Beef Stroganoff

This is the best beef stroganoff I've ever made. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com but tweaked it enough that I'm posting an updated version here instead of just giving you a link.

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package egg noodles, cooked and drained
• 6 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
  
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
  
• 1 cup sour cream
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook egg noodles in boiling water until done, about 8 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a large skillet, cook mushrooms and onions in 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat until soft; remove from pan.
3. Using the same pan, brown ground beef. Drain and rinse. Melt remaining butter and mix in flour. Stir in beef broth, and cook until slightly thickened. Add worcestershire sauce. Add mushroom and onion mixture; stir in sour cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until sauce is hot, but not boiling. Serve sauce over egg noodles.

A few thoughts: I probably did less beef than is listed and it was fine. I also like to serve this over rice instead of noodles sometimes. You might want to add half the worcestershire sauce and then taste it before adding more. I like the full amount, but it's a different kick so you should just make sure it fits your taste buds before adding too much.

*If you want to see the original recipe, go here.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

This has become one of my favorite recipes. It's completely yummy and flexible and can easily be prepared ahead of time.

• chicken, cooked and cubed (I usually do one chicken breast for my family)
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 garlic clove, chopped (I use minced garlic from Sam's; so much easier in my opinion)
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares
• 1 small carrot, sliced (I usually julienne them, just because I like it)
• 1/2 can drained canned pineapple chunks (save the juice for the sauce)
• 2 Tbsp malt vinegar (I've never used malt vinegar, just whatever vinegar I have--if you use white, only do half the amount)
• 3 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp cold water
• salt
• ground black pepper
• rice, to serve

Cook chicken however you want. You could broil it, but I usually cook it in a frying pan with garlic powder, onion salt, salt, pepper, etc. Then set meat aside while you cook the rest.

Heat oil in nonstick frying pan until very hot. Stir-fry the garlic and onion for a few seconds, then add the green pepper and carrot and stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in pineapple chunks, vinegar, ketchup, pineapple juice, and sugar. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Add cooked chicken to vegetable mixture and cook for about 2 minutes. Mix cornstarch to a paste with the water. Add mixture to pan and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened. Serve with rice.

**I follow this recipe very loosely. I often mix the sauce together before putting it in the pan, including the cornstarch and water. That saves a step and works really well. Sometimes I add more sugar or pineapple juice to taste. Also, I often add other veggies. I really like it with chunks of yellow or red pepper. Pretty much just use this recipe as a guide and do what you want. If you like a lot of sauce, double the sauce.