Quick and easy; that seems to be our food motto these days.  With Church & school functions, work, and sports, making a ham and cheese calzone is just one of the easy recipes I’ve been cooking up lately.    It’s a meal that to grab and go which we frequently do with basketball season in full bloom.  Concession stands have drained me this school year so I try to get most of us full before we ever get to the game. Know what I mean?

I honestly had no plan for the dough when making this so bare with me.  The neat thing about this meal idea, is that you can put anything you want inside the calzone.  I did simple ingredients for us because we are on a budget but you could definitely go all out!  I bought crescent roll dough and ended up mushing it all together and separating into 3 dough balls for 3 calzones.  Hey, it ain’t fancy but it worked!

You’ve seen inspired handbags and clothing but what about gourmet food?  Oh, you better believe it’s out there! In fact, I had THE BEST chef inspired gourmet food line, Beverly Hills Kitchen, today with my family– Beef Bourguignon.  No, this country gal doesn’t have a clue how to pronounce it but that doesn’t matter because it was by far the most flavorful, delicious meal in a bag I HAVE EVER HAD!!!

Yes, I said meal in a bag but before you dismiss, listen up.  I was asked if I wanted to try this out and because I’m game for a meal that’s super easy,  I accepted.  I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting it to taste that good but man did it surprise me.  I can’t even tell you how jam packed with flavor it was.  It tasted like a recipe your grandmother has made for years, from scratch, one that you’ll pass down for generations.  The Beverly Hills Kitchen’s Beef Bourguignon includes prime VERY tender meat, simmered for four hours in a full-bodied red wine sauce with carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, shallots, basil and Dijon mustard…..I can’t even describe it in words.  The spices were just right…it was perfection.

You can buy this at QVC and it comes in 5 8oz packages packed & shipped in dry ice to insure for a cold delivery!  You freeze what you want, eat what you want.  When ready to cook, you simply drop in some boiling water for 10 minutes and viola!  Its done and ready to be served over rice or pasta. We used white rice.  The 5-8oz packages fed our family of 5 with some leftover!

I know that some people cringe at the thought of buying food like this through the mail but I gotta tell ya, it was the best ever and I ain’t lying!  The WHOLE family loved it and we all kept talking about the flavors the rest of the night.  So, if  you can’t make Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon because you don’t have time or you simply don’t have the cooking skills, don’t worry because you make this Beverly Hills Kitchen Beef Bourguignon!!!

SOMETHING FOR YOU!

One box of the Beef Bourguignon 5-8oz packages is up for grabs.

TO ENTER

Leave a comment telling me what chef inspired meal you’d like to see.

Additional ways to enter, leaving each one in a separate comment please.

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• Subscribe to my newsletter or my blog.

Ends on Oct. 20th. Good luck!

Not as healthy as the Beef Rolls but using lean cuts of beef does make a difference.  If you’re not sure on what qualifies as a lean cut of beef, check out the lean beef section at Beef, it’s what’s for dinner.  They have a handy wallet card for download so that you can carry with when you go to pick out your cuts of beef.

I had a few problems with this one and I think it’s just my small town but I was unable to find shiitake mushrooms and blue cheese.  I should have chosen a different recipe but once my man saw it, there was no turning back.  So I substituted portobello mushrooms and mexican crumble cheese for the two.

All three of my guys LOVED it!!  They were drooling as I was making it and kept asking, “when will it be done?”.  I don’t eat mushrooms but the flavor was very good overall.  I was really surprised at how fast making this was.  I really had a good time and was very pleased with the outcome.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 beef round sirloin tip center steaks, cut 1 inch thick (about 8 ounces each)
• 4 slices thick-sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 small shallots, thinly sliced, separated into rings
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
• 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, diced
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS

Cook bacon in nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon to paper towels, reserving 2 to 3 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Set aside.

Meanwhile combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Add shallots; toss to coat. Heat bacon drippings over medium-high heat until hot. Add shallots. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until well browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet with slotted spoon to paper towels. Set aside.

Reduce heat to medium. Season beef steaks evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place steaks in same skillet; cook 14 to 15 minutes for medium rare doneness, turning occasionally. Do not overcook. Remove to serving platter; season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Keep warm.

Add mushrooms and water to skillet. Cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add cream. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until cream is almost absorbed. Stir in cheese and bacon.

Spoon mushroom mixture over steaks. Top with shallots. Sprinkle with parsley

Notes:

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 30 minutes
• Total recipe time: 40 minutes
• Makes 4 servings
• This recipe is an excellent source of protein, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, iron, selenium and zinc.