Tuesday Dinner Ideas (Crockpot Beef Stroganoff)

Today I am posting a recipe that I found by happy accident. Jon and I worked at a German restaurant for several years when we started dating. The Hot Springs Brau Haus had an excellent 'goulash' entrée. While searching for a goulash recipe, I came across an older blog post at the crockstar. The recipe was for an easy to make Beef Stroganoff. I ended up trying it out, and have made it several times since then. (Although I never have gotten around to making an actual goulash recipe!)

I made this on Sunday for Father's Day. It makes enough for us to eat it for dinner at least two times.

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

2 pounds cubed stew meat (I used one pound regular stew meat and one pound lean stew meat)
2 cans condensed golden mushroom soup
1 large onion, diced
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (you can adjust up or down depending on taste)
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon paprika
8 ounces cream cheese
Egg noodles

Combine soup, onion, Worcestershire sauce, water, and spices in crock pot. Stir in stew meat. Cook on low for around 8 hours. Just before serving, turn crock pot up to high. Cube and add in cream cheese. Stir until combined.

Serve over egg noodles.

Cheers to easy-peasy crock pot recipes!

Weekend Update and Happy Father's Day!

We had a pretty low-key weekend at the Cromer house. My mother had a heart catheterization on Thursday, so I stayed home on Friday to watch miss O. Everything went well, and the doctor did not find any blockages. We are lucky that my mom is able to watch Olivia during the week, because day care is outrageously expensive! We spent Friday and Saturday at home, doing laundry and watching movies.
Sunday was Father's Day. I have been lucky enough to have had a good father of my own, and have a husband who is a great father to our daughter.
Here are a couple pictures of me and my dad from my wedding (in 2010).

 

 

Olivia loves her dad (and she looks just like him)! She was really excited about helping pick out his card and Father's Day gifts. I can't believe that she has grown up enough to be helping pick presents. Time flies by so quickly.



I made a special dinner for Jon while he went fishing. The menu included crockpot beef stroganoff (from the crockstar, via Pinterest) and a Kentucky Butter Cake (from an old church cookbook). Both recipes were definitely a success! I shared the recipe for the Kentucky Butter Cake yesterday, and I will share the beef stroganoff recipe tomorrow. I am feeling rested from the three day weekend, so here's hoping the week goes by without complications. Cheers to Mondays!

Sunday Sweets: Kentucky Butter Cake

Wow, it has been awhile since I last blogged!
I've wanted to try a recipe for Kentucky Butter Cake for awhile. Butter...vanilla...sugar....I figured I couldn't go wrong! I used a recipe from an old church cookbook. This cake is very dense and moist, similar to a pound cake. The flavor is very similar to cookies you can get in a tin around Christmas time (Danish Butter Cookies). The butter sauce/sugar on the cake forms a layer almost like a crust. It is so, so yummy! I made it on Saturday night, and let it set up in the fridge to eat on Sunday for Father's Day.

Here is the recipe:
For the cake:
1 cup of butter (room temperature, but not melted)
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk

For the butter sauce:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons of water
2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Pre heat oven to 325.
2. Grease and flour baking pan. (I made sure my Bundt pan was very 'greased' so the cake would slide out easily.)
2. Blend butter, sugar, and eggs.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
4. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter/sugar/egg mixture until all are combined.
5. Stir in vanilla.
6. Put batter into cake pan. (The batter is really thick. I used a serving spoon to ladle it in and smooth it out).
7. Bake for 60-70 minutes. A toothpick should be able to be inserted and removed clean.
8. Use a knife to poke holes all over cake.

Once the cake is out of the oven, make the glaze.
1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Stir constantly.
3. Once butter is melted and sugar is dissolved (don't let it boil), pour warm glaze over cake.

4. When completely cool, flip out onto a pan.

The recipe suggested serving with fresh fruit, but it tastes great on its own. I dusted a little powdered sugar over the top and called it done. This recipe got all thumbs up from the family.

Cheers to a sweet finish to the week!