Beef Stroganoff

I have been wanting to try Beef Stroganoff for years, but getting it from Hamburger Helper was always more convenient. But then, at the store, guess what was on sale? Beef Stroganoff! It actually said that on the label...only way I knew! So I got it and vowed to try it homemade. Then all the recipes I looked up called for dijon mustard, a condiment that I have never liked, and never bought for that matter. So I almost didn't have this dish because I didn't want to buy mustard that I was never going to use again, but the more I thought, mustard comes up in a lot of recipes I want to try but never make because I don't have that ingredient on hand. So now I own mustard and have had the experience of eating beef stroganoff that doesn't come in a box. I got this recipe off of foodnetwork.com.

• 1 1/2 lbs beef tenderloin
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tbsp butter, divided
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 c. beef consomme, I believe this is beef broth, even if its not, thats what I used
• 2 tsp Dijon style mustard (I only used 1 tsp, and it was still a little strong)
• 1/4 c.sour cream
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 small onion
• 1/3 c. coarsely chopped mushrooms (I used baby portabellas)

Slice meat into 1/2 inch thin strips and season with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Melt 2 tbsp butter and cook with flour 1 minute to make a rue. Whisk in beef broth. Thicken for a couple minutes. Stir in mustard and sour cream, thicken for a few more minutes. Remove from heat and season sauce with salt and pepper.

Heat a second skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and the olive oil, then add the meat and onion and cook over high heat until brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Then add the chopped mushrooms and stir to combine. Plate cooked noodles and top with beef and sauce.

Overall I thought my first attempt at making this dish was pretty good. Definately good enough to not go back to Hamburger Helper, and probably much more healthier! I did think the mustard taste came out more than it should have, and that was after reducing it down 1 tsp already. But this may be because I do not like mustard.... This dish aslo tasted much better the next day, the sauce was thicker and it was less mustardy! I'm going to give it 4 yums!

Wacky Mac!

As an avid lover or Macaroni and Cheese, I could not resist the Wacky Mac when I discovered it walking down grocery store aisle. A little pricey for boxed Mac and Cheese at $1.49, but I still was tempted at a new type of Mac and Cheese to try! I also liked how the back of the box said the product had a 'unique and interesting taste' and the proof of purchase was not a barcode, but a picture of that little boy on the front of the box. The box came with 4 shapes of noodles, making it WACKY! Wheels, spirals, shells and the normal plain tube. You make it the same way as any other boxed mac and cheese. I did not quite figure out what was so 'unique and interesting' about the flavor, it was kinda bland actually. And the worst thing a box of mac and cheese can present to the eater, is a non-cheesy taste, which Wacky Mac did sucessfully. I wouldn't rate this as the worst mac and cheese I have had, but it is definately on the bottom of my list. I will not be buying Wacky Mac again, even though I do love the name! Wacky Mac gets 1.5 yums.

Then for dinner, I wanted to get rid of the barley that has been in my pantry for a while. I found the recipe Early Summer Barley from chronicbabe.com. I choose this recipe because you could serve it cold almost like a pasta salad, and I love cold things in the warm weather! I also happened to have every single ingredient on hand except the snow peas, which I substituted green string beans. This salad was good, but there was something I didn't like about it. I can't put my finger on it, but the flavors did not balance right. I bet with more practice I could get it right, but I don't think its worth it to keep it. But it was healthy from the barley, lots of fiber! And if you do make it, serve it really cold, it tastes better. 2.75 yums.

• 1 c. barley
• 3-4 c. water
• green beans, I probably had like a good handful, cut up into pieces
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 c. feta
• 1 tbsp. lemon zest
• 1/2 c. lemon juice, orig. recipes calls for 1 c. - way too much
• 1/4c. olive oil, orig. recipes calls for 1/2 c. - way too much
• salt and pepper
• 1 handful fresh dill, roughly chopped
  

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Mistakes Made, Lessons Learned

After a horrendously unhealthy value meal lunch of 2 slices of pizza that I have been craving for months and the biggest soda (non-diet) I have ever had probably, I was in need of a healthy dinner! So I had a Tuna Steak with Asparagus. This meal was quick, simple and easy to clean up! The longest part was waiting the 10 minutes for it to marinate!

• Tuna Steak


• 1 clove garlic


• 1/2 lemon juiced


• rosemary


• salt and pepper

I just minced the garlic up with the rosemary, salt and pepper and then rubbed it onto the steak. Then I squeezed the lemon juice on it and rubbed a little more and waited 10 minutes and threw it on the Foreman. Then.... I over cooked it :( because I was distracted by American Idol and the guy who called the wrong number asking about a driveway.... So I took a potentially 4 yum meal and made it into a 2.5 yum meal. It was going to get 3 yums because the flavor of the rosemary and lemon still stood out, but it got drier and drier with each bite. And I like my fish just cooked with minimal flavor added. I think the natural fish taste should stand out in any fish meal. So lesson learned, when cooking fish, don't leave the kitchen!

Sunday Dinner and Dessert

Tonight I had my absolute favorite dinner. This is what I would want for my last meal. The Lynady Baked Ziti. This was the first dinner I remember learning when I was a kid. This meal will always earn 5 yums. It is impossible to make it bad tasting and you don't have to measure. I have never met anyone who hasn't liked this meal when I cook it. It is one of my most often requested recipes from friends.

• 1 lb Sausage, ground up


• 1 lb pasta, I recommend rigatoni or shells


• Tomato sauce, jarred


• Tomato sauce, in the little cans (8 oz.)


• 1/4 c. milk


• Parmesean cheese


• Velvetta cheese, 1/3 of the small box


• Basil


• Oregano

Heat over to 350'. Boil water and cook pasta. While doing so, cook sausage. In a 13 x 9 dish, cover bottom with jarred tomato sauce. In this dish I used jarred Vodka Sauce to make it more creamy. Then pour sausage and pasta into dish. Pour in can sauce. Fill half of the can with milk and pour into dish. Then sprinkle cheeses and herbs. Mix well. Then top with cheeses and herbs again. Cook 25-30 minutes. Serve hot and you will love it.


For dessert, I had Coconut-Lime Cupcakes. They are good but, they just don't have that much punch of a flavor I was hoping for. I think I will toss the recipe and wait for another southern flavored cupcake recipe comes along to test out.

After the cupcakes were done, I tried one and it was not very lime tasting which i was hoping for. I even added my own spin by poking holes in the cupcakes with a toothpick and then threw together a lime flavored glaze made out of some melted butter, confectioner's sugar and lim juice. Then poured over the cake and then frosted and garnished. With the extra glaze, the cupcakes were more citrusy in taste and had a little more of the zing I was looking for. These were a bit of a dissappointment and get 3 yums. Without my extra glaze they get 2 yums.

Cupcakes

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp grated lime peel
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Frosting

• 1 c. whipping cream
• 1/4 c. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp grated lime peel

Garnish: Coconut