mmm... beef

last night, nick and i came up with our weekly menu. what we pretty much do is go online and research recipes on food network based on our favorites: ina garten, paula dean, and bobby flay. then we figure out what we have at the house and build a grocery list around what we don't have. pretty simple. it saves us money and we both really enjoy cooking.

lately, i've been making things that haven't been so great. nick's liked them, but not me. so last night i decided i wasn't going to make something crappy and i pulled out paula dean's beef stroganoff recipe. damn. it was really really good.

here it is:


Ingredients

* 1 1/2 pounds cubed round steak, cut into thin strips
* House Seasoning, recipe follows
* All-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 medium onion, sliced
* 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
* 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can beef broth
* 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
* Salt and black pepper
* 1 cup sour cream
* Cooked egg noodles

Directions

Season the steak strips with House Seasoning, then dust with flour. In a large skillet, quickly brown them on both sides in the olive oil and butter. Remove the steak from the pan. Add the onion slices and mushrooms to the pan drippings. Saute for a few minutes, until the onion is tender. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon flour. Put the steak back into the pan with the onion and mushrooms. Add the mushroom soup and beef broth. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, covered. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding salt and pepper, as needed. Stir in the sour cream the last few minutes, right before you serve. Serve over cooked noodles.
House Seasoning:

* 1 cup salt
* 1/4 cup black pepper
* 1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix the ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Yields: 1 1/2 cups