Thursday, December 12, 2013

Noodles and gravy baby

I mentioned a while ago how I get home at 8pm every single Monday and Wednesday yet like clock work I came home to a boyfriend who was not thrilled because it was too late for him to eat dinner and he had no idea what time to have it ready.....

In order to save our non-marriage I have taken to using the old crock pot. I am actually really liking coming home and having everything all ready to go and just being able to scarf down some warm food after the gym.

One of my favorite ways to come up with meals is putting my own spin on my mom's old standby recipes because well, I miss her a lot and she made some really good dinners.

Today I wanted to share one of  her old classics, we used to eat this all the time in the winter and it is so good! I often make it without meat and just use lots of shrooms but this week I decided to go all traditional and shit. I made this recipe up a night ahead of time and let it simmer in the crock pot all day, but you could also easily just make it the evening you plan to eat it if you aren't in a time crunch.


You will need:

*recipe makes about 4 servings, or two if you are cows like Jose and I*

-About 8 ounces beef (I used one NY strip steak)
-A package of baby bella mushrooms
-1/2 tbs olive oil
-1/2 cup red wine
-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
-1 tbs flour (mixed into a cup of water)
-Salt and pepper
-1 medium onion

Directions:

-Add olive oil to a skillet and let it get nice and warm over medium-high heat. Slice your beef into small chunks removing excess fat. If you have a dog with an iron stomach as I do, cook that fat up for him. Lightly season beef with salt and pepper. Add it to the skillet.

-Chop your onion into strips (assuming you love onion like I do, if not skip it). Add onion to the skillet of beef and saute until golden brown. 

-Transfer the beef and onion into a crock pot. Add in the container of sliced mushrooms, red, wine, balsamic vinegar, and one cup of water with the flour completely mixed in. Add a few more dashes of salt and pepper and then just let it cook all day. I prepped everything the night before I served this and just refrigerated the stew over night, but if you do it the night you plan to eat just let it simmer over medium-low heat for an hour or so and you will be good to go. 

-Serve the stew over whole wheat egg noodles (or regular ones if you prefer) and garnish with a little parsley.

I like to add a scoop of Greek yogurt to mine right before I eat it, we used to always have it with sour cream as kids but I have convinced myself Greek yogurt is better for you (whether that is true or not I dunno). It makes it really creamy and delicious. 

11 comments:

Jaclyn Y said...

I don't get enough use out of my crockpot and I really need to... it be wonderful to come home to dinner being ready more often! Not to mention the house smelling delicious. I'll try your recipe out!

xxx
Jaclyn

Rachel said...

I really need you to come cook for me.

SMD @ lifeaccordingtosteph said...

I haven't made stew in a long time, this looks great!

I honestly don't taste the Greek Yogurt diffeerence but MFD does because he craps on anything healthy.

Kerry @ Till Then Smile Often said...

I love a good crockpot recipe! I would take out the mushrooms because I don't like the texture but I love Greek yogurt in place of sour cream.

Helene in Between said...

hahaha michael is the exact same way! I am a sucker for crockpot recipes. i need to try these out!

Jordan said...

Pinned! Easy and sounds yummy - perfect.

Kathy@MoreCoffeeLessTalky said...

the crockpot is your best friend! these days i'm home early enough but on those evenings when i know i can't, the crock pot comes out. this sounds so yummy!! thanks for the recipe :)

-kathy
Vodka and Soda

Jess @ Living On Sweet Tea said...

This might work with pork chops too.. just a thought. I LOVE my CP, it's a life saver sometimes.

Amanda - Voyage of the MeeMee said...

I wonder if this would be good without the mushrooms OR meat. I like the flavor of mushroom but I don't like eating ACTUAL mushrooms. Weird, I know.

Amy Powell said...

the crock pot saved our marriage the first few months! so easy & it takes that pressure off throwing together dinner.

Nikki Mitchell said...

I really want to use a crock pot! Some nights I dont get home until 10pm from work so I don't want to pack for lunch. That would save time figuring out what to eat. This recipe looks delicious!