SPEEDY STROGANOFF & OTHER INTERESTING THINGS :) :) :)

Hi everyone,

How are you all? Did you all recover from the Blogger blackout the other day?  I was starting to go through some blogging withdrawls. Everything is back up and running, so this post will be a little longer than usual.

First, here's a lovely lilac for you  :) :) The smell is lovely.

 THIS LILAC BUSH IS EASILY OVER 7 FEET TALL. IT LOOKS MORE LIKE A TREE, IF YOU ASK ME.  WHEN IT FIRST STARTED SHOWING BLOOMS, THEY WERE A DEEP PURPLE. EVENTUALLY THEY TURNED TO THIS LOVELY PALE  PURPLE COLOR.

Okay, I am just loving my Gooseberry  patch cookbooks. I have three of them so far. It is a very small, but very mighty collection. The one book I've been cooking A LOT out of recently is Gooseberry Patch's cookbook "Dinner$ on a Dime". You can click here and go to their website, if you want some more info.  

Oh, just so everyone knows, I am not getting paid for this. I'm happily sharing this information with you because I love this company and their product :) :) :)  I paid for the cookbook myself, because I really wanted a copy  :) :)

I REALLY ENJOY BEEF STROGANOFF. THIS IS THE PICTURE FROM THE THIRD TIME I MADE THIS. THE FIRST TWO TIMES, I FORGOT TO TAKE A PHOTO TILL AFTER I HAD ALREADY EATEN THE FOOD :) :) :)

My father and I are really making an effort to cook all our meals at home. Not only is it better for you, it also saves a lot of money versus eating out or buying pre -packaged foods. 

This particular day I decided to make the  Gooseberry Patch recipe for Speedy Stroganoff.  You can find it on page 7 of the Gooseberry Patch Cookbook "Dinner$ on a Dime".  

 SPEEDY STROGANOFF
(submitted by Connie Ferrell of Blanchester, OH )

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef 
1 onion, diced
2 tsp. paprika (  I left this out, since I'm not a paprika fan)
1 tsp. salt 
1/2 tsp. pepper
10  3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
16 oz. container of sour cream
Cooked egg noodles

  In a skillet over medium heat, brown beef and onion; drain.  Add paprika (in my opinion, optional :), salt and pepper, stirring thoroughly.

Reduce heat to medium-low.

Blend in the mushroom soup and heat through.

Stir in sour cream. Serve over cooke noodles.

Serves 4

MY NOTES: I did change a couple of things in the  recipe based on preference and making sure to use what was on hand. I don't like paprika. I'm not a spice snob, it's just a taste that I prefer less over other spices.  The stroganoff sauce works great without it, too.  

Also the first time I made it, my father helped me. He forgot about the egg noodles, and he grabbed spaghetti instead. Well, it works  :) :) It's pasta :) :) :) It still tasted fabulous :) :) :) The second and third time we used spiral pasta.

You could also use another ground meat, if you don't eat beef.

This recipe is really super easy and very inexpensive. The meat was the most expensive item. That I purchased on special at the store. So depending on what's on sale, that might influence what you use :) :) I highly recommend this cookbook. Next time, I'll share the easy chili recipe. Oh, goodness, I was in chili heaven :) :) :)

In other news, here are  few things that I thought you might  get a tickle out of:

 HERE ARE SOME VINTAGE ITEMS I THOUGH YOU'D ENJOY.  I AM ALWAYS FINDING SOMETHING TO FEED MY LOVE OF ALL THINGS VINTAGE CHIC.

 The tin on the right is a real old-school Saltine crackers TIN. Yes, folks, you heard right, I said TIN . I found it at a yard sale for $1. It's practical and oh so cute. I'm thinking if the folks at the saltine cracker company started packaging their crackers in tins, they'd sell more crackers. My father and I are sort of "passionately discussing" who gets to keep this.

Oh, the soda bottles. Do those bring back memories. My local Fred Meyer store has an entire section of classic sodas.  So my father and I bought these three. He remembers  Bubble Up from his childhood. My dad's a father, so he thought "Dad's rootbeer" was cute, because it technically has  "his name" on it ;) :) The one in the middle, I've never had a sarsparilla soda.  So I had to try it. What are some classics that you love?

THE POSTAL SERVICE HERE IN OREGON IS HAVING A "STAMP OUT HUNGER" FOOD DRIVE TODAY. THEY ARE COLLECTING BAGS OF FOOD TO HELP FEED THE HUNGRY HERE IN OREGON. WE HAVE AN UNUSUALLY HIGH NUMBER OF HUNGRY PEOPLE.   

 It was really neat driving through town today, because almost everywhere I looked I saw white and yellow bags handing from mailboxes, sitting on sidewalks or on top of mailboxes. Every bag filled with non-perishable foods to help those who really need it.  It really is a beautiful sight :) :) :) 

HERE ARE SOME FLOWERS TO SEND YOU ON YOUR WAY TODAY. I THINK THESE ARE JUST GORGEOUS. THE PETALS HAVE RUFFLES. THIS PARTICULAR FLOWER GROWS EVERYWHERE HERE IN SOUTHERN OREGON. IT ALSO COMES IN MANY DIFFERENT COLORS. 

There are so many different color varieties of this particular flower.  Aren't they just gorgeous? I think I'd like to have these everywhere  . 

 Let's see. Here are some things I want to share with you later this weekend:
*More Gooseberry Patch recipes
*a recipe for avocado ice cream (intrigued? You'll have to stay tuned for that one)
*Plus two cute little yard sale finds. One for a quarter and the other FREE.

I hope all of you have a fabulous weekend.   Go visit a local farmer's market.  Make a craft project or whatever else makes your heart glad :) :) That's the news from Oregon today. Extra special love and hugs, Heather :)