Anyone else hunkering down for winter on some of these cold days? I know our cooking/eating patterns change so much with the seasons. When our girls were little those seasons meant show choir season, softball season, volleyball season, etc. Now they tend to revolve around the actual seasons! In the summer we grill almost daily...I LOVE grilled meats, veggies and sides...as well as keeping some of the heat out of the kitchen! Now, as we are reaching colder days, we tend to go back to variations of the meals that Matt and I both grew up on. Our moms were both farm wives --- and hearty meals were a part of every day! While I try a lot of new recipes, at the heart of the meal is creating a dish we all like ( helps that our kids are getting more mature palettes as well!!) and that we can gather around the table with. More often than not it is just Matt and I now --- but sometimes we get the girls, family or friends to share with as well!
That being said --- here is a variation where I took a couple of things Matt really liked, and combined them into a yummy meal he is ALWAYS happy to see on the table! The 'process' with the meat is the same that I use with full size pieces for making my mom's swiss steak recipe ( her favorite meal ever!) and adding in the brown gravy and mushrooms makes Matt smile! In this one I have combined it with some egg noodles to make it a one pan meal in the oven. Other times I make it all but the noodles, and serve it with mashed potatoes ( the girls favorite!). Just do what makes your family happy!
Start with tenderized round steak -- cut up into 1" pieces( this actually cuts really easily if you do it while it is *mostly* thawed, but still pretty stiff!)
In a large bowl combine flour and seasonings. I honestly don't measure...just some salt, pepper, powdered garlic and granulized onion.
Roll the meat in the flour, and then transfer to a skillet with HOT oil. You'll get a nice brown outside all around each piece. Then move them into a greased 9x13 oven proof pan.
After all the meat is in the pan then put on a layer of fresh mushrooms. I am sure you could use canned...(this is where I confess that I don't actually eat the mushrooms so I don't know how different the flavor would be!)...but Matt and Lexi really prefer fresh - so I use fresh!
In a second pan I have boiled egg noodles and drained them - ready to go in.
In a third pan make some brown gravy. I buy the bigger canisters from Sam's Club because it is SO handy -- but any brown gravy will work!
Mix the meat, mushrooms, noodles and gravy --- bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until it's all bubbly and the flavors can really come together.
That's it --- easy peasy! Enjoy!
Komentarze