Better than the Box Stroganoff!

Butterballs!  My dear, sweet, Butterballs!
Happy 2014!  I've missed you so!  We really must catch up.  Since we last chatted we, of all things, acquired a dog!  Butters needed a BFF, so we adopted a really cranky, adorable Brussels Griffon named Dexter!  He's the best, we haven't had to mop since he's been here because that guy is SUPER good at licking the floor!  He and Butters were insta-brothers, and they love each other very much. He crawled his stinky, stinky way into our hearts, and ate all of our food and our cat poop. 

We have actually been cooking a whole bunch, regardless of what this blog would indicate.  This is actually a good thing, because it means that I have a wealth of recipes just waiting to be penned to paper!  Or typed to interweb, whatever. 

Something that happens a whole bunch when you have a cheap ass microwave is that when you thaw meat, it cooks it on the ends, and stays a meat-cicle in the middle, so the natural course of action is to turn it into little meat strips and make stroganoff.  Stroganoff is what the Russians made when their cream would get sour, and their microwaves screwed up the steak their fathers-in-law gave them, and dill was all they had in their специй's - for those of you who are reading from Mother Russia, you know that I Google translated "spice rack"!  That's "spetsiy" for those of us who are not doing that, but might be drinking Chianti, watching New Girl, using Google Translate and blogging while they fight off a cold and their husband's work in the basement. 

This came about one night while I was mulling over a box of Hamburger Helper (read: DON'T).  I was thawing some steak to turn it into Steakburger Helper, when all of a sudden it turned into already cooked eraser meat (so... this sounds disgusting, I promise I'm getting to the good part...).  Then I also discovered that Hamburger Helper is crap, and if I was going through all this trouble to thaw something, I just as well make something good, because did you know that you have to "simmer meat with contents of flavor packet" for like, 45 minutes?  You can make some seriously good shit in 45 minutes.  So I cut up literally 3 lbs of sirloin that was a silicon breast implant on one end and cryogenically frozen on the other and made some tasty ass stroganoff.

You will need:
2 lbs or more (depending on how anemic you are that day) sirloin or other choice of beef meat cut into strips on the bias
1 onion, sliced into strips
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 and 1/2 cup sour cream (you can also use milk, but you'll have to reduce more)
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp dill
1 and 1/2 cup stock of some variety, I used chicken
salt and pepper to taste 
some variety of flat noodles, I used whole wheat egg noodles

Start by browning onions and mushrooms in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  Reserve in a bowl.  Add meat to pan, cook through, add in vinegar, cook until evaporated (for tenderness).  Add in onions and mushrooms, add COLD stock to pan (room temp at the warmest), stir in sour cream, this will keep it from curdling.  Stir in completely (you could also do this before adding both the stock and the cream to the pan).  Add in dill, salt and pepper, reduce over medium-high heat until creamy (you can add in some thickening flour like Wondra to speed up the process).  Serve over noodles.  This whole process takes about 20 minutes. 

We served it with roasted asparagus and red wine.  Because everything in the world except for maybe white wine goes with red wine, and I'm certain that's debatable.

In closing Butterballs, may your New Years Resolutions be more like guidelines, may you be ever grateful for and proud of what you've already achieved, and may your bellies and hearts be full to bursting of whatever makes you happiest!  Here's to more food, less worries, more kitty and puppy kisses, and less "flavor packets".  Much love and best dishes!  Mwah!






 

Happy "Mew" Year Lo Mein!

Howdy Y'all, Butterballs!
Happy New Year!  I hope you and yours had a fulfilling, and filling, experience over your holiday season!  Matt, myself and the cat spent our time, sleeping, entertaining, and of course, eating.  We were lucky enough to spend a week in Dillon with both of our respective families over the break, followed by two days of Megan Peck time, and a dubstep dance party on New Years Eve.  We were both back to work on Wednesday, and soon discovered that our time off was socially exciting, though not exactly the most restful nine days of our lives.

Now, I am not one for New Year Resolutions.  As close as I got this year was resolving to get all my laundry done by the time school started on Wednesday.  I did, in fact, get that done, so I am a big fat success, be jealous.  Butter's resolution was to be more comfortable with his body image, and since he really couldn't care less anyway, our family is two for two.

During our time of entertaining, we fully took advantage of our house's proximity to McDonald's, Arby's, and Taco Bell, so we were... resolute, perhaps, to cook this week.  As soon as we made this decision, my car crapped out, and we had to spend two evenings trying to get it towed to the car guy.  On Wednesday, we thought that if we couldn't eat at home, we'd at least try to eat healthy, so we decided to try a local fresh sandwich shop.  This ended up being about the worst culinary decision we've ever made.  Between mine being soaked with (unrequested) vinegar, and Matt's club sandwich being slathered in hot Chinese mustard, we had to go eat a cheeseburger to get the taste out of our mouths.  Friday, we took advantage of roughly $75 in free Outback steakhouse money we got for Christmas, and Thursday, I made this healthy lo mein.

Now, in addition to our usual secret cheap grocery spots (read: Walmart), we've also been frequenting Costco, also known as Senior Citizen Heaven and "I just have one thing to get because bulk shopping makes almost no sense for two people" Hell.  "What could you possibly need at Costco for a family of two that won't be so stale you could use it as paving tile by the time you use it up?", you might ask.  My answer would be: roughly ten thousand pounds of whole wheat spaghetti.  Now, we didn't end up with this much pasta intentionally.  Due to some health factors that were brought to my attention last fall, we've been cutting back on our refined carbs, and our dairy products, so naturally we were super excited when we saw that all this fancy pasta (if I have to give up dairy, there is absolutely no way in the world I am giving up pasta) for like, $1 a pound.  So naturally Matt bought ten pounds, then one month later, with the best of intentions, bought ten more.  Pretty much the only thing we have yet to do with spaghetti is make those little smokey octopus things on Pinterest...

To make Butters' Mew Year Resolution Lo Mein you will need:
3/4 lb whole wheat spaghetti
2 large chicken breasts, thinly sliced on the bias
1/4 cup (or more to taste) low sodium soy sauce
enough olive oil to cook your veg, chicken, and finish your dish
1 and 1/2 large carrots, thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced into strips
1 head of broccoli with the heads cut into bite sized pieces
4 bias cut green onions for garnish
salt and pepper to taste for chicken

Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan or wok on medium heat, add in carrots, yellow onion and broccoli, cook until the onions are translucent and the other veggies are tender.  Remove vegetables to a bowl, add a little more oil, and add in chicken.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until slightly browned. While your chicken is cooking, boil your pasta until al dente.  Add vegetables and (drained) pasta into pan with chicken.  Drizzle with soy sauce and olive oil, and toss.  Garnish with green onions.  Serve with eggrolls or potstickers.

Enjoy, my sweet Butterballs!  This New Year I am grateful for friends, family, and of course, all of your pretty faces!  Best Fishes for a prosperous and well fed New Year!