining flour into pan drippings in the skillet. Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook until thick and bubbly. Pour over meat in the crock pot. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Serve with hot cooked noodles or rice. Oven directions: Place meat in a baking dish. Cover with thickened drippings and veggies as above. Bake, uncovered, in a 350º F. oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Serve with hot noodles or rice. Enjoy! xoxo