The Facts of Life
You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have....
A) A hilarious t.v. series that follows housemother Mrs. Edna Garrett and her mission to instill values in the wide eyed girls of Eastland School while they mature into young women.
Answer: Both A and B. But I think it's more important to focus on B), since this blog is not devoted to the exceptional writing and production of 80's television sitcoms, but THAT's not a bad idea EITHER. If you know me at all, this will not be the last reference...
- Being the kitchen warrior that I am, I test many recipes. I spend hours going through my cookbooks, magazines, the internet, and family recipes that have been entrusted to me. I have achieved success, and I have ordered Pizza Hut after dinner went Buh-Bye down the drain.
- The perfectionist in me makes itself known only in the kitchen. I will not serve a meal, a drink, an appetizer, unless I am confident that I have lived up to it's standards, and vice versa, unless the in-laws are coming for dinner and I have no back up plan.
- For instance, this past May, I served braised short ribs to my in-laws for dinner. The flavor was nice, but I am still irritated that they were tougher than expected. So irritated, that while listening to Living Today on the Martha Stewart channel of Sirius Satellite Radio, I called in. I asked the guest, famed chef Todd English, what is the secret to fall-off-the-bone braised short ribs? I was so nervous in talking to him that I don't have any idea what he actually said, but it was conveyed that fall-off-the-bone short ribs probably should not start with "boneless" short ribs from Costco.
- Just like Blaire, Jo, Tootie, and Natalie, I'm finding my way.
Ingredients
- 1 pound beef tenderloin
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 pound white mushrooms, sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 1 cup reduced-sodium canned beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Chopped fresh dill, for garnish
- Slice beef into 2-inch-long strips, each about 1 inch wide and 1/4 inch thick. Season generously with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown meat in two batches, about 1 minute per side; remove from skillet, and set aside.
- In same skillet, heat remaining tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add mushrooms; cover. Cook until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add broth; simmer, uncovered, until liquid has thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Stir mustard into mushroom mixture in skillet. Return beef to skillet; cook over medium-low heat until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in sour cream. Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Serve immediately, garnished with chopped dill.
And of course, my own take on the recipe:
- After the onions and mushrooms have been added to the skillet (in my case a large enamel covered cast iron pot), add about 2 tablespoons of flour and let cook for a minute or two. Then add the broth. This will make the sauce thicker.
- I added italian parsley to finish the dish, since I never have dill on hand. And Dill is not really my favorite herb. Herb is not my favorite WKRP character either, but that's a different blog for a different day......
That is super funny what the guy on the radio told you about short-ribs....seems to make sense to me. :)
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