Category Archives: Bandwagons

From the family cookbook: Hungarian Goulash

This is the time of year for comfort food, and there is no greater comfort food than my mother-in-law’s goulash. It’s meaty, warm, creamy and a little bit spicy, and it’s 150 percent delicious. You can serve it over rice or egg noodles, and you’ll be happy either way.

Rockford’s Mom’s Hungarian Goulash

2 1/2 pounds sirloin tip steak, cubed
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 Bay leaves
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 cup sour cream
rice, to serve

Melt butter and oil together in pressure cooker; brown the meat. Reduce heat and add onion and garlic. Cook until onions are tender. Add paprika, Bay leaves, salt and pepper. Add water to cover. Cook according to pressure cooker directions (about 15 minutes on high pressure).

Remove Bay leaves. Add tomatoes and heat through.

Mix flour with a little water to make a thin paste; stir into goulash mixture. Stir in sour cream.

Serve over rice.

A menu plan in which I seek free food on my birthday

We had a delightful weekend.

Perry Mason, Mrs. Perry Mason and Perry Mason Jr. came over for trick-or-treating and other fun things all various and sundry. Pete was Darth Vader, so the Familia Mason decided to join his universe as Boba Fett, Obi Wan and Yoda. Rockford’s mother made Poppy a gorgeous Elsa dress, and I ordered a crocheted wig[ref]I wasn’t crazy about the quality, so I’m not going to link to it.[/ref] for her from Etsy. I’d expected to see a swarm of Elsi out there — the other family with whom we trick-or-treat had an Elsa, who roped her parents into being Anna and Kristof — but I only saw seven.

My favorite costume of the evening was the kid dressed as Weird Al Yankovich from the “Fat” video. I laughed loudly when he came strutting up the walk.

This is Birthday Week at our house. Rockford’s sister Mrs. Poppins celebrates today, mine is tomorrow, my dad’s is Wednesday and Pete’s is Friday. And yet there is a marked lack of cake on this week’s menu:

Monday: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Some warm and gooey sandwiches sound just right after the blustery weekend we had.
Tuesday: Ordering in
I’ll be taking advantage of all of the Free Thing on Your Birthday offers in town. Or rather, one of them. Probably a sandwich.
Wednesday: Date night
The kids will be having pizza. I don’t know what Rockford and I will be having.
Thursday: Sandwiches
So many sandwiches this week!
Friday: Lasagna
Pete requested a Garfield party for his birthday, so we’ll be having lasagna, garlic bread and salad. I’m pretty sure Garfield wouldn’t approve of the salad, though.

How was your weekend? Did you trick-or-treat? Do you have any candy left? Poppy had big ideas about the “Candy Fairy” coming and leaving her a gift in exchange for all of her candy, but that went out the window as soon as she organized her loot on the dining room table.

I’m linking this up with OrgJunkie.com’s weekly Menu Plan Monday thing.