Dinner and chocolate chip cookies

There are things I love to eat and that my parents would never buy to make or eat themselves. Examples: Beets, expensive cheese, grass fed beef, local honey, chocolate nibs, and whatever else exciting (but admittedly pricey) things I scoop up at Central Market.

Then there are things my parents enjoy yet are not my favorite. (Farmed salmon and the concept of eating meat 6 days a week?)

Then there are things that I would probably not make for myself yet am happy to eat when I'm visiting my parents. Tonight's dinner, beef stroganoff, is a good example. My dad needs to eat a high calorie diet right now, so beef stroganoff is actually kind of perfect: sliced beef tenderloin, onions, mushrooms sauteed in lots (seriously, LOTS) of butter and sour cream and served over a bed of potatoes mashed with butter and milk. True to my dad's midwest roots, we ate this with petit pois. (When I think of big bountiful dinners on dinner tables throughout the Midwest, I always think of corn and green peas.)

Beef Stroganoff (adapted from Simply Recipes)

• 6 Tbsp butter
• 3/4 pound of top sirloin or tenderloin, cut thin into 1-inch wide by 2 1/2-inch long strips
• 1/3 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup beef broth (or a combination of broth and a splash of cognac would be good!)
  
• 1/2 cup of sour cream at room temperature

1. Melt 3 TB butter in a heavy sautepan (I might use our Lodge cast iron skillet, actually); once melted, turn heat to medium high. Add the beef and season with salt and pepper. Let beef cook 2 minutes or so, or until browned on both sides and remove to a separate plate.
2. In the same pan, add the onions and saute 1-2 minutes until translucent and slightly browned. Remove to the plate with the beef.
3. In the same plan, melt another 3 TB of butter and add the mushrooms. Stir until cooked and slightly translucent. Remove to plate with the beef and onions.
4. Deglaze the pan with the beef broth or cognac, using a wooden spoon to scrape the caramelized meet on the bottom of the pan. Add the sour cream to the pan and stir to create a rich sauce. Add additional beef stock or water to thin the sauce if you prefer a thinner sauce. Return the beef, mushrooms, and onion to the sauce and stir to combine. Remove from heat. Serve over egg noodles, potatoes, or rice.

Exciting news of the day: My sis is coming in from NYC tonight and she said she made a special stop at Levain Bakery just for me!!! We found this bakery by accident but they make the most delicious, thick chocolate chip cookie I've ever had from a bakery. One day I'll blog about my favorite chocolate chip recipe but for now I'll daydream about my Levain cookie.

Levain Bakery
167 West 74th Street
NY, New York 10023