A warm welcome to author Poppy Dennison joining us today here at Love Bytes to share something unique from her new release “Spring Fever”.
Welcome Poppy 🙂
Gracie’s Country Steak Recipe
Welcome back to Holly Creek, home of Gracie’s Diner. According to Sheriff Zane, Gracie is the best cook east of the Mississippi and no one in town is inclined to disagree with him. Holly Creek’s Director of Publicity, Jefferson Lee Davis, convinced Gracie to share her recipe for Country Steak & Gravy to drum up a little publicity for the town. (Actually, he had to promise her three months of free labor before she’d agree. They both think they won the deal.) So here she is, Gracie herself, explaining how to make the recipe she’s famous for.
Gracie: *huffs* Is this thing on?
Jefferson Lee: Gracie, you know I’m not recording you, right?
Gracie: Then why do you have that new-fangled gadget pointed at me.
Jefferson Lee: It’s a tablet computer, Gracie. I’m going to type your notes.
Gracie: I swan, why can’t people just put pencil to paper like we did back in the day? Is it so difficult? Everyone always has their nose buried in some gizmo or other. Why, I’m of a mind to ban them from the diner.
Jefferson Lee: But… I work in there!
Gracie: I rest my case.
Jefferson Lee: You might have a point. Okay, so why don’t you tell me how to make your country steak?
Gracie: Fine. But Jefferson Lee Davis, hear my words. This is not a recipe for you. You can burn water. Don’t even try it. And don’t think I don’t know that you only want my recipe so I can’t hold it over your head whenever I want you to do something. It’s not as easy as you think, especially for someone with such limited kitchen abilities as yourself.
Jefferson Lee: Hey!
Gracie: Am I wrong?
Jefferson Lee: Uh…
Gracie: Right, so first thing you need is cube steak. You get it at the grocery store, Jefferson Lee.
Jefferson Lee: I know what cube steak is. I think. That’s the funny looking flat ones, right?
Gracie: Yes, Jefferson Lee. The funny looking flat steak. So, you’re going to get yourself out a plate and add a bit of flour to it. About a half cup, depending on how much you’re making. Then you’re going to add a bit of salt and pepper to the flour and mix it together really gently. With me so far?
Jefferson Lee: Salt and pepper in the flour. Got it.
Gracie: Now, you dip the meat in on both sides and cover it really well. Don’t drown it in flour, mind. Just dip it in, coat it, and shake off the extra. You’re going to do that for all the pieces.
Jefferson Lee: Coat the meat in flour. Check.
Gracie: Now, in a frying pan– cast iron is best but any will do– you’re going to heat up a few tablespoons of vegetable oil over about medium to medium high. You want it hot, but not too hot.
Jefferson Lee: How do I know if it’s too hot?
Gracie: You just know. Now, once the oil is hot you’re going to pan fry the meat, just to brown it on both sides. We’re not trying to cook it through here, just to brown the outside. Then you’re going to take the meat out and set it on a paper towel lined plate.
Jefferson Lee: That’s it?
Gracie: No, that’s not it. And this is why you aren’t allowed in the kitchen, Jefferson Lee. I feel for the Sheriff. Poor man would starve if it weren’t for my diner.
Jefferson Lee: Probably so. What’s next?
Gracie: Okay, so once you’ve cooked up all the meat, you’re going to make a roux in the drippings.
Jefferson Lee: That’s what’s left in the pan, right?
Gracie: Yep. Now, I sometimes add a tablespoon of butter in there too. Just depends. But you want about as much flour as you have drippings. Equal amounts. Give that a couple minutes to cook, and then you’re going to add some milk to the pan. Whisk it in real slow and it won’t get lumpy on you.
Jefferson Lee: Whisk slowly. Got it. And I didn’t know that’s how you made gravy!
Gracie: What you don’t know would fill a library. Now, you need to heat up the oven to 275. Real low. Put the meat in your dutch oven, and once the gravy has thickened up a bit, you’re going to pour it over the meat. Your gravy needs to be a little runny at this point. Not real runny, but a bit cause it’s going to thicken up as it cooks. Put the lid on it, and stick it in the oven for a good two hours, three if you can stand to wait.
Jefferson Lee: Three hours!
Gracie: Exactly. And that’s how you make country steak.
Jefferson Lee: That takes too long. How can I wait three hours?
Gracie: You can’t. That’s why you come to the diner every Friday.
And that’s it folks, Gracie’s famous country steak. Not a recipe for the kitchen light-weight, but definitely worth the time. Stop by Holly Creek to find out more about Gracie, Jefferson Lee, and the rest of the town’s residents.
About the Book
Genre: Gay Contemporary Romance
Length: Novella, 70Pages
Published: April 1st, 2016
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: A.J. Corza
Ebook ISBN-13: 9781634772327
Paperback ISBN-13: 9781634770163
Holly Creek: Book Two
Jefferson Lee Davis, Holly Creek’s new Director of Publicity, is gearing up for the next big town event, the summer Rose Festival. The job is running smoothly, but the course of true love has hit a rocky patch. His hunky boyfriend, Sheriff Zane Yarbrough, is receiving mysterious phone calls he doesn’t want to discuss. While Jefferson Lee is blindsided by jealousy, the second shoe drops with the appearance of a handsome stranger in the small tight-knit community. Needing answers, Jefferson Lee enlists his best gal-pal Clover Crofton to help find out what secrets Zane is hiding. When they land themselves in more trouble than Jefferson Lee bargained for, he and Zane face the first big test of their relationship. Zane and Jefferson Lee must work through their trust issues if they’re going to make it as a couple, and Clover may just have a thing or two to learn herself.
Purchase Links
Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | All Romance ebooks
Available April 1, 2016
Add two parts sass and one part sweet and you have Poppy Dennison to T—sweet tea that is. Raised by a gaggle of Southern women who love reading and have backbones of steel, Poppy was brought up to see the best in people but always speak her mind. Mix it all together, like Grandma’s famous cobbler, and you get a sassy, Southern lady with a quick wit and loads of charm, who will soften any blow with “Bless your heart.” Her books reflect her small town roots, are filled with all the comforts of home, and come with side dish of spicy, because that’s the way she likes it.
Find out more about Poppy here:
That was brilliant!
So awesome. Thank you!