A tasty dish made with tough meat

Published 5:30 am Thursday, June 4, 2026

In our family, this is the summer of sacrifices. While I’m working hard on my degree, my husband has 60-hour workweeks to pay the bills plus extra on the weekends. He comes home just in time to kiss his son goodnight.

He wants so badly to camp and hike and play this summer, but he can only make his body work so hard before it breaks. Despite his exhaustion, he squeezes as much as he can from the little time we are able to spend together, and hikes and camps anyway, with our six-year-old on his shoulders. It feels terrible to see him drag himself out of the house every day knowing I can’t do much to help him other than to have a dinner plate made for him when he gets home and to keep the cookie jar full.

Summertime for my son and I is normally filled with outdoor excursions and a repeating schedule of story times, Lego club, playdates and outings, but this year, while I’m locked into my computer screen working on a test or my coursework, my son must entertain himself alone inside for hours at a time. My smart little guy understands that although I would rather be playing, school has to come first for now, so he gives me peace and keeps quiet in the house. He plays with toys and kittens and gets more screen time than he should, which is fun for him until he wants to watch with me, and it feels awful to have to turn him away when he asks me for attention.

It feels selfish to see my loves making sacrifices for the sake of my dreams, but that guilt is fine motivation to work hard and do well. It’s a comfort at least to know that this is all temporary, and at the end of the tunnel is a better life for all of us. This is a hard time for us, but if we make the best out of a tough situation, we won’t have to suffer.

Shocking grocery prices have most of us making sacrifices these days, and sometimes we need to opt for the tougher cuts of meat, but if you stay positive and make the most of what you have, it doesn’t have to be so bad. Cube steak is made with the toughest cuts, smashed and crushed and mangled, but breaded and fried and covered in peppery gravy, they make a dinner that feels like a treat.

Ingredients:

Cube steak- 1 per diner

1 cup all purpose flour for the dredge plus about 2 Tbsp for the gravy

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

Cooking oil- enough to cover the bottom of your frying pan

1 white onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup heavy cream

1/3- ½ cup milk

Salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:

Season your cube steak with salt and pepper on both sides.

Whisk together the cup of flour, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder in a bowl that is wide enough to accommodate the steaks.

Heat the oil in your pan until it shimmers.

Cover both sides of the cube steaks in seasoned flour before placing in the pan.

Fry for 3-4 minutes on both sides until they are browned and slightly crispy.

Remove the meat from the pan and cover with foil to keep it warm.

Add the sliced onion to the hot pan and fry until the onions are soft and slightly browned, then add the 2 Tbsp of flour.

Cook the flour for 2 minutes while whisking constantly before pouring in the cream and milk.

Whisk to combine, then drop the heat to medium low and cook until the sauce is smooth and thickened.

Season with salt and plenty of pepper. I like white pepper for aesthetic purposes, but black pepper works just as well.

Plate the cube steak over steamed rice and cover it all in plenty of gravy. Serve with green vegetables on the side and fresh parsley garnish.