BEEFING UP DINNERTIME

When dinnertime calls for something both hearty and delicious, beef is a classic staple ingredient for a reason. McCollum frequently used beef as the mainstay of dishes in her Fam ily and Consumer Sciences classes, since each year the Franklin County Cattle men’s Association makes a beefy dona tion to each FACS program in the county. Her students – including her own daugh ters – have also been annual participants in the Franklin County Beef Cookoff for students, hosted by the Cattleman’s As sociation.

Anyone looking for a new beef recipe – look no further.

Beef Stroganoff

Beef stroganoff is an iconic Russian dish that consists of beef in a creamy sauce. According to legend, it was created by chefs who worked for the Stroganov family in the 1800s. The dish is often made with mushrooms and served over rice or egg noodles. My mom fixed this a lot when I was growing up. We always had English peas as a side dish with it.

Ingredients

• 8 oz. package egg noodles

• 1 lb. lean ground beef

• 10.5 oz. can condensed cream of mushroom soup

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

• 1/2 cup sour cream

For McCollum and her daughters, cooking is a family affair. Older daughter Anna (Gunderman) Pressnell and younger daughter Lara Gunderman have both been competitors in the Franklin County Beef Cookoff, with Pressnell taking first place in the county and second place at state the year she competed.

• salt and ground black pepper to taste

• 1 jar of sliced mushrooms, optional

Instructions

1. Sauté ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and crumbly, 5-10 minutes.

2. At the same time, fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rapid boil. Cook egg noodles at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, 7-9 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. Drain and discard any fat from the cooked beef.

4. Stir condensed soup, mushrooms and garlic powder into the beef. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Remove beef from the heat. Add egg noodles and stir to combine.

6. Stir in sour cream and season with salt and pepper.

7. NOTE: You can also keep the noodles and meat mixture separate. Spoon the noodles on your plate and then top with the meat mixture. You could also serve meat mixture over mashed potatoes or rice.

8. Serve hot and enjoy!