Easy and Delicious

Preparing for the holidays is always hectic. This month I decided to keep dinners to a minimum amount of work, but still tasty. And most important, I wanted enough leftovers to freeze for December when the pace gets more intense.

One Pot Beef Stew
Egg Noodles
Tossed Salad
French or Italian Bread
Red Wine – Pinot Noir

Photo by KEKO64

One Pot Beef Stew

4 tbsp. olive oil plus more as needed
2 pounds sirloin cut into chunks with fat removed
4 large cloves of garlic pressed
10 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried
1 large onion chopped
16 oz. Portobello mushrooms halved
¾ tsp dry mustard
freshly ground pepper to taste
4 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tbsp. sour cream – make them a healthy ones
3 cups beef stock

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven. Add onions and thyme. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add garlic and sauté for 30 – 60 seconds. Set this combination aside in a bowl.

Heat pan again adding olive oil if needed. Add mushrooms and sauté until soft. Remove to same bowl as onions.

Add olive oil to the same pan and heat on medium-high until the oil sizzles. Sprinkle dry mustard, then pepper, on steak chunks. Brown meat on all sides. Set the chunks in the bowl with the other ingredients.

On medium heat, pour red wine vinegar into the pan. Add tomato paste and blend in. Mix beef stock and sour cream in a small bowl, then add to pan. Bring to a simmer while stirring well to make a fairly smooth broth. Add meat and other cooked ingredients. Heat thoroughly while stirring.

Egg Noodles
Fill a large pot with water and follow the package directions to cook. If the noodles are done before the stew, drain them in a colander and set the pot or lid on top of the noodles to keep them warm.

REMEMBER: all noodles/pasta can easily be re-warmed by running hot water over them before serving.

To serve, scoop egg noodles into soup/salad bowls. Spoon hearty portions of stew over the noodles.

Salad
Lettuce from 2 different types torn into bite size pieces, green leaf and head are excellent
Tomatoes sliced
Cucumber peeled and sliced thick
Green Onions, sliced, be sure to include some of the green
Mushrooms sliced
Any and everything else in the fridge that appeals to you.

Combine all the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Cover with a damp paper towel and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Your favorite bottled dressing or oil and vinegar work great with this hearty meal. Pour on a small amount of dressing and toss. Or, set a variety of bottled dressings on the table for everyone to help themselves.

Sloane Taylor is an Award-Winning author with a second passion in her life. She is an avid cook and posts new recipes on her blog http://sloanetaylor.blogspot.com every Wednesday. The recipes are user friendly, meaning easy.

Taylor currently has five explicit romance books released by Toque & Dagger Publishing. Excerpts from her books can be found on her website, blog, and all popular vendors.

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