I made these awesome peach muffins that no one is terribly excited about, including myself.  I'll get the recipe off to you all ASAP but for tonight I just didn't have the heart to type it all out because I was so underwhelmed with it.  I didn't have a whole lot of peaches and should have used more.  The fact that I'm not so into the muffins isn't really saying much though because I'm still not really feeling cake or sweets at all... except for ice cream.  For some reason, ice cream is the only sweet that I'm really into... sometimes.  Occasionally, I might enjoy two bites of a wunderbar chocolate bar.  Two bites and I'm done.  D isn't really into baked sweets at all and if he eats them it's for an occasion and then it's over.  Muffins or cookies everyday.  Nah.  Ice cream... now he could do ice cream everyday.  Kid #1 has assured me that the muffins get considerably better by day 2.
I had this whole awesome tabs bar full of articles and crap that you all would have been totally blown away by checking out.  Somehow, it had all magically disappeared after Kid #2 enjoyed some computer time.  That's funny.  I could go and look it all up again but some of it was from a long time ago (because I haven't been the most organized about getting them posted in a timely matter) so I just kind of gave up and had a beer.
I sent a work email to about 5 people this week.  I realised the next day that I referred to one of the addressee's by the wrong name for the entire email.  That's a little bit funny and mostly just embarrassing.  Fortunately, embarrassment has never phased me much.  You giggle a little and then apologize for being an idiot and then move on.
I hope that you never have to experience just how difficult it can be to focus on something that you really really need to accomplish - something that isn't stupid - when someone is watching continuous episodes of 'Community' on Netflix.  I'm not a huge tv fan at the best of times (although 'The Newsroom' has been trending in my house lately), reality tv makes me wish I'd never left the comfort of my mother, sitcom's are wayyyyyy too inconsistent, I can't even tell you just how bored I am with American crime shows right now.  Community can be loud and even turning it down low doesn't drown it out enough to help me focus.  Maybe it's my trouble focussing.  Oh god.
I'm hoping that these anecdotes serve to illustrate to you all just what kind of week it's been.  A little blah and maybe even disappointing.  A little frustrating with a twinge of exasperating.  A large dose of embarrassment and some forehead slapping head shaking.


All of that changed when I made this eggplant recipe.


It might not be too far off the mark to wonder if collective nirvana could be achieved by the ingestion of this eggplant.  There are probably some who would argue that world peace is within reach should this dish be ingested.  Well, at least peace in the middle east.  This dish raises simplicity to an art form.  Given my own issues with simplicity, it was everything I could do to hold my arms down sometimes.  I wanted to add more ingredients.  Different veggies.  Add more flavour to the sauce.  Nope.  I resisted.  Mostly because of focus issues.
You will need a little patience getting through the eggplant but the patience will pay off and you will wish that I had told you about this weeks ago.


Spicy Asian Eggplant adapted from Step by Step
makes about 3 cups, serves 4

2 small or 1 lg eggplant, cut into 1 inch thick strips 3 - 4 inches long
4 shallots or 1 onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic, crushed
1 1/2 tsp salt
pinch pepper
4 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 heaping tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1 heaping tsp brown sugar
1 heaping tsp corn starch
dash of pepper sauce (sriracha would be great here)

coriander or flat parsley leaves to garnish

Heat a wok to med/hot.  Once heated turn down just a little.  Add a few tbsp's of oil and add the eggplant in about two batches.  Cook each batch of eggplant until it's softened and browned (you may find that you need more oil).  Remove each batch, set aside and add the next batch.
Once the eggplant is done, add a little more oil to the wok and turn down the heat just a little more.
Add in the shallots or onion and cook until softened and golden (anywhere from 5 - 7 minutes).
Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, corn starch and pepper sauce together.  Whisk until combined.  Set aside.
Add the garlic and stir briefly - should be just browning and beginning to smell.
Turn the heat down to low and add back in the eggplant.  Stir to mix.
Add the soy sauce mixture and stir to coat.
Turn the heat off and check the taste.  Adjust if necessary.
Sprinkle some coarsely chopped coriander or flat parsley leaves on top.
Serve

The first week of the next 10 months is squarely behind us all.  Thank Jeebus.  It felt like the starting gun went off and the race is on.  It won't stop now until June 2014.  Long race.  I went to the staff social on Friday after work.  This is newsworthy because I never go.  Nobody noticed because we were all too shell shocked to really converse with each other in any meaningful way.  No amount of alcohol could help us.
Kid #2 has added to his PTSD-inducing-non-stop-talking by way of making movies on my phone.  He sets up the phone on the couch so that it's at precisely the right angle to catch his moves (talking non-stop) and then records himself acting out some sword fight from something or other.  Full sound effects and stage worthy bow at the end.  Who says violent video games don't do damage.  He's done about 12 movies so far.  The only thing that changes is the lighting (afternoon into evening).  I have already deleted 6.
Kid #1 is happily walking into 'teen land' having started at a new school (an arts school which she had to audition for and we're very proud of her for getting accepted into).  We've been inundated with stories of new friends, new teachers (all of whom are epic apparently) and how today's dance class was... oh yeah, and can I take clarinet lessons (god... NO)
Huffington Post classified this piece as 'Weird News' but I don't think that there is anything weird about it.  In fact, I was thankful for the information and appreciated the commitment to education that the artist displays.  Be warned: There is audio that kicks in automatically (which I can't stand Huffington Post... Please make it my choice, Thank You) so if your kids aren't comfortable with the word 'clitoris' then think about volume.


First pay cheque day is not until the middle of the month which means we are still scrounging around and making whatever we can find in cupboards and the freezer.  Beans are my friend.  Orzo is cheap but looks classy.  Fortunately, being the end of summer means that vegetables are plentiful.  Also, fortunate that I haven't used everything in the freezer from last year.  I think that the very last thing will be soup with last years frozen green beans and broccoli along with whatever is dying in the crisper.  I would guess that this dish comes in at well under 10$ in total but don't quote me on that.  If it's not under 10$ then it's awfully damn close which is saying something when it makes that much food.


Corn, Zucchini and Tomato Orzo adapted from Eat to Thrive
serves 6-8

1 generous cup orzo, uncooked
1/2 cup onion
1 med/lg zucchini, thinly sliced
3 cups cremini or button mushroom, stems removed and quartered
1 cup corn kernels
1 can (about 400 ml) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups diced tomato (keep the juice)
3/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tsp honey
2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Bring about 3 cups of water to a boil.  Add salt and then the orzo.  Cook until al dente (about 8 minutes).  Drain - reserving some liquid - and set aside.
Heat a heavy bottomed dutch oven or large pot over med heat.  Add about 2 tbsp oil.
Add the onion and the zucchini.  Cook for about 6 or 7 minutes, stirring regularly.
Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes - turn down the heat a bit if you need to.
Add in the corn kernels and drained black beans.  Mix well
Add the tomato with the juice, vegetable broth, honey, salt, chili powder, cumin, chipotle powder and cardamom.  Mix and simmer at med/low heat for a few minutes.
Turn the heat down to low and add in the cooked orzo - add a little bit of the pasta water - and mix well.
Add the cheddar cheese and mix.  Remove from heat, cover and allow the cheese to melt for about 5 minutes.
Serve.

The starting gun has gone off and the race has begun.  Everything back to normal - at least, what that normal is for ten months of the year.  I know that there are a lot of mixed emotions for people at this time of year and it doesn't necessarily mean that you and/or a dependant are heading back to work or school.  I'll be honest with you, I'm usually at the bitchy, grouchy, having-bed-head end of the spectrum.  Things are changing though.  I am making a conscious choice this September to grit my teeth and be okay with it all.
Think of everything that we no longer have to think about.
Routine:  We no longer have to decide when to get up (or not) and when to go to bed (or not) and when to eat (or not).  The worry of it all has been taken off of our hands.
Bills:  For those of us on a ten month contract, by the time we get to the end of August we are frantically calling banks and credit companies deferring payments and scraping change out of the kids piggy banks to buy milk.  We look longingly through the window of the dollar store and wonder what it might be like to have disposable cash to spend in said shop.  Canned beans become our best friend and we figure that things like meat and toilet paper can wait.  For us, as of today that knot in your stomach can disappear (well maybe after the first paycheque).
Penmanship classes:  All of those cheques we are writing for school uniforms, karate, piano lessons - Yes, those cheques mean that we no longer have to be concerned with our failing penmanship.  After a week or so our writing is back in top form.
Keeping track of time:  You know how in the summer we so easily forget important dates - birthdays, anniversaries, etc.  We don't even know what holiday you are celebrating because every day feels like a holiday.  Maybe we've slept through two days.  Once September hits that's all behind us.  We live by your calendar.  In fact, we may have to have your calendar on our person at all times.  No worries about forgetting our own birthday... or sleeping through it.
Cream:  We no longer have to wonder about whether we have enough cream for our morning coffee because we no longer have our morning coffee at home.  We have our morning coffee once we get to work or maybe in the quiet, bliss of our very own car on the way to the job or school that we love.

No more worries about which flowers make you sneeze.

Overeating: (Not that this was a worry for anyone of us in the 'Bills' category) The summer is time for sweet indulgence.  When we are not sleeping or drooling on the couch, we are usually eating.  There is so much ice cream and watermelon, BBQ'd burgers and kebabs, pasta salads and grilled eggplant.  How is anyone supposed to stop?  And there is nothing but time.  Time to eat.  That worry is now long behind us.  Things will stop growing soon and it doesn't matter anyway because we don't have time to stop and eat.  Most days it's 1:44 in the afternoon before I remember to eat and then I'm in the middle of a class or a meeting or a client call.  We swallow some hummus at 3:50 and two leaves of lettuce (not in season) at 6:45.  That's called a diet people.


So, as you can see, I have decided to make a 180° turn and become an optimist.  I'm pretty sure that this  optimism is gonna last too.
In the spirit of optimism and less to worry about, I give you banana cake which is totally healthy because it's got all this brown flour that's going to make you happy and believe in the existence of unicorns.


Red Fife and Buckwheat flour Banana Cake adapted from Attune Foods and A Sweet Spoonful
makes 1 9x9 cake

1 cup Red Fife flour
1 cup less 2 tbsp Buckwheat flour
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 eggs
1 cup (about 3 med bananas) ripe, mashed banana
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/4 cup milk mixed with 1/4 cup plain yogurt)
1/2 cup granola, muesli or oats
icing sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350°F
Butter and flour a 9x9 baking dish.
Combine all of the flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cardamom together.  Mix well and set aside.
Whisk together the sugar and butter until fluffy.  Add the eggs and continue to whisk until completely incorporated.  Add the ripe banana and mix well.  Add the vanilla and mix.
Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture.  Mix until the flour is completely incorporated with no lumps.
Add the buttermilk and continue to whisk until completely mixed.
Add the granola and mix.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 35 minutes, turning the pan half way through.  The edges of the cake should be pulling away from the edges and a cake tester should come out clean.
Cool for about 10 minutes and remove the cake from the pan and cool on a cooling rack.
Sprinkle with icing sugar once cooled.

I have learned a lot this summer.
I have learned that 7 yr olds talk a lot.  A hell of a lot.  I'd forgotten how much they talk.  Twelve year olds talk a lot too but it's mostly about things that make sense so it feels more interactive and less like I'm getting hit over the head with words.
I have learned that both Kid #1 and #2 quite possibly get their 'gift of gab' from me because I have a tendency to talk a lot at inopportune times... like when someone next to me is trying to sleep.
I have learned that there is a way for my bike to get pimped so that I can have two fenders: a front and a back.  This knowledge will not only save me about $700 (I don't need to buy a new bike this year) it has also changed my life.
I have learned that chocolate does not own me and I don't own it.  We can coexist happily and I can eat it if and when I feel like it and it can sit in my cupboard and neither of us are the lesser for it.  In fact, I have learned that my sweet tooth isn't a constant.  This has made for a cooler summer (very little oven activity) and less money for Lindt.  I don't think they're feeling it though.
I have learned that sometimes a vacation with two kids doesn't actually feel like a vacation and that maybe it's worth having them bring a friend next time.  This is problematic because we don't have room  in our car for two friends unless one can fit into a trunk.


I could go on but I will spare you the mind blowing details.  Needless to say, all of this learning has left me feeling a little empty on the inside.  A couple of days ago I was so embedded in the couch (which is a new couch so it makes sense) that it took me ten minutes to talk myself into getting up to eat something.  I didn't even want to think - it took effort.  How does one make food in such a state.  Can one cook from the couch (food is off limits on my couch BTW... in fact, it's not even allowed within a foot of the couch).  It began to get critical by about day 4 of toast.  Finally what I did was wrench myself from the loving arms of the couch, take a look at what we had left in the fridge or hanging around it and then did a google search for those items.  This is what I came up with.

Please note the wrinkling, shrivelling tomato

I would say that the potatoes and zucchini are essential here but everything else is up for grabs.  You could add or subtract at will.  I almost added corn because it's in my freezer but decided to save it for soup later because I'll need to go through this process again in about 36 hrs.


Summer Vegetable Gratin Mess adapted from Yum and More
serves 4 as a main course

4 med/sm potatoes, thinly sliced (peeled optional)
1 med/lg zucchini, thinly sliced
1 med tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (1 sm) onion, diced
3 small cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 lbs (about 3 - 4) sausage (mild italian or honey garlic are nice) casings removed [sausages are optional]
1 cup cheese (gruyere, aged cheddar), shredded
1 1/2 cups cream or half and half
3/4 goat cheese or cream cheese (I used goat cheese which has more tang and less sweet)
1 tsp dijon
1 tsp pepper sauce (optional)
1/2 cup wine (optional - use more cream or veg stock)
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp herb mix (dash each of basil, oregano, thyme)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
drizzle of honey

Preheat oven to 375°F
Butter or grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.
Heat a heavy bottomed pan or sauté dish over med heat.  Add the sausage and the onion together (if not using sausage then add a little oil to the pan first).  Cook together over medium heat until the onion is beginning to soften and the meat is just beginning to brown.  Add the crushed garlic and continue to cook over medium heat for about a minute.  Add the wine and pepper sauce (if using) and cook down until the mixture is almost dry (about 8 minutes over med/low heat).  Drain off excess fat and set aside.

Whisk together the cream, goat cheese and dijon until the cheese has mixed into the cream.  Set aside.


Begin to lay slices of the potato and zucchini alternately and overlapping in rows on the baking sheet.  Intersperse with a slice of tomato every once in a while.  Once the veggies have been placed on the baking dish then sprinkle the veggies with the salt, the herb mix and the nutmeg.  Drizzle with a tbsp or so of honey over everything.  Sprinkle the sausage mixture over the veggies and cheese mixture.  Pour the cream mixture over everything.
Cover with foil and bake for about 50 minutes.
Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.  Bake for another 15 - 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and brown.
Cool for about 10 - 15 minutes before serving.

I'm not sure if you would have picked it up from my last post but I've been away in Vermont.
We stayed at this wonderful spot, owned by some wonderful people.  Doing crazy things like:
Sitting on a porch drinking beer and reading
Hiking
Eating campfire food and chips... pretty much nothing else
Driving through mountains
Finding chocolate and purchasing ice cream scoops for friends
... and yoga

It seems odd to me that yoga and campfire hotdogs went so well together but, what can I say, they did.
I will also be forthright in admitting that I now need a vacation from my kids.  Admittedly, they were pretty easy going since we did no cooking other than hotdogs, hamburgers and seriously burnt chicken. They were so busy eating 'real' peanut butter (aka. the junk kind that we never buy) and fruit loop/sugar puff/tiny box cereal (that we also never buy) that they really didn't care about much else.

Prohibition Pig in Waterbury VT is a place you must visit if you're into good beer and house smoked meat.

We did provide them with a couple of restaurant meals and of course the requisite Ben and Jerry's visit.
Since this is our last week of summer, here are some things that I wish for you during your last few days of freedom (?)

Shameless Selfie - B&J ice cream in hand

Have you ever had this happen to you...
1.  You've just made something that you are mildly happy with,  like fish tacos or beef stroganoff or anything involving eggplant,  and within a few hours you happen across the perfect recipe for the exact thing that you just made.  I hate it when that happens.
What about this one?
2.  You know that your bike light is always attached to your backpack so you don't have to make sure it's there ahead of time.  You're ready to leave because if you don't go now you're gonna be late and low and behold your bike light is not where it should be and ten minutes later you still can't find your bike light... you run around swearing under your breath (maybe) and blaming any and everyone... and then you find it in your pocket... that totally sucks.
3.  And then there's the bathroom thing.  You know - you go just before you leave but because you had tea (or maybe a beer) about 15 minutes before that you have to go again once you're about 10 minutes down the road... frustrating.


Number one happens to me a lot.  I guess that it goes with the territory being a food person and all [can I just say out loud once that I have a problem with the term 'foodie']  That's kinda the bad news.  In my case, I usually find about 4 recipes that are 'PERFECT' and/or 'Make. This. Now. Or. Else.'  and/or 'This will seriously change your life' and inevitably I find them right after I've pulled something relatively mediocre but edible from the oven.  The good news is that this is not one of those recipes.  It's pretty good and I am pretty happy with it.  Except it got a little burnt which sucks because then you can't see the colours as much (burnt food = darkish brown colour).  Fortunately it still tasted good to everyone except Kid #2 who is making me a little Cra-Cra with the veggie thing.  He declared that the vegetables tastes sour and spent 1 1/2 hrs getting through half of his piece.  I stomp.  I fume.  I leave the room to cool off.  I come back and fume some more.  I tell him he'll never get cheesy noodles (our name for that crap that comes in a box) again and that maybe I'll never teach him how to bike on a two-wheeler.  I stomp some more.  He's gagged his way through two bites.  I mentally run through my list of reasons why my parenting is a failure.  I refrain from crying.  He gags through another piece or maybe two.  We finally go outside to continue learning to bike on a two-wheeler because the cheesy noodle ban I can live but the two-wheeler biking ban was always just a desperate and manipulative lie (add another thing to my 'Parent Failure' list).  We sit down at the end of the day and talk about how important eating good food is and how we want him to grow up big, strong and smart and he claims that he understands and promises to try harder.


Kid #1 ate her piece quietly and washed the dishes (apparently I was a successful parent with one of them)


Right now I'm in Vermont, on vacation.  Sitting outside in the middle of a sunny, beautiful afternoon hearing nothing but wind blowing through trees and a cold beer beside me, I feel like I'm an ok parent and can laugh (weakly) about the incident.  None of this changes the fact that this recipe is in fact a slightly-better-than-nice way to deal with the bounty of summer.  If you are so inclined, serve each piece with a drizzle of good olive oil and some torn basil.


Grilled Summer Vegetable Crostada adapted from Camilla Styles
serves 6
makes 1 large pie

1 med. eggplant, seme-peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick long slices
2 med/small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch thick long slices
1 lg red pepper, cut into 1 1/2 inch wide strips
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 - 4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
sprinkling of salt
600 g (about a cup) fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/3 cup parmesan, freshly grated

Crust:
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat or red fife flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

*Make the crust the night before or morning of*
For Crust:
Combine the flours, baking powder, salt and cubed butter.  Use a couple of knives or a pastry cutter (or apparently you can throw it all in a food processor - check the original recipe) and cut it all together until it forms a crumbly texture and none of the flour is still dry.  Add enough sour cream or yogurt to allow the mixture to form a ball that stays together easily.
Cover in a left over bag or plastic wrap and chill at least 3 hrs or overnight.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/8th of an inch thickness.
Place on a lined cookie sheet - there should be between 1 1/2 and 2 inches hanging over all of the edges.
For the vegetables:
Place the eggplant, zucchini and peppers in a large bowl.
Add the garlic, olive oil, worcestershire, balsamic vinegar and salt.  Coat the veggies completely and let them marinate for about a half hour.
Heat the grill to about 500°.  Turn the heat on the grill down to about medium.  Place the eggplant and zucchini on the grill and grill each side for about 5 minutes.  Remove from the grill.  Place the red pepper on the grill skin side down.  Grill until the skins are burnt.  Remove the peppers to a bowl (or paper bag) and cover with plastic wrap for a few minutes.  Meanwhile, place the grilled eggplant and zucchini on the prepared pie crust.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Add about half of the sliced mozzarella around the veggies and sprinkle with a little salt and parmesan.
Remove the plastic wrap from the peppers and remove the skin (should just about fall off).  Arrange the peppers around the other veggies.  Add the rest of the mozzarella, another sprinkling of salt and the rest of the parmesan.
Fold the edges of the crust over the veggies.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden and the veggies aren't burnt.
Remove and let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.

I wrote in one of my recent posts about how difficult it was for me to talk about myself.  The immense trust that I need to feel in order to open up and how much easier it is to listen to other people and sympathize, offer advice or just simply listen.  I was struck again this week with it all when I received a request from a website called recipes.ca.
Recipes.ca is a site dedicated to canadians and their recipes.  You can join and add your own recipes, search for others and review the ones you've tried.  I add all of my recipes to the site and have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of it and even having my recipes featured.  Last week they contacted me about being a featured cook, a 'foodstar' in fact.  Being the diva that I am [not], I said 'yes' and 'thank you' and 'flattered' and got handed [read: sent] a list of questions that I had to fill out.  Frozen.  In my tracks.  I am completely and utterly paralyzed.
I read the questions and to be honest they are pretty standard.  But I might want to be funny here and there or think of something super cool or come up with something truly unique... like... what?  What's my favourite kitchen gadget?  What?  I don't know.  My perfect meal?  god, really?  I haven't ever thought about that.  Should the answer be Mother Theresa or something?  I feel like maybe there's a magic answer that I'm missing.
I haven't even started to type out my answers.  I have to send them a message and tell them I'm still working on it.  That I haven't forgotten about them.  Here's the kicker though - after I've typed out all my super awesome, insightful, witty, intelligent answers then I have to submit my favourite recipe.  Like I have a favourite recipe.  My favourite recipe is whatever one I'm making today.  Seriously.  I need to retool that in my brain as my 'go-to' recipe or something.  It's just not going to make sense for me otherwise and then I'll get totally stuck on that too.


This is segueing rather awkwardly to this stroganoff recipe.  In fact, the recipe has nothing to do with any of the recipes.ca stuff except I made it today.  You might know me well enough by now to know that I have a habit of loading veggies where they might not otherwise be.  Hence the addition of beets.  The beets should be golden or chiogga beets unless you want the stroganoff to be a deep red instead of a lovely dark orange colour.  I did not add tomato to this recipe because once I tasted it without the tomato paste I thought it was more than fine without it.  The lemon was essential for me and we all thought that having the stroganoff with crusty garlic bread was a novelty [read: kid #2 pretty much only ate the garlic bread].

The outdoor dinner: complete with towels for placemats (everything else is in the laundry) and stroganoff on the right.  p.s. radishes do, in fact, taste pretty good with cheese and bread

Beef and Beet Stroganoff adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine
serves 4 - 6

1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cups golden beets, ends cut off, peeled where necessary (where little roots are growing) and diced into 1 inch cubes
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lb Beef tips or stewing beef, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
4 cups mushrooms (I used button b/c that's what I had but cremini or wild would work well), thinly sliced
3 tbsp flour or corn starch
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp paprika
3/4 cup beef or vegetable broth (low sodium if possible)
1/4 cup sherry or white wine (optional: you can use extra broth instead)
1/4 cup cream
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
squeeze of lemon juice

2 tbsp fresh dill, coarsely chopped
sour cream for dolloping
Crusty Bread

Heat a heavy bottomed dutch oven over medium heat.  Add about 2 - 3 tbsp of butter or oil.  Add the onion and beets and cook for about 5 minutes.  Turn the heat down to medium low and continue to cook for another 8 minutes or until the beets are just beginning to soften.
Add the garlic and continue to cook for another 3 - 4 minutes.  Add in the beef and mushrooms and continue to cook until the meet browns.
Add in the beef and mushrooms and continue to cook until the meat browns.
Add the flour or corn starch, salt, sugar and paprika and mix well.
Add in about a 1/4 cup broth to the pot to keep things from sticking.  Make sure the scrape the bottom of the pot so that everything that's sticking comes off and the flavour is retained.
Add the sherry, cream and Worcestershire. Stir well and check the taste.  Add the squeeze of lemon juice.  Simmer at very low heat for about 25 minutes or until the beets are completely soft.
Remove to a serving dish and sprinkle with fresh dill.
Dollop each serving with a little sour cream.
Serve with egg noodles or crusty garlic bread.