Getting Sick...

Which is probably the result of not eating as well as I should. I've been drinking too much soda and not eating real meals because I've been too.

WHICH STOPS NOW!

So, to cheer myself up about being sick (and so close to the CamGirl Mansion too), I'm going to tell you about the delicious dinner I made today! I made an amazing beef stroganoff and I didn't even use a recipe. I skimmed a few online but otherwise made it entirely on my own with what I had on hand. (Because I had some round steaks that really needed to get cooked before they freezer burned. And... round steak, in my opinion isn't that great unless it's cooked in a sauce or a stew.)

Like many staple dinners there are basic building blocks and then it's up to you. Basically all you need to make beef stroganoff is beef, flour, butter, beef broth, and sour cream (and mushrooms, but I know a lot of people don't like them). So I made it how I wanted it to, trying to recreate how I imagine beef stroganoff should taste. Also, keep in mind this is my "let's try to make this work" kind of recipe, so you can of course swap out ingredients for better quality ones.

Beef Stroganoff

3-4 servings

1 1/2 lbs round steak

1/2 cup flour

Salt

Paprika

Pepper

3 Tbsp butter

1 cup chopped onion

Garlic powder

Red pepper flakes

2 beef bouillon cubes

2 cups water

2 cups sour cream

Red wine (this is a great way to use some of the wine you forgot in the fridge)

Cooked egg noodles

1. Slice round steak into thin chunks (think a little bigger than bite size, like 1x1/2 in pieces)
2. On a plate mix together flour, paprika, pepper and salt. You be the judge on amounts, but no need to go crazy.
3. Toss sliced round steak in flour mixture to coat lightly. You can do this in a ziploc baggie but I don't like wasting bags...
4. In a large pan melt butter. Add meat and lightly brown.
5. Remove steak onto a plate and set aside.
6. Add onion to the pan (if you're using real garlic add it now) and cook until tender. Sprinkle in garlic powder and red pepper flakes and allow them to become aromatic.
7. Add bouillon cubes, water and beef back to the pan. Stir. Cover and allow to simmer for an hour. 
8. When the sauce has cooked down, at the end of the hour, add sour cream and a good helping of the red wine. 
9. Heat over low heat (the sour cream will cool it down alot) and serve over noodles!

This is definitely a repeat menu item. My super picky roommate actually licked the plate and that's really saying something! Again, I'll try to remember to update this with prices later.

xoxo
Steph