Finger Steaks.... Menu Boards & an Announcement....

*Drawing is closed*

Today there are several things I'd like to share with you! 

This post is a long one and I apologize for that, however..... read thru it ALL because you don't want to miss a thing today!!! :)


As I've told you before....My mom was great in the kitchen and taught me how to make a healthy meal for our family of four when I was rather small, as her and dad both worked out of the home.  I still remember baking a simple muffin recipe nearly every morning before getting on the bus to go to school.  Another great memory I have of growing up is hunting with my family.  It was important for us to have our freezer full of meat for the winter.  Elk and Deer were for sure our favorites.  We would bring home our deer or elk {dead, of course}, hang it to cure for several days, then cut it up as a family.  When my husband and I were first dating, my parents broke him in real quick on how to butcher your own deer.  Now, we fill our tags and butcher our own, assuring that we get the quality of meat we want, and every. single. package. is cherished and rationed out to last until the next hunting season.  This year I shot a deer and can not tell you how excited I was to get 28 packages of meat.  We usually figure we average 25 per deer J…Next year, our son will be able to fill a deer tag too, so we're really looking forward to that! 

One of my favorite recipes of ALL TIME is …..Venison FINGER STEAKS!  Wait a minute all you venison haters, don’t stop reading!  You’re still in luck!  Simply substitute beef for the venison.  Round steak works really well because it is a cheaper cut of meat but tenderizes well in the marinade!!  It’s as easy as that and is still WONDERFUL!

Here is a step by step:
First: Prepare your meat

·         I like to use venison but like I already mentioned, you can use beef also.  Thaw between 2-3 lbs of meat {if frozen}, trim the fat , if there is any {I LOVE kitchen scissors for this}, and cut into strips.  I cut them about 1 inch wide {with kitchen scissors too}
Second: Prepare Marinade

·         Mix together in a bowl {preferably with a tight fitting lid, like a Tupperware}:

¼ cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. garlic powder

3 Tbsp. A-1 sauce

2 tsp. meat tenderizer

Third: Marinate meat

·         Add prepared meat to the marinade.  Cover and refrigerate from 3-24 hrs, turning several times during refrigeration. I like to marinate it overnight for a more intense flavor , besides, it becomes more tender the longer you marinate it also.

Fourth: Cook meat

after marinading for 21 hrs

Shake...shake...shake.

when you first place them in the oil, it will bubble like this.

when they are ready, the bubbles will stop and they will rise to the surface.

·         Heat your oil to 375 degrees.  Place your meat in a colander to drain extra marinade off of meat.  In a gallon-size Ziploc bag, place a couple cups of flour and add a handful of meat strips to flour at a time.  Close bag tightly and shake to coat meat well.  Drop in heated oil and cook until meat browns, about 5 minutes.  When the meat is ready, you will notice it will quit bubbling and the meat will rise to the top of the oil.  Don’t overcook it! Place on paper towels to drain any excess oil before serving.

Finally: Prepare to EAT it!

·         Being an Idaho girl, a good meal isn’t complete without a yummy baked potato.  These fingersteaks are fabulous served with A-1, if needed.  However, I enjoy the well-seasoned, tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat just how it is…

Venison Finger Steaks
From Cupboard to Cupboard
printable recipe

¼ cup oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp garlic powder

3 Tbsp A-1 sauce

2 tsp meat tenderizer

Steaks cut into strips… You could use venison {my favorite} or even beef… I used approximately 2.5 lbs of venison cut into 1 inch wide strips.

Mix together all ingredients.  Place steaks in bowl with the marinade. Place in refrigerator for at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.  Turn several times.  Place in a colander to drain.  Shake in flour.  Deep fry until cooked.

I hope you enjoy this recipe that we cherish in our home!

So now that I've shared one of my most FAVORITE recipes with you, I need to tell you why NOW was the best time to do that!

Starting today.... I will be featuring a New DINNER recipe every single Sunday for you to cook for your family on MONDAY!  I am going to try to make sure that they are easy enough meals that require as little prep time as possible so that even all of you amazing {I applaud you} working moms out there are able to play along! 

This new feature on FROM CUPBOARD TO CUPBOARD will be called MENU BOARD MONDAY! 

So now you're wondering why in the world I'm so excited about this?  Well, let me tell you!

I have been trying to take a little stress off my own shoulders lately.  There are days I feel like the weight on my shoulders has shrunk me down to this little 2 inch mouse running around like a wild woman with a knife is after me!  You can't tell me you don't know how this feels, right?  We've surely all felt this way time and again in our lives.... Well, one way of making my life a bit easier is by planning more instead of being so stinkin' spontaneous all the time! I am the first to admit that 98.3% of the time I'm pulling something out of the freezer and pantry at the last minute to try to just throw something together for dinner.  By planning a monthly menu, that stress is gone {or nearly}!  I started last month by making my menu and sticking to it... seriously it took me 30 minutes to plan the menu and make my grocery list.  That's 30 minutes that I will gladly give a month to take that extra few HOURS of stress off my shoulders. {And way less wasted food too}  Anyhow.... I saw these adorable Menu Boards and decided I needed one! And let me tell you... not only are they CUTE, but they are so helpful in the planning process....  I love having all the handy little magnetic menu tags to make my life easier.  Of course, I'll be adding several tags a month to change things up. {You  many even notice that the design of my board actually coordinates with my blog design.:) }

This one is mine:

This is one I made for giggles:

Now.... because I am so excited about MENU BOARD MONDAYS!.....I've decided to give a MAGNETIC MENU BOARD to a lucky follower of my blog!  Yeah!  That's right!  I will make it to your liking!  I am making several more right now and will post pictures as soon as I get them finished!  The winner will get to choose the colors of the menu board, along with 45 menu items that will be laminated and attached to a magnet to make your meal planning a cinch!  {$40 value}

So, here's what you need to do to enter to win:

1.  Become a follower of From Cupboard to Cupboard {Click the FOLLOW tab to the right} Make sure to leave a comment stating you are a FOLLOWER!

2.  LIKE From Cupboard to Cupboard on Facebook!  {Click on the LIKE button to the right}  Make sure to leave a separate comment stating you are a LIKER!

3.  If you are a blogger.... Grab my MENU BOARD MONDAY button to the right and display it on your blog!  Or tell everyone on facebook, twitter, or your blog about From Cupboard to Cupboard about this awesome giveaway!  Make sure you come back and leave a comment letting me know you've spread the word! {make sure you leave a separate comment for each place you make an announcement... i.e. twitter, facebook, blog,etc.}

4.  Now leave ONE more comment telling me what you want your board to look like, {colors, any other specifics} if you are the lucky winner!  I really want to hear your many ideas!

This gives everyone at least 4 chances to win!   I hope you are all as excited as I am!  Drawing will be held on Sunday the 27th of February! :)

Here's to Menu Board Monday Edition #1! :)

Happy Cooking!

Teauna