Pepperoni & Four Cheese Lasagna Rolls

DISCLAIMER: Upon making this recipe, you hold neither Sublime Hodge Podge nor its creator Jill Moore responsible for any harm done by excessively gained weight, high carb overload, exponentially jiggly thighs, burst waistbands or broken bathroom scales. 

Hi.  I like lasagna.  I like Guy Fieri also.  And waaaay back when Guy was just a another contestant on Food Network's Next Big Star thingy, he made an ultra gooey, over indulgent pepperoni lasagna.  I remember sitting there going "omg, that's just genius."  I like pepperoni too.  (forgot to mention that)  The only thing I hate about making lasagna is that I *always* have leftovers for nearly 3 days.  I don't know about you, but I'm kinda funky monkey on the eating leftover thing for days on end.  I need a break in there somewhere for my poor taste buds.  So, taking Guy's pepperoni and riffing on it a bit, I love lasagna rolls.  Not only are they smaller portioned, but they are typically lighter than my usual lasagna, meaning not as much ricotta or sauce is used.  They're cute too, all rolled up and mini looking.  

Pancetta Mac & Cheese

I realize there are many, many, MANY mac and cheese recipes out there but how many are party worthy?  Elegant enough to serve company yet still maintain that creamy dreamy comfort factor everyone craves and loves?  This one!  This mac and cheese has an Italian flair that is by far a true show stopper and worthy of any upcoming party table.  From crispy bits of pancetta to the pretty buttery panko topping, this mac has it all!  Even its bite sized oricchette (small ear, in Italian) pasta shape makes it kid appealing even with its "grown up" adult taste.  Everyone loves this and I hope you will too.

$10 Dinner Delight - Beef Stroganoff

Renae's delicious looking picture!

The other day there was an article online about how to feed a family of 4 for under $10 and it irritated me to no end.  I completely understand the need to skim things down in this economy and budget out your purchases to get the most for your dollar.  I get it, I do.  BUT - what this lady failed to realize is that when you omit things like fish from your diet, you're not just saving money but you can be planning disaster for your body and your children's.  I know fish can run upwards of $16 a pound, but what price do you put on your children's health?  When you omit fruits, you can run the risk of scurvy from lack of vitamin C.  (yes, that disease that killed countless sailors way back in the day)  People don't realize that when you skim back on your purchases to save some money, you can potentially be hurting the growth and health of children and teenagers who need the extra vitamins and nutrients from things like fish, fruits, whole grains and milk that you're trying to scale back on.  

The article also went on to say that yes, you could feed a family of 4 for $10 if you didn't mind eating the same things over and over again.  Bull, I say, it just takes some work, planning, coupon cutting and bargain shopping.  You have to read your sale flyers and buy the fruits/produce that are in season.  When I saw Renae's site called $10 Buck Dinners, I was delighted to see the variety of things she offered up, all on a budget scale.  There isn't anything boring on her site at all!  From stews, to fish, Mexican and more, she proves you can do a budget meal that isn't boring or skimpy in the least.  She's doing it right!

I made her beef stroganoff the other day and was so pleased with the results.  I am deathly allergic to mushrooms and her version had optional 'shrooms instead of relying on them to flavor the whole dish as alot of stroganoff's do.  Mine looks much different from hers I think since I used beef stock I had on-hand and I added some extra sour cream making it lighter in color.  Also, I had a eye of round roast lying around so I used it but it was a bit too tough.  I wish I would have went the route of a chuck roast as she recommended because it would have made for ultra tender beef in every bite.  (I should have known better since I usually cook eye of round overnight in a crockpot but I was trying to be ultra cheap and use what I had on hand.)  I just love the flavor of this recipe and I highly encourage you to try this and all Renae's other dishes.  I know I have my eye on quite a few there and I will be making this stroganoff again soon.  :)

Thanks Renae for letting me post this!

I added some parsley for color.

Beef Stroganoff

from Renae @ $10 Buck Dinners

1 to 1 1/2 lb beef tender, chuck roast or stew meat (sliced)
4 Tbsps flour
1/2 large white onion, diced
2 cups broth (or water with Beef Caldo or powdered broth)
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsps butter or lard
Additional salt & pepper to taste
1 (6 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained (optional)
2/3 package of egg noodle (save the rest for a day for soup) 

Cut beef into strips, about 1/2 inch thick by 2 inches long at most. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Heat lard and fry strips in a large skillet over medium heat, just till brown. Next, add onions and cook slowly for 3 to 5 minutes.

Sprinkle flour onto meat and mix to coat. Once meat is coated well with flour, pour in beef broth. I use Beef Broth in powder with water to save money. Just follow directions and it works great! After you add broth, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once you’re up to broil, reduce to slow simmer, cover and continue cooking for 45 mins to an hour.

Before serving, stir in sour cream and add water to desired consistency. Mix well and heat briefly, salt and pepper to taste and serve over cooked egg noodles.

 If you would like to see, I made my culinary 'bucket list' finally.  lol

Lazy Day Macaroni Salad & Mega Big Announcement!

I had a perfectly lazy weekend, did you?  Hubby and I stayed up till 4 am Friday night watching TV and slept in till noon on Saturday.  Then we skipped lunch and went to a special holiday tasting sampler at The Fresh Market here in Columbus followed by Christmas shopping.  Sunday was just as kicked back and relaxed, including our menu for the day.  To keep in line with the easy peasy weekend I was having, lunch today was a totally different take on macaroni salad than I've ever had before.

This recipe from Amynb on Tasty Kitchen has been in my 'favorites' for awhile but I'd never ventured to make it.  I'm always leery to make a recipe with no photos since I generally like to gauge my end result to theirs.  Boy, was I glad to take a gamble on this one.  Its coleslaw flavoring meets macaroni salad.  It was fresh, new and utterly fabulous.  This dish came together in a snap and used just a handful of ingredients.  Better still, it was just as delicious warm as it is cold.  (hey, I had to taste test!)  I only tweaked it a bit, adjusting to our palates but feel free to check out the original up there by clicking on Amy's name.  It was really massively yummy.  And as a bonus, once warmer weather rolls around, this will be perfect for picnics since there isn't any mayonnaise to go bad on you!  I LOVE THAT!

Click to enlarge.

Macaroni Salad
 from Amynb @ Tasty Kitchen, tweaked by me

• 1 pound box Elbow Mac (or your choice of macaroni shape - I used cavatappi)
• 1 whole Small Onion Chopped
• 2 stalks Of Celery, Chopped
• 4 whole Hard Boiled Eggs, Chopped
• Paprika, Salt  & Pepper to taste
• Approx. 1/8 cup sugar  (again, to taste)
• 1 cup Marzetti's Original Cole Slaw Dressing (or more to taste)
• 4 whole Hard-boiled Eggs, Sliced (as edible decoration on top, optional) 

Cook the macaroni according to the directions on the box.

While it cooks, chop your onions, celery, and eggs.

When pasta is cooked, drain. While it is still warm add the cole slaw dressing, onions, celery, chopped eggs, and add sugar, paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Mix together well, adding more dressing if you desire
.
Place salad in your serving bowl. Smooth out the top and place the sliced eggs on top. Sprinkle lightly with paprika.

* Oh, wait!  Yeah, my MEGA BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!  If you didn't catch it on Facebook, keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming Thanksgiving Spectacular with a triple feature from Siggy Spice, Thecountrycook and me! You won't want to miss this!  *

Mac & Cheese Gnocchi Style

I am a bonafide mac & cheese nut...nutjob would probably be more appropriate.  If I see a mac recipe, I have to try it.  If I see a new kind in the store, I have to buy it.  Oh, new noodle shape?!  Let's dump cheese on it and see how it is as macaroni.  Bechamel sauce, three cheese sauce, alfredo, cheddar jack...you name it, I've tried it and don't get me started on the 500 restaurant varieties I've tried too.  I adore Rachel Ray's with chicken in it, Alton Brown's easy stovetop blue box knock off, the lovely mac & cheese with orichette noodles from Real Simple magazine.  I have a problem, I know.  Is there a 12 step program for this?

And then...thanks to a post by Noble Pig (fabulous!)...I found my nirvana.  Mac & Cheese Gnocchi.  For those not in the know, gnocchi is small potato doughy noodles of happiness in oval form.  I *love* them.  They are a great replacement for pasta noodles in alot of dishes.  My son loves when I swap them in place of dumplings in my chicken and dumpling recipe.  They are great with brown butter, sage and parm cheese.  They are simply delicious.  So when I saw Noble Pig's post, I knew I had to try it.  There was no getting around it. 

This recipe takes either homemade or prepackaged gnocchi (which I did) and you boil them up, put them in a shallow baking dish and then cover them with a dual cheese sauce of fontina and Gruyere and THEN top it with more parm cheese!  It was seriously, the best I have ever had.  It was a fabulous mix of chewy potato nuggets and cheesy, gooey lovliness.  You could NOT get enough!  My hubby was going "Mmm Mmm"  every two seconds as he shoveled more and more in his mouth.  Doesn't get any more comfort foody than this my friends.  It was perfect for the cooler evenings we're having.  (add some crusty bread to get EVERY bit of that cheese sauce!)  And honestly, this was so elegant and impressive, I'd happily serve it at a dinner party.  Its that good...(and easy to boot!)  If you want to see a gorgeous presentation picture, click the link to Noble Pig's post...it was all I could do to get a picture to post since hubs was dying to dig in! 

Gnocchi Mac & Cheese
from Cuisine at Home 

• 1 pound purchased or homemade gnocchi
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded fontina cheese
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Basil leaves for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 375o F. Prepare gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and place gnocchi in a single-layer in a 1-1/2 quart shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles, then whisk in milk and Dijon. Continue to whisk mixture and cook until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes.

Combine Gruyere and fontina, then add by the handful to milk mixture, stirring until melted before adding the next handful. Once all cheese is melted, season sauce with salt and pepper.

Pour sauce over gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano over top. Bake gnocchi until they puff and cheese is golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Let gnocchi rest for 5 minutes before serving.

NOTE:  I used MINI gnocchi but regular sized ones are perfect too.  Check Noble Pig's site to see an example of regular sized ones.

Cheese Stuffed Chicken Meatballs

Oh.my.goodness.

Ooey, cheesy, herby and utterly, irresistibly delicious that you cannot stop with just one.  Good thing this makes like 24 then!  What you are staring at, nay, drooling over are chicken meatballs baked with cheese inside them.  Yes.  Cheese inside a meatball. 

There are many things I love about this meatball.  First and foremost, is its functionality.  You can put these on a sub, you make them BIG and serve them main course with a little side of pasta, you can do them small sized as appetizers skewered with a toothpick, you can serve them over 'sketti in place of regular meatballs, you can add them on a deep dish pizza.  You can use ANY sauce you like - tomato, pizza, alfredo...these meatballs do it all.  Above all else, they are scrumptious!  They're pretty fun to make too..and your kids will have a ball rolling them with you.

Best of all they're better for you.  Don't buy the frozen meatballs for crying out loud.  Yes I know they're easier to do but these are healthier.  You're controlling the quality of the meat and ingredients, they're made with ground chicken and they're not pan fried in oil.  They're baked.  Have a dish of these with some fresh parm grated over top and a salad and you've got one terrific meal on your hands! 

What I do - I line my rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil, whichever you have for easy cleanup first of all.  I toss EVERYTHING into my Kitchenaid stand mixer and let it roll for a minute or two till everything is mixed in well.  (you can of course hand mix this or use a hand held mixer...its all good)  I use a big tablespoon and heap a pile about the size of a golf ball in my hand and make a patty.  I place a piece of chunked up cheese the middle and roll the meat around the cheese till its all smooth and shiny.  You want to make sure you have no gaps, holes or seams showing.  Roll it perfectly smooth.  And make SURE no corner of the cheese is showing or you'll have leakage and that's no good.  (you might have to wet your hands throughout the rolling process to keep it from sticking)  Place them on a sheet and bake.  I let them cool a few minutes then plop them into my sauce to simmer till I'm ready to serve.  These can be make WAY ahead of time and just kept in the fridge and baked right before you're ready too.  They're just that awesome.

Cheese Stuffed Chicken Meatballs

2 pounds of ground chicken (I like breast meat best)
1 cup of unseasoned bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp of dried parsley flakes
1 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbsp Montreal Chicken seasoning (I sometimes use more....just eyeball it.  You want to see specks of herby goodness all throughout the meat)
Mozzarella, chunked up in 24 pieces for regular sized or 12 pieces for gigantic meatballs 
Olive oil, for drizzling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil.  Set aside.  Chunk up your mozzarella and set aside.

In a big bowl (or your mixer stand), combine chicken, crumbs, egg, Worchestershire sauce, herbs, Parm cheese and chicken seasoning.  Mix well till all combined.  Using a large table spoon, scoop out a mound and flatten it into a patty in your hand.  Place a chunk of cheese in the middle and wrap the meat around it, covering the cheese.  Roll the meatball until smooth and shiny, making sure no cheese is poking out or no seams or holes are visible.  Place on cookie sheet.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil and turn to coat meatballs.

Bake meatballs for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving or adding to a simmering sauce.  Serve with pasta or by itself. 

Bow-Tie Lasagna Rave and Review

Her stylized, yummy picture!

Just like it says, I'm writing today to review the Bow-Tie Lasagna from Rozanie at Tasty Kitchen.  In fact, I'm absolutely going to RAVE about it because this dish was simply phenomenal.  So good in fact, my hubby and I gorged ourselves on the 6 portions.  We totally pigged out and its a rare recipe that makes us do that.  This was one of those gems that you can't quit eating.  We even had rolls with it and *still* ate all 6 servings.  Its just really, really good food, folks.

When I saw it, I thought "Wow, like a homemade Hamburger Helper!  Cool!"  I added it to my recipe file and it sat there for weeks.  Then one night, I didn't have much sitting around for dinner but I knew I had enough to make this.  So I tried it and let me tell you - Hamburger Helper would be selling completely out in stores everywhere if they could make theirs taste 1/10th the way hers does.  Its soo creamy, so rich tasting that you just cannot stop yourself from eating it.

My "Hurry Up, I'm Starving!" picture.

I've heard of people stirring in cream cheese to add some creaminess to their tomato sauce but this version uses sour cream.  The extra zip and tang really set off this dish and made it pop with flavor.  I read some of the reviews before I made it, and like alot of them, I stirred in some grated parm cheese with the last of the ingredients and let it melt in with the mozzerella cheese.  Then I added more before serving.  I've made this twice now, once using ground beef and the other using sweet Italian sausage and both were amazing.

Do yourself a favor and make this one night when you need a quicky dinner.  You won't be sorry...and you'll never reach for a box dinner again.  That's it folks...simple, fast and easy!  I used Ragu's traditional sauce because I was just too lazy to make my own and I had it sitting around.  She uses her own homemade sauce.  So preference is yours!  Mine looks a little 'soupy' because I don't think I had enough noodles left over in my box.  (just a note that yours will probably looks different depending on the sauce you use)

Bow-Tie Lasanga by Rozanie

• 1 pound Ground Chuck or Italian sausage
• 5 cups Bow Tie Noodles
• 3 cups Spaghetti Sauce (or Pizza Sauce, Whatever You Prefer)
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning (or More, Make It To Your Taste)
• ½ cups Mozzarella Cheese
• ½ cups Sour Cream

Fry meat in small pan. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.

After noodles are cooked, drain and drizzle with olive oil. Mix in your spaghetti sauce.  Add your fried hamburger, seasonings, cheese, and sour cream. Fold together and allow it all to combine and melt together, over low heat, for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Fettuccine Alfredo w/ Grilled Chicken - the RIGHT way!

As I promised last week, here is my real deal alfredo!  Even though Paula Deen like to use so much better that it makes even me cringe, on any given day however, I am not afraid of using real butter in any dish I make.  I use it everywhere.  I even pull a Paula myself from time to time and make a peanut butter and butter sammie.  (don't knock it till you try it!)  I am baffled however, that when people go to make stuff like alfredo, they try to deviate from the classic formulation and mess it all up using cream cheese and half & half in an effort to "lighten" it.  Give it up people.  It's a fatty dish.  Use the butter and cream.  You cannot duplicate that rich, buttery flavor using cream cheese and coffee milk.  You just can't.  Embrace the fat people.  I've tried the lighter versions and they taste like watered down milk to me.  Its just disgusting.  I'll do the extra 10 minutes of Zumba, I don't care - just to enjoy a hearty satisfying meal.

If you've never made alfredo, it couldn't be easier.  3 whole ingredients.  Three.  Even a bonafide "I can't cook" bachelor could pull this one off and impress his lady with a home cooked dinner.  It's really, really mind boggling simple to do.  And nutmeg?  No, we don't do that here.  This isn't a cookie or pumpkin pie.  If you want to be all super authentic, by all means grate some nutmeg in there.  I, however, jazz mine up with some garlic and fresh cracked pepper.  Its by far the BEST alfredo I've had.  I make white pizzas with this sauce too.  Its fabulous.  I've drizzled it over panko crusted pork chops, I've poured it over broccoli, I've dipped multitudes of breadsticks in this.  You just can't go wrong with a good alfredo in your arsenal.

The key to this recipe is low and slow.  Keep your heat low, give it time to melt and incorporate together and thicken into a delicious rich sauce.  Do not boil this sauce ...low low low is key.  This really does come together in the amount of time it takes you to boil water and cook your noodles.  Its great for a night when you need a quick meal.  But enough of my babbling...get cooking!

Fettuccine Alfredo 

with Grilled Chicken

1 pint heavy cream
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Fresh cracked black pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic (optional)
Grilled chicken slices
Pasta (Your choice of shape, size)

*Note*  You don't HAVE to use grilled chicken.  You could anything you want.  Italian sausage is really good cooked and sliced too on here.  However, if you want to make the grilled chicken I did, I simply drizzle olive oil over some thin boneless, skinless chicken breasts and sprinkle on some garlic powder and Italian seasoning.  Grill till brown on each side.  Let cool then slice.  Ta dah!

Start heating up your water and while that's coming to a rolling boil, in a large skillet, add the heavy cream and heat over medium low heat.  DO NOT BOIL THE CREAM...ever.  Add your butter and whisk occasionally till it's melted and incorporated.  Sprinkle in the grated cheese SLOWLY, stirring to combine before adding more.  If using garlic, add 1 tbsp now.  Crack some fresh black pepper in there.  Whisk until smooth and all the cheese has melted.  Let thicken over low heat, whisking frequently.

Makes 4 servings.

Btw...this does NOT reheat well at all in the microwave.  Or on the stovetop for that matter but hopefully you won't have any leftovers.  It's that good.  Truly.  Oh and my friend Siggy's breadsticks are the BOMB with this!  Try them too!

Cheddar Mac & Chicken - as requested & bonus!

I had to giggle while making this recipe today.  My friend Kristi is preggers and craving mac like crazy and I was snickering thinking about when I was pregnant with my kids how I craved Spaghettios like they were going out of style.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner...Chef Boyardee was my personal chef.  LOL  I was also fond of chilled  chocolate covered graham crackers by Keebler.  Those elves have it going on in that tree.  Sheer genius.  Its just so funny the things you crave.

This mac recipe..yeah, I crave it ALL the time.  It is a right tie for Alton Brown's Stovetop Macaroni (recipe at the end of this post! - YUM!) as far as which is my favorite.  Its a riff on one of Rachel Ray's recipes but hers, of course, had broccoli and green stuff I'd never touch with a 10 foot pole, let alone clog up my macaroni and cheese with.  This recipe is slightly spicy.  You could totally omit the cayenne, paprika and mustard if you don't want a kick of spice in there.  Those of you with picky kids might opt for that but my teenagers are all over this as is.  The great thing about this recipe is since it's a homemade sauce, you can add whatever cheese you want.  If your family is all about the mild cheddar, use it.  If you like it stronger, use sharp cheddar.  I use a blend of cheddar and monterey jack.  I just find the two together are perfect but its totally up to you.

The sauce?   No, it's not Velveeta.  Bleck.  That's just blasphemy.  And some of you may be moaning about making a roux for the sauce but its really, really simple.  And honestly...in the time it takes you to make a box version, you can have ALL this homemade taste in the same amount of time and no wacky preservatives either!  I love controlling what I eat.  I can't pronounce half of what's on the back of the blue box, can you?  I even use whole grain noodles and you can't tell the difference.  Its better for you, you're controlling the ingredients...and really, what kinda cheese is powdered?! 

Also, this recipe makes ALOT.  Like 6 *big* servings and b/c of the homemade cheese sauce, it doesn't reheat well in the microwave.  It kinda gets funky in the microwave so if you're going to reheat, do it slowly in a saucepan and if it looks dry, add a splash of milk and stir.  Hope ya'll enjoy!  I know I sure did making it for you!  (btw - bacon is FABULOUS sprinkled across the top of this before serving!  And you could totally top it with buttered breadcrumbs if you like that as well.  All up to you!)

Cheddar Mac & Chicken

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 pound uncooked chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces
salt/pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pound of macaroni, choice of shape
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all purpose flour
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
3c whole milk
1c chicken stock
3c sharp Cheddar, shredded
1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Place a pot of water to boil for macaroni. Add salt before adding pasta.  Cook according to package directions.  While water is heating up...heat a skillet over medium high heat and add olive oil and chicken seasoned with salt and pepper. Saute a few minutes till chicken is browned lightly then add onion and cook another 5 minutes until onions are tender and chicken is cooked through.  Scoop out into a bowl and set aside.

Return the pan to medium heat. Add butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne and paprika. Whisk together and cook until the roux bubbles.  (it will be rust colored, don't panic!)   Cook one minute more. Whisk in milk and stock slowly and raise heat to bring sauce to a quick boil.  Once it boils, reduce heat to a simmer and allow to thicken, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.   Add cheese to the milk sauce SLOWLY, little bit at a time and whisk till the cheese has melted in and is smooth. Stir in mustard, if using then season with salt/pepper to taste.  Add chicken/onion mixture and pasta to the sauce, stirring well to coat.

BONUS RECIPE!  If you *do* like the box kind better but want to trying a  making a homemade mac for yourself, try Alton Brown's Stovetop Macaroni version.  I don't have a picture...but if you've seen Kraft Deluxe you've seen his. It is the mass yummy! Click the link  for his recipe.

Did *I* Just Make This?!

I love beef stroganoff.  The creamy sauce, the chunks of tender beef...and noodles.  Let us not forget the blessed buttered noodles.  It vexes me however that I am deathly (as in keel over dead in 5 minutes type of deathly) allergic to mushrooms and it seems that ALL delicious looking stroganoffs have mushrooms in one way, shape or form.  YUCK!  Death on a plate?  You eat it.  I'll go eat cake or something!  LOL  However, the other day strolling through Tasty Kitchen I found a recipe from calou84523 that just made me want to eat my monitor.  There before me was a gorgeous looking plate of beef tips with mushrooms & sherry over risotto.  It's like a glorified, beefed up version of stroganoff.  Beefed up?!  You get it!?!  Well I thought it was funny.

Lou's version had mushrooms and I lamented.  Lou's version had risotto which I'm just way too lazy to make b/c it's near 100 degrees outside and I cannot stand the thought of hovering over a simmering pot for an hour straight stirring molten lava risotto.  Lou's version had left over roast beef.  Is there such a thing?  Surely not in my house.  Roast beef, brisket, steaks....anything beef related is gobbled down like it came from the last cow on Earth.  No - this would not do.  But I wanted it.  So I adapted.  Below is my adaptation of Lou's recipe.  It was delicious, it was heavenly...it was buttery, melt in your mouth kinda good.  My first bite was unbelievable.  I thought to myself "I can't remember making anything more delicious." And I can't.  Its like something out of a bonafide restaurant.  I half expected a bill after dinner with a mint.  (mmm, mints.)

Find Lou's version above by click on his link.  Here is mine!

Beef Tips in Cream & Sherry Sauce

• 1 pound Beef Tenderloin Or Sirloin Tips    *see note below*
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• ½ White Onion, thinly sliced
• 1/8 tsp dried thyme (or fresh, chopped thyme if you have)
• ½ cups cooking sherry
• 1 cup Beef Stock (or the leftover cooking broth from note below)
• 1-½ cup Heavy Cream
• 3 Tablespoon Corn Starch
• 3 Tablespoon Cold Water
• Coarse Kosher Or Sea Salt (to Taste)
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• Beef Flavoring Crystal (or the cubes, whichever you have)\

 *Note*  I cooked my beef tips in a crockpot overnight.  Threw them in with  32 ounces of beef stock, 1 bay leaf, a sprinkling of garlic powder, salt & pepper.  Left it on low overnight.  Ta-dah!  Pull out the beef, set aside to cool and reserve the cooking liquid.  You'll need some.  Once the meat is cooled, shred into big chunks with two forks.  Set aside. 

 Add butter to a frying pan set over medium heat.  Once better melts and starts getting foamy, add the sliced onion, sprinkling them with a tad bit of salt.  Sweat the onions out till they are just starting to get browned.  Add sherry and thyme, stirring well and scraping bottom of pan to get all the goodies off the bottom.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.  Add reserved beef broth and reduce the liquids down nearly half.  Takes about 6-7 minutes).  Pour in the cream and taste the sauce.  Add any flavorings you may need.  I used salt & pepper, then decided I wanted mine to be a bit more "beefy" so I added a few sprinkles of beef flavoring crystals.  Mix the cornstarch and the water to make a pasty slurry and add to the sauce, stirring continually until it thickens up.  (won't take long)  Add your chunked up beef and heat through.  Serve over noodles, risotto, potatoes, etc.

Makes 4 big portions.  Enjoy!

'Sketti Sauce

Wow, I realized its been quite awhile since I have posted.  Holidays and school and illness have had me all tied up for awhile.  Still not up to par...dealing with a probable lupus diagnosis of which I cannot see my doctor for that until January 19th.  I had my blood work done as my family doctor thought I had rheumatoid arthritis and my blood work came back with high levels of ANA, and coupled with my other symptoms, kinda points to lupus.  So I have to go see a specialist.  This week, I see the surgeon about my carpal tunnel in my right hand.  It's been a dilly of a month, lemme tell ya! 

Anyways, onward and upward, I am happy to report that with the Thanksgiving holiday I successfully used my stand mixer to produce the most heavenly yeast rolls EVER.  It whipped up delicious, creamy mashed potatoes too.  Ooh and whipped the filling for my deviled eggs.  And let's not forget about Pioneer Woman's perfect pie crust recipe.  Did that in there too. This was probably the best kitchen purchase I have ever made and I can't fathom how I got along without it. 

Today however, I am fixated on the most delicious spaghetti sauce I have ever had the pleasure of tasting.  Its bubbling away on my stove as we speak and I keep sneaking in for spoonfuls of  "taste testings".   I have gushed about it to everyone I know.  My daughter had her boyfriend declare that if she could cook like this, he'd "love her forever", upon tasting said spaghetti sauce.  Its so simple, its so delicious...its sheer perfection.  As it bubbles away, your house begins to smell like some old Italian grandmother has been cooking all day long, slaving away over the sauce.  I cannot explain the pleasure that is this sauce.  You simple MUST try it for yourself.  Its so fast, you'll never again reach for a jar.

So where did I find said recipe?  I would love to say its been proudly passed down in my family for generations but I found it online at Tasty Kitchen's site, posted by Qcancook.  And I'm so ever grateful for his post - which you can find here!  Q's Quick n' Easy Meaty Spaghetti Sauce

While you're there, sign up and become a member of Tasty Kitchen!  Its a great big community of foodies who post tried and true recipes, much like Q's!  ...and check out the Heavenly Yeast Rolls.  They are fabulous with this sauce!

Happy Munching till next time!