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Dinner’s Ready: Ashley & Rick Cauley’s Beef Stroganoff

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Dinner's-Ready----MBP-jan25

The holiday rush has ended, but winter is still here for a little while longer. This month’s Dinner’s Ready recipe is quick and hearty and the perfect addition to squeeze into any busy after-school evenings.

Ashley Cauley and her husband, Rick, understand busy weeknights better than most. The couple has been married for 19 years. They met at Murphy High School in 2004 while he was teaching and she was student teaching.

Fast forward to now, and this is Ashley’s 18th year working for Mobile County School Systems. She has been the coordinator for the International Baccalaureate program at Davidson High School for the last five years. Rick retired from teaching after 25 years but currently still works part-time at Davidson High School and as an assistant football coach at St. Paul’s Episcopal School. It’s safe to say these two are life-long educators.

Together, they have three daughters — Isabel, who is in tenth grade; Alivia, who is in seventh grade; and Elaina, who is in third grade. All of the girls are very busy with different extracurricular activities.

“Family dinners are special for us because they don’t happen very often, mainly because of our schedules,” shared Ashley. “Watching our daughters find their passion brings us the most joy in this season! As busy as we are, it’s so fulfilling to watch our girls do things that they love.”

The family worked towards having more family dinners at home by adding a pressure cooker to their kitchen appliances arsenal.

“A few years ago, Rick bought a Ninja Foodi on a whim because he wanted a way for us to cook dinners quickly on weeknights,” Ashley said, indicating it has been one of the best decisions. “Our pressure cooker definitely makes it less tempting to grab takeout. It’s so easy to use and cuts down on cook time and clean up, making us more inclined to want to cook after being at work all day.”

The Cauley’s decided to share this specific recipe because it was the first one Rick ever made using the new gadget.

“For the entirety of our marriage, it’s been a joke that when I go out of town, he makes Hamburger Helper because he knows I don’t like it,” shared Ashley light-heartedly. “So, on this occasion, I had been out of town and arrived home right as he was serving dinner. He made this Beef Stroganoff for the first time in the Ninja Foodi but told me it was Hamburger Helper. I almost didn’t eat it, but when I did, it was delicious! He had me convinced for a few minutes that it was actually Hamburger Helper before he eventually confessed. It’s been a staple recipe in our family since then.”

This Beef Stroganoff is a meal all by itself but can also be served with side dishes when needed.

“Depending on our mood or what’s on hand, we will serve this with a salad or a vegetable, like green beans or peas,” Ashley said. “And for the adults, we serve it with wine.”

Weeknights might look a little hectic for the Cauleys, but on the weekends, the family really enjoys spending time together hiking at Blakeley State Park and hosting friends and family pool parties when it’s warm. They also look forward to grilling and playing a friendly yet competitive game of Uno.

Beef Stroganoff Prepared in a Ninja Foodi (or pressure cooker)

Ingredients:

  • 2.5 lbs stew meat
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1.5 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 32 oz beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons Better Than Beef bouillon
  • 2 packets mushroom gravy
  • 12 oz bag Extra Broad egg noodles; uncooked
  • 8 oz sour cream

Directions:

  1. Brown stew meat in butter and garlic. Season with salt and pepper (or any steak
    seasoning you have; we use Devil’s Ashes).
  2. Add beef broth and bouillon.
  3. Put ingredients into the pressure cooker for 10 minutes, then fast release.
  4. Add mushroom gravy and stir until completely mixed. Add the uncooked egg noodles and stir until combined.
  5. Pressure cook for 4 additional minutes, then fast release.
  6. Stir in sour cream.
  7. Serve immediately!
Gabriele Jones
Author: Gabriele Jones

Gabriele has been married to her husband Daniel for 16 years. Together they have three incredible children - two boys, ages 15 and eight, and a sweet girl who joined the family last summer. She is a full time Pink Cadillac Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics. When she isn’t spending time with family or building her business, she supports her husband who is the Lead Pastor and Planter of Forward Church in Foley.

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Gabriele has been married to her husband Daniel for 16 years. Together they have three incredible children - two boys, ages 15 and eight, and a sweet girl who joined the family last summer. She is a full time Pink Cadillac Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics. When she isn’t spending time with family or building her business, she supports her husband who is the Lead Pastor and Planter of Forward Church in Foley.
Mobile Bay Parents
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