Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

This is a super easy recipe that yields fall apart tender Beef Stroganoff.  Enjoy!

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff by Joie de vivre

Ingredients:

4 c. beef cubes (1 cut up an arm pot roast)
1 10.5 oz. can of cream of mushroom soup
1 c. sour cream
1 Tbls. instant clear gel (optional)


Directions:

1.  Place the beef cubes in the crock pot insert.
2.  Add the cream of mushroom soup and stir until beef cubes are coated
3.  Cover, and set crock pot on LOW for 8-10 hours
4.  Before serving, stir in the sour cream.  If you would like your stroganoff thicker, stir in the instant clear gel.  Serve over noodles.

Lentil Soup with Spinach

Little League started this week and I have been one busy mommy!  Thank goodness I have some healthy crock pot recipes up my sleeve.  It is such a relief to get dinner going in the morning, and be reassured that my family will have something healthy and nourishing to eat after a day of rush, rush, rush.

Lentil Soup with Spinach by Joie de vivre
Serves: at least 6

Ingredients:

1 c. brown lentils
1 Tbls. olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. lime zest
2 yellow potatoes (I used Yukon gold), peeled and chopped
8 cups chicken stock
5 oz. spinach per person (I'm a spinach eater)

Directions:

1.  Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil.
2.  Saute the onions, carrots and celery until the onions are translucent.  Add the minced garlic, cumin seeds and the lime zest and continue to cook for 30 seconds.  Remove from the heat and add to your crock pot.
3.  Rinse the lentils in a colander under cold water and add to the crock pot.
4.  Add the potatoes and the chicken stock to your crock pot, cover and cook on LOW 8-10 hours.
5.  When ready to serve, heat a large pot with a lid over medium heat.  Add 1 Tbls. olive oil, add spinach, stir around with tongs to cover with oil and put the lid on the pot.  Let the spinach cook for exactly 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.
6.  To serve, place a large serving (about 3/4 c.) sauteed spinach at the bottom of each bowl and ladle the soup over it.  Enjoy!

Back to Business

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to go on a religious retreat for women at a camp in Northern Idaho.  It was so good to get away.  Saturday morning was gorgeous outside.  This is the view that greeted all of us as we made our way to breakfast!

They fed us really well.  This is a picture of my first breakfast at the retreat.  What a welcomed respite from cooking and cleaning.  After this, I stopped carrying my camera around and just spent the rest of the time relaxing, but you get the idea.  We were well cared for and recharged to return home on Sunday.

I've been running non-stop since getting home trying to get caught up with all of the chores that pile up after a weekend away but it was totally worth it.

Spring came with abandon this past week and it's been just gorgeous out.  This tree is at the corner of my neighbor's property.  Seeing it this year is bittersweet.   My neighbor's husband passed away this past winter.  He always brought someone out each spring to trim this tree up and get it in shape before it flowered.  He always loved to see it in bloom.

This pipsqueak tree is at the corner of our property.  It was planted before we moved in and I'm not quite sure what it is...a weeping whatever, but I just don't see the point of this tree.  It is not tall enough to provide any shade, it's just about 6 inches taller than me, it doesn't bear any fruit, and it grows so much that I spend half the summer trimming the branches off of the ground.  At the end of every winter, I take particular pleasure trimming back all of the branches on it.  Despite it not having a point, for two weeks every year it flowers as well.  The way I trimmed it this year it looks a little like a bridal veil to me and has been particularly pretty in the sunlight.

Yesterday was so gorgeous out that the boys and I had a picnic at a park.  Although I loved having someone else cook for me all weekend, it was good to get back to some healthier fare.  We had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, plenty of fresh veggies with hummus to dip in, grapes and water.

I hope you all are having a wonderful day.  Little League season has started so you'll be seeing more crock pot fare out of me for a while.  In fact, I have a lentil stew going in the crock pot right now!  I'll share the recipe tomorrow.  See you then!