This time of year is hectic around my house. The anguish over what to wear. The anticipation of that first day. What will this year be like? Will the same friends be there as last year? It’s time to buy supplies and work over schedules and how to navigate where to go.
As fall weather starts to drift in, it’s hard to believe that it’s time to get ready to get back into the hunting season. Oh, did you think I was talking about school starting? Well, that may have been the case years ago when the kids were still at home, but now it is my husband who is rushing around and lamenting about his clothes, supplies and friends.
As for me, this time of year means camp food. And that means dinners that are hearty, delicious and easy to prepare. One of my husband’s favorites is my creamy mushroom steak. I make a big batch in the slow cooker and then vacuum-seal perfectly sized portions for him to freeze and take along on his hunt. When dinner time rolls around, he simply puts the pouch in boiling water and he has a wonderful home-cooked meal.
And if you have kids starting school, imagine how nice it will be to come home after a long day to a delicious meal. Boil some noodles or rice, and the mushroom sauce is a wonderful gravy.
Belle’s Creamy Mushroom Steak
1/3 cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
6 cube steaks
2 tablespoons oil
2 (10.5 ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
½ cup milk
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms (optional)
Mix together the flour, salt and pepper. Coat the steaks in the flour mixture and shake off excess. Brown the steaks on both sides in hot oil. Place in the slow cooker. Mix together soup, milk and mushrooms and pour over top. Cook on low for 6 hours.
Brenda Stanley is the mother of five children, including two sets of twins, and a grandmother of three. She is a cookbook author, including the recently released "That's a lot of Crock!" and novelist. Her website is at talesofthedinnerbelle.com.