Goulash

Dinner on Monday was Goulash - I made it like what I've made before but a bit different.

I put a pot of water on to boil and got to prepping the rest of my food.  I had taken a pound of beef out of the freezer earlier in the day, so it was thawing on the counter.






Heat oil in a pan and put 1/2 onion and 4 cloves of garlic in there and saute them for a few minutes.  Add your pound of beef and some salt and pepper and brown your meat.  If it needs to be done, drain your beef of excess fats and oils.





Add paprika, chili seasoning, and tomato paste to the pan.  Stir to mix.

Add diced tomatoes and let come to a simmer.  Add your pasta to the boiling water and let boil for 2 minutes less than the cooking time.  When done being boiled drain the pasta.

Add your pasta to the mixture.  I added some pasta sauce (1/2 jar) to the mix as I had too much pasta and needed more sauce to cover the pasta with.

Let cook for 2-3 minutes, adding parmesan cheese to it at the end if so desired.

Eat!  Its a wonderful meal, rather cheap, and very filling.  TJ and I each got a plate/bowl out of it and TJ has lunch for work tomorrow also. :D

Olive oil, for frying
1/2 Onion, Chopped
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 pound Ground Beef
Salt
Pepper
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 8 oz can Tomato Paste
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
Pasta of your choice, I used Penne Rigate
Pasta sauce, if you have too many noodles

Put a pot on the stove, with water, and start it to boil for the pasta.
Saute onion and garlic, add beef and pepper and salt, brown. Drain if needed.
Add spices and tomato paste to the beef, cook for a few minutes.
Add tomatoes, then stir to combine. Cover, let come to a gentle simmer.
Add pasta to the water. Cook the pasta for two minutes less than it says on the box.
Continue to stir the meat mixture.
Once the pasta is done cooking, drain it and add it to the meat mixture. Stir to combine.
Add some pasta sauce if desired. Let the mixture cook for 3-4 minutes. add Parmesan cheese if desired.

PORK!

So the boyfriend (TJ) had me buy Porkchops the other night...i don't really care for porkchops, but he had me buy two, stick one in the freezer, one in the fridge so i had to find something to do with them!

Internet was down, so i headed to my recipe books (only have a few of them, really) and pulled out "cooking healthy with a man in mind", went to the back, found "pork" and read the recipes.

This one stuck out, so i made it...its only got 4 ingredients, and i only had to spend an additional 55cents to buy the tomato soup...

4 4 ounce pork tenderloins (i had three, so i used them)
1 can health request tomato soup (i used the condensed store brand kind...hey! i'm cheap!)
1 cup chunky salsa (used medium, that was TJ's request)
1 tsp dried parsley flakes (i just shook some over it, it tasted fine)

spray large skillet with cooking spray, or use olive oil like i did, brown meat on both sides. In a bowl, combine other ingredients, stir. Pour over pork, cover, simmer for 20-25 minutes. Place 1 piece of meat on plate, spoon sauce over the top.

Its really really good; i'll do it again sometime :)