Aaron, Kristin & Brooklynn

Aaron, Kristin & Brooklynn

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Meatball Stroganoff Mashup

So the other night I was really wanting beef stroganoff but the recipe I have I can never find good beef and it just ruins the dish. Once again I went to my recipe book to see if there was something I could do. I found my swedish meatballs recipe and thought to myself " why not mix these two." I don't like the sauce of the swedish meatballs anyways so why not mash it up. So I made the meatballs from one recipe and the sauce from beef stroganoff. Neeedless to say Aaron, Brooklynn and I all had seconds. 
I will post the full recipe so you can be the judge. Enjoy



Beef Stroganoff (I used the sauce from this recipe)
Original owner: Gimme some Oven
1 lb. wide egg noodles
4 Tbsp. (1/4 cup) butter, divided
1.5 lbs. thinly-sliced steak (I used top sirloin, but just about any will work)
salt and pepper
1 white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. sliced mushrooms (I used a mix of button and baby bella mushrooms)
1/2 cup dry white wine (or you can substitute in more beef broth)
1.5 cups beef broth
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or light sour cream
(optional garnish) chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS:

Cook egg noodles al dente in boiling salted water according to package instructions. (For optimal timing, I recommend actually adding the egg noodles to the boiling water at the same time that the beef broth is added to the stroganoff.)

Meanwhile, as your pasta water is coming to a boil, melt the butter in a large saute pan** over medium-high heat. Add the steak in a single layer, seasoned with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper, and let it cook undisturbed for about 3 minutes to get a good sear. Flip the steak, and cook on the other side until browned, about another 3 minutes. Then remove steak from pan with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a separate plate. Set aside.

(**If your pan is not big enough to fit all of the steak in a single layer, then add just 1 Tbsp. of butter to the pan and cook half of the steak. Then repeat with a second batch.**)

Return pan to heat and add the remaining 2 Tbsp. butter. Once it has melted, add the onions and saute for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms, and stir to combine. Continue sauteing for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until the mushrooms are cooked and the onions are soft. Add the white wine, and deglaze the pan by using your cooking spoon to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Let the mixture cook down for an additional 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the beef broth, worcestershire sauce and flour until smooth. Pour the beef broth mixture into the pan, and stir to combine. Let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then stir in the Greek yogurt (or sour cream) until combined, and then stir the cooked steak back in. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Serve over the egg noodles, garnished with parsley if desired.



Swedish Meatballs (I used the meatballs from this recipe)

Original Owner: Damn Delicious

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 
  • 1 onion, diced 
  • 1 pound ground beef 
  • 1 pound ground pork 
  • 1/2 cup Panko* 
  • 2 large egg yolks 
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 
  • FOR THE GRAVY 
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter 
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes. 
  • In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, Panko, egg yolks, allspice, nutmeg and cooked onion; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 24 meatballs. 
  • Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Add meatballs, in batches, and cook until all sides are browned, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. 
  • To make the gravy, melt butter in the skillet. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in beef broth and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in sour cream; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in meatballs and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through and thickened, about 8-10 minutes. 
  • Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Jenkinson Aquarium

We wanted to take Brooklynn to the aquarium before Aaron had to start his surgery rotation. We decided we wanted to go on Wednesday but those plans changed. Brooklynn woke up screaming and wouldn't stop for 3 hours. She had been sick for 5 days with a cold so we thought it might be an ear infection. We scheduled a doctors appointment so we missed the aquarium that day. (side note: no ear infection-prob just really bad teething). 

On Thursday Brooklynn was doing a little better so we decided to venture down to Point Pleasant. She absolutely loved the aquarium. She especially loved the penguins (we spent 20 min just watching them), the seals, the sharks, and the parrots. We also went out onto the boardwalk but it was really windy and cold that day so we didn't stay out long. We ate at a resturant on the boardwalk and then went back to the aquarium to watch the seals be fed. Here are some pictures from our day. We will definitely go back with friends.. 






























 

Thursday, September 18, 2014

The City of Brotherly Love

We are sad that we missed this years golf tournament and dinner. We have done so much traveling in the last 6 months that we wanted to stay close to home and have some family together time.
We were showing our support for papa coach up in NJ!! 

Aaron has this week off from rotations and so we wanted to do something fun. Yesterday we decided to go to Philadelphia and see the sites. I have never been there and Aaron served his mission there so he got to show me around. Here are some pictures from the things we got to do. 

We started out at independence hall... It was the perfect day to be outside


Little did we know it was the day that the Constitution was signed. 


 

Then we headed over to the Liberty Bell 



Since Aaron served his mission in Philly we had to get an authentic philly cheesesteak. It was so good!! 

We then headed over to Love park. 
Lounging watching the water fountain


We saw where the Philly temple was being built... 



Then we headed over to the famous Rocky steps. 

First Aaron took Brooklynn up!!!

Picture at the top!! 

Then it was my turn to take her up!!

Picture at the top!!



Then it was Brooklynn's turn to walk up!! She made it 1 step! 


She also got to ride on her first subway!! 

I'm so glad we got to spend the day together as a family! Brooklynn did so well being in a stroller all day! We were going to go to the aquarium today but unfortunately she isn't feeling well. We are heading to the doctor a little later. Maybe if she is feeling better tomorrow we will go.