Beef Stroganoff

If the weather outside is frightful, Stroganoff inside is Delightful!

Ingredients

1 lb beef sirloin steak or tenderloin

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup minced onion

2 Tbs butter

1 1/2 cup beef stock

2 tsp ketchup

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

3 Tbs flour

1 cup dairy sour cream

4 cups hot cooked egg noodles or rice

Preparation

Cut meat diagonally into very thin slices.  Cook and stir mushrooms and onion in butter until onion is tender: remove from skillet.  In the same skillet, brown meat lightly on both sides.  Set aside 1/2 cup beef stock; stir remainin beef stock, ketchup, garlic and salt into the skillet.  Cover and simmer 15 minutes.  Blend reserved 1/2 cup bouillon and flour (NOTE:  Add flour on top of boullion and blend with whisk) Stir flour/stock mixture into skillet.  Add mushtooms and onio.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Boil for one minute.  Remove from heat, stir in sour cream.  Put skillet back on very low heat and heat until heated through.  Server over hot noodles or rice.

Serves 4

Notes from Liz

Once, I had a grilled steak left over from a party and I sliced it paper thin and made the Stroganoff.  It was so delicious!

Lime Cilantro Rice with Clams

This is where you find the clams!

Ingredients

2 cups white rice

2 cups Clam Juice

1 pint minced clams with juice

1 cup chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

Preparation

Boil Clam Juice.  Add rice.  Boil for 5 minutes, reduce heat and cover. Stir rice frequently to prevent sticking.  When most of the liquid is absorbed, add lime juice and cilantro and clams.  Cook for 2 minutes until clams are tender but not tough.  Cook on lower heat to avoid boiling, it should simmer for 2 minutes (bubbles around edges but not a rolling boil)

Serves 6-8

Notes from Liz
Depending on the rice you use, you may need more liquid.  Add more Clam Juice.  This recipe is easily multiplied for a crowd.

Christmas Sangria

Ingredients


Carver Cranberry Bog



1 cup Sugared cCanberries

(see Dessert recipes on this blog)

1 orange, sliced thin

1 lemon, sliced thin

1/2 cup syrup reserved from

Sugared Cranberries

2 cups cranberry juice

1 bottle Chianti 

4 oz triple sec 

Preparation

Make sugared cranberries, cool.  Reserve sugar syrup from making Sugared Cranberries.  Mix all ingredients in serving pitcher.  Chill for at least 3 hours.  Serve cold.

Serves 6

Notes from Liz

This can be made a day ahead.  It can be doubled, tripled, etc. 

Lime-Cilantro Rice

Casey and Hedgehog watch us eat the Lime Cilantro Rice

Ingredients

2 cups white rice

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

Preparation

Boil chicken broth.  Add rice.  Boil for 5 minutes, reduce heat and cover. Stir rice frequently to prevent sticking.  When most of the liquid is absorbed, add lime juice and cilantro. 

Serves 6-8

Notes from Liz

If you want, you may use "boil in bag" rice with the same ingredients.  Add lime juice and cilantro after you drain the rice and put into bowl. This goes well with the Pulled Pork and Barbeque Sauce.

Pulled Pork with Carolina Barbeque Sauce

Pulled Pork

Trim the Tree Party 2010

Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin
2 cups chicken broth

Preparation

Place pork tenderloin in slow cooker, add chicken broth.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Cool completely.  Pull the port apart.  Add sauce and heat to hot and bubbling.

Carolina Barbeque Sauce

Ingredients

1 Tbs Olive Oil
1/2 medium onion, minced (you can use electric food chopper)
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbs dry mustard or 2 TBS spicy prepared mustard
1 Tbs dark brown sugar
1 Tbs paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup ketchup

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil on low heat.  Add vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce, mustard, brown sugar and paprika, salt, cayenne pepper, and ketchup, boil until thick.  Combine with pork and serve.

Notes from Liz

You may serve on buns or as a filling for tacos or burritos.  Add other condiments as desired.  You may save some Carolina Sauce for a condiment in addition to the sauce already on the pork.  For our trim the tree party we had a taco/burrito buffet and this was a big hit.

Serves 6-10 (depending on how many side dishes)

Arugula Pesto

Arugula is always my first and last harvest in the garden

Ingredients

5 cups fresh Arugula (Pesto)

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

4 cloves garlic (or more, if you like)

Preparation

Put washed and salad spinner-dried arugula into food processor. Process using sharp blade, slowly adding 1/2 of the olive oil.  Peel garlic and chop in half, add to processor and process until finely chopped.  Add parmesan cheese to processor and process while slowly adding the remaining olvie oil.  The result will be a paste or pesto. Makes about 1 1/2 cups of pesto.  This recipe is easily doubled in one processor.  Best served on freshly cooked hot pasta.  It is also good as a topping for broiling oysters on the half shell-yum!

Notes from Liz
Pine nuts are a traditional part of pesto.  If you would like to add pine nuts, put 1/3 cup pine nuts in a coffee mug with a TBS of olive oil. Stir until well coated.  Place in microwave and heat for 30 seconds.  Check for "browning on the edges" and repeat if not yet toasted.  Add to processor and incorporate into pesto.

The pesto without pine nuts will store for 3-5 weeks in an air tight container in the refrigerator.  The pesto with pine nuts stores for about 5-10 days in an air tight container in the refrigerator. 

Pesto is great for a big family meal or just a few spoons for a single meal. 

Sweet and Sour Salad

Ingredients

1 16 oz can or bag of Sauerkraut 

Winter Ocean in Wellfleet

1/2 chopped green pepper

1/2 chopped yellow or red pepper

1 1/2 cups carrots, grated

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 small jar chopped pimiento, drained

1 medium onion, chopped

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1TBS celery seed

Preparation

Drain sauerkraut and wash thoroughly.  Put in salad spinner and spin to remove excess water.  You may use a electric food chopper for the sweet peppers, celery, and onions.  The carrots should be grated either by hand or in food processor.  Put all vegetables in medium size bowl.  Add brown sugar, olive oil , celery seed, and black pepper.  Mix well.  Refrigerate overnight before serving to make sure the flavors blend well.

Serves 6-8

Notes from Liz

This salad is good to make anytime, but I usually make it in winter when other salad ingredients are not  available.  This is also good for a picnic or outdoor event because it does not spoil easily.  I usually serve it with pork tenderloin or pork shops but it is also very good with hamburgers and hot dogs or sausages.