A Little More Time...and Phyllo Stuffed Stripped Beef w/Baby Bellas & Gorgonzola

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, 

for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire:  

it is the time for home."  

~Edith Sitwell

The tree is down.

P90X is rockin' my world.

Spring cleaning has begun.

But dare I say that I'm still not ready for Spring??

I simply need more time...

More time for boots and cute scarves and hats! 

Maybe another snowfall or two? 

A little more cocoa?? 

A few more bowls of hot comforting soup?? 

A smidgen more snuggling on the couch with blankets and a good book while the chill still hangs in the air?? 

This past week I had been rummaging through the pantry and freezer 

trying to use up ingredients before I made my monthly pilgrimage to Trader Joe's.

Was hoping I could dream up something we've never had before with limited stock.

Success.

And I must say, some of the best meals are born that way.

Behold, I give you phyllo pastry stuffed with stripped beef, 

baby bella mushroom & gorgonzola

served with a side of creamy spinach & bacon fingerling potatoes

 and some steamed carrots drizzling with honey and a dash of nutmeg

The strip beef was frozen and left over from a delicious roast I made two weeks prior, one that had been simmering in a crock pot 

with Argentinian Malbec, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, cracked pepper,

potatoes, onions, carrots and mushrooms. 

After that wonderful meal, I shredded the roast, saved some 

for stripped beef tacos the next day, and froze the rest.

 

Imagine my delight when I discovered it hiding in the back of my freezer!

This meal will definitely warm your belly while it's still nippy outside,

but don't worry ya'll, by March I'll be ripe 'n' ready 

for fresh blossoms and new beginnings :)

"The color of springtime is in the flowers, 

the color of winter is in the imagination."  

~Terri Guillemets

Phyllo Stuffed Stripped Beef with Baby Bellas & Gorgonzola

Here's what you need:

12 sheets of phyllo dough

10 oz. of cooked shredded roast

3-4 oz. gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

3-4 oz. of baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

tbsp of butter, tbsp of olive oil

1/2 cup wine

sea salt to taste

to brush phyllo dough i melted appx 6 tbsp of butter in a bowl 

and made an egg wash with 1 egg and some water in another bowl

Here's how you make it:

preheat oven to 350 degrees

sautee sliced baby bella mushrooms with garlic, butter & olive oil

salt to taste

add wine, cook down

add cooked meat, stir, cook for 1 minute

remove from heat.

spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray

lay 2 sheets of phyllo dough down, brush butter over the entire sheet to moisten

add 2 more sheets of phyllo, brush more butter to cover entirely, then add 2 more sheets of phyllo

brush with more butter to cover sheets entirely

add meat & mushroom filling in to cover sheets entirely

cover evenly with gorgonzola cheese crumbles

then add your last 6 sheets of phyllo in sets of 2, followed by brushing butter over entire sheets

when final layers of phyllo are on and butter is brushed evenly, then add one layer of egg wash over entire sheet

preslice before putting into oven for easy slices

place uncovered in oven and bake for 30 minutes

serve immediately

Creamy Spinach & Bacon Fingerling Potatoes

Here's what you need:

2-3 tbsp of olive oil

12 oz. of fingerling potatoes, sliced long, and then in half

1/2 yellow onion (I used a maui sweet onion)

1 clove of garlic, minced

6 oz. bacon, cooked & chopped

6 oz. frozen spinach (I didn't have any fresh spinach on hand, but of course would be perfect)

4 oz. cream cheese, softened & cubed

1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded

sea salt & freshly cracked pepper to taste

Here's how you make it:

over medium heat

cook garlic in olive oil, about 20 seconds

add onions, cook down about 3-5 minutes

add potatoes, stir well, add salt & pepper

cover, cook until potatoes are soft and can be pierced with a fork

stirring every so often

add spinach, stir

add cream cheese, incorporate well

add cheddar, incoporate well

cook about 2 minutes

add bacon, remove from heat

serve hot

Deeeeee-lish.

*note to self: wait to photograph steamed carrots until AFTER they have been appropriately drizzled with honey and dashed with nutmeg. That is all.

Keep Shining Sweet Bellas!