Since my work schedule changed and is now back to normal, my new dinner recipes will be from Mondays instead of Tuesdays. I realize I haven't posted a dinner recipe in a while -- don't worry, I haven't had to wash any dishes in the meantime. There were a few that didn't work out and weren't worth posting. I pretend to know what I'm doing in the kitchen, but alas, sometimes it simply doesn't work.
The following beef stroganoff recipe received a thumbs-up from five other hungry bodies that are usually hard to please. The best part about it is it's simplicity; as long as you have access to a grocery store and a slow cooker, you're good to go. Put it in before work -- or before you sit on the couch all day -- and you'll have a satisfying dinner with almost no effort.
Ingredients:
2.5 lbs beef stew meat (for six people)
1 cup chopped sweet onion
2 cans (10 3/4 oz. each) condensed cream of mushroom soup
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
salt and pepper, to taste
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. light sour cream
egg noodles
Combine the stew meat, onion, soup, mushrooms, salt, and pepper in the slow cooker. Mix before turning it on low heat. Let mixture sit for 8-10 hours.
After you come home to a kitchen permeated with the mouth-watering scent of slow-cooked beef and sauce, boil salted water to cook the egg noodles. (You can use other types of pasta or rice, but I've found that egg noodles capture the flavor of the stroganoff well.)
Cut the cream cheese into cubes and add to the mixture. Stir until melted. (Be careful because the beef will be so tender that it will fall apart if you stir too violently.) Then stir the sour cream into the mixture until blended.
Serve the stroganoff over the egg noodles, and enjoy! I served it with a side caesar salad; steamed or grilled vegetables would also go well with it.
For the original Betty Crocker recipe, click here.
Football, orange leaves, pumpkins that have faces, apple crisp. My favorite things about fall. While I can't control the outcomes of the first two, and I have limited artistic abilities when it comes to pumpkins, I can tell you how to make a delicious apple crisp that goes well after any dinner -- or for dinner, if you prefer. If fall could taste like anything, it would be a spoonful of this heavenly dessert. It's one of those little things in life that can turn a bad day into something wonderful.
There are so many variations in apple crisp recipes that I took my favorite aspects from every one and combined them to form the perfect taste for my palate. I hope it suits yours as well. And remember...don't forget the vanilla ice cream on the side!
Ingredients:
8 medium apples, sliced and peeled
cinnamon
honey
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup (or 1 stick) butter, softened
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease the bottom of a 9"x13" pan. (The size of the pan doesn't really matter -- just adjust the recipe accordingly if it's smaller.)
After
the apples are sliced and peeled, place them in rows in the pan to create two
layers. (If you prefer a thick section of apples or have way too many to
fit in your fridge after apple picking, add another layer.) Sprinkle with some cinnamon and
drizzle with honey.
Apples sprinkled with cinnamon and honey
In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour, oats, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg until blended. (I prefer a non-oatmeal-ly taste to the crisp, so add more oats if you feel there aren't enough. And yes, I'm an English major, so I'm allowed to make up words.) I enjoy a lot of the crisp on top -- just a bunch of mushy apples isn't enough! -- so cut back on the butter and sugar if you only want a thin layer. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the apples.
Sprinkle mixture on top of apples
Bake for 30 minutes or until apples are tender. Cool for ten minutes before serving; it will still be hot enough to slightly melt the ice cream. Bon appetit!
Thousands of flashes reflected off the surface of the ice. The black and gold championship banner hung low from the rafters in the middle of the rink. The bleachers smelled of $8.50-a-cup beer and expensive cologne. Zdeno Chara skated onto the ice while hoisting the sacred Stanley Cup and passed it to Patrice Bergeron, who passed it to (the now retired) Mark Recchi, who passed it to part-time assistant captain Andrew Ference; and so on. Each player kissed the gleaming cup as if it were the first time he received it in his arms -- an emotional moment and a cause for celebration.
But the fans were quiet.
There was the occasional uproar after every mention of "champion" during the pre-game ceremony speeches, but other than that only murmurs sounded from the sell-out crowd at TD Garden. Opening Night 2011: the invasion of the pink hats.
No longer are they congregated in the stands at just Fenway and Gillette; they have swarmed to the golden seats of the Garden. When the crowd is louder during the noise meter measurements on the jumbo-tron than after a power play killing by the Bruins, there is something wrong.
During the initial part of the ceremony, the energy from the fans -- who made it to their seats on time -- seemed to predict a raucous night ahead. Instead, the Garden remained quiet after the banner took it's rightful place in the rafters. (For a not-so-professional video clip of the raising, click below.)
When tickets sell for well over $200, one would think many die-hards would
splurge to be in attendance to reap the benefits of glory. This season
opener, however, proved that the Boston Bruins have become just another fashion statement, replacing the likes of the (continually frustrating) Red Sox. The games are no longer about hockey; they are about social status. The perception is that everyone who is anyone will be there.
Before the emotional raising of the banner, a glance around section 325 showed evidence of the causes of the low energy -- from men dressed in business suits who left in the second intermission to girls wearing club attire who flirted with each and every male around them instead of watching hockey. They don't even need to wear pink hats; they might as well write "I'm going to ruin your night" on their foreheads.
Not that the Bruins gave the fans anything to cheer about post-ceremony anyway. The Philadelphia Flyers won the opening game 2-1 after a lackluster offensive performance by the defending champions. Through two periods, the black and gold spent the majority of time in their own zone without showing any of the physical game that fans were used to seeing from the Big Bad Bruins last season. The Flyers scored their only goals in the first period, but that proved enough to earn them the win.
Brad Marchand scored the only goal for the Bruins in the first period on an assist by Tyler Seguin. If this game foreshadowed things to come, then expect much more out of the youngsters this season. Their energy may prove enough to carry this team to another playoff berth.
Until then, beware the pink hats. The Bruins will remain fashionable in Boston, so expect the non-stop cell phone users and the I-need-to-update-my-status-on-Facebook-every-five-minutes socialites to annoy you during the game. It may be more enjoyable -- and more affordable -- to watch the game from the comfort of your own couch.
