Hey everyone!

The rainy season has finally begun in Florida! Summer thunderstorms are a constant here and this year they've started a little early. Rainy weather always makes me want to lay in bed cuddled up with a book and a cup of coffee. Another thing I crave during overcast days is comfort food. I absolutely LOVE comfort food, which to me is anything warm and creamy. Beef stroganoff is one of my favorite comfort foods, and one of my boyfriend's favorites.

Here is a simple beef stroganoff recipe for a rainy day. It is honestly so simple to make and so filling that you will be enjoying stroganoff for days.

Beef Stroganoff
1 1/2 pounds steak
All-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp of garlic
half a diced onion
8 ounces of fresh mushrooms
1 10 oz can of beef broth
1 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
noodles
salt
pepper

To cook:

Cut the steak into thin strips or cubes (whatever you prefer). Add the olive oil to a pan with the garlic on medium heat. Add the steak and a pinch of flour to the pan and cook the steak until it is browned. Remove the steak from the pan and and the mushrooms and onion.


Sauté the mushrooms for several minutes and then add the cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, and steak back into the pan.


Add another pinch of flour, salt and pepper to season. Mix and cook covered for 30 minutes. Meanwhile boil water to cook the noodles in and cook your favorite noodles.



After 30 minutes stir in the sour cream and serve over the noodles. Enjoy!! 

It's the start of a new week!

But, last weekend so much happened that I just have to tell you about it. I'm going to start with this delicious recipe for the most moist original Philadelphia cheesecake. It isn't healthy one bit, but it is delicious. One day I may come back with a twist to make it more healthy. But for now, I feel like dessert should be what it is, a sweet treat to occasionally indulge in and enjoy. So here is the recipe!

Ingredients:
4 8 oz packages of cream cheese
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp of sugar
1/3 cup of melted butter

It is the easiest recipe and it's actually the same recipe from Kraft! You can find it here. My mom has been making it for years and just passed it down to me. Now that I enjoy cooking and baking whenever my family is together I always make the desserts, so I made this cheesecake for Easter weekend.

Here is how to make it:

Heat the oven to 325 F and DON'T FORGET, THIS NEXT STEP is the most important part, to put a glass pan on the second rack in the oven filled halfway with water. This is the trick to making a moist cheesecake. Dry cheesecake is probably the worst thing in the world and if you do this ONE STEP you will have a delicious cheesecake. Okay back to the cooking part. Combine the graham crackers, 3 tbsp of sugar, and butter in a 9-inch springform pan. Use a spoon to push onto the bottom to create the crust. Let the cream cheese reach room temperature and then beat with 1 cup of sugar and vanilla until blended. Add the eggs one at a time mixing on low until blended. Add to the crust and bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until the middle is set. Cool before removing the rim of the pan and then refrigerate for at least several hours before serving.



Another way to make your cheesecake the best ever is to serve it with various berries. I used strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries to give my cheesecake an extra texture and tang. 

We went to church on Sunday and ate it after lunch! My mom made us mac'n'cheese, ham, and green beans for lunch which was amazing. She's such a good cook and I hope I can be as seamless as her one day.



In track news I ran the 3k steeplechase this weekend at the UF relays and I ran a 20 second pr! I ran 11:03 and my previous pr was 11:22. It was a big deal for me because I feel like I crossed a barrier that had been in front of me for the past two years. It's such a good feeling seeing your hard work pay off.



I haven't pr'd for two years in this race, and it's my favorite race. My advice to you guys is to just keep pushing. Your work and effort will eventually pay off. It took me two years to get it but I still did get it! I'm praying that the momentum can continue and I will pr again. Only time will tell but I'll be sure to tell you guys about it.

I can't wait for all that this week holds! I hope you guys have an amazing week, keep working hard and enjoy some dessert too!