Beef Stroganoff

Best beef stroganoff ever.

Gather the following ingredients:

1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of New York strip or other fine cut of beef
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
2 (8-oz.) packages of sliced fresh mushrooms
1 can of beef broth, about 2 cups
2 tbls. tomato paste
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 package (16 oz.) egg noodles
1/2 cup sherry
2 tbls. flour
1 (16 oz.) container sour cream

2 large pots

Cut the beef into 1/2 inch cubes. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
– the best this has ever turned out I actually used a beef flank recommended by the butcher who had used the same cut the day before to make his own beef stroganoff.

Add 3 tbls. of olive oil to one of the large pots. Heat over a medium-high heat. Sauté the beef and the mushrooms together for 3 – 5 minutes.

Beef and Mushrooms ready to cook
Beef and Mushrooms ready to cook

– The meat should be seared, not necessarily cooked through.

Stir in the broth, tomato paste, and mustard.

Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for 1 hour.

About half an hour prior to the beef mixture being finished start to boil the water for the egg noodles. – Try to time the noodles to finish shortly after the meat.

Stir the flour and sherry into the beef mixture, cook, stir constantly until it thickens.
– Mine never thickens. I just cook it a few minutes and move on.

Beef stroganoff with over egg noodles
Beef stroganoff with over egg noodles

Add the sour cream. Stir. Turn off the heat. Add the noodles. Stir. Serve.

Video for Beef Stroganoff

Mark West

Mark West – Pinot Noir

Mark West Pinot Noir
Mark West Pinot Noir

This Pinot Noir at 6.57 is very average.

3/5 on the Linda Scale.

The following notes are short and tend to be quickly taken after a quick sampling in the evening.

Mark West has a very neutral smell to it.  It is a bit bitter and dry.  This wine knocked me out, but I felt good the next day.

I would not suggest serving this to guests, but it is cheap enough to drink if you find it in your wine cabinet.

Stove Top Chicken Casserole

Stove Top and Chicken Casserole in forty minutes.

Gather the following ingredients:

Stove Top stuffing mix
1/2 stick of butter
Water

Chicken – rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, or another cooked chicken
Cream of chicken soup

Small glass pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stove Top stuffing, cream of chicken, and one cooked chicken
Stove Top stuffing, cream of chicken, and one cooked chicken

Make the Stove Top stuffing mix according to the directions.

After the necessary 5 minutes transfer the stuffing onto the bottom of the glass pan.

Add the chicken to the top.

Cover with the cream of chicken soup.

Cooked Stove Top and chicken, quick and easy
Cooked Stove Top and chicken, quick and easy

Cook in oven for 30 minutes.

Kudos

Kudos – Pinot Noir

Kudos Pinot Noir
Kudos Pinot Noir

This Pinot Noir at $15.99 is not a good wine.

2/5 on the Linda Scale

The following notes are short and tend to be quickly taken after a quick sampling in the evening.

Kudos has a very tart taste to it.  It is much better cold, but even then a second glass was not good.  It has a weird taste and a bit of a bite.

Do not serve this wine to quests.

Annabella Special Selection

Annabella Special Selection – Pinot Noir

Annabella Special Selection Pinot Noir
Annabella Special Selection Pinot Noir

This 2012 Pinor Noir at $16.99 is very, very good.

5/5 on the Linda Scale

The following notes are short and tend to be quickly taken after a quick sampling in the evening.

I did not take many notes on this wine, but I do recall being very impressed with it.  It was a super smooth which I like.  I was also very easy to drink.

I would really need a second sampling to know for sure if I would serve this to guests, but I believe it would be a good wine to share with others.

Chicken Strips in Marinade

Chicken Strips in Marinade is a great topping for rice.

Gather the following ingredients:

Raw chicken cut into long strips
A salad dressing, something with lemon or raspberry

Large storage bag
Small glass pan

Optional:
Rice, Uncle Ben’s Chicken and Wild Rice is a good choice

Marinade and chicken ingredients, yep just two
Marinade and chicken ingredients, yep just two

Place the chicken strips into the storage bag and cover with the salad dressing. Allow this to marinade for 30 minutes.
– If it sits too long the acids in the dressing will breakdown the protein in the chicken and make it mushy. Do not let it sit longer than a few hours. 30 minutes to an hour is optimal.

Chicken strips in marinade
Chicken strips in marinade

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the chicken for 30 minutes.

Serve over rice if you like.

Video link to this recipe: Chicken and Dressing with Rice

HAHN Winery

HAHN Winery – Pinot Noir

HAHN Winery 2013 Pinot Noir
HAHN Winery 2013 Pinot Noir

This 2013 Pinot Noir is pretty good.

4/5 stars on the Linda Scale.

The following notes are short and tend to be quickly taken after a quick sampling in the evening.

HAHN Winery has a pleasant and fruity aroma.  The taste is smooth, with a slight spice to it, perhaps cherry.

It is an easy wine to drink.  After 2 glasses no issues I had no issues.  The next morning I still felt fine.  Overall, not a great wine, but ok.  A drinkable wine.

If this was all I had I would probably serve it to guests.  As a smooth drinkable wine with no ill effects it isn’t a bad choice.

Cheesy Hash Browns with Ham

A side dish or a main course, cheesy hash browns with ham.

Gather the following ingredients:

1 (32 ounce) package of frozen has brown potatoes
A cooked ham steak or cubed ham or frozen leftovers
2 cans condensed cream of potato soup
1 (16 oz.) container of sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar Chees
Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 large glass pan or 2 smaller glass pans
Huge bowl

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Break the frozen hash browns by dropping it onto cement or a hard floor. Do not body slam the package. It doesn’t end well.

Slice the ham into small cubes.

In an extreme large bowl mix the cream of potato soup, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and the ham. Mix in the frozen has browns.

Cheesy Ham and Potatoes, ready to be cooked.
Cheesy Ham and Potatoes, ready to be cooked.

Transfer the mixture into the glass pan or pans.

Top with the grated Parmesan cheese.
– Do not use shredded parmesan cheese for this. It will burn.

Bake for a full hour.