One of the main meals served in Texas, my home state, is chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy.  Although a green vegetable is usually included, most people don't even notice it's there...they go straight for the "steak, taters and gravy."

Well, I don't like chicken-fried steak.  And although asked many times to make it for dinner, I always wiggled my way out by making chicken-fried chicken instead.  Then it happened, my youngest son, Holden, looked up at me with his big blue eyes and begged me to make chicken-fried steak for dinner.  Of course, I caved!

I grew up hearing how wonderful Papa's chicken-fried steak was, so I gave him a call for help.  Now, I don't know if you have a Papa like mine, but his instructions were this, "Well, you add a little salt and a little pepper.  Well Nicki, I really don't know, I just kinda make it."  So, I was on my own...

I didn't realize there was actually a certain kind of steak that was meant to be used for making chicken-fried steak.  So, at the grocery store, I just picked up the first thing I saw.  Back at home, I started boiling the potatoes, put the green beans on and started working on the steak.  Because I can cook a mean chicken-fried chicken...I did fine with breading and frying the steak.  I was actually starting to get excited about the meal.  I was going to have the steak, mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans.

Then, it hit me... I have never made gravy before!  Time to call mom!!  After a quick run-down on making perfect cream gravy, I was ready to go.  So, while the last steak was cooking, I began the process of making cream gravy.  I don't know where I went wrong, but my gravy was the furthest thing from creamy.  As I frantically stirred and added milk, I started to realize that this was much harder than mom had said it would be.  I distinctly remember her saying, "If it starts to clump, stir and add milk."  Well, I did!  I added milk...as a matter of fact...I added a whole gallon of milk. 

While I was busy fussing with the glob that was supposed to be gravy, my house was filling with smoke from that last chicken-oh so deeply fried-steak!  I took the steak off the stove and debated with myself about whether I should or should not try to make that gravy.  Well, I'm one who does not like to lose, so I decided to try again. 

Since I had used all the milk I had, I called Papa and asked if I could borrow milk from him.  Luckily, he had just bought a new gallon and I ran up to his house and picked it up.  Again, I do not know what I did wrong, but I went through gallon number two trying to make that gravy.  Determined I was going to have cream gravy with our meal, I called Papa again.  After going through the details of how I had wasted two gallons of milk trying to make this darn gravy, and listening to Papa laugh at me, I finally gave up and decided I had lost the battle.  Then I heard a knock at the door.  My sweet Papa was there to save the day!  He brought me a big box of powdered gravy from Sam's.  With a grin Papa said, "Now Sis, all you have to do is add water.  And don't forget to stir."  He entertained my kids, who were beyond starving by now, while I made the gravy.

As I set the table and looked at my meal, all the aggravation from before melted away....until...I tried to cut the steak.  It was so tough, I practically needed a chainsaw to cut it!  Since the boys were little, I cut theirs into tiny little pieces, covered it in gravy and prayed they would not notice.  It worked.  They ate their steak like it was the best thing they had ever tasted. 

After the meal, I called mom and told her about my day.  After laughing, for what seemed like 10 minutes, she finally asked me what kind of steak I used.  I said, "you know, steak steak."  That was when I had my first lesson on the different cuts of meat. 

That was the first and last time I've ever tried to make chicken-fried steak.  I've decided that when the subject comes up, we will just have to go to a restaurant.  They can have their chicken-fried steak and I'll have my chicken-fried chicken!

The recipe included is, from what I've been told, a really good chicken-fried steak recipe.  For the gravy -- I've included a recipe, but I have been using the gravy mix from Sam's ever since Papa brought me that first box, and I have had tons of compliments.  So, you may want to give it a try.

Texas-Style Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy

It is hard to get much more Texan than Chicken Fried Steak. Quality of the beef really counts in this dish. This recipe calls for cube steaks, but good round steak that you have asked the butcher to run through the tenderizer or that you have tenderized yourself with a mallet (no big deal and can be a real stress reliever) can be even better.

4 tenderized beef cutlets (known in supermarkets as "cube steak") OR 1 round steak, with fat removed, that you've tenderized yourself.

• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• all-purpose flour
• cooking oil or melted Crisco®
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Beat together the egg and milk and set aside. Mix together the salt, black pepper, paprika and white pepper and sprinkle on both sides of beef cutlets.

Dredge the cutlets in the flour, shaking off the excess. Then dip each cutlet in the egg/milk mixture, then back in the flour. (You're going to get your hands messy here, so take your rings off.) Set cutlets aside on a piece of waxed paper.

Heat the cooking oil in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Oil should be about a half-inch deep in the pan. Check the temperature with a drop of water; if it pops and spits back at you, it's ready.

With a long-handled fork, carefully place each cutlet into the hot oil. Protect yourself (and your kitchen) from the popping grease that results. Fry cutlets on both sides, turning once, until golden brown. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 4 or 5 minutes until cutlets are done through. Drain cutlets on paper towels. Makes 4 servings.

Prep time: 20 minutes; Cooking time: 20-25 minutes; Total time: 40-45 minutes

Cream Gravy

After the cutlets are removed from the pan, pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of oil, keeping as many as possible of the browned bits in the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat until hot.

Sprinkle 3 tablespoons flour (use the left-over flour from the chicken fried steak recipe) in the hot oil. Stir with a wooden spoon, quickly, to brown the flour.

Gradually stir in 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup water, mixed together, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon and mashing out any lumps. Lower heat, and gravy will begin to thicken. Continue cooking and stirring a few minutes until gravy reaches desired thickness. Check seasonings and add more salt and pepper according to your taste.

Note to Cream Gravy novices: Gravy-making is an inexact science. Cream gravy is supposed to be thick, but if you think it's too thick, add more liquid until you're satisfied with it.