I am completely serious when I say that I might love leftovers more than the original serving. 

I realize there are some exceptions, but for the most part I’m a leftovers kind of girl.

We recently enjoyed some fine Ribeye steaks (remind me to tell you later about the reverse-seared method Nick used to cook them). 

Any how, we found ourselves with enough leftover steak to turn into Beef Stroganoff.

We used these gorgeous Shiitakes that we found at the farmers market.

Here is the best recap of our recipe…however any dish, like Stroganoff, that has layers of ingredients and flavors is your chance to nuance with a little of this and a lot of that. 

Get happy.  Great leftover ingredients deliver wonderful dishes.

Recipe note: if you have access to fresh herbs feel free to substitute minced fresh thyme, sage and tarragon for a fresh flavor pop!

Are there recipes that remind you of a favorite vacation that you’d like to see us recreate? I’d love for you to comment below. Your feedback is so important to me (and keeps the recipe love fresh).

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Beef Stroganoff {And How I Love The Leftovers}

Course Entree

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 2 Tbl. butter
• 1 onion sliced
• 1 shallot sliced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 8 oz. fresh mushrooms sliced
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. dried sage
• 1/4 tsp. dried tarragon
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup leftover beef sliced into strips

For the sauce…

• 2 Tbl. butter
• 2 Tbl. flour
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbl. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 oz. red wine
• 1 cup beef stock
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 Tbl. sour cream
• fresh minced parsley for garnish

Instructions

• In a large dutch oven, saute onion and shallot in 1 Tbl. butter until just tender, add in garlic and saute an additional minute, remove and reserve.
• Then add mushrooms, thyme, sage, tarragon, salt & pepper to pan and saute until soft and mushrooms have released liquid, remove and reserve with onions.
• Sear the sliced beef in remaining butter, reserve.
• Build the sauce by making a roux with the butter and flour, then add in Dijon, Worcestershire, red wine, cayenne, and beef stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and allow sauce to thicken slightly. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.
• Return onions, mushrooms, and sliced beef to the pot and heat through.
• Serve over buttered noodles, with a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

The post Beef Stroganoff {Oh How I Love The Leftovers} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Braciole {Italian Beef Rolls} slowly simmered in spicy Arrabbiata sauce until the beef is fork tender.  The filling, comprised of parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, Italian bread crumbs, garlic, toasted pine nuts, and hard-boiled egg, is my loose interpretation of this classic Italian dish.

The first time this recipe caught my attention was while flipping through a Taste of Home magazine at my in-laws.  Everything about the recipe sounded wonderful. Then this week when my friend shared her new Weight Watchers cookbook with me and there was a modified version of a Braciole recipe, it was clearly time to make it happen.

I took some liberties, beginning with the beef.  Who wants to pound out steaks when you can step up to the deli counter and order slices of nice lean rare roast beef cut an 1/8-inch thick.  I’m sure if we had any Italian fans they are fleeing quickly at the sound of this.  But wait.  If convenience is what’s keeping us from enjoying a recipe as delicious as Braciole, can’t we make an exception.  Just this once.

No pounding required with my modified version.  Just combine the filling ingredients, spoon them in the middle of each slice of beef, fold in edges and roll tightly.  You could tie them neatly at 1-inch intervals with butchers twine ooooor you could take yet another short cut and just pan brown them, carefully turning so they don’t unfold.  That’s what I did and they held together just fine.

The third and final short cut I should have used was my slow cooker.  In my head I reasoned that this sliced roast beef, albeit an 1/8-inch thick, would be melt in your mouth tender from the get go.  As it turns out it wanted a good hour, if not a bit longer, to braise in the arrabbiata sauce.  This could have been achieved in a LOW slow cooker while I went about my business.

Loose interpretations and liberties aside, they were amazing.  Don’t take my word for it, just ask my work-mates who enjoyed the four remaining beef rolls, cut into bites to be shared even further.

I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I’m making daily Healthy Choices as I work towards my goal of Fit by 50.  I have several teammates on this journey who’s support is invaluable.  We motivate each other, walk together and most importantly share recipes (and the finished product) with each other.  These Briacole {Italian Beef Rolls} with a 1/2 cup of sauce weighed in at 8 WW Pts+.  We served them over roasted spaghetti squash which added no additional points values.  Winning.

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Braciola {Italian Beef Rolls}

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 8 slices 1/8-inch thick, about 4-ounces each Boar’s Head Roast Beef
• 2 hard-boiled eggs chopped
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
• 1/2 cup fresh flat leaf Italian parsley chopped
• 3 Tbl. toasted pine nuts
• 2-3 garlic cloves minced
• 2 Tbl. olive oil divided
• pinch salt & pepper
• 3-4 cups arrabbiata sauce
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 large spaghetti squash optional

Instructions

• Combine chopped hard-boiled eggs, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, pine nuts, garlic, 1 Tbl. olive oil, salt & pepper.
• Lay each beef slice on a flat surface; spoon 1/8th filling mixture onto center of beef slice. Fold over one of the short sides, then fold in edges and roll tightly. Reserve and repeat with remaining beef and filling.
• Heat remaining 1 Tbl. olive oil in a large covered skillet over medium-high heat. Brown rolls, 1-2 minutes per side, working in batches. Once browned, top rolls with arrabbiata sauce or transfer to a slow cooker and top with sauce. For stove top method, simmer beef rolls covered over low heat for 60-75 minutes or until tender. For slow cooker method, place on LOW for 3-4 hours or until tender.

For spaghetti squash…

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and rub inside with olive oil. Place cut side down on shallow baking sheet. Roast for 50-60 minutes until skin is easily pierced with a fork and flesh is easily removed. Scoop flesh from skins into a bowl and season with salt & pepper to taste.

Notes

These Briacole {Italian Beef Rolls} with a 1/2 cup of sauce weighed in at 8 WW Pts+. We served them over roasted spaghetti squash which added no additional points values.
The 1/2 cup red wine listed under ingredients is used at your discretion. Great in the sauce or on the side.

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Beef Bourguignon.  Boeuf Bourguignon.  Beef Burgundy.  I think we grew up with this dish.  No, not the first two.  My Mom made beef burgundy often.  The cuts of meat may have started out a bit tough requiring extra cooking love, but the end result was melt in your mouth wonderful. This year’s Christmas Eve Prime Rib was as good as any we’ve had in the past.

Prime Rib has become a Christmas Eve tradition.  Three consecutive years of repeat behavior qualifies as a ‘tradition’ in this house.  We always have more than we can eat.  That is the plan after all.  We LOVE our leftovers, and deciding how to repurpose them is a challenge we look forward to.  Yesterday we decided on Beef Bourguignon.

When it comes to tender meat, braising is where it’s at.  The process is relatively effortless, yet turns out the most tender and flavorful results.  Always reading and absorbing what the masters have worked so hard to perfect, I’ve become a bit of a geek and I mean that in the most affectionate way.  Cooking is an art and also a science.  That’s when we’re at our best in the kitchen.

My Mom was a newspaper editor.  Our kitchen table was her home office.  No matter where we lived, mom gave Sarah and I the bedrooms.  She claimed the kitchen.  We both have elementary school drawings of Mom.  Beautiful, with big hoop earrings, hair tied up in a knot, a glass of burgundy (Gallo Brand sold by the jug), and a Tareyton cigarette burning in the ashtray.  She was passionate.  About everything.  We were often whisked out of bed in the middle of the night to ‘catch’ a story.  And if there wasn’t a story that week, we became the story.  Mom had such a gift with words and fought for every story.  She would have been a masterful blogger with life experiences I’ll never achieve.

I described ‘mom’ at the kitchen table to and the response was “you may be the modern version.”  I’d love to be that.

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I saw this plate of heavenly food in a magazine ad (something very similar to this plate).  I knew at that moment I would either have to drive to the restaurant or recreate it at home.  That’s when our Marinated Beef Tips {over Jalapeño & Corn Grits} were born.

Completely recreating this dish, solely from a picture, was quite the fun recipe challenge.  I first imagined how each layer came to be then headed off to the grocery store.  Have you seen the price of beef lately??  Holy cow you’re expensive.  Skipped right over the filets, which I adore for their tenderness and ended up with a chuck roast.  Even though they’re not cheap, I was able to cut off one end of the roast for these beef tips and freeze the other hunk for a future meal.  In my mind that made it much cheaper :)

Not knowing what the original dish was called or how it was prepared left me some room for creativity.  The nicely browned pieces of beef in the advertisement reminded me of carne asada aka ‘grilled meat.’  So our dish then became Carne Asada Marinated Beef Tips {over Jalapeño & Corn Grits}.

Creamy grits with fresh off-the-cob corn & diced jalapeno were the platform for this dish.  Once marinated, I dried the beef tips, then flash seared them in a HOT cast iron skillet.  The meat was nicely caramelized with crispy edges and much to my delight, was quite tender.

I finished the dish with a spoonful of Fresh Tomato Salsa and sliced avocado.  Again, simply my interpretation of someone else’s masterpiece.  This dish was fantastic.  It’s no wonder this restaurant had a full page color ad in…… ugh at the time of this post I can’t find the magazine and don’t recall the name of the restaurant.  High end Mexican restaurant in Atlanta featuring a dish that looks a lot like this one…… anyone??

Until then our dish will be called Carne Asada Marinated Beef Tips {over Jalapeño & Corn Grits}. 

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Carne Asada Marinated Beef Tips {over Jalapeño & Corn Grits}

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 lb. beef roast I used chuck roast, cut into bite-sized pieces

For the carne asada marinade

• 2 Tbl. lime juice
• 2 Tbl. lemon juice
• 2 Tbl. soy sauce omit for gluten free
• 1 Tbl. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 jalapeno sliced
• a handful of fresh cilantro chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt & freshly cracked black pepper

For the jalapeno & corn grits…

• 1 ear of fresh corn steamed; kernels removed
• 1 jalapeno fine diced
• 1 Tbl. butter
• 1 cup cream
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup quick grits not instant
• 1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. dry mustard
• salt & freshly cracked black pepper to taste

To serve…

• Fresh tomato salsa
• 1 avocado
• fine diced red onion
• fresh cilantro

Instructions

For the beef…

• Trim meat and cut into bite-sized pieces. Combine carne asada marinade ingredients in a small bowl or quart-sized zipper top bag. Add meat and refrigerate for at least two hours or up to overnight.
• When ready to serve, heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Drain beef tips and pat dry between paper towels. Add 1 Tbl. of canola oil to skillet then add beef in batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet. Stir fry the beef for 2-3 minutes until nicely browned.

For the grits…

• In a large skillet over medium heat melt butter. Add corn kernels and diced jalapeno. Sauté 3-4 minutes. Add in cream and water and bring to a boil. Whisk in grits and seasonings reduce heat to medium-low, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking until grits are tender. Mixture should be creamy and not too thick. Add additional water/cream to achieve desired thickness.

To serve…

• Spoon grits onto warm plates. Top with cooked beef tips, a spoonful of fresh tomato salsa, sliced avocado, and a sprinkle of diced red onion and fresh cilantro.

The post Carne Asada Marinated Beef Tips {over Jalapeño & Corn Grits} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Christmas Leftover Chili began by assessing the leftovers in the fridge.  Here’s a quick run down of what we found.

• A hunk of Prime Rib leftover from Christmas Eve dinner.
• 1/2 lb. of ground beef & 1/2 lb. ground pork leftover from Swedish Meatballs Christmas Day.
• An open jar of Rao’s Marinara sauce that was served with our Risotto Balls on Christmas Day.
• A bottle of Victoria beer leftover from my company Christmas Party.
• A Cowboy Cut Ribeye Bone leftover from a Christmas present :)

Our Chili started by frying bacon in the cast iron skillet.  No surprise to those that know us ;)

First, dice up two onions, 5 jalapenos, and a big hunk of prime rib leftover from Christmas Eve dinner.  From this point I will give you the process pictured below.

Remove browned bacon from the cast iron skillet, then add in diced onion and jalapenos.  Saute until just tender then transfer to a large crockpot.  Now add 1/2 lb. of ground pork and 1/2 lb. of ground beef to the skillet to brown off. Now add this to the crockpot along with the cubed beef and crispy bacon.  Deglaze pan with a beer.  We used a bottle of Victoria (thank you Rogelio for the tip on this beautiful beer).  Add that to the crockpot.  Then came a can of diced tomatoes (preferably no-salt added) and about 2 cups of tomato sauce (Rao’s Marinara Sauce is to die for).

Seasoning is often to taste.  I’m giving you my best assessment of the volume of spice that went into our Christmas Leftover Chili, adjust according to taste preference.  Here we go:

• 1 Tbl. chili powder
• 1 Tbl. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. ground oregano
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. ground thyme
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

This is when we threw in the rib bone from our Cowboy Cut Ribeye enjoyed on Friday night.  Totally optional.

Once all the goodness was in the crockpot we set it to low and walked away.  Not too far away.  I believe crockpot cooking is meant to happen on week days, when no one is home.  Rule #1 ~ Don’t lift the lid.  Let me tell you that was nearly impossible as the aromas of this rich beefy chili seeped into the air.  That’s when we decided to turn it to high and move dinner time up an hour or two.

I’m convinced that in our house, the best dishes happen when I stay out of the grocery store and instead shop my fridge & pantry. I hope you’ll adapt and personalize this recipe and then share the results with us.

I’m also quite proud to share that Christmas Leftover Chili is the 500th Recipe posted to Lemony Thyme.  Hehe.

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Our Slow Braised Beef & Barley Soup began by slow roasting some short ribs that were taking up space in the freezer.  Yes, I have once again vowed to stay out of the grocery store for at least a week.

You could easily use leftover steak or roast beef or stew beef and achieve the same tender beefy goodness.  The trick is to not be in a hurry.  We brown our beef in a little oil before adding braising liquid to the soup pot, in this case we used beef broth.  Throw in a bay leaf, thyme sprig, and fresh cracked pepper and let her go low and slow until the meat is falling of the bones tender.

Meanwhile, oven roast your veggies.  Carrots, onions, celery, and mushrooms are a natural, but use what you have on hand.  I cooked the barley separately so that my low-carb eating husband could enjoy this wonderful soup as well.  Keeping the barley separate also allows you to reheat the soup without the barley soaking up all your delicious broth.

This hearty, Slow Braised Beef & Barley Soup makes a wonderful meal.  Served with a big hunk of crusty bread and a side salad and we could get quite comfortable together.

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Beef & Barley Soup

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 4 beef short ribs or two cups cubed beef
• 1 Tbl. canola oil
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• freshly cracked pepper
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 large carrot diced
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 celery stalk sliced
• 6 ounces mushrooms sliced
• season with salt to taste
• 1 cup uncooked pearl barley prepared according to package instructions

Instructions

• Brown short ribs or beef cubes in canola oil in a heavy bottomed pot with tight fitting lid. Add in broth, thyme, bay leaf, pepper. Bring to a low simmer of low heat. Cover with tightly fitting lid and allow to simmer for 1-2 hours. Meat should be fork tender when done.
• Meanwhile, prepare barley according to package instructions. Reserve.
• Remove meat and discard bones, bay leaf, and thyme sprig. Defat broth if necessary and reserve. Add in tsp. olive oil, sauté carrots, onion, celery, and mushrooms until tender. Return broth, beef, and cooked barley to pan and heat through.
• Serve with crusty bread. Enjoy.

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It’s really hard to top a nice big bowl of Classic Beef Stew.  Slow braised pieces of beef and root vegetables, cooked in a rich beef broth until tender.  Served in big bowls with crusty bread.

I’m not sure there’s much more to say about that.  I’ll let the pictures speak to you.  Take your time, I’m in no hurry.  When you’re ready, our recipe method is below.

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Classic Beef Stew {B is for Braising}

Course Stew

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 2 lb. beef roast cut into bite-size pieces
• 3 Tbl. flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 2 Tbl. canola oil
• 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
• 2 onions large diced
• 3 carrots peeled and sliced
• 2 stalks celery sliced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves only
• 2 potatoes cubed
• 1-2 Tbl. flour
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 4 cups beef broth
• fresh parsley to garnish

Instructions

• Toss beef pieces in flour, salt & pepper. Heat canola oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef pieces in batches and brown on all sides. Remove beef from the pan and reserve. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, reserve with beef.
• Add onion, carrots, and celery, saute until just tender, then add garlic and fresh thyme and cook for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low, dust with flour, stir mixture cooking for 1-2 minutes.
• Add red wine to deglaze, scrapping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes, then gradually add in beef broth one cup at a time, allowing to come to a boil in between each addition. Add bay leaf and return beef to pot, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 1 hour until meat is tender. Add mushrooms and heat through.
• Serve in big bowls, sprinkle with fresh parsley.

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When I made the decision to dedicate Winter Thyme to Spice Exploration I began by playing with my spices….literally.  I transformed them into a Winter Thyme ‘Wind.’  Touching each one, taking in their individual aromas, admiring their earth tone colors, and seeing how beautiful they looked together.  As I stated in my Winter Thyme post, my goal for this season is to explore spices and share what I learn through new recipes.  Where they’ve taken me thus far is on an International journey.  So while my intention is to become familiar with spices, I’m kind of digging the new recipes and flavors along the way.  That’s my not so smooth segue into last night’s dinner and this post for Crispy Orange Beef & Broccoli.

While perusing my favorite sites for a recipe to incorporate the broccoli that was ‘on sale’ in our fridge aka must be eaten today, I found this recipe on From Away.  Their description was captivating and all but the steak was already in our fridge/pantry.  Bingo, we shall have Crispy Orange Beef & Broccoli.

Here are some shots of Winter Thyme ‘Wind’ in the making and breaking down.

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