Warmer weather plays peek-a-boo, giving us spring-like days for a while, but then another storm comes calling. Last week's storm brought high winds and more snow, and I heard it traveled east with a vengeance!
So while it isn't quite time for salads and cook-out meals yet, we can still enjoy our soups!
I love beef stroganoff (do I hear some "Amen's" out there?), so I had to try this recipe idea when I heard about it. I experimented some, and came up with my own savory, flavorful version.
Stroganoff Stew
Serves two to three. Double or triple to serve more.ingredients:
2 Tablespoons butter
8 oz. steak, cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash (or equivalent herby seasoning mix)
2 Tablespoons minced onion
4 ounces mushrooms, chopped (optional for my family)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 cups beef or vegetable broth or stock
1 1/2 cups uncooked noodles
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons flour
In a large saucepan, melt the butter, then add the beef. Season with the Mrs. Dash, and cook until the steak pieces are browned. Add the mushrooms, onions, and garlic powder, then saute for a couple minutes.
Add the Worcestershire sauce and half the broth. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. This cooks any toughness out of the meat and blends the flavors well.
Add the rest of the broth and bring to a boil. Add the uncooked noodles, bring back to a boil, and cook for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir the flour into the sour cream in a small bowl. Whisk in about 1/3 cup of the hot broth, a little at a time, until you have a thick creamy sauce.
When the noodles are cooked, stir this sauce into the soup. Let the soup continue to simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally (3-5 minutes).
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| My soup turned out golden rather than brown because I used vegetable broth instead of beef. |
Enjoy with some fresh bread and salad. I think Mary Jane's fluffy butter rolls from the weekend's post would be delicious. You can find that recipe here!
Meanwhile, we're in the middle of some reorganization at our house.
Up until last June (a bare nine months ago!), we were a family of six adults sharing a house. Now? We're down to three - the two of us and one son. Between two weddings and the youngest son finding a house to share with friends, the place has emptied out in a hurry!
So not only do we have an extra bedroom (never thought that could be possible...), but we have all kinds of "stuff" that we've been saving, just in case someone needed it when they moved out.
The solution? Sometime in the early summer, we'll have a rummage (that's what they call garage sales around here). It should be a good one, considering all the stuff we have around. Until then, half of the garage will be the staging area as we sort through boxes from our last move nearly six years ago, and decide what will go and what will stay.
Does this sound familiar, Mindy? I know you're packing away as you get ready for your move to the ranch!
I think what we're doing is called downsizing. Are we ready? Will two reformed pack rats be able to pare away the layers? Stay tuned!
Jan Drexler loves her family, her home, cooking and just about anything made by hand. But she loves her Lord most of all.
Stop by Jan's website to learn more about her books: www.JanDrexler.com
Spring is teasing us up here as well. March is always iffy. You'll not be surprised if I say I'll skip the stroganoff stew -- but I wish I was close enough to crash your rummage sale. We call them rummage sales if they are in a church basement but garage sales if they are held at a home. I love cruising around garage sales in May. Hoping to grab up some bookcases this year. :-)
ReplyDeleteI hope you find your bookcases! I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that we won't have any in our sale. ;) Those are valuable pieces of furniture!
DeleteI was thinking about you and a possible vegetarian option for this stew. I think if you doubled up on the mushrooms and left out the beef (using the vegetable broth option), you'd end up with a similar flavor.
And you can't beat warm, savory stew on a winter/spring/winter evening!
I love beef stroganoff! Thanks for sharing your recipe, Jan. And good luck with the garage/yard/rummage sale. :)
ReplyDeleteI grew up hearing the term garage sale mostly in KY. Here in GA, they seem to call them yard sales more often.
I grew up with garage sales, too, and yard sales if they didn't have a garage. And porch sales, basement sales, barn sales... you name it!
DeleteBut around here, more often than not, it's a rummage. Not even a sale. And it's often used as a verb, as in "we're going rummaging on Saturday morning."
While I'm not a big fan of the empty nest... and ours fills quite regularly.... I love clearing things out, Jan! I saved all kinds of things to give to kids who were striking out on their own... oh mylanta, it was so funny. So much stuff!!! Some of it came in handy, some of it drew laughter. :)
ReplyDeleteNow we're getting closer to being less stuffed and that's my goal. Move it out... move it on. And I love that folks can either buy things at a great price, or donate to help others, it's a win!
Stroganoff.... mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........
And son #2 told us tonight that he's looking for a house to rent with friends. So it happens.
DeleteAt least - so far - they're all staying close by. :)
And yes, getting rid of the stuff. I'm looking forward to it. :)
Oh, you goodness, yes, it sounds all too familiar, Jan. And th closer we get to moving, the more the "someone might be able to use this" turns to "get rid of it." But man, oh, man, there's so much we aren't getting rid of. Makes my mind boggle. But this stroganoff warms my heart. This is comfort food. And change always requires comfort food. Not to mention surgery. We've had a lot of comfort food lately and this is one that will have to go on my list. YUM!
ReplyDeleteYUM is right! Comfort food is just what you need in the midst of turmoil, isn't it?
DeleteYes, Jan. Your storm has come east. Yet to be determined what happens next. At the moment, with the snow just beginning, the range is anywhere between 3 and 30 inches in this area. We're supposed to be about a foot.
ReplyDeleteAs for the downsizing, I find that the older I get, the less material I am so downsizing becomes simpler. I just want a tranquil spot.
There's that season of life when you have boxes of clothes stored and labeled "size 2, boys" and "size 5, girls."
DeleteAnd then there's that season when the only things worth storing are cookie cutters for Christmas baking and toys for the grandchildren to play with when they come over.
And we're right between those two seasons.
So it's time to say goodbye to the Boy Scout camping supplies and the 10 person tent... Oh, man, we have a lot of stuff.
The worst part is that we THOUGHT we downsized when we moved six years ago!