Grandma's Beef Stroganoff-Beef Checkoff #MC #Sponsored

I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for the Beef Checkoff. I received products to facilitate this review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

This recipe should actually be titled: Grandma's Beef Stroganoff, adapted by Mom, adapted further by me. But that's a bit of a mouthfull. My grandma's recipe involves mushrooms. Mom and I are not fans so she adapted this recipe to use gravy and beef broth instead. And then I further adapted it by making stuff a little bit more from scratch (namely...subbing out a packet of onion soup for actual seasonings) and I added more chunks of beef. Because....really...more beef=more better.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. First of all...I gotta say it: I'm a beef gal. I love it. If I got out to eat there's a decent chance I'll get a burger, steak, or roast beef. Because BEEF IS DELICIOUS. And the insane thing is...I ALMOST NEVER make beef at home! Something about my inability to grill mixed with my constant butchering of my mom's pot roast recipe have led to a beef drought in this house that HAD TO END.

So I ended it. Thanks to the Beef Checkoff!

What's the Beef Checkoff? It is a national marketing and research program, established in 1985, funded by America's cattle farmers/ranchers. The national checkoff program is directed by cattle farmers, ranchers, and importers and they direct funds to research and promotion to increase domestic (and potentially international) demands for BEEF! Plus it's overseen by The Cattlemen's Beef Board and the USDA. One of the contractors for Beef Checkoff is the National Cattlemen's Beef Association-they manage research and promo programs on behalf of US farmers and ranchers (and are also overseen by the Cattlemen's Beef Board and the USDA)-including the "Beef. It's What's for Dinner" brand--you guys totally know that one, yeah? Yeah!

Here is what I know: The "Beef. It's What's for Dinner" website is AWESOME! Like...I feel like I officially have 0 reasons to not make beef more! The website has a ton of recipe ideas, grilling tips and info (helpful for my grilling phobia!), and even info. about the health benefits of beef (hint: there are tons!) You def. need to check it out and then try to find new ways to incorporate beef into your home cooking too! In my oh so humble opinion.

To celebrate my new commitment to making beef dishes at home I decided to really take it home--I created my Grandma's Beef Stroganoff recipe and served it to my mom and grandma (and Michael, duh!) We had such a fun little dinner party (featuring the use of my adorable new Beef Checkoff oven mitt :P), and I was a little nervous about serving them my version of the recipe that they both have in their regular repertoire! Of course, my nerves were for naught. EVERYONE loved this tasty dish-and my mom said she couldn't even taste the difference with the fact that I subbed out the dried soup! Hooray! It just tastes comforting and beefy (I know, weird adjective, but true!) and flavorful and it's just my idea of the perfect entree.

Seriously, could not be an easier recipe. You throw a bunch of stuff in the crockpot. Let it go. Boil some noodles. SERVE! Easy peasy and a def. new favorite-Michael full on approved and insisted that I should make it regularly as well. Crowd pleeeeaser!

Grandma's Beef Stroganoff-Beef Checkoff

Author: Kayle, "The Cooking Actress"

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2-2 lbs. beef for stew (they'll be chunks of beef--generally it's about 2 packages)
• 1 (8 oz.) can beef broth (or 1 tsp. beef better than bouillon mixed with 1 cup water)
• 1 (about 10.25 oz.) can beef gravy
• 1/4 cup cooking sherry
• 4 tsp. beef bouillon (or better than bouillon)
• 8 tsp. dried onion flakes
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• pepper, to taste
• 12 oz. wide egg noodles
• 2 tbsp. flour + 2 tbsp. cold water, mixed together

Preparation:

• Combine the beef, broth, gravy, sherry, and seasonings together in a slow cooker. 
• Cook on low (or 300F degrees) for 4 hours. 
• Add the flour & cold water mixture to the pot to thicken.Turn up to high heat and cook 1 and 1/2 more hours.
• Cook noodles according to package directions.
• Make sure the beef is warm and cooked through, then serve over noodles (or mix with them).

Dig on in!