Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

Sometimes with new recipes I really amaze myself- like with this one. Mainly because I have never made beef stroganoff before and went with my own version after looking up a few online.  Most of the time when I do that, the food comes out so-so. But not this one. If I can eat it three days in a row - it must be good!  There was enough for a small army, or maybe a family of 4 with leftovers. So if you are cooking for one a lot like me, invite some friends over, or just keep eating it for every meal.  My version of beef stroganoff is made in the crock pot, so it's super easy and besides chopping veggies, so it doesn't require much effort.  This dish was also approved by my picky 4 year old!


What I used
2 medium carrots
2 stalks of celery
2 garlic cloves
1/2 white onion
2 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup chicken broth
1.5 pounds London broil
1/2 cup light sour cream
salt and pepper, if needed
1 lb pasta, cooked al dente, and drained

What I did

1.  First prepare the veggies.  Shred the carrots using a cheese grater.  Then finely chop the celery, onion and garlic.

2.  Next, add all the ingredients (except the sour cream) into the crock pot.  Set it on high for 4 hours.  About half way through check your dish.  Mine looked like it was browning too much, so I switched it onto low. Total cooking time was about 5 hours. 

3. Once the meat is cooked through, take it out and place it onto a cutting board. Using 2 forks, shred the entire piece and set it aside. This is also a good time to taste the sauce. If you'd like, add salt and/or pepper if it needs it. When the meat is almost finished, boil some water in a large pot for the pasta and cook to your liking. 

4.  Before adding the meat back into the pot, add the sour cream to the crock pot sauce and stir to combine.  When the sauce is mixed completely, add the meat and the pasta.  Mix everything together and enjoy!

Hints
* London broil is usually inexpensive. My mom suggested I buy it for stew meat, because it's a very lean piece of meat.  This piece I bought was less than $4.
*I top all pasta with Parmesan cheese, so if you are like me, go for it!

*If I have a lot for one recipe,  I will take out my Cuisinart to shred carrots because using a grater scares me sometimes. So in order to protect my fingers, I found a little trick by putting the carrot on the end of a fork and using that to hold the carrot as i grated it.  You have to keep moving it to different sides, and you end up with a bit at the end that you can grate, but I still have all my fingers and no cuts!

Taco Soup

This dish was inspired by my friend Vicky at work. Her husband made this great lunch one day which she called Taco Soup. It was delicious, so I couldn't resist trying it myself, knowing that I had most of the ingredients at home. It didn't taste the same, but sure was tasty. So here is my try at Taco Soup (although its more like a taco chili, but Taco Soup is more fun to say.)

What I used:

1 lb ground beef

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 palm full each of chili powder and cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

1 can each of corn and pinto beans, drained

2 cans stewed tomatoes - one was Mexican style with chilies in it

Tortilla chips

Sour cream

Shredded cheese

What I did:

1. I started by heating a skillet on high heat and then browned the beef, crumbling it up as it cooked.

2. I then added the chopped onion and garlic and let it cook to soften. When the meat was almost done, I drained out some of the grease with a spoon.

3. The chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper were added next, stirring to combine.

4. Once the meat was cooked through, I added all of the cans. Everything was mixed together and simmered for a few minutes until heated through. Make sure you taste it at this point. Add more spices if needed.

5. To serve, I ladled some of the soup into a bowl and mixed in the cheese and sour cream. Then it was topped off with chips. Yummy!

Easy Gourmet Dinner-Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms

So I love making dinners that look impressive, but are actually really simple. I think this one falls into that category. Stuffed portabello mushrooms are very filling and don't need much else along the side. Makes a great summer meal!

What I used:
1lb lean ground beef (only half is used for the mushrooms, the rest I saved the other things, like burritos)
1/2 small shallot
Minced garlic
Worcestershire sauce
Two cleaned portabello mushrooms
Olive Oil
Montreal Steak Seasoning
Grape tomatoes
Fresh mozzarella cheese (the kind in water)

What I did:
1. Cook the ground beef in a hot pan, letting it brown up. While it's cooking, I added the chopped shallot, garlic, and steak seasoning. When it was almost done, I shook in some of the Worcestershire sauce-about 5-6 good shakes.

2. While that was cooking, I wiped off the mushrooms with a damp cloth, and then scooped out the inside with a spoon to make room for the filling.

3. I then brushed each mushroom with olive oil (top/bottom/sides), sprinkled them with Montreal seasoning and placed them onto a hot grill pan. They took about 5 min each side to soften up on medium-high heat.

4. When everything was almost done, I coated some grape tomatoes with olive oil and the seasoning and threw them right onto the grill next to the mushrooms. I let them cook until they started to burst.

5. To assemble, I filled each mushroom with some of the ground beef and then topped that with some of the tomatoes and mozzarella cheese I diced up.

6. To complete the meal I served it along side some sliced veggies (I had fennel, maybe a topic for another day, and bell peppers) and a couscous/grain mix I got at Trader Joe's.


Variations:
I would have topped it with basil, but I forgot to buy some at the store. If you want to be meat-free, stuff the mushroom with couscous or rice. Really you can use anything to stuff the mushrooms, so be creative and share with us your creations!

PS Trader Joe's is one of my FAVORITE places to shop! It might have to be its own topic one day..a trip to the best grocery store :)

Bruschetta Burger

The inspiration for this burger was one I ate at Applebee's once. It was amazing, and I figured I can make my own version at home. The pesto sauce and bruschetta can be used separately too, but put together with the burger, OH WOW! It's heaven on bread!

As a side note, when I cook, I don't always use exact measurements. I remember once watching my grandma cook a family recipe so I can actually have it written down. But it was a lot of "oh about this much salt" and "just throw in some bread crumbs" with no exact science to it. It took me awhile to be confident to do the same, but with practice, it got easier. So, taste your food as you cook it and adjust where you feel you need to. You will soon start to see how much or how little salt you like, or where you feel you need to add something else. You should like the food you cook, so personalize it!

Pesto Sauce


2 Cups basil leaves
1 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2-1 tsp crushed garlic

Put all ingredients into the blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a glass jar and keep in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it for up to 6 months. Use it on pasta, rice, over chicken, in a sandwich, or the yummiest burger ever!

Bruschetta

4-5 Roma tomatoes
2-4 basil leaves
1/2 - 1 tsp crushed garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Chop the tomatoes and basil, toss together in a bowl. Drizzle in some olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste and the garlic. Taste. Add more seasonings is you like, but remember that garlic will get stronger once it sits around. I like to make this, then chill it. Before using it, I taste it and add more seasoning if needed. If you think its too salty, add more tomatoes and oil.

Bruschetta Burgers

Patty:
1-1 1/2 lbs Ground sirloin
1-1 1/2 tsp Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 tsp Crushed garlic
4-5 shakes of Worcestershire sauce
a handful of Parmesan cheese

For assembling:
Ciabatta rolls
Olive oil
Garlic powder
Pesto sauce
Bruschetta
Fresh mozzarella cheese- this is the kind usually in water or vacuum sealed, Precious brand is always good.

Put all of the ingredients for the patties in a bowl. Mix with your hands until everything is combined. Then form patties to the size you prefer, keeping in mind the size of the bread so it fits nicely. I found that making them thinner makes eating it easier once inside the bun. Grill the patties on the barbecue or inside on a grill pan to your liking. While the patties are cooking, brush each side of the rolls with olive oil and sprinkle on a bit of garlic powder. Toast them in the oven or on the grill until golden. When the patties are almost done, place a slice of the mozzarella cheese on each one so that it melts.

Now it is time to finish the burger. Add pesto sauce to one or both sides of the rolls. Place a patty on the bottom half of the roll. Top the patty with some of the bruschetta, and then add the other half of the roll. Stare at it a minute to admire your wonderful creation! Then dig in!

Tips:
*Keep in mind the size of the bread when forming the patties, so it fits nicely. I found that making them thinner makes eating it easier once inside the bun.
*You can heat the pesto up in the microwave or on the stove if it was sitting in the fridge for awhile.
*I found that using a brush is the easiest way to get the pesto on the bread. It really gets it into the nooks and crannies. I like to use cheap wooden paintbrushes from the hardware store, the last forever and can be put into the dishwasher.