Beef and Mushroom Pasta ~ A delicious meal the WHOLE family will love!

I find inspiration in many different things when it comes to food.  One of my main inspirations is going out to eat.  I know that may sound silly, but whenever we do go out to dinner and I fall in love with a dish I am already throwing ideas around in my head about how to cook it at home and how to put my own little spin on it. 

After a long day at work, it may sound silly, but it's cooking dinner that actually gives me a moment of peace and relaxation.  I take my time prepping my ingredients, am constantly working on improving my knife skills, listening to my daughter squeal in delight while watching her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and slowing letting the stressors of my day slip away...

I have always loved the actual 'art' of cooking.  I can only attribute that to my grandfather, Joseph.  He died when I was young, however I do still have memories of him and his love of cooking.  He managed several restaurants here in Kansas City, one of them being the Savoy.  He then went on to open his own establishment, Brando's.  It was a fine dining establishment and I can remember sitting in my grandfather's restaurant and eating escargot for the very first time.  I attribute my love of cooking and my passion of it to the memory of my grandfather. 

Only in the last few months have I been playing around with pan sauces.  I decided that I needed to try my hand at a stroganoff meal.  Although, as usual, I wanted my own spin on the meal itself.  This is my variation on a tried and true meal.  I have found it quickly has become one of the favorite meals in my house and one of the most requested.  I hope you enjoy ....

I usually start with about a pound to a pound and a half of sirloin.  I will trim away any fat and then cut into strips.  I salt/pepper the strips then coat in a thin layer of flour.  Take your floured strips of steak and sear until you get that nice golden color/crust.  The flour I found helps to give it color and also works as a thickening agent when added into the sauce. 

Start boiling a large pot of water for your noodles.  My noodle of choice is extra wide no yolks egg noodles.  Once I get that rolling boil I salt liberally and then add my pasta, cooking to al dente. 

Once the steak is seared, remove from the pan and place on a paper towel to drain any excess grease, but leave any drippings in your skillet.  Chop one white onion, 3 cloves of garlic and mushrooms.  Depending on what is left in your skillet, you may need to add more canola oil to the pan.  Add your onions, garlic and mushrooms and salt/pepper to taste.  Cook over medium heat until your veggies are cooked through.  

Add one can of reduced sodium beef broth and deglaze your skillet.  Adjust your heat to about medium-high and reduce your stock slightly.  To this, add about 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and 3 - 4 heaping tablespoons of low fat sour cream.  Stir your sauce to combine and add your steak back in.  Turn your heat down to low and allow to simmer to marry all your flavors together.  

One your pasta is cooked, drain and add about 1 tablespoon of butter to coat the noodles.  

To plate this meal, start with a small mound of noodles and top with your beef and mushroom sauce.  You can serve this with french bread or salad to round out your meal.  

Enjoy .... Cheers! 

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