ZOMG (and also, stop cooking with cans)

Want to go completely insane?  Have an addiction to work that overshadows all your current hobbies and interests?  Do you want to know what it feels like to sleep in your very own office? Run, do NOT walk, and join a tech startup!

Honestly, though... I am kind of a work-addict.  I used to work for a slave-driving non profit, so this should be the perfect environment for me.  It pretty much is.  I love the office, the resurrection of desk chicken, and the sweet sweet wooooork.  Something that I've been missing the last year.  Then again, it hasn't given me a ton of time to cook, let alone write a non-work related blog post. Or, breathe.  Or, sleep.

I can tell you that this particular startup is gonna be rad, it can only go up hill from here, and apparently having a shot is part of my "Employment Drinkment!"  Very. Important.

Anyway, I have been reserving at least one night of the weekend to cook.  I've been super tired, but my diet during the work week has been less than great... so much less than great... and a home cooked meal is just the thing to happy-up my belly.

One of the shortcuts of cooks that bums me out is cooking from a can.  Cooking for me is therapy, and opening a can is the opposite of that.  Plus... things like condensed soup have a very specific smell that makes me very unhappy.  Growing up, my mom would occasionally make a hamburger stroganoff which I just loved... and secretly... I still love it.  She used to make it with a couple cans of Cream of Mushroom soup. I found a way around it.  You could also do this recipe with sliced beef - if you wanted to be all proper about it.

Hamburger Stroganoff
(better than m-m-good)

1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 package sliced white mushrooms
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 1/2 lbs leanest ground beef
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Salt & pepper
1/2 package broad egg noodles

Put on a large pot of water to boil for the egg noodles.

Saute the onion, garlic and mushrooms in the butter and olive oil on medium high heat.  Season to taste with pepper, but leave the salt out until the mushrooms have cooked through, about 4 minutes.  Add the thyme and ground beef and cook until all of the beef is browned.  Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and cook for a few moments, then add the broth and stir to incorporate the flour.  Turn down to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.

Cook the egg noodles until finished, usually about 6 minutes.  Drain.  Take the beef mixture off the heat and remove the thyme stems, then add the yogurt and stir to incorporate.  Serve the beef mixture over the noodles.