Cube Steak with Mushroom & Onion Gravy

Every cook must know the scenario. You are out of ideas or otherwise can't decide what to cook, so turn to those you cook for--your family, for ideas. Typically, when I ask my husband what he would like for supper, I get a flippant answer for something he knows I'm not going to cook. Or he will give the standard, "It doesn't matter" or "Anything you make will be fine".

But this day, he surprised me. After I asked and we went through the battery of standard answers, he came back a little later and made a request! He said he thought cube steak with mushrooms, onions, and brown gravy sounded good. After a few questions to help me interpret exactly what he had in mind (did he want peppers? tomatoes? rice or mashed potatoes?) I had a menu and that made me happy.

Cube Steak with Mushrooms, Onions & Brown Gravy

1 lb. cube steaks

Salt and pepper

Flour

Canola oil or other fat of choice

1 large, sweet onion, sliced

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, quartered

1 1/2 cups beef broth

Salt and pepper the steaks and dredge in flour. Pan fry in a little oil until well browned on each side. Remove from pan and keep warm. Saute onions and mushrooms, scraping up the brown bits from the pan. Add the beef broth and stir well. Add the steaks back to the pan, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the steaks are very tender.

Serve with mashed potatoes.