Dumb dahdah Dumb Dumb!

Every time I think about what I've done, I smack my palm to my forehead and fight the urge to rip my hair out.

After putting off the chicken fried steak a few days, I was finally able to make it on Monday evening.  I set up all my bowls just like The Pioneer Woman told me to and got my iron skillet ready and went to work.  Earlier that day, I had asked Lauren why she thought her attempt at the recipe was a failure and she gave me a few good pointers for my attempt.  While driving home from work later Monday evening, I was also talking to my mom about the meal I was about to make.  I told her that the recipe called for cubed steak.  She said she hated cubed steak and, of course, I asked why.  She told me that for some reason or another, though it is extremely tenderized, the steak was very fatty and therefore tough.  She said her mother (my grandmother) used cubed steak often and therefore my mother had developed a pretty strong dislike toward it.  At that point I really couldn't do anything about it.  I had already bought the steak and really wanted to try out the recipe, so when I got home I went straight to the kitchen.

I followed the recipe to the T...well almost.  I added a bit of cayenne in the gravy because it just tasted like flour to me so after adding the spice it was really yummy.  I fried up the steaks and they came out a beautiful golden brown.  It was picturesque.  I took pictures.  I was pretty proud of myself.  The gravy dripped over the side and the mashed potatoes were the best tasting potatoes I've ever made.

James and I dug in but only ended up each eating half of our steak.  My mom was right.  The steak was so tough.  It was also very gamey tasting which I didn't like at all.  James said everything else was great but the meat was too tough for his liking too.  He suggested next time I use chicken.

Later that evening, I sat down to my computer to post my semi-success on my blogs.  I mean, at least the pictures were good!  So, I sit down at my computer and go to take the memory card out of my camera and it's not there.  My beautiful pictures don't exist!  And my half-eaten chicken fried steak is in the garbage!  Blast blast blast!  End.