The Dinner That Sealed the Deal

Ok, Valentine's Day has come and gone, but here is a little piece of our love story. (Don't worry, it is brief and definitely G rated.)

Back when Dave and I first started dating, he lived in Washington DC and I lived in Philly. Every weekend one of us would make the trek up or down the I-95 corridor to see each other. When I went down to DC our weekends often involved going out with friends on the Hill and then recovering from going out with friends. (We were a lot younger then.) And though we ate our fair share of wings, mozzarella sticks and burgers at our favorite haunts, Dave would, on occasion, cook for me which was no small feat in his tiny apartment on Capitol Hill that was not exactly equipped for culinary acts much beyond frying eggs. I suspect he was trying to impress me with his domestic skills and demonstrate that he was a man of substance and maturity. All of this was just icing on the cake as far as I was concerned. He "had me at hello," so to speak.

One of the first things Dave ever made for me was the hamburger stroganoff that he learned to cook from his mom. I have a strong suspicion that this recipe was originally from the back of a Campbell's soup can.  (Alice - If you are reading, please let us know for sure.) It is the best kind of comfort food. Rich, creamy, easy to make, and thoroughly satisfying.

Dave made this for us on Saturday night and when Kara asked him what he was cooking, he told her that this was the first meal he ever cooked mommy. And he was pretty sure it sealed the deal.

Here's the recipe from Dave:

• Chop one medium to large onion
• Slice about 10 or so good sized mushrooms
• Finely chop 4 or so cloves of garlic
• Saute the onion, mushrooms and garlic in olive oil until the mushrooms are tender and the onions are getting translucent
• Put onions and mushrooms aside
• Brown one pound of ground beef in the same skillet
• Once the beef is browned add back in the mushrooms and onions
• Mix in 8 ounces of sour cream
• Mix in one can of cream of mushroom soup
• simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.
• Serve over your favorite kind of egg noodles

By the way, Dave wanted me to title this post "Sick Food 2: Electric Boogaloo," but I decided to go the romantic route instead.

After many many attempts, we are convinced that it is impossible to take a photo of this dish that looks appetizing. Trust me - this tastes fabulous. It just looks kinda gross.