Creamy Spinach and Shrimp Dip

This weekend I decided to whip up a batch of my husband's famous spinach dip. I was first introduced to this recipe when we started dating and I have been hooked every since. It really is my favorite dip. We have made it for baby-showers, house gatherings, and other social events and it is always a hit. You can eat this dip warm or at room temperature but I prefer to have it warm because it just tastes better. We tweaked the recipe a bit a few years ago by adding shrimp but for those who aren't big meat/shellfish eaters you can omit the shrimp. This meal literally takes less than 20 minutes, especially if you purchase your shrimp from Publix and they will season and steam them for free. Yay! I love Publix. If you choose to have the shrimp steamed this meal will take you no time. I promise you, you will NOT regret eating every bite of this dip!

Beef Stroganoff Made Simple

Hi guys! It's been a minute since I wrote a blog post. I have been insanely busy. My photo sessions are picking up and so far I have been booked for the past couple of weekends. Exciting times! Yay! Besides doing photography stuff, I still am a mom and wife which means I still have to cook, clean, and tend to my family's needs. Well thankfully this last week the hubby gave me a break and we ate out for lunch or for dinner a few days. Although this was more convenient, I must say, I missed my home cooked meals. When you are accustomed to eating meals cooked in your own kitchen and with fresh ingredients, food from a restaurant just doesn't measure up. So, yesterday I decided to cook some beef stroganoff from scratch. This recipe is so simple guys and it tastes delicious. I didn't have beef stock so I had to make my own cream sauce from a recipe I use quite often. The hubby and I enjoyed it but our toddler took one look at it and said, "I don't want it." Really? She really doesn't like white sauces so I probably should have used a little marinara sauce for her portion. Oh well I hope you guys give this recipe a try.

Ingredients

12 oz bag of wide egg noodles 

1lb of ground beef
Mushrooms
Onions
Sourcream

SEASONINGS TO TASTE
Garlic powder
Kosher salt
Pepper
Nutmeg

Directions

Start a pot of water to boil for noodles. Saute/sweat onions and mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil until semi-soft. Boil egg noodles until a little undercooked, drain, and leave in the pot. They will cook later in the pot when you add your cream sauce and sour cream.  Remove from pan and place to side. Throw ground beef in pan, add seasonings, and cook until browned. Remove meat and place in your pot with the pasta along with onions and mushrooms. Keep pot on low heat setting on stove.
At this point some people add beef stock and then flour to create a beef cream sauce. I didn't have beef stock so I threw white wine in the pan, let that reduce, then added heavy whipping cream, a splash of parmesan cheese to thicken, 1/2 tablespoon of nutmeg (or more if you desire), and let simmer until creamy. Taste to be sure flavor is good before adding to pot of noodles. Add cream sauce to your pot of noodles and veggies. Add two to three heaping tablespoons of sour cream (more or less to your liking), stir, and cook on low to medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until ingredients are heated through, turn off heat, grab your plate, fork, and chow down!