i'm baaaaaaaack...

I recently received a message from a friend distraught by my lack of blog posting. I fear I have yet again neglected my cyber-friend, and in the process, I failed to post about the happiest (?) of anniversaries - my one-year as a blogger! Much has happened in this 374 days, many of which have been forever preserved in post after post of general musings, political proliferations, recommended recipes and the occasional scolding of Dina Lohan. However, I prefer not to dwell on the past but gaze to the future.

Not only did this weekend bring along with it Daylight Savings Time (tell me again please why we still do this?), but the great state of Mississippi has wandered into the direct spotlight of national politics. Taking in my daily dose of Fox News this morning, I noticed there was a political junkie broadcasting from downtown Jackson, and my morning commute exposed me to flag-waving, sign-holding supporters of Hillary Clinton, and yard signs for Barack Obama. Does no one remember what Hillary said about Mississippi just a few months ago? Don't patronize me; I had my mind made up way before you come-latelies got here.

No matter who you vote for, it DOES matter that you vote. Tomorrow is the party primary election, and many of you will be voting to determine the nominees for your U.S. Senator. Bear in mind that the men and women of our military are giving their time away from their homes and their families and sometimes their lives so that we may have the right to express ourselves via casting a ballot. Be sure that whomever receives our delegates has earned them and not bought them.

And last but most certainly not least, this week's Delicious Dish. I grew up eating Beef Stroganoff - not the real thing, mind you, as my mom is from Batesville and not Berlin, but I still love it nonetheless. So, needless to say, I was glad to be able to try out Rachael Ray's version. Here it is:

Rachael Ray's 30-minute Beef Stroganoff

1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin fillet
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups beef consomme, available on soup aisle
2 teaspoons prepared Dijon style mustard
1/4 cup sour cream, eyeball it
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan in a slow stream
1/2 small onion, sliced
1/3 cup coarsely chopped cornichons
1 pound extra wide egg noodles, cooked to package directions
Chopped parsley leaves, garnish
Thickly sliced pumpernickel bread, optional

Slice meat into 1/2-thick by 2-inch long very thin strips and season with salt and pepper. Set in freezer.
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and cook with flour 1 minute. Whisk in consomme. Thicken 1 minute. Stir in mustard and sour cream, thicken 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season sauce with salt and pepper.

Heat a second skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter, then add the meat and onion and cook over high heat until brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Then add the chopped cornichons and stir to combine.

Arrange meat on a bed of egg noodles and top with Stroganoff sauce and parsley. Serve with thickly sliced pumpernickel bread.

TIMING Tidbit: Slice and place meat in freezer 15 minutes. Sauce and meat are prepared 10 minutes before you are ready to serve.