Why I Love Cooking and A Classic Beef and Noodles Dish

I don't quite know where my absolute passion for cooking came from. My brothers and I were so blessed to have grown up with a hot, homemade dinner on the table every single night, ready at 6pm when my dad walked in the door. My mom is an amazing cook, and some of my best conversations with her happened when she was standing up against the stove, hand on hip, stirring up something wonderful. She taught me to experiment with foods and more importantly, showed me that food is really love. Mom, you changed the course of my life by showing me that, and I will be forever grateful. Thank you!

My mom and I both learned a lot about cooking from my Gramma, my father's mother. She's a great cook and is responsible for many of the traditions my family has today on holidays. She and I are very close, and regularly talk on the phone to catch up. Despite an over 50 year age difference, she "gets" me, and encourages me. She bought me some of my best pots and pans for the kitchen, and lets me comb through her binders and binders of recipes when I visit her. Since she is getting older, I want to learn everything I can from her so I can pass traditions and recipes down to my family one day.

When I visit her, Gramma often pulls up a chair at her kitchen table and walks me through a recipe.This photo is exactly how she looks when we're saddled up to the stove! Last time I saw her, we made Beef and Noodles, a classic comfort dish my father grew up on. The tomatoes tenderize the meat, so you don't have to get an expensive cut. The cloves add another layer of really interesting flavor you can't quite put your finger on. One ultimate dish of comfort.

Here's her recipe:

Ingredients: 

2 lbs beef chuck, cubed or cut into strips
4 chopped green onions
4 gloves garlic
2-3 whole cloves (don't make the recipe if you don't have this!)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1-lb. can of tomatoes (diced or crushed works)
1 pint mushrooms, sliced
4 oz egg noodles
1 cup beef stock
1 can V8

Directions:

1. In a large pot, combine the first 8 ingredients. No need to brown the meat, just let it simmer be for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 
2. After ~2 hours, add the mushrooms (if you likemushrooms), egg noodles and stock and simmer for another 20 minutes until the noodles are cooked through.
3. For a thinner sauce, or to add more liquid, use V8.
4. Remove the bay leaves and serve.
 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Is there anything better than the fall weather? I love this time of year! I love the cool air at night, the slowly changing leaves, the smell of the outdoors, the allure of apple picking and the beginning of soup season! As anyone who has ever worked with or even met me knows, I could live off of soup!

One of my "52 Weeks of New Food" recipes for 2012 was Roasted Butternut Squash Soup. I hit the farmer's market, picked up everything I needed and got to cooking!

But...I decided to take a shortcut. Cutting butternut squash is a pain! So I decided to make it easier on myself by pricking it with a knife and putting it in the microwave for ~10 minutes to soften it. When I went to open the microwave door, the squash lept out of the microwave! By some small miracle, it landed in the crock pot in my counter, avoiding spraying orange goo all over my kitchen.

Anyway, I salvaged the squash, and cut it down into about 5 cups of chunks. I tossed the squash with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and roasted at 400 for 30 minutes until it was soft and roasted.

The result was delicious! Roasting the squash gives it a deeper flavor, but you can skip that step if you really want. Try my recipe below, but be careful of flying squash!








Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil or butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 4-5 cups of roasted butternut squash
• 4 cups of chicken broth (you can use more if you like more thin soup, this is fairly thick)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (I used half and half) 
• 1 tsp fresh sage, chopped (plus more for garnish)
• Salt to taste

Directions 

Heat the olive oil or butter in a large soup pot on medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, only about 2 minutes.Add the sage and give a quick stir.

Dump in the squash and then add the broth. Simmer for about an hour, until the squash is soft. Once the squash is soft, use an immersion blender (or a real blender if you don't have one) to puree the soup until it's thick and combined.

Add the heavy cream or half and half and adjust the seasonings to taste. If you want a thinner soup, add some additional broth at this step.

Serve piping hot in pretty bowls and garnish with additional sage. A perfect fall treat!