Really? Round Steak?

So, who really buys "round steak"? I have only ever had it on hand thanks to Hy-Vee's meat bundle deals that entice me with low prices and available space in our deep freeze for two. The first time I got it, I made some version of minute steak smothered in cream of mushroom soup among other seasonings and fixins paired with potatoes and a veggie and watched my husband melt into a comfort food coma. I didn't know he liked it and had never made it. This time, however, this round steak must have been a different version. (I think the first was cube steak, perhaps).

After unwrapping what had been thawing out all day, I thought I had two thick chunks of round steak. However, after browning one side, I went to flip it over and found I had two ginormous thin strips of round steak that filled my extra-large skillet on the stove top. "Well, this should still work". I headed to the cupboard to start on the minute steak cream-of-mushroom-and-then-some fixins to find NOT ONE CAN of cream of mushroom soup. Woops-poor planning! What's a girl to do?

Instead, I did have a can of Campbell's Chunky Soup: Sirloin Burger. This looked like a beef stew with some veggies including potatoes inside. Hmm. . . Yes, I DID. I took the round steak now fully cooked from the stove top and added the can to the skillet along with 3/4 cup of water and two beef boullion cubes. Then, I started some water boiling for egg noodles and went to cutting up one of the "steaks" I'd just cooked. The term steak is used loosely when referring to the meat I was preparing. When the meat was cut up, pasta was tender, and the boullion had settled nicely into the soup, I mixed it all back together and got the biscuits out of the oven.

I took one look at it and thought I'd better start some standby mac and cheese just in case. I also had already started to bake a chocolate cake Mike had randomly requested in case I needed to "make up for" a bad dinner. With the cake 13 minutes from done and no mac and cheese started, Mike got home from work and said "Ooh, what's that?!?". . . more pressure! "Beef and noodles", I respond completely cool and casual. Mike made a plate and dove in leaving himself leftovers for today. Whew!

Safe. I won't claim victory because I'm not adding this recipe to my return list. I just wanted to share how ridiculously nervous I get over successfully sompleting "wifely" duties after almost 4 years of trials and errors. Do you? Also, what in the world do YOU do with round steak? :)