Welcome! So, I decided to write a food blog just for kicks and now that
I’m committed, I realized that I haven’t thought about it all the way through.
Shesh, this is going to be a big commitment…Oh well, I’m here, going to give it
my best shot, and feel free to leave me comments on how I can improve.
I try to plan my meals for the week but that just does not always
happen, and well, now it is 3 p.m. and I have no idea what to do for dinner. At
least this blog gives you a very real look at my life. Tonight, I am using stuff I already have in
the freezer and a few fresh veggies to whip up something hot and filling for
the fam. The results were pretty tasty! So with that being said, tonight’s meal
is stewing beef over pasta and an alfredo veggie side dish.
Stewing Beef with Egg Noodles
Finished
plate, not too bad for a week night dinner, right?
Yields: 4 Servings
Heat the oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients:
·
12 oz. of stewing beef (thawed if you are
pulling from your freezer like me)
·
1 small onion chopped
·
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
·
2 Tbls. of flour
·
1 tomato
·
½ cup of tomato
sauce (more or less is fine this is just what I had in the freezer from another
night)
·
1 cup of water
(or beef stock if you have some)
Brown the meat in an iron skillet or any other pan that can go from the
stove top to the oven. It does not need to cook all the way though because we
will be finishing it in the oven.While that’s doing its thing, chop up the onion and garlic, drop them into small bowl, and toss with the flour.
Onions
and garlic getting a nice blanket of flour
Add them to the meat and let them cook a little. The flour will act as
a thickener to the dish as it bakes.
Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
At this point my son said, “What’s for dinner it smells good?”
While the meat is continuing to brown with the onions, cut up a fresh tomato.
Once the meat is browned add the tomato, tomato
sauce (more or less is fine 1/2 cup is just what I had in the freezer from another
night), and a cup or so of water or beef stock if you have some.
And put the whole skillet in the oven. I have a home daycare, and so
while I was running around with the kids I just let this cook by itself in the oven
while I am off working. I let it cook for about 45 minutes. Now, it is time for
the side dish.
This veggie side dish is so yummy, that you will not want anything
else. Trust me it can be a meal in itself, but my kido would say, “Really mom
veggies, that’s it?” So, it’s a side dish tonight and lunch for me tomorrow. I got this recipe from Trader Joe’s and of
course, I changed it up a bit tonight because I was using up what I had in the
freezer. Tonight, I had a half a jar of alfredo sauce I had stuck in the
freezer and a package of frozen veggies. Here is my version.
Alferdo Veggies
The
crunchy topping really makes this dish
Yields: 4 Large Servings
Ingredients:
·
One package of frozen Trader Joe’s Cauliflower
Romanesco Basilic with bits of garlic butter
·
Half a jar of Trader Joe’s alfredo sauce
·
2 Tbls of milk
·
3 oz. of grated cheese (tonight I have some
white cheddar, and romano)
·
2 oz. of fried onion pieces (or crackers, bread
crumbs, potato chips anything crunchy)
The directions are really easy. Mix everything, but the fried onion
pieces, together in a casserole dish. Top with the fried onion pieces and bake
at 350 degrees for about 20 min, or until everything is hot.
As the veggies are almost done, cook up some pasta. Prepare the pasta
of your choice according to the directions on the package. I had egg noodles,
so that is what we had. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and toss it with a
little olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve the pasta with the stewing beef on top
and some veggies on the side.
Just enough left over for me to have for lunch the next day, which to
me is a perfect dinner! Hope you enjoy.