Recipes for the Winter!

Food to make you feel better WSG 95

SHARE YOUR WINTER RECIPES!

Here is a “call to action” question for you: Please share some of your favorite winter recipes with us here at WSG! Do you live in a warm climate? Cold climate? What do you serve in the winter months? Meet me in the comments!

HELP! I NEED A NEW MARKETING ASSISTANT!

A she who can help me with:

Editorial and marketing strategy for Substack 

Revise and polish my posts, videos and podcasts

Forge new on line relationships

Be an sounding board

for any leads please send me an email: womenssurvivalguide@gmail.com thank you!

Recipes for Winter! And…Thoughts on leftovers!

Healthy food doesn’t have to taste awful, really! Come on. You are probably sitting there thinking “She’s going to try to get me to eat kale. Isn’t she?!” Well, now that you mention it….but, hey! Kale isn’t so bad, especially when you add some bacon to it. I notice that I fell back on bacon as a crutch in my Summer Recipes post seen here, in WSG 78. But that was with Broccoli.

As it is February, your need to cleanse after the Holidays has either happened or it isn’t going to happen. Either way, I am not here proposing lo-cal food. I am here just to remind you of a few cold weather favorites that I love to make and can last for lots of meals. But some people don’t like a repeat meal. Have a spouse that “hates leftovers”? My answer is: just add curry! I’m not kidding. Let’s talk about this a mo’.

Photo by Theo Crazzolara on Unsplash

Just Add Curry (disguise last night’s meal)

Did you make a lovely chicken breast based meal? Or, did you buy a roast chicken and have half let over? Did you bring home a steak? Turn these scrumptious left overs into a brand new meal in just a few easy steps!!

1. What veggies are in your fridge? Broccoli? Cauliflower? Leeks? Peppers? Carrots? Fennel? Do you have some onions? Garlic? Shallots? You can take any and all of those and slice them up!

2. Slice up the already cooked chicken or beef or fish into 1 inch/bite sized pieces.

3. Heat a big pan or dutch oven on med/med high. Then put some olive oil in pan like two to four tables spoons. Add veggies and sauté for 8 minutes..or maybe 6 and a half…just keep things from burning. Add some more olive oil if necessary. Olive oil is good for you so don’t get all “but that’s fattening” on me…you need fat for skin and hair etc… while you’re at it rub some olive oil on your face and through your hair. I actually do this…if it was good enough for the Romans…

4. Add a cup or so of broth and stir. You can also use some of that tasty Better Than Bouillon, but take less than you think you need because you can’t unsalt a dish, but you can always add it. To make your life easier, take some warm water, put it in a glass jar with the tablespoon of BTB and put the top on and shake shake shake it! Then you won’t have clumps of salty bouillon in your pot. Simmer with a top on for a bit. Stir

5. Add the leftovers. Stir. and then start adding some curry powder! To taste. Or, use Trader Jo’s bottle of curry sauce…up to you.

6. Note: this works even if the chicken or whatever has some sauce leftover on it.

Serve with rice, egg noodles….garlic bread….and your finicky partner will say “this is a delightful new dish, hon!” And you can wink to yourself…it’s leftovers…

Lentil Soup

Photo by Steve Tsang on Unsplash

Super Quick version:

Trader Jos has packages of ready to use lentils and they are great for a lentil salad. For our purposes, they are perfect for a super quick soup.

1. Sauté an onion, and a leek if you have one. Add some diced carrots, maybe some celery. Add a can of whole peeled tomatoes. Break up the tomatoes. Add a bay leaf.

2. Add the lentils. Squish the lentils up in the bag before opening it. Then put it into the pot with the veggies and stir.

3. Add water, about 2 cups. Salt to taste. Simmer for 15 minutes. You can sauté a hotdog and slice it up and throw it in, too! Yum!

Longer Version, Lentil Soup

There is a wonderful recipe in the French Women Don’t Get Fat book, but I am not home so cannot see mine. It is not the lentil soup recipe you can find online at the web site. But, this recipe is ok. Throw some butter in it, 2 table spoons or so. and add an onion studded with cloves. Otherwise, it’s pretty good. But, if you can, find the book French Women Don’t Get Fat. It’s a terrible name for a book but in fact it is full of really good recipes that are not Lo Cal. Her point is don’t eat so much…no fun at all.

Photo by Correen on Unsplash

Beef Stroganoff

I love this dish. It’s old fashioned, but a good one to bring back! Here is a link to Betty Crocker’s recipe. I have also used the old NYTimes cook book and Joy of Cooking recipes. as well.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2pounds beef sirloin steak, 1/2 inch thick

• 8ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (2 1/2 cups)

• 2medium onions, thinly sliced

• 1garlic clove, finely chopped

• 1/4cup butter

• 1 1/2cups from 1 carton Progresso™ Classic Beef Broth

• 1/2teaspoon salt

• 1teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1-2 teaspoons of Dijon Mustard (Kim is adding this)

• 1/4cup Gold Medal™ All Purpose Flour

• 1 1/2cups sour cream (Kim’s recommendation: start with 3/4 cup and add to taste)

• 3cups hot cooked egg noodles

• Cut beef across grain into about 1 1/2x1/2-inch strips.

• 2

  Cook mushrooms, onions and garlic in butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender; remove from skillet.

• 3

  Cook beef in same skillet until brown. Stir in 1 cup of the broth, the salt and Worcestershire sauce. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.

• 4

  Stir remaining 1/2 cup broth into flour; stir into beef mixture. Add onion mixture; heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in sour cream; heat until hot (do not boil). Serve over noodles.

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

• tip 1

  Make sure to create a slurry with the flour and broth so these ingredients blend in with the meat mixture in the skillet without forming lumps. Bringing everything to a boil thickens the contents, and cooking the skillet dish for a minute or two removes any raw flour taste.

• tip 2

  Worcestershire sauce is a liquid condiment that enhances meat-based dishes and beverages with a rich, savory flavor. It's made using garlic, soy sauce, onion, molasses, anchovies and vinegar.

• tip 3

  Partially freezing the sirloin steak before cutting makes the beef much easier to slice into strips. Your steak strips will cook quickly—they just need a short simmer.

• tip 4

  Sautéing the garlic and onion first helps to define the taste of these aromatics, making them less pungent and allowing them to develop a natural sweetness that adds to the flavor of this Classic Beef Stroganoff.

• tip 5

  Classic Beef Stroganoff is a great dish to prep and have waiting in your freezer. Prepare recipe as directed except do not add sour cream or cook noodles. Cool beef mixture; place in freezer-safe plastic storage bag or container. Freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to... More +

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Best Cut of Beef for Stroganoff?

Our beef stroganoff recipe uses sirloin steak, but you can make beef stroganoff with a variety of other beef cuts, such as flank steak, tenderloin or boneless rib eye. The main thing to keep in mind is that you want those chunks of beef to come out extra tender and delicious. Try our Ground Beef Stroganoff for a different take on this satisfying dish, or give our Slow-Cooker Beef Stroganoff a go for an option made using our favorite kitchen appliance!

What Makes Stroganoff Sauce Thick?

Great homemade beef stroganoff features a thick, flavorful sauce made with the help of a slurry of flour and broth. Bringing everything to a boil towards the end of your cook time really helps to thicken the sauce in our Classic Beef Stroganoff dish, while adding sour cream afterwards makes it deliciously creamy.

Winter Salad I made up…

Ingredients

Soft boiled eggs one for each person

Radicchio chopped up

Endive, sliced

Fennel sliced thin

Kale (steamed til soft)

Parm cheese shavings

Walnuts, toasted

Bacon crumbled

dried Turkish figs, sliced

tablespoons Whole Grain Mustard Walnut Vinaigrette (click here for recipe)

Or, try this one from Bon Appetite…Winter Crunch Salad, yum!

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HELP! I NEED A NEW MARKETING ASSISTANT!

A she who can help me with

Editorial and marketing strategy for Substack. 

Revise and polish my posts, videos and podcasts

Forge new on line relationships

Be an sounding board

for any leads please send me an email: womenssurvivalguide@gmail.com thank you!

The days are getting a bit longer, aren’t they?

XO, k