Squashed

   I had high hopes of canning and baking and a few other culinary activities for today, all of which were squashed when I woke up feeling out of sorts due to an early visit from she-who-shall-not-be-named.  So instead of jumping up and making coffee upon waking up at the crack of 8am, I snuggled around under the covers trying to get comfortable to no avail.  I hung out in my room for a while talking on the phone, checking emails and prolonging the inevitable: joining the rest of the world for this beautiful Saturday.  Finally after almost giving in to the lovely idea of a mid-morning nap, I made myself get into a very steam-filled shower that should have helped my unsettled (crampy) tummy.  Unfortunately, it wasn't much help.  So hopefully I will get to canning my goodies tomorrow (fingers crossed).

  On the bright side, my haul from the farmers market yesterday (also beautiful) was very satisfying!  I came home with twenty-ish pounds of peaches for canning and maybe an experiment or two, fire-roasted peppers (they roast them in front of you on the spot), a whole pound of chopped walnuts for $6.50(!), purple, yellow and rose fingerling potatoes for grilling, a few huge and very yummy apples, and loaf of scrumptious locally made rosemary-parm bread.  

  Made a trip to Goodwill to drop off a few boxes and decided to go in and look around; I'm so happy I did because I found a barely used metal colander for $2.50 (score!).  When finished with all my laid out tasks I decided to fill up my Growler at Atomic, the local brewery (conveniently located a few blocks from home).  Had a lovely glass of their Platinum Blonde, which very well may be the last of the season as they are almost tapped out (pun intended) and had my jug filled with their latest very tasty IP2A.  I should not be allowed to consume alcohol at such an early hour when I have other chores to accomplish as I am a non-functioning drinker.  I got home and put a few things away and then sat down on the couch, which was a poor decision and I did not want to get back up, damn.  Tried to take a nap and my mommy showed up and destroyed my hopes for that activity.  So I resigned to catch up on a few episodes of Grey's on Hulu in my sweats and vowed to perform all my planned kitchen efforts in the am.  So far I have made coffee and tidied up a little, oh and hung out on my couch reading Whole Living while paying about 40% of my attention to the college football games I was flipping back and forth through.

  So, in lieu of having a fresh perspective on a recipe I've decided to share my stroganoff recipe from a few nights ago.  Alex begged me the night before for "Hamburger Helper" and I don't like to prepare boxed meals so I searched for a recipe to substitute and satisfy; both of my kiddos scarfed it!  This is a concoction I loosely followed found recipes of.  I took the basics and went my own way, removing what I didn't like (processed, prepared and just unwanted ingredients) and adding what sounded fitting.  Lucky for me my adjustments are almost always impeccable.  I didn't, however take any pictures this time around, but will make a better effort to do so for future postings.

  Well, here we go...

                                          Just for Alex Sirloin Steak Stroganoff

Ingredients:

8 oz of egg or whole wheat noodles (gluten free if preferred)

1 lb. cubed sirloin steak

6-8 oz milk (1% ideal)

2-3 T cornstarch 

1 T garlic powder

1 t garlic salt

Johnny's or McCormick seasoning salt to taste

1 small onion or shallot

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 hand-full sliced or chopped crimini mushrooms

1/2 cup fat free sour cream

dried parsley flakes

salt and pepper to taste (always better with fresh ground pepper and sea salt)

Directions:

1. Prepare noodles according to package directions and set aside.

2. In a separate skillet over medium heat, saute the sirloin for 5 to 10 minutes until brown.  Drain any excess fat.  Add onion or shallot, garlic, and mushrooms and simmer over medium-low heat.

3. In a sauce pan bring milk to a boil, reduce to medium heat and add corn starch.  Simmer, stirring slowly until sauce thickens (add more corn starch if sauce doesn't thicken properly) then add garlic powder, garlic salt, sprinkle some parsley flakes, and salt and pepper.

4. Add sirloin mixture and noodles to saucepan. Simmer on med-low covered 8-10 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and mix sour cream, serve immediately.

There you have it.  Tomorrow I will post my Banana Apple bread recipe, but for now I'm going to watch the end of the 4th quarter of the University of Oregon game, Quack!