Friday, January 29, 2016

Spicy Beef Stroganoff

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Spicy Beef Stroganoff has been on my list of dishes to make on the blog for a very long time.  I knew my family would love the hearty and creamy dish served over hot buttered egg noodles.  Well as you can see, I don't exactly have egg noodles featured in my dish.  Sometimes even the best of plans have to be put aside and you work with what you have on hand. 

Last week was crazy because we were expecting a massive blizzard to hit our area.  When I say massive I'm talking almost 3 feet of snow!  I hit the grocery store early because I knew people would definitely come running to stock up on the essentials like bread, milk, eggs etc....   That's the typical reflex when snow is about to hit our area. 

I also was a little excited about the storm because I knew it was a great time to cook for the family while we were snowbound.  I thought of hearty meals and one meal was Spicy Beef Stroganoff.  I ran to the store the day before the storm hoping to buy the ingredients I need for the stroganoff.  I was amazed when I walked inside the grocery store... there was not one loaf of bread, the milk case was empty, no eggs, etc...  I was lucky to get a pack of beef.  Then, I set out to look for the egg noodles.  I seriously did not think that it would be a hot commodity item.  I guess I was wrong, because the pasta shelves were all bare too.   So I decided not to make my stroganoff and just make some stew with the beef.

Saturday while the storm was at it's full strength, my son said he wished I would just make the Beef Stroganoff for lunch.  So I looked at my pantry and found Farfalle pasta (aka bow-tie pasta).    I decided that the blog photo didn't need to look perfect and went with it.   The beef stroganoff was amazing and my husband and son were so happy that I had changed my mind and used the farfalle pasta instead of waiting to get egg noodles.  Hey, it worked out in the end and it all tasted yummy. 

We finally dug out from under all that snow after spending 6 days stuck at home.  The weather is warming up this weekend.. Yay!! Please melt that snow mother nature and bring spring a little earlier this year because we could all use it!


 


Spicy Beef Stroganoff
Recipe by Ramona from Kitchen Simmer

Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds of boneless beef chuck cut into large bite-size pieces
salt and black pepper (to season beef)
1/2 cup A/P flour
8oz sliced white button mushrooms
1 large onion
2 carrots sliced 
2-3 jalapeno peppers sliced
red chili flakes to taste
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp onion powder
2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
2- 2 1/2 cups chicken or beef broth
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup sour cream
salt and black pepper  

Hot Butter Noodles:
1 package of egg noodles (or any pasta you choose)
2 heaping Tbs of butter or margarine
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tsp minced fresh or dried parsley


Directions:
Cut beef and season well with salt and black pepper.  Then dust with a/p flour.  Shake off excess flour.  In a large pot with 3 Tbs of canola oil on high heat, add coated beef cubes and brown well. 

Once beef is browned well, add the sliced mushrooms. Brown mushrooms with beef for 2 minutes.  Then add onion to the pot and cook with a little salt and black pepper for 2 minutes.

Next add the carrots, jalapeno, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme and red chili flakes.  Saute all ingredients well.  Then add the Worcestershire sauce and  2-3 cups of stock (beef or chicken).  Once liquid is added, scrape the bottom of the pot well.   Lower heat to medium low and place a lid on the pot.  Cook for 60 minutes.  Check beef every 20 minutes and stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.  Note:  I started with 2 cups of stock and the last 20 minutes add the other 1/2 cup of stock because I needed more liquid.

Add frozen peas 2 minutes before you turn off stove.  Stir well and heat the peas through.  Then turn off the stove and add the sour cream.  Stir well

Taste for seasoning and serve with buttered noodles. To make buttered noodles, cook noodles in salted water as directed, then drain and add 2 heaping Tbs of butter/margarine, some minced parsley (fresh or dried), a little salt and black pepper.  Serve together.  Enjoy.







Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Kitchen Simmer formerly known as Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Asian Curried Noodle Stir Fry

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This Asian Curried Noodle Stir Fry is an Asian flavor explosion.  It is loaded with fresh vegetables like cabbage, peppers, carrots, celery and lean ground pork.  This makes a lot of food and that's good because I had to make lunch for the entire family since we are all stuck at home these days due to the recent blizzard.

I actually never intended to make this recipe when I started to cook.  I wanted to make a quick ground pork fried rice and realized that I didn't have enough rice cooked to make it.  Fried rice is best made with leftover rice or cool/cold rice.  Since I didn't have enough rice on hand, I decided to change to pasta.   

I thought a simple Chinese noodle stir fry would be fun for lunch. Then I saw a can of coconut milk and the wheels in my mind started to go into overdrive. Coconut milk goes great with curry powder so my recipe plan changed again.  Well, I am glad that I like to experiment, because these noodles were so full of flavor.  My husband and kids ate it for lunch and gave me two thumbs up.  Hey, with all the shoveling they are doing these days to get us out from under 2 1/2 feet or more of snow... I'm glad I could make them a hearty meal to enjoy. 




Asian Curried Noodle Stir Fry
Recipe by Ramona from Kitchen Simmer

Ingredients:
16oz cooked noodle pasta
1 pound lean ground pork (or any lean ground meat of choice)
3-4 cups sliced cabbage
1 large onion chopped
1 large bell green bell pepper chopped
2-3 carrots sliced
2-3 jalapenos sliced
1 bunch of green onions/scallions 
2-3 cloves finely minced garlic
2-3 Tbs grated fresh ginger
1-2 Tbs Fish Sauce (to taste)
1-2 Tbs soy sauce (to taste)
1 Tbs Hoisin sauce
1 tsp curry powder (I used McCormick brand Curry Powder)
1-2 Tbs Sambal Oelek chili sauce
1/2 can of coconut milk 
1/2 cup reserved pasta water

Directions:
Step 1:  Cook box of pasta in well salted water.  I used  flat noodle pasta, or you can use regular spaghetti pasta. Drain 2 minutes shy of fully cooked.  Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining.
 
Step 2: Brown lean ground meat of choice with a little salt and black pepper.  Then add the onion, celery and cabbage with a little salt and black pepper for seasoning and saute for several minutes.  

 

When the cabbage softens add the carrots, jalapenos, whites of scallions and bell pepper.  Then add the grated ginger, garlic, and sambal oelek. 

Also season with the curry powder, fish sauce, soy sauce and hoisin sauce. 

Cook for several minutes and finally add the coconut milk and reserved pasta water.  Cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes.  Finally toss in the cooked pasta, mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes to allow pasta to finish cooking and absorb the curry flavors.  Serve hot and garnish with scallion greens.  Enjoy. 

 




Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Kitchen Simmer formerly known as Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Monday, January 25, 2016

Easy Shrimp Fried Rice with Pagoda Egg Rolls #FrozenFromScratch #CollectiveBias

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. 
All opinions are mine alone.
 #FrozenFromScratch #CollectiveBias


My family loves to celebrate Chinese New Year because we are big fans of Chinese food.  One of our favorite dishes is my quick and easy Shrimp Fried Rice.  I try to make several Chinese inspired stir fries and dishes to enjoy during the week long celebration.  Chinese New Year, The Year of the Monkey, lasts from February 7th - February 13th this year. 

Egg rolls are a staple of our Chinese meals so I enjoy getting a little help from the store by buying Pagoda Egg Rolls.  They are delicious and come in many great flavors.  My kids really love the Chicken Egg rolls. I love that these Pagoda Chicken Egg Rolls are made of 100% white meat chicken with no MSG or artificial colors. Pagoda's motto is "Everything your hunger demands" and they definitely satisfy my family's hunger! 

My kids were so excited when we went down the frozen snack food aisle at Walmart to get our Pagoda Egg Rolls.   Pagoda has such a wonderful variety of products like Pork and Shrimp Egg Rolls, Crab Rangoon, Pork or Chicken Potstickers, Cream Cheese Wontons and even Mini egg rolls.  We bought three box of different egg roll flavors and couldn't wait to eat them.   If you want to purchase Pagoda Egg Rolls, check out this  Ibotta Offer  and get $.50 off 2 Pagoda products.


Today my recipe is a dish you can pull together easily because it requires ingredients that you keep in your pantry and freezer.   I make this Easy Shrimp Fried Rice quite often when I need to make a fast meal that I know everyone in my family will enjoy.  I always keep frozen wild caught shrimp in my freezer.  Shrimp thaws quickly if you run it under cold water,  so I can pull it out and have it ready to cook in minutes.  I also keep a variety of frozen veggies that add lots of color and nutrition to any dish.  I even keep my ginger in the freezer so I always have fresh ginger on hand to make all my Asian dishes.  

Tip:  Ginger can keep in the freezer for over a year.  Simply peel and wash ginger, then store in a freezer safe bag.  Grate the frozen ginger using a handheld grater for any dish you desire.  I also love to grate ginger so no big pieces are in the dishes.

The rest of the ingredients are from my pantry.  I always have yellow onions on hand because I cannot cook without onions.  I also love to use granulated/powdered garlic in this dish so there is no need to run out to get fresh garlic. Rice is a staple in my pantry and I often have leftover cooked rice in the fridge.  Leftover rice is perfect for making fried rice too.   I love to add eggs to my fried rice as an extra protein and I always have a carton in my fridge. 

If you love Asian meals as much as my family, then you need to have your pantry stocked with the necessary sauces and ingredients to make your dish authentic.  I always have soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil that I used in this dish.     

Cooking this Shrimp Fried Rice was a breeze.  I simply thawed my shrimp, chopped an onion and scrambled some eggs.  The meal really comes together in a flash so we can all sit down and eat.  It makes me feel good to see all the happy and satisfied faces at my dinner table.

I served the Shrimp Fried Rice with a bunch of delicious baked Pagoda Egg rolls.  I love that they give you sweet chili sauce to eat with your egg rolls.  I also made my own spiced up sauce to go with the egg rolls. 




Easy Shrimp Fried Rice
Recipe by Ramona from Kitchen Simmer

Ingredients:
4-5 cups cooked and cooled white rice
3 eggs 
salt and black pepper
2 Tbs butter or margarine
2 Tbs light oil (canola)
11/2 pounds of shrimp (shelled/deveined)
1 large onion chopped
3 oz frozen snow peas
4 oz frozen veggie mix (like peas, carrots, etc..)
1 Tbs grated fresh/frozen ginger
1 tsp granulated/powdered garlic 
red chili flakes to taste (optional)
3-4 Tbs soy sauce (or more to taste)
2 Tbs Oyster sauce
2 tsp sesame oil 

Spicy Egg Roll Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup Sweet Chili sauce
1-2 Tbs sriracha sauce
1 tsp soy sauce  
Directions:  Simply mix all the ingredients and adjust as needed to taste. 

Directions:
Step 1:  Cook rice.  You can cook it on the stove top, in a rice cooker or use what ever method you like.   Allow rice to cool to room temperature or use rice cooked the day before from the fridge.    

Note: If you are using cold rice from the fridge, make sure to separate the rice out so it is not in clumps.

 

Step 2:  Heat wok (I prefer nonstick) on medium low heat.  Add 1 Tbs butter/margarine and melt.  Then crack three eggs and season lightly with salt and black pepper. Allow eggs to sit in wok for a minute and slowly scramble them.   Remove eggs from pan and reserve until later.  Wipe pan out with paper towel for next step. (Allow pan to cool down first)   



 Step 3:  Melt butter and canola oil in wok on medium high heat.  Then add chopped onions and a little salt to season.  Cook until onions start to soften a little. 
Step 4:  Next add the thawed or fresh cleaned shrimp, ginger, garlic and red chili flakes.  Cook shrimp half way then add the frozen vegetables.  Cook the veggies and shrimp for a few minutes until they heat through.


Step 5: Next add soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil.  Stir shrimp and veggies with sauce.  Then add the rice and scrambled eggs into the pan.   Adjust soy sauce to taste.  



 





My family loved our early Chinese New Year Shrimp Fried Rice and Pagoda Egg Roll meal.  We are looking forward to making more Pagoda Products when we celebrate the Year of the Monkey coming up soon.  What are you going to make to celebrate Chinese New Year? 


Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. 
All opinions are mine alone.


Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Kitchen Simmer formerly known as Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Pizza Biscuits Cups

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My kids can't resist these Pizza Biscuit Cups because they have all their favorite pizza toppings in a fun and cute little travel size cup.  I made these pizza biscuit cups today because the kids were home on their first SNOW DAY of the year.  They were so excited when I told them that there was no school today because of the weather. 

Winter has finally come upon us... and it has come with a vengeance!  We have had frigid temperatures for several weeks now and we are expecting snow... a lot of snow... 2 feet of snow to be exact! 

I have been running around to all the grocery stores in town getting all our cupboards stocked so we can comfortably get snowbound for a few days until we dig our way out.  My back is already hurting from all that shoveling I know I will end up doing. Urgh!

Well, I have to say our first snow day was a big success.  The kids had fun making their own pizza biscuit cups.  I made the filling and they had a great time getting the store bought biscuits in a tube to fit the muffin pans.  It was a nice way to keep them occupied doing something constructive instead focusing on the TV and their video games.   Now if I can just get them to do some school work while they are home on their snow day... yes I know... "Forget about it Mom!"



Pizza Biscuits Cups
Recipe by Ramona from Kitchen Simmer

Ingredients:
1 tube of large biscuits (makes 16 biscuits)
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 pound lean ground meat (beef, chicken etc..)
8oz button mushrooms finely chopped
1 green bell pepper finely diced
1 onion finely diced 
20-30 slices pepperoni chopped
red chili flakes to taste
1 tsp dried basil 
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp granulated garlic powder
salt and black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups jarred pasta/marinara sauce

Directions:
Brown ground meat well with salt and black pepper.  Then add the bell pepper, onion, and mushroom until slightly tender.  Next add the red chili flakes, garlic powder, basil, and oregano and saute for a minute.  Finally add the chopped pepperoni and pasta sauce.  Heat through and taste for seasoning.   

To make the biscuit pizzas, take biscuits and separate in the middle to form two flatter biscuits.  The biscuits are flaky and layered so this is easily done by simply pulling them apart.  Stretch the biscuit and gently mold it inside each muffin hole.  Now put some pizza filling inside each cup and top with shredded cheese.  You can also add a few more chopped pieces of pepperoni on top of you like. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until biscuits are fully baked and the cheese is melted.  Should make 16 cups.


 




Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Kitchen Simmer formerly known as Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.