Doin' Some Cookin'... Roasted Mushroom and Ground Beef Stroganoff

Beef stroganoff is a Russian dish made with sliced beef and a creamy sour cream sauce. Beef stroganoff is one of my favorite comfort foods. I absolutely love a giant bowl of this beefy pasta. The best part about this recipe is that there is only one pot and a baking sheet to clean up and the dinner dishes. Great dish to make on a busy work night. 

My mama would make what I considered to be a "gourmet" version when I was growing up using a more expensive cut of beef, a velvety sauce, and the mushrooms and onions were sautéed in olive oil and garlic. Perfection. 

She comes out to Texas for a weekend visit every one to two years and the last couple of visits it has been beef stroganoff I've requested. This last visit was no difference except this time I was the one making us dinner after seeing that my mama has aged in the last two years and isn't quite as healthy for slaving over the stove either. Because I was cooking and it was football Sunday I decided on something that wasn't too labor intensive. 

I've also been go, go, go every weekend. California, the cruise, and my mom's visit snuck up on me. I thought I had too more weeks. I'm really looking forward to a "relaxing" weekend. As a mom, y'all know what a relaxing weekend really means... I might be able to sneak in a short nap and one shower. Haha!!

Definitely not on my mama's level but a good substitute. By the way, this was my first time making beef stroganoff outside of a box of Hamburger Helper and I made enough to feed us for three days.

Next time I will add some onions to my mushroom roast and use classic egg noodles. 

A little fact about me... I only like mushrooms when they are piping hot and I'm very particular about the way they are cooked and the kind of mushroom. I do not enjoy them reheated. 

As I mentioned, I've been so darn busy since August that home cooking has taken a back seat. I forgot how much I love being in the kitchen. It's my happy place. 

Roasted Mushroom and Ground Beef Stroganoff

Makes 8 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• olive oil
• package of sliced seasoned mushrooms
• salt and pepper, to taste
• onion powder, to taste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 lb lean ground beef
• 6 cups low sodium beef broth
• 16 oz whole wheat rotini
• 2 cups sour cream

And Action:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat some olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the ground beef, onion powder, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until browned breaking up the beef as it cooks. 

Pour in the beef broth and the pasta. Bring to a light boil and then cover with a lid. Continue to cook and stir often for 17-20 minutes. 

While the pasta is cooking add the mushrooms to a baking sheet and toss with olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes until browned and set aside until pasta is done cooking. 

Remove the pot from the heat. If it looks like there is too much liquid drain some of it so the sauce it's too liquidy. Stir in the mushrooms and sour cream. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Beef Enchilada Bake

I love casseroles because you get your meat and veggies in one flavorful bite.

While making this I only dirtied two dishes, I am so down with meals that don't leave me in the kitchen standing at the sink for hours cleaning up.

With following the Whole30 program for the last 15 days I've had a few food cravings I've had to fight. When invited to a Mexican restaurant I watched the table stuff their faces with chips and salsa and then their entrees had beans and rice and dishes served with tortillas. Gah!

When meal planning I came across this recipe for a Beef Enchilada Bake and saw that it was diet compliant I knew I had to make it.

A couple of things about this recipe that I would change next time... use half the amount of cauliflower unless you really freakin' love it (it's the flavor profile that stood out the most) and go heavy handed on the spices. I didn't quite taste the "enchilada" but it still made for a satisfying lunch with plenty of leftovers and no guilt.

Because of the easy clean up I get to lounge around on the couch watching TV and just relax before the busy workweek begins.

Beef Enchilada Bake

Adapted From: Just Jessie B

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 head of cauliflower, shredded
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed and minced
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp garlic
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• salt and pepper, to taste

And Action:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Saute ground beef and onion powder in a large pan until meat is no longer pink. Drain the fat.

Stir in the bell pepper, jalapeno, and tomato sauce and all seasonings into the meat, combine well. Add the cauliflower into the pan and crack the eggs into the pan as well, stir gently to coat and break up the eggs until they are no longer visible. 

Coat a 9"x13" baking dish with nonstick spray. 

Dump the mixture into the baking dish and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until browned around the edges. 

Let it cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Crock Pot Meatloaf

Meatloaf is the only meal Little Man will request. I've only made it once in his 6 years under my roof. He must be getting it elsewhere and needing his fix. Ha! He randomly requested a meatloaf sandwich recently and told him I'd need to plan for it so I could gather the needed ingredients. Between you and me, meatloaf isn't something I crave or get excited about cooking. After my first attempt at a glazed meatloaf and three days worth of leftovers I think I had my fill for another 20+ years. It was such a heavy meal. Ugh!

But... anything for my son. This time no food processor and instead an easier cooking method, the crock pot. I mean easy!

So easy, I took a quick break from work to put this together. I had all of the ingredients mixed, shaped into a loaf, and set in the crock pot within ten minutes. No one even knew I left the building. One of the perks of living right across the street from work. Shh! Our little secret.

It was so nice coming home from work and only needing to put together a side dish, and the house smelt amazing. I served the meatloaf with a side of roasted carrots. Little Man ate two helpings of the meatloaf!!!

This meatloaf was not as heavy tasting as the glazed meatloaf and had me looking forward to leftovers for meatloaf sandwiches the next day. I'll be making this one again but with more spices.

Crock Pot Meatloaf

Adapted From: Moms With Crockpots

Makes 6 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1 (1 oz) envelope french onion dip mix
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1/4 cup ketchup

And Action:

Line the crock pot with aluminum foil, coming up the sides for easier removal once cooked.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, breadcrumbs, and french onion dip mix. Mix well, then add meat. Mix thoroughly and shape into a rectangle or oval that won't touch the sides of the crockpot. Place in the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. 

Minutes before its finished cooking brush the top with ketchup. Cover and allow to finish cooking.  

Doin' Some Cooking... Glazed Meatloaf

Little Man's only request this week for dinner was totally random. Meatloaf. Where the hell did he get this idea from?

"Really, meatloaf?!!" I cringed.

Serious faced and waving his hand at me, "You don't know what meatloaf is? It's just a burger patty with ketchup on it."

I have never made meatloaf and still have a bad taste in my mouth for it since my childhood. Maybe because Grandma overplayed the dried out loaf. Sorry, but the lady could not cook and it showed up on our plates every Sunday when we visited her. Nothing comforting about it.

This is much more sophisticated than what I recall. I pulled out a big girl kitchen appliance to whip this up. Hello food processor! You should have seen my counter top which had ingredients from one end to the other, but don't let the long list of ingredients discourage you from giving this recipe a try.

Seasoned ground beef and pork gets shaped into a log with the help of a small baking dish and gets basted with a slightly spicy ketchup glaze and baked for 40 minutes.

My mind has been forever changed on meatloaf. Might even live life on the edge and try a meatloaf sandwich for the first time tomorrow. Thank you Little Man for the great dinner idea!

Glazed Meatloaf

Adapted From: Eatocracy

Makes 6-8 Servings

Stars of the Show:

For the Glaze:

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce

For the Meatloaf:

• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 17 saltine crackers
• 1/3 cup 2% milk
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• splash of soy sauce
• splash of lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/3 cup dried parsley
• salt and pepper, to taste

And Action:

To make the glaze, combine all glaze ingredients in a saucepan over medium and stir until brown sugar dissolves and sauce thickens. Turn to low until ready to use.

Add all of the meatloaf ingredients in the food processor and pulse until well combined. 

Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray and spread the meatloaf mix into the dish. Broil for 5 minutes. Brush about 2 tbsp of the glaze on top of the meatloaf and broil another 2 minutes.

Turn the oven to 350 degrees, top the meatloaf with the rest of the glaze, and bake until meatloaf registers 160 degrees, about 40-45 minutes. If time permits, transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. Slice and serve.