Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff and the Faster On-the-Stove version, too

On a day when I don't feel like cooking, this one comes together quickly.  Apparently, this dish was a favorite of Russian expats, exiled in China after the revolution.  There is a lovely movie "The White Countess", starring gorgeous Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Redgrave (as well as her Aunt Lynne and mother, Vanessa) that really made me understand the situation the Russian nobility found themselves in after the fall of Czar.  Good film - watch it if you get the chance.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:
2 beef top round steaks (about 3/4 inch thick and 1-1/2 pounds each)
1/2 c flour
1-1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground mustard
1/8 t pepper
1  onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 can (8 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 can (10-1/2 ounces) condensed beef broth, undiluted
1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) sour cream
Hot cooked noodles

Procedure:

Cut round steaks into 3x1/2-in. strips. 

In a shallow bowl, mix flour, salt, mustard and pepper. 

Add beef in batches; toss to coat. 

In a 5-qt. slow cooker, layer onion, mushrooms and beef. Pour broth over top. 

Cook, covered, on low 5-7 hours or until meat is tender. 

Just before serving, stir in sour cream.

Stove Top Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:
1 1/2pounds beef sirloin steak, 1/2 inch thick

8ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (2 1/2 cups)

2medium onions, thinly sliced

1garlic clove, finely chopped

1/4cup butter or margarine

1 1/2cups Progresso™ beef flavored broth 

1/2teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1 1/2cups sour cream

3 cups hot cooked egg noodles

Procedure:
1 Cut beef across grain into about 1 1/2x1/2-inch strips. 

2 Cook mushrooms, onions and garlic in butter in a large skillet over medium heat,  until onions are tender; remove from skillet

3 Cook the beef in the same skillet until brown. Stir in 1 cup of the broth, the salt and Worcestershire sauce. Heat to boiling; reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.

(cook your noodles!)

4 Stir remaining 1/2 cup broth into flour and stir that into the beef mixture. 

5. Add the onion mixture; heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Turn the heat down, and stir in the sour cream; heat until hot (do not boil). Serve over noodles.

And this week's recipe detective is AJAY-NY!

BONUS recipe!!! Chicken Scallopine with Lemon Sauce

This LOOKS complicated - it isn't.  Just pound chicken until thin, dredge in coating,  fry, make sauce in pan - eat.  A little rice pilaf and a veggie or a salad - wow!  Impress your guests!!

Chicken Scallopine with Lemon Sauce

Ingredients:

About 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs

S/P
1 cup all-purpose flour, or more as needed
1 ½ cups fresh bread crumbs, or more as needed
3 eggs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
3 tablespoons butter, plus more as needed
¼ cup dry white wine
½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
Lemon wedges for serving


Procedure:

Heat the oven to 200. 

Slice each chicken thigh open like a book and lay it flat between two sheets of plastic wrap. Using a meat pounder,  or the bottom of a heavy skillet  (I use a Corelle saucer!), pound each piece of chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. 

Put two large skillets over medium-high heat for a minute or 2. 

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and put the flour and bread crumbs on two plates. 

Beat the eggs in another shallow bowl. 

Add 1 tablespoon each oil and butter to each skillet and swirl it around. When it is hot — a pinch of flour will sizzle — (use one hand for this step to the other hand stays clean!) dredge a piece of the chicken in the flour, then dip it in the eggs and finally dredge it in the bread crumbs. 

Add the chicken piece to one of the pans, then repeat with another piece in the second pan. (You may be able to fit more than one in each pan at a time.)

Cook the chicken, rotating occasionally and regulating the heat if necessary so it sizzles constantly but doesn’t burn. When the pieces are brown, after about 2 minutes, turn them over.

Cook on the second side until the chicken is firm to the touch, 1 to 2 minutes. (Cut into one with a thin-bladed knife; the center should be white or slightly pink.) Transfer the chicken to a platter and put it in the oven. 

Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and repeat with the remaining chicken, adding more oil and butter to each skillet as necessary.

When all the chicken is cooked, turn off the heat under one of the skillets. Add a tablespoon or 2 more oil or butter to the other pan if it looks dry and sprinkle the fat with 2 teaspoons of the remaining flour. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes. 

Add the wine and stir and scrape the pan until the wine has reduced by about half, about 1 minute. 

Add the stock and lemon juice and cook, stirring, until the mixture is slightly thickened and a bit syrupy, another 3 to 4 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon butter and swirl the pan around until it melts. Add any juices that have accumulated around the cooked chicken, along with the 1/4 cup parsley. Stir, taste and adjust the seasoning. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, garnish with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

Cute Food

OK - I HAD to create this page.  I see posts now and then for food that is ADORABLE!!!!!!  (I must be seriously disturbed if I think food is "cute"!!!!)

Cute Food

cheese, eggs, radishes, peppercorns, green onions

I wonder if I could get Carlene to eat cauliflower or broccoli if I prepared it like this???

Kid-Friendly Crockpot Turkey Chili

What to bring for dinner for those of us staying in the house on Volunteer Dinner Night????  Got it!!! Lots of vegetables in this old chili, which is pretty mild (not everyone likes the 'mouth on fire' routine.)   Serve the chili on top of the potatoes and let people dress it up any way they want!!  You can kick up the heat with the jalapenos and or the hot sauce!

Kid-Friendly Crockpot Turkey Chili

Ingredients:
Russet potatoes - one per person

1 1/3 lbs lean ground turkey
1 teaspoon oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced fine
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
10 oz can Rotel Mild Tomatoes
8 oz small can plain tomato sauce
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 T cumin
1T chili powder
1 t paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


Toppings:

diced avocado or tub of guacamole
reduced fat sour cream
reduced fat shredded cheese
jalapenos

chopped green onion

tabasco


Procedure:  

Put all of chili ingredients in slow cooker and cook 4 hours on high

Manwhile, bake potatoes, wrapped in foil, until done

Serve potatoes, topped with chili and add other toppings, as desired

Baked spaghetti

Lazy day special!!! Sort of like lasagna.  And sort of not.

Baked Spaghetti

Ingredients:
1 package (16 ounces) spaghetti
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jar (24 ounces) meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups (16 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
4 cups (16 ounces) part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese 

Procedure:
Cook spaghetti according to package directions. 

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. 

Stir in spaghetti sauce and seasoned salt; set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, Parmesan cheese and butter. Drain spaghetti; add to egg mixture and toss to coat. 

Place half of the spaghetti mixture in a greased 3-qt. baking dish. 

Top with half of the cottage cheese, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. 

Repeat layers. 

Cover and bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.



This week's recipe detectives were heather_mn and new poster Gimi!!

                      

Lazy Day Stuffed Pepper Casserole

I love stuffed peppers.  But sometimes, the work of preparing them is just not in the cards.  Here's a fast way to get the taste:

Lazy Day Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Ingredients:
1 T oil
2 c diced bell pepper - frozen is fine if you're really rushed for time
1 c diced onion
1/2 T minced garlic
1 lb ground beef (you can use turkey, but add a little beef bouillon /flavoring)
1.5 T Italian seasoning
1 t salt
1 13 oz can tomato sauce
3 c cooked rice
3/4 c mozzarella cheese, divided


Procedure:
Set your rice on to cook. (1 1/2 c rice, 3 1/2 c water, a knob of butter, salt)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large saute pan, add olive oil, diced pepper, diced onion and minced garlic over medium high heat and cook for about 5 minutes until the veggies just start to get soft, stirring often. 

Add in ground meat and cook until the meat is cooked through. Drain grease out of pan. 

Add in Italian seasoning, salt, tomato sauce, rice and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese stir together. 

Pour everything into a large baking dish and top with additional 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. 

Cover with foil and bake in oven for about 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes or so until cheese turns golden.



A side salad, another veg, and some garlic bread round out the meal.

This week's recipe detective was CLOUD!!

Mac and Cheese - Mix it up chart!!

Well, THIS will keep me busy for at least 40 weeks!!!!!

Mac and Cheese - Ways to Kick It up Chart

Christmas Meals

Well, puppy peeps, I think I am all "cooked out" - I've been "slaving"* over a stove and oven for an entire week.  Holidays are fun, but as we all know, the cooking part can be a bit of a drag when you want out of the kitchen and in on the fun!  At least I found someone else to do the dishes most of the time!!  Hope you did, too!!

*just kidding - you all know I like to cook!!

So here's my list of accomplishments on my Florida "vaycay":

Christmas cookies (for eating and for gifts)

Springerle (traditional German cookie - fabulous dunked in coffee or tea)

Chocolate Chip

Pistachio

White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread

Apricot Thumbprints

Soft Molasses Gingersnaps

Christmas Eve Dinner with the Neighbors

Cocktail hour - byob drinks

Kathy's Fabulous Cheeseball and crackers

Nina's Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Dinner Buffet:

Cranberry meatballs*

Roasted vegetables*

Stuffed shells

Chicken salad with cranberries, celery, grapes, and pecans*

Quiche Lorraine*

Assorted Christmas cookies, coffee, more drinks and Secret Santa Swap

Christmas Day Breakfast with the Friends

Eggs Benedict
Orange Juice
Coffee

Christmas Day Dinner with the Florida Family

Cousin Frank's Baked Ham 

Suzanne's Twice-baked Potatoes
Rolls and Butter
Broccoli

Glazed Carrots

Squash
Mom's Southern-style Green Beans*

More chicken salad

Ambrosia salad*

Cookies and Linda's Cinnamon Bundt Cake

Nina's Birthday Celebration

Christmas Tree Pesto Appetizer*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RECIPES:

Cranberry Meatballs

I made my own meatballs (1 lb turkey, 1 lb beef, chopped onion, S/P, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs, garlic, 1 T soy sauce) and baked them on a large rimmed sheet. (Do ahead!)

The day of the party, I dumped them in the slow cooker with 1 1/2 c spicy ketchup (you could use chili sauce or barbecue sauce, also), 4 T lemon juice, 2 T brown sugar and a can of whole berry cranberry sauce. Done!

Roasted Vegetables

Toss prepared vegetables (I did broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots) with a HEAPING tablespoon of minced garlic and 4-5 T of olive oil.  Spread them out on a large baking sheet and roast them at 400° until they "stiick" tender with a sharp knife and the edges are beginning to brown.  
Best way to get kids to eat vegetable!!

Chicken salad with cranberries, celery, grapes, and pecans

3 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
1 cup sliced celery
1 - 2 c red grapes
1 cup pecans
1/2 c dried cranberries

toss with this dressing that has been mixed together:
1 1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups mayo
1/2 - 1 cup fresh dill, snipped

Let sit at least two hours in fridge for flavor to develop.

Garnish with dill sprigs.

Excellent plain, or as a sandwich filling.


Seriously - I've never had a complaint about this salad!!

Quiche Lorraine

1 pie shell
4 oz shredded swiss cheese

1/2 cooked, diced bacon

1/2 cup onion, sauteed in 1 T bacon grease until carmelized
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 pint half and half

S/P

pinch nutmeg

Preheat over to 375°

Layer into the pie shell:  cheese, topped by bacon, topped by onion
Mix together:  eggs, half and half, seasonings

Place the pie shell into the oven, then pour the filling slowly over the onions.  Slide the rack of the oven carefully back (NO WAVES!!)
Bake 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 325° and bake until the filling is just set (knife comes out clean in center) - about 35ish minutes.

(You may need to place a pie shield over the crust to keep it from burning.)

I couldn't believe it - ALL the guys at our table LOVE quiche!!!  REAL men!!!

Mom's Southern-style Green Beans

4 cups green beans, washed, trimmed, and cut into pieces
1/2 cup cooked ham (or a small hambone)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 can red kidney beans

Prep all of the above
Place in saucepan with 1-2 cups of water
Simmer, covered, for an hour - the green beans should be soft and kind of mushy

Normally I like beans crisp and BRIGHT green - but the flavor of these takes me back to Mom's holiday dinners - she cooked vegetables SOFT!!! I really like recreating those memories for myself.

Ambrosia Salad

1 scant cup sour cream

1 cup coconut, grated

1 cup drained mandarin oranges

1 cup drained crushed pineapple

1 cup mini marshmallows

Mix all of the above an hour before serving.

Excellent with baked ham.

Or as a dessert.

Or just for whatever.

When my dad was in computer school back in the 60s, there were two Australian fellows from Sydney in his class.  We adopted them for the term.  They came to a picnic with us every Sunday for an entire summer.  And every week, this is what they brought - I think it might have been the only thing they knew how to prepare!!  But we didn't care.  Liked it then.  Like it now.

Christmas Tree Pesto Appetizer

one package puff pastry dough (thaw for 45 min)

one small jar pesto

paprika

parmesan

Unfold one sheet of dough and spread it out on a sheet of parchment paper.

Spread the dough with the jar of pesto.

Top with the other sheet of dough.

Outline a Christmas tree shape on the dough,

then make several horizontal cuts through the dough (don't slice across the middle)

twist each of those cut pieces and press the ends down on the parchment.

(I  cut the other parts of dough that were not part of the tree into strips 

and twisted and baked those, too!)

I sprinkled mine with paprika and grated parmesan before baking.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

Olive tapenade is another filling you can use.

You can also spread this with Nutella if you want a sweet version instead of savory.

This was wicked fast to make and VERY good with cocktails while sitting on the beautiful porch at Nina and Bear's house with good friends Kathy and Tom and my aunt.  We watched boats cruise in from the canal while celebrating Nina's birthday - a very special evening - best part of the whole week!!  (Of course, the fact there were two dogs to play with didn't hurt...)

~~~~~~~

Happy Holidays to all of my wonderful SDP 

and WCC friends!!!

Chili night!!!

My recipe for chili is not a recipe - I just keep throwing stuff in!!  So I don't blow my food budget on more spices this week, I'll probably pick up a packet of chili seasoning from Wick Fowler.  That way I won't lose half my spice jars on the ride back and forth from Ipswich!!  

DON'T buy the premade chili mixes from McCormick, etc.  Either buy your own jars of the various spices (and don't misplace them between one kitchen and another...) and adjust your own seasonings or get the Wick Fowler stuff (he's a war correspondent/journalist famous for winning chili cook-offs all over the place).  I like his kits because you can still control how much of each spice you're using - the spices are packaged SEPARATELY.  The premade mixes are what they are - mostly SALT.

Maybe I'll go look under the car seats and see if I can find those bottles...

Chili For a Cold Wet Day

Basically:

Sear a couple of pounds of ground beef, pork, and or turkey (I see what's on sale)

Drain any fat and then add:
Lots of onions - at least 2 biggies, chopped
6 cloves (or more) of garlic - you can never have too much garlic!!
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1-4 jalapenos (probably 1 at the farm), seeded and finely chopped

Cook together about 10 minutes

Add the spices:
chili powder  3-4 T
cayenne pepper 1/2 - 1 t
cumin 1-2 T
dried cilantro 1 T
oregano 1 t
crushed red chiles - anywhere from 1t to 2 T - depends on my mood

Let the spices sizzle in the meat and veggie mixture to release their oils

Then add:
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 large can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 T better than bouillion beef flavor

At home, I also toss in a bottle of beer

If the chili is too thick, I add more beer (or water)
If it's too thin, I add fine corn meal or corn flour I've mixed with a little water to make a paste

I don't add salt because of the bouillon, tomatoes, and beans

I DO keep tasting and adjusting as the pot simmers away on the back burner.

Let chili cook AT LEAST an hour - more if you can manage.  Just give it a stir every now and then and adjust the liquid if you need to.  This a great in the pressure cooker and also in the slow cooker.

I usually serve this in a bowl with a scoop of rice on the bottom, topped by the chili,  a handful of shredded cheddar and  a scoop of sour cream, and garnished with a lime wedge.

Optional - forget the rice and serve with corn bread

Better optional - ditch the starches and serve with a margarita! (or two!!)

When I'm feeling really virtuous, I've been know to shred carrots and even zucchini into my chili for an extra blast of nutrition.  I've also done this leaving out the meat entirely and using about 6 different kinds of beans - whatever works and fits the budget, right?

This weeks's recipe detective was Amy

Spaghetti Pie

This came across my Facebook feed and seemed like a really good and simple meal.  It's pretty kid-friendly, as well.  And fast!!!  I served it with some crushed red peppers on the side for those of use who like to spice things up.  I also had a little extra tomato sauce (from a jar) that I heated up like a gravy for those who liked their pasta a little saucier.  Serve this with a salad.  You can also do this and leave the meat out completely and it still works.  If you don't feel like using spaghetti, any kind of pasta will do.

I also added in two cloves of minced fresh garlic to the onion and meat mixture because, why not?

"Best Thing I Had in a Month" said Matt Lauer Spaghetti Pie

Ingredients:

12 ounces spaghetti, cooked, ½ cup cooking water reserved
1 small yellow onion, chopped finely
1 pound ground turkey or sirloin beef
1 cup tomato paste, divided
3 large eggs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1½ cup shredded mozzarella
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste


Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350.

In a large skillet, saute the onions until soft.

Add ground turkey or beef and brown

Add ¾ cup of the tomato paste. Add half the reserved pasta water and stir well. Season with salt, to taste. Consistency should be like a thick Bolognese sauce. Add more cooking water as needed.

In a large bowl, mix together the cooked spaghetti, eggs, parmesan cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella, and ¼ cup of the tomato paste.

Grease a 9 or 10-inch pie pan with olive oil. Spread half the meat mixture over the bottom of the pan. Add the spaghetti mixture and press it down to level it. Top with the remaining meat mixture, then scatter the remaining mozzarella on top.

Bake the pie in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit about 10 minutes. Use a sharp knife or pizza slicer to cut into wedges like a pie. Serve with a green salad.