Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

As I mentioned earlier this month, I have been using my crock pot almost every night since we moved to the new house. Truth is, I have gotten so used to how easy it is, and how much juicier it makes whatever meat I am cooking, that I don't even miss the oven. This recipe, like my Chicken Curry, gets some of the ingredients added in the last hour or two of cooking, so it isn't exactly a fix it and forget it crock pot meal, but they really are just "add the ingredient quick, stir and re-cover" steps, so you still don't have to pay much attention to it.

1 lb stew beef

1/2 yellow onion (finely chopped)

3 cups of water

4 beef flavor bullion cubes

1/2 cup white wine (I use whatever is around, which is 

usually Pinot Grigio, but any dry-ish white will do)

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

10 white mushrooms (quartered)

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups egg noodles

First brown the beef on all sides on medium high heat.

You aren't really cooking it through, just really enough to sear the meat. 

Then put the meat into the crock pot.

Next lightly saute the onions in the same pan.

Add the wine and scrape the sides of the pan to get any meat bits and onions mixed in.

Then add the water, bullion cubes, mustard, and pepper.

Bring to a simmer.

Then add the mixture to the crock pot with the beef.

Stir it a bit, cover and cook on low for a while. 

(really can be anytime from 5-8 hours, I always prepare crock pot stuff at snack time 

so depending on Bubba it can be anytime between 9 am and 11 am when I start it.)

Now that the beef broth mixture has been sitting all day and the beef is nice and tender.
During the last hour of cooking we add the rest of the ingredients
and turn the heat up to high.
I like to start with the chopped mushrooms.

Then the sour cream.

And finally the egg noodles. I just add them uncooked and let them cook in the sauce. Traditionally you would serve the stroganoff over the egg noodles, but I like them really saucy and I think cooking them in the broth gives them a much better flavor.

Stir it up well and make sure to poke all the noodles down so they are covered by sauce. The put the lid back on with a slight gap to allow steam to escape, turn the heat up to high and let the crock pot do the rest. Every so often I come by and stir it a little and recover it to make sure all the noodles cook evenly.

Here it is finished. The sauce thickens up and is absorbed mostly.

And here is the finished plate.

Bubba has turned into a bit of a picky toddler eater and refuse to try it. Which is ok, I knew he would. I made him a back up dinner: chicken and sweet potato fries, which he also refuse choosing to eat peanut butter crackers and milk instead. Oh well. He did eat plenty of chicken at lunch and several different fruits today. I suppose when he is twenty, he'll start eating normal again.