Friday, February 4, 2011

THE BEST GOULASH EVER!

I used this recipe for Bobby Dean's Goulash found at Mommy's Kitchen blog (which I love by the way), for the most delicious quick supper (think how fast Hamburger Helper is, but better for you)! I changed it up a little bit using what I had on hand like this:

GINA'S FAVORITE GOULASH

2 - tablespoon soy sauce
2 - bay leaves (do not omit - key ingredient here)
1 - teaspoon oregeno seasoning
1 - (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (diced is great too but I had crushed)
1- (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 - cups water
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 lb - lean ground beef
1 Tablespoon onion powder
2 - cups elbow macaroni, uncooked

In a Dutch oven or large pot, saute the ground beef over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Break up the meat while sauteing. Spoon off any grease. Add the onion powder and garlic to the pot. Add 2 cups water, along with the tomato sauce, crushed/diced tomatoes, oregeno (basil or italian seasoning works here), bay leaves (key ingredient - don't omit this), soy sauce, and a little salt/pepper. Stir well.

Place a lid on the pot and allow this to cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the elbow macaroni, stir well, return the lid to the pot, and simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes (stir periodically here because once the macaroni starts to cook - it might stick). Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves, and allow the mixture to sit about 10 minutes more before serving. Serve with garlic bread and a salad.

DO NOT EAT THE BAY LEAVES. Use big ones so you can find them easier!

This is great leftover. I really love this recipe!

This is what I do during a blizzard!


To ward off the "blues" during our BLIZZARD OF 2011 (18 inches of snow... the entire interstate was closed from St. Louis to KC), I made this cool bread! I call it rainbow bread. I made some for a bake sale they were having at church. The last time I sold it at a farmer's market it was the first thing to go. Even my high schooler loved taking PB&J on this!

I used the recipe for my sandwich bread and dyed each batch a different color (I mixed gel dye into the yeast/water portion of my recipe) and then proceeded from there. When the dough was ready (I did mine in the bread machine throughout the day), I divided each batch of dough into fourths, rolled out each fourth and stacked three colors together (with varying colors on the outside). Rolled like for a cinnamon roll and plopped it in a sprayed loaf pan. It rose for about an hour and then I baked it for 30 minutes as in the recipe. They turned out so cute and if you have to make a great gift for a young person "on the cheap" or something to sell at a bake sale - this is it!

P.S. If you were making rolls for any of party (I'm thinking orange/purple-Halloween; red/white/blue for the 4th of July; red/green-Christmas), this would be great for even dollar rolls. What a way to liven up a sandwich!