When my brother and I were little, our dad lived on a boat. It wasn't a huge boat, but it was an awesome boat! We went back and forth to the Channel Islands. We jumped off the top of it, gauging the swells as they rocked the boat back and forth. We watched Police Academy movies, versions 1 through 197. We listened to gulls, we watched the fog roll in, we played cards and we ate stroganoff.
Stroganoff was about all my dad cooked, and he made it from a Hamburger Helper box, and he called it Pop Slop, but we loved it. I've been making several non-box versions of stroganoff for years, but this one is particularly good. And it's a lot lighter than a lot of other recipes, but keeps all of the creamy, rich sauce - the best part of the meal!
Lightened Up Crockpot Stroganoff - adapted from years of practice and Cooking Light
Prep time - 20 minutes. Cooking time - 7 hours
Serves 4-6
1 pound bottom round steak sliced thin (I found meat sliced for Carne Asada works great and it's already sliced thin)
1 cup chopped onion
12 ounces chopped mushrooms, about 3 cups
1/4 cup chopped parsley, plus more for garnishing
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 cups liquid - I use a combination of red wine and beef stock
1/2 cup sour cream
1 pound cooked egg noodles
Slice meat, mushrooms, onions, parsley and garlic. Add everything to the crockpot.
In a small bowl mix liquids (if you don't want to use wine, just use more liquid) and mustard. Pour over the meat and veggie mixture and sprinkle on dried dill, salt, pepper and flour.
Stir everything to combine.
Cook on low heat for 7 hours. Turn off the crockpot and let the meat mixture sit for 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream and more salt, pepper and parsley if needed.
Serve over hot cooked egg noodles and enjoy!
This is another great recipe for cooking ahead on weekends to prep for busy work weeks. I love being able to start a meal before lunch, enjoy the day and have a nice meal ready in the evening!
My tiny gentleman loved this meal too. He's a good eater as it is, but rich and creamy noodles is totally his thing.
Things made this time last year…
Faux Pho
Zucchini Chips with Dill Tzatziki
I am friends with a chef. I real professional chef who directs and staffs and manages a HUGE professional kitchen. I have no idea how many people they serve everyday, but I do know he works crazy hard, makes amazing food, and he's willing to teach me something new every time we hang out - cheers to you Tom! On top of all of this, he's married to a dear friend of mine who's been adding love and joy to my world for 23 years! Last time we had a weekend together he taught us Beer Can Chicken - this is hands down my favorite way to make a chicken. We've cooked this chicken in our smoker, and baked it in the oven. It's moist, delicious and super easy.
The second recipe is a great way to use up the extra bits of Beer Can Chicken. I love spicy salads, (Lettuce Wrap Salad and this Mango Chilli Chicken Salad are some favorites!) and this is a great new one for our rotation. Like a lot of my recipes, I upped the veggies. In this particular recipe I decreased some of the oil used in the dressing.
Beer Can Chicken
Preheat oven to 350
Line a baking dish with tin foil
1 whole chicken
1/2 can of beer*
1/4 cup rub of choice (we've used dry run and blended herb rubs)
*(we've used micro-brew IPAs, Coors and even a giant Fosters for a turkey. All good! I've heard Near Beer and O'Douls comes in cans. I wonder if root beer would taste?)
Pat dry the chicken, remove the neck and organs and rub it all over with your favorite dry rub. My dear chef friend made ours, it is smoky a little sweet, tangy with a little kick of spice. We are so lucky!!
Drink half a beer and place the can in the cavity of the chicken. The bird needs to stand up on the beer can. Bend the can a bit if needed. Place the bird and can on the foil lined baking dish. Bake at 350 until the thickest part registers 165 degrees. About an hour and 15 minutes.
We baked this chicken specifically to use shredded. Sunday night we made pizzas and this was part of a BBQ Chicken Pizza. Monday I made a green salad for lunch and topped it with some chicken. Monday night we made the Sweet and Spicy Peanut Noodle Salad with a bit more of this chicken. This salad is SO good!
Sweet and Spicy Peanut Noodle Salad - adapted from A Cozy Apron
Serves 4 as a light dinner
For the Dressing
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons peanut butter
3 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
Sriracha - to taste. We added ours on top of the salad servings since we were sharing with our toddler.
For the Salad
1/2 pound noodles - I used spaghetti
5 oz chopped chicken - about 1 breast
2 cups shredded red cabbage
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
3 green onions
1 1/2 cups sliced cucumbers
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts for garnish
Start a pot of water to boil for the noodles and start in on the dressing. In a very large bowl, whisk all of the dressing ingredients until smooth. We added the Sriracha later to keep the dressing mild so our toddler would eat it.
Next chop all of the veggies. I used a mandolin to thinly slice the cucumbers and carrots. Grating them would be just as easy and just as nice.
When the noodles are done, rinse in very cold water and toss with the dressing. Add in the veggies and toss until everything is nicely coated in dressing and nicely mixed up.
Serve in bowls and top with chopped peanuts, more cilantro and some Sriracha.
Enjoy!!
When I moved away to college, my family donated many wonderful things to my move... my aunt gave me plates with clocks on them, my Grammy gave me a Le Creuset pan and skillet that I still have and totally love, my stepmother gave me a couch, my mom gave me her car... and a cookbook. Thanks fam! :)
The book was Better Homes and Gardens red plaid, OG cookbook. First printed in the 1930s this bad boy has sold 34 million copies. Its a great starter cookbook and I still use it all the time. It has a very tasty coq au vin recipe which just happens to be one of the first things I ever made.
Coq au Vin - adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
Serves 4
2-3 pounds chicken - with the bone in - I used drumsticks and thighs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups pearl onions - I used frozen
1 1/2 cups red wine - I used Cabernet, but use whatever you like to drink
1 chicken bullion cube, or 1/2 teaspoon chicken stock paste (if you use 1/4 cup of liquid chicken stock, reduce wine bu 1/4 cup.)
2 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup sliced carrots - about 2 carrots
2 tablespoons fresh parsley - divided in half
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh marjoram, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons softened butter
3 tablespoons flour
Salt and Pepper
Cooked egg noodles - I made about 4 cups of noodles
In a heavy bottomed pan with a lid, heat oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and brown in the hot oil, flipping once. When chicken is browned, add in mushrooms, onions, garlic, bay leaf, half the parsley, and dried herbs (if you're using fresh thyme and/or marjoram, leave it out at this point.)
Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer and cover the pan. Cook on the stove for 30-40 minutes, flipping chicken once, or until the chicken is cooked through. (It starts to pull away from the bone and is very tender after 35 minutes.) Add fresh herbs halfway through cooking time.
Cook the noodles and keep hot. Egg noodles cook more quickly than regular pasta, so start these close to the end of the chicken cooking time.
When the chicken is done, remove chicken and veggies from the pan and place them on top of the hot noodles. Turn up the heat a bit so that the sauce begins to bubble.
Blend the softened butter and flour together into a smooth paste. Whisk into the bubbling sauce and allow to cook for about two minutes or until the sauce becomes a nice, thick gravy. Pour on top of the chicken and noodles and top with remaining chopped parsley.
Eat and enjoy!!
A few things about this recipe...
The chicken looks really purple for a minute, but then turns a much more appetizing brown once it sits for a minute.
About the wine/stock combo... I like paste bullion or stock that keeps in the fridge rather than having to keep open chicken stock around for 1/4 cup here and a 1/4 cup there. What I do with this recipe is mix the paste bullion in with red wine for a more concentrated flavor.
I was short on meat, so these pictures will look a little different.
The original recipe calls for crisp cooked, crumbled bacon as a topper. I've done this sometimes, and omitted it other times. I didn't use it this weekend. Totally optional.
I use a LOT more veggies than what's called for, but I love them.
Made this time last year:
Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes and Onions
Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake
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