I've fed the chicks, taken my beets downstairs to the basement kitchen for storage and rearranged my shelves and am, currently, browning round steak for steak and gravy this evening. I'm doing it the way my Hubby's mom used to do it and though it does waste electricity simmering all day long, it is how Hubby remembers it and simply loves it, so every now and then he's getting it and that's that!! First you have to brown it in bacon grease, salt and pepper and when I say brown it, I mean almost burned, REALLY browned. That's how you get the deep, dark gravy. Though the bacon grease isn't the healthiest ingredient it's a necessity. It just doesn't taste "quite" the same without it. I've tried using olive oil and other oils. It's good, but not the same. (If I were fixing this dish a lot we'd have to use olive oil or grapeseed oil but I don't fix it all that often.) Then you let it simmer all day until the meat is falling apart. Take the meat out, add a flour and water mixture to make gravy (cornstarch won't do), adjust the seasonings and add the meat back in. That's it!! Hubby loves it. It's especially good with deer meat too! Today I'll simmer the beef until about noon. That ought to be all the time it needs. Let it cool, put it in the frig and then tonight get it back out, warm it up, make the gravy and then I have some leftover rice for the gravy to go over though Hubby's preference is mashed potatoes. Then I'm fixing some green beans and almonds and pulling some fresh onions; and, if I'm not too tired, baking some biscuits. A good hearty, country meal.
For now - I'm off to work in the herb garden.
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I have had to come in the house twice this afternoon due to the heat and humidity. The second time I went straight back to the shower. Oh my gosh, I was so hot I could barely breathe! I don't know how I'm going to get anything accomplished like this . . . calm, calm, calm. No one is going to "beat" me if my herb garden looks like a jungle. I've just got to remember that I can only do what I can do. Right? Between the rains, bugs and "arthur" I'm feeling a wee bit discouraged. Can you tell?
But honestly, no need for such nonsense!! I just need some time to remind myself that it's okay. It's not THAT important. I'm alright now. I just needed a time-out!!
It's thundering and we're supposed to have some severe thunderstorms. I'm going to run out and put up the garden equipment. See Ya.