Beef Stroganoff

Basically, this recipe was a massive letdown. It was not my crock pot's fault, however. The culprit was... THE PASTA BOAT!!! (You can read about my over-inflated expectations for this device here).

How could such a well engineered 'as seen on tv' invention fail so miserably? Because the directions told me to cook the egg noodles for 18 minutes... Sounds crazy, right? The package of noodles says 6 minutes, but somehow you should multiply that number by three just because its going in the microwave? I wish all of these question marks existed in my head before I made the mistake of checking the noodles at minute 16.

I was so crushed by the Pasta Boat's (notice that I am taking no ownership of this catastrophe) failure that I couldn't bear to photograph the congealed, yet disintegrating, mess that the noodles turned into upon pouring them into the stroganoff sauce.

This picture does not adequately capture the grotesque noodles. We were hungry, so we ate it... Reluctantly on my part... And the meal was really good with the exception of the noodles. I had no idea that noodles could make anything so bad. Apparently noodles are very powerful instruments for evil in the culinary world. Good noodles are good... Bad noodles are so horrifying that you want to cry and huck the Pasta Boat out the window (if you have one, we don't) simultaneously.

Recipe for Beef Stroganoff

1 1/2 lbs sirloin or other lean steak, cut into thin pieces
8 oz. Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1 can "heart healthy" cream of mushroom soup
2 tsp garlic powder
A splash (or two or three) of decent red wine
8 oz fat free or reduced fat cream cheese

Throw all ingredients, except cream cheese, into a crock pot on low, and cook for 7 hours.  Stir in the cream cheese just before serving.

Serve with egg noodles that have been cooked in a pot of boiling water on a stove like a regular person.