Jenn Dolari @dolari@driveinsaturday.org

LB: It me.

$23/hr to watch TV for two hours ain't a bad gig....

This Week's (Not As) Fancy Pants (As I'd Like) Meal: Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy.

It came out a little darker than I'd like, as did the cream gravy, which really came out as grey gravy. But it's tasty as heck, and still my fave Chicken Fried Steak recipe.

I think next time I'm going to make the cream gravy from complete scratch. No "crackling," no old oil. Just make it from scratch to get that white white gravy. This tastes great, dont' get me wrong. Just that grey food is not very appetizing looking.

# Chicken-Fried Steak and Cream Gravy

Threadgill's: The Cook Book
9.0 servings

48.0 ounces tenderized beef cutlets (room temperature)
2.0 whole eggs
2.0 cups milk (room temperature) [steak]
3.0 cups flour [steak]
2.0 tsp Threadgill's Meat Seasoning
vegetable oil (deep frying)
2.0 tbsp vegetable oil [gravy]
2.0 tbsp flour [gravy]
2.0 cups milk (room temperature) [gravy]
salt
pepper
Worstershire sauce
Tabasco sauce

Chicken Fried Steak
1 - Whisk eggs and milk together in a bowl and set this egg wash aside.
2 - Combine the flour and meat seasoning in another bowl and set aside.
3 - Heat oil in a heavy 14-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat to 350°. Use a 550° thermometer to check temperature. The oil should pop loudly when a drop of egg wash is dropped in.
4 - Dip each of the first half of the cutlets in the egg wash mixture.
5 - Dredge them in the flour then dip them back into the egg wash.
6 - Very gently place them the hot oil. As you carry them one at a time from the egg wash to the skillet, hold a plate under them to catch the dripping egg wash. There'll be a regular explosion of noisy oil a-popping.
7 - Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until breading is set and golden brown.
8 - Gently turn them with a long-handled meat fork or long metal tongs. Be careful. Cook another 3 minutes.
9 - Carefully remove them from the skillet and drain on a platter lined with paper towels.
10 - Let oil reheat and repeat process for other 4 cutlets. Serve with Cream Gravy

Cream Gravy
11 - Pour off the cooking oil in your heavy skillet until you only have 2 to 3 tablespoons left. Leave the cracklings.
12 - With the heat on medium, sprinkle flour over the oil and whisk them together until you have a golden roux.
13 - Add the milk and stir the mixture until it is smooth and starts to thicken.
14 - Add salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco Sauce to taste.

The white bread certainly makes a good toast, but I think I prefer my struan bread.

This season of Doctor Who is knocking it out of the park! Sure, this episode's villains are just kinda goofy, but we all know The Rogue was the real meat of the story and that worked so so so well.

Had a long conversation last night with a friend, and touched on this a little this afternoon with another, about how Virtual Worlds and Virtual Reality have really helped make my life a lot more...livable. I've been in Second Life for seventeen years, and Resonite for about four months.

I've often said my goal in my transition is "to be ignored." No double takes, no making fun, just...going through life. But VR has made me realize something else I've wanted. Enjoying the body I'm in.

The big difference between the Second Life and Resonite is in how you experience it. In Second Life, you move an action figure of yourself around. In Resonite, you ARE the Action Figure.

There are things I'd do in Second Life because it was expected of me. Like going to parties - I like to sit and enjoy the company, but I also dance there. Not because I want to dance, but because it's expected. I click the poseball, tell it I want to dance, and Carrie dances. I sit and watch her do it.

But the other day, I was exploring around Resonite and found myself in a coffee shop there that had a puzzle for you to solve for a prize. As I was searching around, there was some nice music playing, and I noticed I was bopping to it. And unlike Second Life, when you're bopping in Resonite, you're also bopping with your body.

Also last night, I noticed I emote and gesticulate a lot in VR. More so than in real life. I make little gestures, and nod or tilt my head and what not...

And I think it's because...I'm happy with my body there. I don't like to dance, cause I don't like how my body moves, I don't emote/gesticulate a lot cause it's been kind of shamed out of me. But there, I'm happy with me, even if I'm just a dollar store Zelda clone.

These virtual worlds allow me to be me, if only for a few hours a day. And they're even healing me up a little, because Virtual Worlds/Realities have done so much more mental healing than real life.

Better than therapy? Maybe. Back when I first got involved in Second Life a friend was worried I'd go in, and never come out. And I can see that danger. But seventeen years later, I feel better for being there and being me. And Resonite is doing even more. <3

I get to have something most of the rest of the world is allowed by default. I get to be me. Well, in Second Life. In Resonite, I'm Zelda. But that's still far closer to me than real life me. :)

Spent the afternoon at Carnation's Pride Picnic at Tolt Commons helping run the A Supportive Community For All's booth (and protecting the papers from the wind).

Great turnout and a lovely venue. Festival seating for good music, free food, and a lot of good times had. I'm loving these little celebations all around the Snoqualmie Valley. Hope there's more. 🙂

Best part ws a furry walking around and taking pics...bending down to pet a dog, who was just confused as heck, and then decided "must be another dog BARK BARK BARK!"

This Week's Bread: Threadgill's Homestyle White Bread

Finally! A bread loaf that looks like a bread loaf! It better look like one given that over two rises, it rose for three hours. The bread LOOKS amazing, but is still a touch dryer than I'd like. And, as usual, could use a pinch or two more of salt.

While the recipe says to just dump in the dry yeast, I did bloom the yeast in the warm water for 15 minutes, since I use active dry yeast. Also, I needed about 1/4 cup more water than it called for to dough-up.

Like all recipes in the Threadgill's book, this makes a LOT of bread. Scale down as needed.

# Homestyle White Bread

Threadgill's: The Cook Book

10.0 cups unbleached bread flour
0.5 cup sugar
0.3333333333333333 cup nonfat dry milk powder
3.0 tbsp dry yeast
1.0 tbsp salt
3.0 cups warm water (110 degrees)
3.0 tbsp vegetable oil
1.0 whole egg (beaten)
1.0 tbsp water

1 - Combine dry ingredients in the bowl of a mixer with a dough hook and mix well.
2 - Add the warm water and oil and mix on low speed to moisten dry ingredients.
3 - Increase the mixer speed to medium and knead for about 4 minutes. Extra flour may be needed at this point to keep dough from sticking to the sides of the bowl.
4 - When dough is smooth and elastic, remove to a well-oiled bowl, cover loosely with a clean cloth, and allow to double in bulk in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 1/2 hours.
5 - Punch the dough down and divide in quarters.
6 - Place dough into 2 greased 4x8x3-inch loaf pans, cover loosely, and allow to double in bulk again.
7 - Toward the end of the rising time, preheat oven to 350°.
8 - Bake loaves about 25 minutes, then brush tops with egg wash and return to oven for 20 minutes or until loaves are brown on top and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.
9 - Turn loaves out of pans and cool before slicing.

Yields 2 1.5 pound loaves.

#baking #thisweeksmeals