Experiments at Home and Abroad. Bowling.

I have recently ‘gone off’ vegetables I always loved, such as broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, etc. I believe it may be because we are cooking them in softened water. I have never enjoyed veg cooked in softened water. I now plan to try cooking some in distilled water and hopefully that will make a difference. I have been assured that distilled water is basically the steam from boiled water. I buy gallons of distilled water for use with my CPAP machine so thought I would try it. Talking of my CPAP machine, saw the doctor who has now increased the pressure so we will see how I get on.

Interesting titbit I just picked up, South Korea is testing a system of electrified roadways that wirelessly recharge electric buses as they drive. If successful, this OLEV system will allow the use of smaller, lighter batteries in cars and buses resulting in fewer emissions. I would think the rest of the ‘driving’ world would be extremely interested in this.

Bowling went pretty well for me today. I had fun too which is always a good thing. My last score was 198 but all my scores were above my average which, admittedly, isn’t very high at the moment.

I haven’t had stroganoff in years. It used to be a favourite, but like so many dishes of the past, they lose popularity and one forgets about them. This one appeared on Cooking.com and made me remember how delicious it can be.

Beef Stroganoff

Source: Steaklover's Companion

Serves 4

This classic beef dish is named after Count Stroganoff, a nineteenth-century Russian diplomat and scion of a wealthy family that owned vast tracts of land and salt refineries in the Urals and later led the conquest of Siberia. It was Count Stroganoff who popularized the family dish in the rest of Europe. You can use top sirloin or tenderloin tips instead of beef tenderloin, and farm-raised mushrooms instead of the wild mushrooms called for in the recipe; in a pinch, use them instead of all the other types, but using several varieties of mushrooms adds to the interesting complexity of flavour in the dish.

INGREDIENTS

For Stroganoff:
4 tablespoons butter
1 pound lean beef tenderloin or top sirloin, cut into strips
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
1/4 cup sliced portobello mushrooms
1/4 cup sliced chanterelle mushrooms
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 cup red wine, preferably Burgundy or Pinot Noir
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup sour cream

For Noodles:
1 pound egg noodles
1 tablespoon butter
For Garnish:
1 ounce enoki mushrooms or sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 bunch scallions, sliced on a diagonal

DIRECTIONS

TO PREPARE STROGANOFF: Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy saute pan or skillet. Season the meat with salt and pepper, add to the pan, and brown on all sides over medium-high heat. Add the onion and mushrooms, and sauté about 4 minutes longer. Cover to keep warm and set aside. In a separate pan, blend the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter with the flour over low heat to make a roux. When the mixture begins to bubble, gradually stir in the stock and wine. Raise the heat to medium and bring to a boil, while stirring, making sure the mixture is smooth. Stir in the mustard, sour cream, and reserved beef and mushroom mixture, and keep warm.
TO PREPARE NOODLE: Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles to the pan of boiling water and cook at a low boil until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain, then toss the noodles with the butter to coat.
TO SERVE: Arrange the buttered noodles on warm serving plates and top with the stroganoff. Garnish with the mushrooms and scallions, and serve immediately.

Have a great day

Passports, TV, Books,

We had an expensive day today, after lunch we went and had passport pictures taken, $33 and then went to the passport office and paid for one each, $174 – its costly to travel today. Canadian passports only last 5 years, we could have British passports which are for 10 years, but they wouldn’t be as convenient travelling to the States.  Our pictures look absolutely terrible of course, but then I have never, in my life, had a decent passport picture. My very first passport picture, I looked like one of the women who ran the prison camps during WWII. At least it didn’t long in the passport office, sometimes the wait time can be pretty horrendous but I guess the whole thing took about half an hour.

I’ve been watching a programme called Missing with Ashley Judd playing an ex CIA operative who hasn’t been active in 10 years, looking for her son who has been kidnapped. She lost her hubby in the first episode. 10 years later her son is kidnapped and she has no idea why. Its quite enjoyable if a bit far fetched. But then I am able to suspend disbelief very easily. As far as reading is concerned I have been getting a lot of free Kindle books some good, some bad, at present I am reading an Anne McCaffery book about the brain ships. I am not sure if that was a freebie or not, I suspect not. I love the brain ship stories. This contains 2 or three. Mercedes Lackey is also involved in the selection

I like Beef Stroganoff and when I saw a Kraft version, it made me decide to share an actual version of the recipe. This one comes from Epicurious.com which is a great site for recipes. This recipe was, reputedly, invented for a Russian general named Stroganov and was ‘discovered’ by soldiers returning from World War II. This recipe uses tenderloin. The Kraft slow cooker version uses stewing beef which would make the meal a lot cheaper, but somehow not the same.

Beef Stroganoff

• 1 2 1/2-pound piece beef tenderloin, well trimmed, meat cut into 2x1x1/2 inch strips
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1 pound small button mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 1 cup canned beef broth
• 2 tablespoons Cognac
• 3/4 cup crème fraîche or whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 12 ounces wide egg noodles
• tablespoon paprika

Pat meat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat until very hot. Working in batches, add meat in single layer and cook just until brown on outside, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped shallots and sauté until tender, scraping up browned bits, about 2 minutes. Add button mushrooms. Sprinkle with pepper and sauté until liquid evaporates, about 12 minutes. Add beef broth, then Cognac. Simmer until liquid thickens and just coats mushrooms, about 14 minutes. Stir in crème fraîche and Dijon mustard. Add meat and any accumulated juices from baking sheet. Simmer over medium-low heat until meat is heated through but still medium-rare, about 2 minutes. Stir in chopped dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Transfer to bowl. Add remaining 4 tablespoons butter and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide noodles among plates. Top with beef and sauce. Sprinkle generously with paprika.

Have a great day

Pilots Asleep? This Rough Magic.

I saw it on the news last night and again on GMA this morning. About the plane which travelled 150 miles past its destination because, the experts think, the pilots were asleep. What a lovely thought, I am travelling in a plane from a to b and my driver(s) is/are asleep!!! The pilots themselves said they were involved in some a heated discussion about airline policy, yes sure. If you want to read what GMA has to say click here - apparently pilots do fall asleep at the controls, well, maybe that's OK if there are two of them and one stays awake, but......... Not a lot happening in my life at the moment, we go bowling as usual this afternoon. I am currently reading a book called This Rough Magic - which title was used by Mary Stewart years ago and has now been used by Mercedes Lackey and two co-writers, Eric Flint and Dave Freer. I am enjoying the story but it is somewhat slow going. In both cases the book is written with the main story set on the island of Corfu in Greece, however, in Mary Stewart's novel it was referring to the Shakespeare play The Tempest and the time when Prospero drowned his magic books "This rough magic I do abjure" and the theory that Corfu could have been the setting for the Tempest. In Merecedes Lackey's book it refers to the ancient magic which purportedly exists on the island. Well its a spec fic book after all. There is an excerpt from the book here if you would like to check it out. I also very much like the Mary Stewart book which was written in 1964 which is more romance than anything. Eating Well has published a number of comfort food recipes, I wouldn't have thought of Beef Stroganoff as being comfort food, but it is a dish I enjoy. Here is their healthy version of this classic dish. Beef Stroganoff A little tender beef goes a long way when it is supplemented with flavorful mushrooms and enriched with a robust sauce in this healthy stroganoff. 6 servings * 1 pound whole-wheat egg noodles * 8 ounces filet mignon or sirloin, trimmed and thinly sliced across the grain * Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste * 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided * 1 onion, sliced * 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (3 cups) * 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour * 1/4 cup dry red wine * 3/4 cup reduced-sodium beef broth * 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard * 3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream * 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley Preparation 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. 2. Season beef lightly with salt and pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the beef in 2 batches until browned, 1 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a plate. 3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Add onion and sauté until softened and lightly colored, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add mushrooms and sauté until they are just beginning to give off their moisture, 2 to 3 minutes more. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Stir in the wine and let evaporate, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, bring to a simmer, stirring, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in mustard, sour cream and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the reserved beef and cook just until heated through. Serve over the cooked noodles.