Faux'd ya

Well, it's Friday and I'm passed due to throw a post up on here. Not like I've been busy or anything with all this snow going on. If Mother Nature had a face, I'd slap it. Even if it threw off the cosmic balance of weather again, because what she's doing to us out there is RIDICULOUS!!!! It's not even December for crying out loud!rrrrooooooaAAAARRRRRR!*HULK MODE*..............................................

Okay. I've ditched the green and am back now.

Last Sunday, I went to go steal some powdered sugar from a friend(as in, i knocked on her door and asked, kind of stealing) and started salivating when the smells of her house assaulted my nose. No really, i had dribble. I'm sure church ending at 4, attributed greatly to that added moisture. You'd be starving too! I personally feel, that with church getting out that late, there should be a snack time for adults. Somewhere between 2nd and 3rd hour perhaps? So naturally, I made my way to the kitchen to see what was going down(hoping i could get a taste actually. *sigh* My poor family, starving out in the car, while i'm dreaming about eating somebody elses ,food) Lo and behold, it was beef stroganoff! I really wanted some then(we don't eat beef, because B's gut sucks)! Like a good friend, she listened to me lament about not making that because of B's lousiness , she offered suggestions that got me thinking.
So i ran to the car and exclaimed to the family "We're having stroganoff tonight folks!" I won't mention the looks i got, because they weren't favorable. All independently thinking, " you're really going to make us wait longer?!"

*later on in the kitchen*

Realization kicks in that i have absolutely NOTHING associated with strogonaff except for sour cream. Superb. But i was so hungry that instead of getting down about it, i got creative-very. All i wanted was that flavor so badly, that i actually kept track of what i did . Lucky you! The deities of kitchen prowess must have been with me : )

What you need:

meat

1Tb oil

salt/pepper

1Tb Italian seasoning

1/2Tb flour

2 C milk

1 pkt onion soup mix

1 C sour cream....and a whole lot-ta awesome

So choose your meat- I used pork loin chopped up

In a large skillet, with about a tablespoon of oil, give your meat a good browning, WITH seasonings

-season with salt and pepper to taste(i did about a tsp each)

-and, here's the kicker, about a tablespoon of Italian seasoning

Once your meat is cooked, toss it out, keeping you oil that is in the skillet

Make your rue, with a half tablespoon of flour.
Mix until smooth and a consistency you like.(Use your nose, if you like the fragrance of your rue, your seasonings are probably on point for you. if it smells like it could use a little more kick-go on with your bad self!)

Bring out 2cups of milk and mix into your rue slowly, while stirring. (remember:lumpy is yucky)

Now, the final ingredient , one packet of onion soup mix. Add that in, give it a mix. Toss your meat back in. Bring it to a good simmer for about 30 minutes. Once it's good and done to YOUR standards(I like my meat to be fork tender. As in, i think about a fork, and it falls apart), add 1 cup of sour cream. Cook up your favorite grain(we use coucous) and call it good!

As a family, we all agreed that this fake-out was well worth the wait. Both girls really enjoyed it; and there was nothing for #1 to attempt and pick out. Good luck!

Cheese, Trees, and Milk

Alrighty! Time to get started. For this month, i figured it'd be nice to focus on soups after all that heavy(albeit delicious) holiday eating.

So to start off, we're gonna take some cheese, trees, and milk. Put it all together and what have you got? Cream of Broccoli and Cheddar!!!!!Cheap, easy, and 'SOUPER' (ha ha-pun) kid friendly. It's basically goodness in a bowl. Now, to get to watcha need:

1lb broccoli florets(3 and a half to 4 cups/frozen or fresh)

14oz can of chicken broth(2cups of homemade broth)

-toss the two above ingredients in a pot and cook until the broccoli is fork tender. Let it cool for a few minutes(about 10)
-after the broccoli/broth combo is a little cooler, toss that(in thirds) into a blender/food processor and blend until smooth(we like ours to be a little chunky, so i do more of a pulse)
-set this mixture aside( Don't worry about this mixture coming cooling before you're done with the rue, it all comes together quickly  )

2Tbl butter/margarine

2Tbl flour

2cups milk

2cups cheddar cheese
-in a medium size pot, melt your butter
-once the butter is melted, add your flour. mix until smooth( DO THIS ON MEDIUM HEAT)
- now, slowly add your mi1lk to the flour mixture. Stir continuously for this part. no need to be vigorous, but a lumpy rue makes for a poor base


Now that your rue is complete go ahead and add the pureed broccoli mixture. Stir to incorporate. Go ahead and season to taste. Not much will be needed.
The time has now come to add the best part-CHEESE!!!!!! On a medium heat, add your shredded cheese slowly while stirring.

Feel free to experiment with the cheese. My family loves it even more with white cheddar, it adds a nice little zing! I get excited just thinking about it-lol!

Viola! There it it is, so dig in!
Sorry! No picture! i don't know how to get it off my phone that's smarter than me : ( So once the man gets home, i'll fix that little mishap : )