TJ's for V-day

We decided to keep our Valentine's Day simple this year... grocery shop, cook, eat. We purchased all of the ingredients for our yummy beef stroganoff at our local Trader Joe's. We enjoyed cooking together, which we rarely do these days, and we thoroughly enjoyed the dish we made! I got the recipe from my Mom a while back... we've made it a few times, but this time was especially tasty! The recipe itself is good, but a few added touches from TJ's heightens the flavor dramatically. Even if you buy the rest of your food elsewhere, make sure to grab the egg noodles and red wine from Trader Joe's; the steak tips were quality too. Not sure of the actual brand name of the noodles, but there is only one option (they look more like fat fettuccine than normal egg noodles). Also, the recipe calls for white wine... I used red, a wise decision :) Go with the classic 3 Buck Chuck (aka Charles Shaw), and do Merlot. Any unfavorable experiences you previously had with beef stroganoff will be quickly forgotten in one bite, trust me. Note: we did not use Parmesan cheese just a dollop of sour cream on each individual plate, perfecto!

Beef Stroganoff with Sirloin Tips

Ingredients

• 1 lb. sirloin tips
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2/3 cup dry white or red wine
• 8-12 oz. dried egg noodles
• sour cream (optional)
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

*Makes about 4 servings

Preparation

1. Cut steak into thin strips (about 1/4 inch wide and 2 inches long). Dredge in flour.
2. Set 1 Tbsp. oil in a 10 inch frying pan over high heat. Add meat. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until brown.
3. Add remaining oil, onions and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in pepper, crushed bouillon cubes, soy sauce and wine. Cover.
5. Reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes to 30 minutes until meat is tender.
6. While meat simmers, bring water to a boil in a 2-3 quart pot over high heat. Add noodles. Cook stirring once or twice, for 8 to 10 minutes until barely tender. Pour noodles in a colander to drain, then portion onto plates.
7. Serve beef mixture on top of noodles. Add sour cream and/or grated Parmesan cheese if desired.