There are reasons I like delude myself into thinking my meat is actually a vegetable.

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mr picked our meal tonight.  It all came from The Cookbook.  These are some straightforward, easy to make recipes for you tonight, so you're in for a treat.


The first is a yummy Steak Stroganoff - and you make it in the crockpot!  Can't get easier than that!


The recipe if from my sister IL, and here it is:


Steak Stroganoff (in the crockpot)
2 T flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 3/4 lb. BONELESS beef round steak
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 C water
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 C to 1 C sour cream
1 T fresh parsley, minced


Combine flour, garlic powder, pepper, and paprika in the crockpot.  Cut meat into strips.  Place them in the crockpot and toss them with the flour mixture until well coated.  Add mushroom soup, water and onion soup mix.  Stir until well blended.  Cover and cook on high for 3 - 3 1/2 hours or on low for 6 - 7 hours.  Stir in the mushrooms, sour cream, and parsley.  Cover and cook about 10 - 15 minutes more.  Serve over cooked noodles or rice.


Let's hope you don't decide to use the mystery roast from your father that's been sitting in your freezer for a month or so.  Why?  WHY???  Because you will only be reminded of why you prefer to delude yourself into believing your meat is actually vegetable.  I can't really call it mystery meat, because I learned during dinner that it was venison - and if I'm totally honest I knew this after beginning to hack it off the bone.  Yep.  Now, why my dad would give me a hunk of flesh that still had some kind of skin and fat on it is beyond me, since he knows my aversion to meat that resembles in any way AN ANIMAL.  I think I did pretty well, considering I'm not a butcher.  I did not cry, and only thought of passing out or dying towards the end of slicing.  Now that I've given you such a pretty picture of tonight's meal, I'm sure you really want to dive right in and make it, right?  Well, I'll only say one thing more, and that is: There's a reason the recipe calls for a BONELESS roast.  (and no, I didn't know the shape my meat was in before I started.  Thanks, Dad).


Side note: I don't have anything against meat eaters.  I am a meat eater.  I don't have anything against hunters - as long as they use what they shoot.  We've got a deer overpopulation problem here, anyway.  No, I'm just against having to visualize it as Bambi's mom.  Sorry Bambi.

The fortunate news is that with the mouthfuls I was able to chew and swallow, I could tell the stroganoff was actually really yummy - venison and all.  Had I not known any better (and believe me, I wish I didn't) I would have thought it was beef.  I substituted the canned mushrooms for fresh, because, sorry, canned mushrooms remind me of slugs.  This dinner is starting to sound better and better, isn't it???  The BEST part about this dish is that it was made entirely in the crockpot - all the mixing and stirring and coating - it was all done in the same pot!  Say YES to less dishes!


It's an easy, yummy recipe, that totally turns out even if you make it wrong - like by dumping all the ingredients in at once.  Why did I do that?


Well, by the time I'd put the eggs on to boil (mr picked deviled eggs for the side) and hacked up my meat, I was pretty stressed out.  Everything went into the pot at once.  We're all just lucky the deviled eggs stayed out.  Here's the recipe:


Deviled Eggs
8 hard boiled eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
3 T salad dressing


Cut the peeled eggs in half lengthwise.  Slip out the yolks.  Mash these with a fork.  Mix in the seasonings and salad dressing.  Fill each egg white half with the yolk mixture, heaping it up lightly.


Just a note, they were tasty, BUT the dry mustard?  That's potent stuff, baby.  A little goes a loooooong way.  A VERRRRRYYYYY LOOOOOONG way.


And by the time the eggs were boiled and the dressing/seasoning mixed up, I couldn't take mini's screeching and wailing like a screaming mimi and told mr I was taking her back to the Urgent Care, so darn it - fend for yourself for dessert!


Yep.


So I left.


That why you get this awesome shot from mr's camera phone for the dinner picture.  Because he is just that considerate and knew you all would want to see it.

Thank goodness I got home in time for dessert.  Which mr actually made!  And you know what?  It was, of course, my favorite part.  We made Swedish Pancakes (thanks, Kayla).  They're like crepes.  Only yummier.  

Just kidding, I don't really know.  I've never made crepes.  Here's the recipe:


Swedish Pancakes
2 eggs
1 2/3 C milk
dash of salt
1/4 C sugar
1 C flour
cooking spray


Beat eggs with a wire whisk until frothy.  Add milk, salt and sugar.  Beat.  Slowly add flour while whipping.  Beat until smooth.  Spray pan.  Pour a ladle full of batter into the pan and coat it.  It's ready to flip when there's only a little raw batter on top.  Cook over medium/hot.  Makes about 6 (10 inch) pancakes. Fill these with pie filling, peanut butter, syrup, jelly, or whatever you want and roll up.


We decided on blueberry and cherry pie filling with a little bit of powdered sugar.  Delish!  And because it was my favorite part, here's another picture.  

** Please note that I've made an edition to the stroganoff recipe.  I got this question in the comments:  " While Reading over the Stroganoff recipe, as I am making it, it says to add sour cream, however, there is none listed in the ingred. How much?   This recipe looks awesome and was just what I was looking for!" 
 Whoops!  Don't know how I missed that.  It calls for 1/2 C to 1 C sour cream - depending on your tastes.  I used 1 C.  I've also added it above to the actual recipe.  Thanks for pointing that out!!

(and don't forget to let me know if you make anything you find on my blog!)

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