Bex Best Beef Stroganoff

This is a Beef Stroganoff recipe that is not only tasty but rather quick as well!
The cut of beef can be something rather inexpensive and will come out just fine & wonderfully tender so long as when you cut the meat into the tiny strips, you cut it against the grain. 
Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) package extra wide egg noodles

2 tablespoons butter

2 yellow onions, finely chopped (or 1 large)

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 (8 ounce) package fresh baby portabella mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 1/2 lbs. beef loin steak, cut into thin strips (or whatever is on sale that week is fine)

1 (14 ounce) can beef  broth

2 Tbls worchestershire sauce

2 Tbls flour

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

Salt & Pepper

3 Tbls Olive Oil (or can use canola if no olive oil on hand)

1/4 c water

3 Tbls cornstarch

Dried or Fresh parsley (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add large pinch of salt (to flavor the water) add the egg noodles,

boil  7-8 minutes - completely drain but do not rinse.

In a large skillet on medium-high, add oil and when it starts to ripple add onions and garlic as well as pinch of salt & pepper, saute til tender. 

Toss the thinly sliced meat with salt & pepper as well as flour, add to the skillet & brown.

Add in sliced mushrooms and saute as well.

Add beef broth to skillet & make sure to scrape the bottom of the skillet to get all those good tasty bits up - they add tons of flavor to your sauce!

In a small cup, mix together the water & cornstarch with a fork (this will ensure no lumps in the mixture)

When the sauce comes back up to temperature and starts to slightly bubble, add the cornstarch mixture and stir constantly, this thickening will happen very quickly!

Lower the heat to medium-low & cover skillet & continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat & stir in sour cream.

Serve over cooked egg noodles & garnish with parsley for a pretty finish!

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Award Winning AnitPasto Pasta Salad

Bex' Award Winning Antipasto Pasta Salad



I say that this recipe is "Award Winning" but in realty I just got it published in pretty popular foodie mag, Simple & Delicious (there were no awards actually awarded)  :)

But that being said, it is one of the most requested items when I attend summer get-togethers as well as one of my most requested recipes!! 

It is not only very easy to prepare but made the day before also helps all the flavors "marry" together & it is simply scrumptious!

Ingredients:

1 box (16oz) corkscrew pasta (but can use any short grain pasta you like really)

1 jar (16 oz) giardiniera drained & cut up (hot pickled veggies)

2 cans (2.1/4 oz) sliced black olives

1 jar (5.3/4oz) pimento stuffed green olives sliced

1 jar (7 oz) roasted red sweet peppers, drained & chopped

1 to 2 cloves finely chopped garlic (pasted is better so you don't bite down on a chunk of garlic)

8 oz summer sausage, cubed

8 oz pepper jack cheese, cubed

1 bottle (16 oz) Italian salad dressing (use what you like but I've used Kraft House Italian & it's Great!)

Cook pasta to aldente (cause it will soak up quite a bit of the salad dressing & you don't want it to be soggy)

Drain & rinse in cold water to stop cooking process.

In large bowl combine cooled pasta, giardiniera, olives, red peppers, garlic, sausage & cheese.

Add 1/2 of the bottle of salad dressing and toss well.

Cover & refrigerate over night.

Before serving toss and check to see if the other 1/2 of the bottle of salad dressing needs to be added, sometimes just a bit & other times all the remaining dressing needs to be added - depends on how much dressing the pasta soaked up overnight.

Hope you enjoy!



Bex Mex Caviar Dip

Bex Mex Caviar Dip

 I created this recipe after I searched on-line for the infamous Texas Caviar and found a ton of not-so-good sounding recipes - so I decided as I do with most of my recipes to take the best from several different recipes as well as adding my own variations - which is were the hot sauce in the dressing idea came from! 

Serve with either Fritos Scoops or a tortilla chip, (although the Scoops are a stronger chip to use).

I hope you enjoy!

2 cans Black Eyed Peas - Rinsed & Drained

1 Jalapeno - Minus Seeds & Ribs - Finely Chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper - Finely Chopped

1 Red Onion - Finely Chopped

2-3 Green Onions - Thinly Slices

For Dressing:

2 Garlic Cloves - Pasted

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/2 c. Veg Oil

1/2 c. Red Wine Vinegar

4-5 Dashed of Hot Sauce

Drain & rinse the black eyed peas, making sure all the water is drained out - you don't want to have watery dip now do ya?? 

Finely chop the onions, peppers & jalapenos, if you like spice quite a bit then leave the ribs and a few of the jalapeno seeds in if not then take them all out before chopping. - add to black eyed peas.

Dressing:

( how to paste garlic: finely chop & add a pinch of kosher salt - take side of knife and smash garlic & salt together on chopping board & chop and smash again until garlic has become a paste)

Whisk together 1/2 c. oil & 1/2 c. red wine vinegar & add pasted garlic &  hot sauce & S&P.

Pour Dressing over mixture & cover & refrigerate (overnight for the full flavor to develop).

Serve with Fritos Scoops or Tortilla Chips!!