*AHEM*
Kindly remove your mind from the gutter where it is currently residing and we’ll get on with today’s faking it post.
Yes, even I ‘fake it’ in the kitchen occasionally.
Sometimes I don’t have the time or the energy to cook from scratch. You can pick your jaws up off the floor now y’all.
Last night was one of those times. The hell monkey spawn beastie, formerly known only as Monkey, has learned to scale the sides of his crib and escape from his room. Thus, no naps and 5 AM visits to wake me up. Upon the very high recommendations of two wonderful women I have ordered a baby jail crib tent. It should be here tomorrow at which point in time I fully expect whatever sanity didn’t escape with the placentas and the breastmilk to return.
Back to the point.
Last night, I faked it. I faked Beef Stroganoff, this is one of my favorite faker dishes because it’s a simple dish that almost everyone loves, and really easy to make it appear scratched out instead of boxed out.
* 1 box Hamburger Helper Stroganoff
* 1.25 lb ground beef (or turkey)
* garlic and oregano or an Italian Seasonings Blend
* 10 oz of farfalle or other fun pasta of choice
* 1 Cup Milk
* 1 1/4 C heavy cream
* 2 Tbsp Sour Cream
* 1 C Hot water
K’ here’s the lowdown:
* Brown meat in seasonings, drain and return to pan.
* Add seasonings packet from box and your own noodles (you can use the noodles that came with it, but fun noodles lend to the ‘scratch’ness of the dish)
* Add Milk, Water and Cream
* Follow cooking directions on the box.
* When it’s time to let the Stroganoff ‘sit’ and thicken, add the sour cream and stir until it’s fully incorporated.
* If you have some dried parsley flakes around sprinkle them over the plated dish and you’re set.
So, don’t feel bad if you have to fake it every now and then, just make it believable.
*I am not saying if you don’t cook from scratch, you aren’t really cooking. You are.
I just usually cook from scratch, that’s all 🙂
It is 8:45AM Friday and we’re leaving for a weekend in Gruene. I don’t know if I’ll have any internet access, so y’all have fun and I’ll see you on the flip side 🙂
XOXO ~ Rachel
It is my opinion that even if comes from a box (like most of my “cooking”) it still counts as a home made dinner. I still had to put forth the thought, time, and effort to make it, you know??
LOL can’t wait to fake it. If I am cooking meat and boiling water for the pasta that counts as cooking at my house. Sounds really yummy!
For me faking it is gong to Panda Express and buying 2 containers of Orange Chicken, taking them to the car and dumping them in a crystal bowl, covering the bowl with Saran Wrap and driving to a friend’s dinner party.
I love to cook from scratch, but tonight?
Grilled cheese and KD, baby.
I’m totally up for fakin’ it Southern Fairytale style in the near future 😉
Apparently, you have no concern for heart health in your house? You’re my kind of gal! 🙂
Sounds yummy! We love anything with pasta in it around our house!
Hope you had a good day – Kellan
Wonderful…I mean as much as I adore cooking from scratch YOU CAN”T do it all the time. I think a’ la box is just fine!
Sounds wonderful, but you go to way too much effort. I quit faking it years ago. I toss a box of mac & cheese the kids’ way and tell them to fend for themselves when I don’t feel like cooking.
I’m expecting Mom of the Year any time now.
Where is the final pic. I always like to see your final pic. 😉
Sounds tasty to me.. fake or not. My oven died recently and while I’m waiting for our little “economic stimulus” check to buy a new stove, I’ve been searching for dishes that don’t require an oven – this is great!
I have to fake it sometimes too. I’ll be faking it tonight w/ a taco salad 😀
Sounds great! And I don’t think this counts as faking. This is all out cooking in my book!!
Do you close your child’s door at night when they’re sleeping? If so, a simple doorknob cover would work. That’s what we use, and K happily plays in her room until she’s ready to come out. LOVE IT! If you don’t shut the door, well the tent may be your only option. 🙂
As for the food, if you’re extending the box it’s still somewhat from scratch. That’s how I look at it anyway. 🙂
Awww…I wanted a final product photo.:(
My mom always made THE BEST homemade Stroganoff…therefore faking it is absolutely out of the question. BUT, that’s only for Stroganoff. All other things are fakable. Totally.
I just re-read what I wrote in my comment – I totally get the post, and I was not trying to be mean and I was definitely not offended. I think that it is funny, because I fake it a LOT. I will try to be a little less sarcastic next time. 🙂
I make stroganoff with frozen meatballs. Yummm. I cheat all the time, and I don’t feel guilty about it!
Good luck with the baby jail!
That’s faking? What you just described is serious cooking for me. Although it seems like something I could try.
For me, faking it means that I whisper McDonald’s to my 2 year old so that when we start talking about dinner, he yells for McDonald’s.
Once you tent, YOU WILL NEVER GO BACK. I tent until the kids go to college.
Oh, and that is NOT faking it. Ordering pizza and pulling it out of the box and serving it on a plate…
Yaaay for crib tents! I swear you’re going to fall in love with it immediately and will NEVER want to give it up.
I “fake” it, too. I’m faking it right now, as a matter of fact. I’m supposed to bring homemade cookies for something at church this afternoon. I’m using store-bought sugar cookie dough with some added brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and butterscotch chips. Yummy!
Hee! My mind was in the gutter.
I fake it all the time!
Hey, we all have days where we need to cheat on dinner a little. I have a really easy “from scratch” stroganoff recipe too—takes me back to my childhood.
I am queen of fake it, don’t make it. With the four of them and their schedules, really cooking from scratch is not an option!
My easy stroganoff involves Lipton Onion Soup and Consomme. So yummy!!