Beef Stroganoff

I love a good Beef Stroganoff and have never tried to make my own from scratch before this. I consider it a satisfying comfort food. Who doesn't love comfort food.

So I thought, well, a good stroganoff has to begin with good meatballs. And the sauce has to be smooth and gravy like without being greasy. And the right amount of seasoning. I didn't have any egg noodles so I used bow tie pasta and it was awesome.

Beef Stroganoff
Meatballs

1# ground chuck 80/20
1/4 small onion
1/4 green bell pepper
1/4 red bell pepper
8-10 leaves of fresh basil
5 or so sprigs of fresh parsley
1 tea chopped garlic
1//4 tea garlic powder
1/4 tea onion powder
1/4 tea cayenne pepper
sea salt - salt to taste
1 egg
1/2 panko bread crumbs original flavor
1-2 T oil

Pulse onion, bell peppers, basil, parsley and garlic in a chopper.

Place beef and all ingredients EXCEPT the oil in a bowl and mix with your hands till mixed very well. 

Form into bite size meatballs.

Cook in oil on medium till done. Remove from pan onto paper towels to drain. Do not scrape the pan yet. Drain off the oil from the pan. Scrape the bottom of the skillet loosening up the pieces from the bottom.

Sauce
1 can Campbells cream of mushroom soup
1 can Campbells beef broth double strength
3/4 can of water - may need more to reach desired consistency
1/3 can of water
3 tea cornstarch
1 small can of sliced mushrooms (optional)
8 oz sour cream
1/2 carton Philadelphia Cooking Creme Original flavor

Add mushroom soup to the pan and mix well with the pan scrappings. Add the beef broth and 3/4 can of water. bring to a boil. In a soup can combine 1/3 can of water with the cornstarch and mix well. Add to the boiling soup mix in the skillet. Cook on med-low till it begins to thicken. Add meatballs and mushrooms.

 Just before serving mix in the sour cream and the cooking creme. Mix well and then remove from heat.

Pasta
Use your choice of pasta and cook according to package directions.
1 T butter
1 heaping T of cooking creme

Add butter and cooking creme to cooked pasta.

And Enjoy!

It tastes so delish. The meatballs have a hint of the onions and bell peppers. Garlic not too strong. The bite size meatballs are tender and ever so slightly sweet from the red bell pepper. The sauce is creamy and not too rich.

I have a tendency to lean towards less is best when it comes to seasonings. I feel that I can always adjust the seasonings in the next recipe. I hate when I make something and it is not edible because of the seasonings. So adjust the recipe to what you like. I will definately be making this dish again.

My taste testers thought this was the best they had ever eaten. I thought so too. I hope you enjoy this recipe too.

Have you tried this product? I couldn't get along in the kitchen with out it. The old plastic wrap doesn't stick to anything. Press'n Seal seals everything including the wet stuff. The only thing I've noticed wrong with this product is it leaves a sticky film around the plate or bowl where the wrap sealed on the edges. What do you think of this product.

Happy cooking and have a great day!

Blueberry-Apple Layer Delight

My blueberry was loaded this year and I've been looking for new and exciting ways to prepare them. I'd been thinking about apples. I even prepared a dessert a few weeks ago with apples and blueberries. I love a good 4 layer dessert and this one proved to be delightful. Hope you enjoy it.

Blueberry Apple Layer Delight

by RebeccaW

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Butter the bottom of a 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 dish

Crust

2 cups of tiny twist pretzels

8 squares of graham crackers

2 Tbl sugar

3 Tbl butter, melted

Pulse dry indredients till crumbs and add melted butter. Pat into square pan and bake for 13 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Fruit Layer

2 cups blueberries

2 medium apples peeled, cored and chopped into sm.pieces

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 Tbl flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 tea cinamon

1 cup V8 Vfusion Pomegranite/Blueberry Juice

1 Tbl butter

Place all of these ingredients into a pot and cook on low stirring often for about 30 minutes. Apples should be soft cooked. Set aside and cool completely. May need to place in fridge to finish cooling. (You don't want it to be warm when adding to crumb mix.)

After the fruit mixture is completely cool - spread on top of the baked crumb crust.

Layer 3 - Cream Cheese Layer

3/4 of a tub of Cool Whip

8 oz softened Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Mix with an electric mixer till blended.

Spread on top of fruit mix.

Layer 4 - Pudding

1 sm pkg of Jell-o Vanilla Pudding

3/4 cup of half-n-half

3/4 cup of milk

Mix on low for 30 seconds and then on medium about 2 minutes. It will thicken as it sits a few seconds. Spread on cream cheese layer.

Topping

Spread remaining Cool Whip on top beginning from center.

Add crumbled candy bar - Hersheys Cookies and Cream Candy Bar.

I hope you enjoy it as much as my taste testers did.



First Post - Introduction to Becca's Cooking

Many years ago when my kids were very young I decided I wanted to try my hand at making my mothers homemade dressing for the holiday dinner. I was nervous - the dressing is as important as the turkey. My family loved it. Since then I have learned to cook and be creative at it with lots of recipes and some older than my kids. So many of those recipes are on those old index cards and have so many fingerprints on them and food crumbs. Now you all know that things need to be on a computer now or in a binder. I want to share my love for food as I learn new and creative and tasty ways to prepare food. Oh and BUTTER - well I love butter - just like Paula Deen and I use the real stuff. I figure that if I'm gonna go to the trouble of creating a food dish that I intend to use only the real and freshest ingredients using name brand foods.

I hope that you will find something here that makes your mouth water and is pleasing to your taste buds...