Beef Stroganoff

The Honey, lover of all things meaty, recently requested some beef stroganoff for dinner. And like the dutiful, compliant, easy-going, ever-loving wife that I am, I fixed it for him. (And if you believe all that about me, then I have some ocean-front property I'd like to sell you...)

To be quite honest, neither of my girls will eat this meal. But that is mostly because they don't like ground beef. I can't really blame them - it's not my favorite for that reason, either. In fact, it would probably be much better if I made it with some sliced steak, but lean ground beef is what I had on hand, and lean ground beef is what I used.

Before I get into the recipe, I have some news. I'm going to start doing something a little extra with my recipes. Since my mother is a math teacher, I have this genetic predisposition towards math. I'm really quite the math nerd, and love doing all sorts of calculations and puzzles in my head. Very geeky, I know, but you will now begin reaping the benefits of my weirdness, because that means I can calculate the calories per serving for just about every recipe I make. As long as I pay attention while I'm making it, that is. And since we all want to make sure we're not busting our waistlines with our meals, I'll start including that information with each recipe.

Beef Stroganoff
(Makes 3 adult servings. Approximately 260 calories per serving. When served over 3/4 c. cooked egg noodles, total is 425 calories per serving.)

1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1 small can mushrooms, drained
1/4 c. flour
1 c. 1% milk
1/2 c. light sour cream
Salt/pepper to taste
Dash of nutmeg
Cooked egg noodles or rice


In a large frying pan, brown ground beef. Drain and rinse with hot water. Return to pan and add minced onion and mushrooms.
Continue cooking over medium heat.




Sprinkle 1/4 c. flour over the beef mixture. Mix well.





Measure out 1 c. of milk. Add about half of the milk to the flour and beef mixture, and stir until well combined. Add the remaining milk and sour cream. Add salt/pepper and dash of nutmeg. Continue to simmer over medium heat until mixture reaches desired thickness.

Salt & Pepper "To Taste"

I have a friend who recently told me that she wanted to try my recipe for Spinach Balls, but was intimidated by the fact that I don't have an exact amount of bread crumbs to use in the recipe. Although I plan on going back and tweaking that recipe to get a better estimate so I can list an amount in the recipe, I was surprised to learn that a recipe could intimidate anyone.

So I got to thinking. Dangerous, I know.

Many recipes use the instructions "salt/pepper to taste", but that's a pretty ambiguous statement. For starters, if you don't put any salt in most recipes, they come out tasting flat. Salt is a flavor enhancer, and should be used in most recipes - especially ones that are not sweet. However, if you go overboard and add too much salt, you've got a really salty meal that will end up in the trash. So if you are one of those people that don't know what your "taste" is, here are some tips to help you figure it out - without ruining your meal.

First, I am one of those that uses a seasoning blend for most of my dishes rather than just plain salt and pepper. For years, my choice has been Nature's Seasons which is made by Morton's. I prefer it because it is a blend of salt, pepper, and other seasonings such as garlic and onion that add a richer flavor to my dish. It is also MSG-free, and relatively inexpensive. You can buy it at almost any grocery store for just a couple of dollars. However, if you want to stick with just plain salt and pepper, you go right ahead.

The second thing you need to do is be willing to try your food while it's cooking. That means don't try to "salt/pepper to taste" a dish that has raw meat or chicken in it. Gross. It's better to learn on a dish like Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese. I know it'll be tough to make yourself sample a dish like that, but you can suffer through it.

Finally, you will need to actually sprinkle some of the salt/pepper or seasoning blend onto the dish. Start light. You can always add more seasoning to your recipe, but you will be hard-pressed trying to fix the recipe should you over-salt it. For most timid cooks, however, this isn't an issue. It takes a lot of salt-shaking to kill most recipes, so don't think an extra sprinkle is going to ruin you. Sprinkle an even coating over the top and mix well. Sample your dish. If it doesn't taste good or seems like something is missing, sprinkle a little more seasoning. Once you have the dish where you like it, consider how much you have probably put it. Are you one of those that likes salty food? If so, you can be a little more generous when cooking those dishes that you don't want to sample while cooking - like meatballs or scrambled eggs. If it didn't take much sprinkling for you to be satisfied, go a little lighter. Once you get a little practice under your belt, you'll be sprinkling happily along without giving it a second thought. I promise.

Quick & Easy Spaghetti & Meatballs

As promised, here is my quick and easy version of my Momma's spaghetti sauce recipe. I made it after church on Sunday with no advance preparation along with cheesy garlic bread. We were ready to sit down and eat 45 minutes after walking through the door, and the only reason it took so long was because I was waiting on the spaghetti noodles to finish cooking! So, I recommend starting your water to boil for the pasta BEFORE starting the sauce.

(By the way, how do you like my "new" green counter tops? Circa 1965, and contrary to what they look like in the pictures, NOT avocado green. Better than black, though! Don't worry, new ones are on my wish list. Eventually.)

Quick & Easy Spaghetti & Meatballs

3 14.5 oz. cans Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 12-oz. can of tomato paste
1 clove garlic (optional)
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. vinegar
Pre-cooked meatballs, frozen or otherwise


When I made this, I combined all the ingredients (except for the meatballs). I found when I did this that my blender had to work really, really hard before it was done. Therefore, you may want to do half the recipe at a time in the blender. This would be 1 1/2 cans tomato, 1/2 the can of tomato paste, 1 Tbsp sugar and 1 Tbsp vinegar. Then pour it into a pan and do it all again.



Either way, when you're done pour it into a medium saucepan and it should look something like this. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.





While your sauce is heating up, take your meatballs and thaw in the microwave. Because I had just moved, I used store-bought meatballs. (According to The Honey, they aren't as good as Kathleen's Meatballs, which is what I usually make.) I defrosted 18 frozen meatballs by cooking on high in the microwave for about 90 seconds.




Once you thaw your meatballs, add them to your sauce and let them simmer until heated through. This should be done about the same time as your noodles and garlic bread.