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Our Halloween Costume Ideas from the Past

October 30, 2010 By Laura 4 Comments

I don’t plan on having a big post on our Halloween/Hallowtide this year.  But last night I got to thinking about some of our past Halloween costume ideas we’ve come up with, and I went digging through photos. Putting together costumes, is a creative process of sorts, so we thought this section of the blog was a good place for this.

There is SO much I could share with you from our pre-blogging days, because I have always taken lots of photos.  But I haven’t always shot digital.  The scanning of old photos, and cleaning up dust particles, etc, is not a process I enjoy. At all.  But if I’m inspired enough to share with you some old stuff, I guess I will do it.  As I just did!

I thought it would be fun, to share with you some of {A}’s Halloween costume photos from when she was little, as well as the triplet’s second Halloween, but first in costume.  Naturally, we think they are all so cute.  But then, they are all our kids. Maybe we’re bias. But something tells us you might get a chuckle or 2 as well, looking at these.  Or we might at least get a smile out of you, and that’s good enough for us too.

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{A} in 1998, as a clown.   She was 1 year old.    I have to laugh at the ‘very best first walking shoes’ she has on.   No, we didn’t do that too, for babies 2, 3 and 4.  Turns out they are all walking and running just fine!
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In 1999, as a genie, and 2 years old.   Is she not the cutest thing?  My sister-in -aw made the costume for us.  I helped cut fabric and stuff though.  And I also made the bottle.  I have to admit, I’m not into allowing my girls to jaunt around with bare midriffs anymore.  But I wouldn’t give up this photo of her at 2 year old, in this costume, for anything.  What a doll she was.
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kid-pediatrician
In 2000 at 3 years old, she was her own pediatrician, at the time. lol.  We have had a new pedi now since I was pregnant with the triplets, and the former one is no longer practicing, that I know of.  But she was beyond ecstatic to learn that {A} was her, for Halloween that year.  She (the pedi) showed everyone in the office that day, while {A} waited in her paper gown. lol I think this photo is still hanging in the office there.
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In 2001, as an Indian, at 4 years old.    I really loved this costume.

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But this head shot, is one of my all-time favorite photos of her when she was little.
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baby-farm-animal-costumes-triplets And then we had our little farm animals, in 2003.   lol.  They were 1 year old.  Remember the Tom Armani costumes?  The kids were a riot in them.  We had so much fun this year.  {S}, on the far right, was just on the verge of another hysterical laugh.  He would always, get laughing so hard, he couldn’t compose himself.  He still does that.  He was a happy baby, all of the time, despite all he went through.
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Our big cow.  He was as heavy as one too.
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baby-lamb-costume

Our sweet little lamb.
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Our Billy Goat – always smiling.
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{A} (big sister) was their loving farmer, who tended her little farm animals with such care.
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We just had to show them all off, and trick or treating is always out of the question for us (with {S}’s severe peanut allergy)….so we thought we’d take them to the mall, and just pull them around.  There was Halloween festivities going on there anyway, and it was warm, light, and safe.

And from that idea, our idea grew….

farmer-and-baby-farm-animals-triplets-big-sister We put a little picket fence around our farm animals, in their ‘choo-choo wagon’.   They were the biggest attraction.   People just stopped, and watched us, cracking up.

The funniest thing that night, that still gets us hysterical when we think about it, was that {S}, was the billy goat, and every time we looked back as we pulled him, he was chewing on the fence!!  I was always laughing too hard, to get a photo.

Then we heard there was a costume parade judging contest at the other end of the mall.  So we went down there and pulled them through.  There was a big crowd, and then we had to go by this whole panel of judges at a table. They were all so smitten with our farm.

farmer-and-baby-farm-animals-triplets-big-sister_2 We won 1st Place,  for Most Original Costume!

The judges thought our farm yard was very creative.  The farmer and her little animals had a fun night, and then they went back to the farm and went fast asleep in their barn.

If you have blogged your kids in some of your favorite Halloween /Hallowtide costumes, leave us a link so we can come see them!  If you haven’t, wouldn’t it be a fun post?

Thanks for stopping by.  We hope you enjoyed seeing our kiddo’s costumes from the past, as mush as we enjoy revisiting these wonderful family memories.

Wishing you all a Happy Halloween / Hallowtide!!

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Filed Under: Celebrations, Crafts & Creations, Faith, Faith/ Catholic, FALL Crafts and Creations, Holiday Crafts, Holidays, Seasonal Crafts and Creations, The Big Picture Tagged With: clown-costume, costume-contest-winners, farm-animals-costumes, farmer-costume, genie-costume, Halloween, Halloween-costume-ideas, Halloween-costume-ideas-for-triplets, kids-Halloween-costumes, triplets

Just *Some* Things That Make Me Smile….| In Photos

October 24, 2010 By Laura 4 Comments


smiley Me.

I’m always taking random photos, that I love to have because they made me smile. But they wouldn’t necessarily make a whole post.  So I thought I’d try putting them in bunches sometimes, and doing a post now and then, about some of these little things that make me smile. Then I may happen to throw in a couple of others too, that were not random photos, but do indeed make me smile anyway.

Just a photo-happy little post.

So here are just some things, that make me smile……

birthday-pancake This beautiful pancake my husband and kiddos surprised me with on the morning of my birthday, even though they knew I would never eat it in a million years.  They made it anyway, because ‘number breakfasts’ are a tradition in our home on birthdays, and they can’t let the tradition go, even on my day.  I’m not big on eating much in the morning. That is chocolate frosting they worked with there, by the way. (In the morning?).

This pancake masterpiece sat in the fridge for about…well, the million years.

And then Michael ate it.  Really.

I know.
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0021 ….How happy my kids are, whenever they can spend time with their Papa.

Or maybe it’s, ….how happy my father is, whenever he can spend time with his grandkids.

Basically, it works both ways.

And it all makes me smile, because I love them all, and I love to see them all happy.

Anytime. All of the time.
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003 When I can just watch them play…..

tea-and-rosary-time …..or focus on our faith, together……

rosary-and-tea
….over apple-cinnamon tea, and banana bread.
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kitchen-aid-mixer My Kitchen Aid Mixer.  And it’s Sender. <3  You just had to have known that was coming.

And oh yes…..we’ve used it lots already.  You’ll be seeing!
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How silly my boy gets.  Every day. He’s a clown, for sure.
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0082 My new/used lens. We fit like a hand in a glove, Baby.

Or is it hand and a glove?

Well, you know what I mean.

We belong together.
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My God-Daughter. Ohhhh the smiles she has caused on my face.  Her expressions of love for me have made me cry, 100 times over.  Can you even get over the freckles?  When I see her, I try to kiss every one.
She’s so precious to me.
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homeschooled-siblings Our Autumn family hikes.   The crispness in the air, the crunching of leaves under our feet, appreciating the beauty all around us, that confusing scent in the air (….Old leaves? Or dog poo nearby?….lol)….and just chatting, laughing, and being together, going nowhere in particular.

These are just *some* of the things that make me smile.
I encourage you to ponder the things that make you smile, too. And if you can, take photos of those things! They’ll make you re-smile in later years, when you find them.

Thanks for the visit today, Friends.

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Filed Under: Faith, Faith/ Catholic, Life In General, The Big Picture Tagged With: Autumn-family-hike, birthday-pancake, Catholic faith, Catholic-blogs, Catholic-families, homeschooling, Kitchen Aid Mixer, rosary-and-tea, triplets

An Autumn Decor Peek & a Wicked Little Bit of Halloween.

October 18, 2010 By Laura 4 Comments

We’re sharing our current Autumn decor with you today!  We’re so glad you’re here. Come on in!

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I’ve been taking a couple of photos here and there, of our homestead autumn decor, simply because it is FUN for me, and I know many of you love to see this kind of stuff.  So, I’m sharing, just as I did last year.  It’s just a small collection of shots, and most all of the decor I’ve done is indoors.  Not much has been done with the outdoors at this point in time, although we did rip out all of the tomato plants and cosmos. It seems we still have some jalapeno and bell peppers growing though, so we’ve left those for the time being.  Marigold plants remain for now as well, adding some color to the near empty gardens now.  The strawberry beds need to be ‘put to bed’ before the first frost!  Which feels like it may be soon!  It’s gotten pretty chilly around here. Especially at night!  We’ve even built a fire or 2 in our wood stove, and it’s given us that nice cozy atmosphere we love through the cold season.


autumn-home-decor
But one thing I do have outdoors,  is this new flag that I picked up for next to nothing.  It was one of maybe 50 designs, and apparently the last one.  It was the one and only I wanted. I made the staff of the store go through quite a bit to get this display one down for me. I really wanted it!  And I got it. And it makes me smile every day.
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autumn-wreath-home-decor-1
I made this wreath, but don’t be too impressed.  It was already vine like, and I made it into a circle, and hung it.

Come on in and take a little look around, to see a few other seasonal touches around the homestead.

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Some faux fall flowers, dropped into an antique milk jug.
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autumn-home-decor-4
Our wall table, and some family photos in a big frame, that I just stuck some faux leaves in.   Above on the wall is a new sign I had to have, for the Halloween season.  I got it on sale too.
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halloween-decor-details

It’s so suitable for the Halloween season. But I love it because it’s a slang word I have used all of my life.  I’m originally from western MA, and it’s common language out there.  When I came out to the Boston area to art school, I quickly found the whole world does not actually use the word like I do.  Or at all.  But I still use it.  I cherish it.  I find the word wicked useful.
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halloween-decor-details-1
Great craft and treat ideas in this special Halloween edition magazine of Matthew Mead’s, from last year.
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autumn-home-decor-5
These are the kid’s.  And….these are the kids. LOL  (They know which one is them.) But here they are sticking in the weave of a basket in the kitchen.  Until they grab them again. Come to think of it, I don’t even know if they are still there.  But I’m not going to look now.  I got my photo.
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autumn-home-decor-6
An Autumn ribbon that hangs our Prayer List Chalkboard.  I’ve mentioned that I love the idea of changing out the ribbon on our chalkboards, to go with current season and holiday home decor.
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autumn-home-decor-7
A hedgehog ornament.  Cute, huh? She’s hanging on our season tree (branch).
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autumn-home-decor-8
Apple cinnamon tea, in a beautiful ceramic mug, that seems perfect for Autumn.
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autumn-home-decor-9
It’s been a happy Autumn indeed. May the coming winter be as good to us.

Have you happened to do any autumn decorating at all this year? We’d love to hear a little bit about what you’ve done, no matter how simple.  And, if you’ve taken photos and blogged it, leave us a link! We’ll swing by your place!

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Filed Under: FALL Home Decor, Home Decor, Seasonal Home decor, The Homestead Tagged With: autumn decor, fall, fall-decor-ideas, fall-home-decor, fall-home-decorating, home decor

Boston Museum of Science | Field Trip | Homeschooling

October 12, 2010 By Laura 3 Comments

One of our first field trips of this new homeschool year, was to the Boston Museum of Science!

001_boston_museum_of_science-214x300
{JM, O & S} are at that age now, where I knew they would really benefit from going, on an educational level.
{A}, of course, has been an appropriate age for some time, and she found many areas of interest that she enjoyed learning more about.

We left home early in the morning.  I have to add, that I had decided I was not going to lug my big camera equipment around…because that was one of the reasons why we got {A} the Canon point and shoot for her birthday, right? But I have to tell you…it was hard!  I felt like I was leaving one of my children behind! I was walking to the car in the drive-way as we left, asking myself…can I really do this?  I made myself leave it home, and I worked on learning how to work this little thing better.  And I’m still working on it. I’m an all manual girl for sure.

Anyway, we were there until late afternoon.  This museum really is a place where you could spend at least2, maybe even 3 days at, to really enjoy it to the fullest, and not miss anything. Thankfully, we live close enough that we’ll be going again soon.  The planetarium here at the Boston Science Museum, is currently under construction until early 2011.  So we’ll be returning to see that when it re-opens. Especially because the little ones are studying Astronomy this year.  But we certainly filled our day taking in all we could, enjoyed every moment expanding our knowledge on a variety of subjects, and having fun while we learned!

boston-museum-of-science-field-trip boston-museum-of-science-field-trip-1

This very large scale grasshopper model displayed the internal parts of the insect, and their function.  It was interesting to see the muscles of their legs, which are quite powerful in relation to their size.  They can jump up to 20 times the length of their own body.

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A real highlight of our trip, was this educational exhibit on electricity.  The scientist was extremely knowledgeable and held our attention for sure.  His ‘science lab’ was intriguing, as he explained a variety of facts.

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We were often advised to protect our ears for certain demonstrations where the electrical currents were very loud.  The kids were getting a little upset with me, because I kept uncovering my ears in order to take photos. But I got a shot with an electrical current like I wanted! Cool, huh?

boston-museum-of-science-field-trip-4

These 2 guys were sure they were stronger than a AA batteries.  But this demonstration proved them wrong. They were sorry they volunteered their manhood strengths, because the magnetic force that was created here, won in the end.

I was talking to my cousin’s middle school boy this past weekend (smart little fella), who took a field trip here when he was in 5th grade.  He mentioned one of the highlights for his class was the electricity demonstration here too.  They saw a couple different demos than we did this day.

The kids very all excited for this space exhibit, since they are currently learning all about astronomy.   So this area in the following photos was very educational for them, and really brought to life so much of what they have been studying.

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Inside the spaceship capsule, watching an educational video about the space shuttle.

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This contraption was something else.  There was so much it did.  Engineering at it’s best.  It was so much fun to watch it work.

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As we looked at it, and watched the intricate and clever functions of it all, I thought to myself, “I can see {JM} building something like this, someday.”

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No sooner did I think that, did he ask me to take his photo in front of it.  He was grinning from ear to ear, and I could see his wheels turning.  I think he was inspired.

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I loved this wall.
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But this was the highlight of the trip, for ME, at the Boston Museum of Science!  When I ever came around the corner, and saw this…..my heart was all a-flutter!….


boston-museum-of-science-field-trip-17 An old school house!  I know they around here and there..like at Sturbridge Village, my cousin reminded me.  I haven’t been there since I was very little, and I don’t remember anything there. (That’s another planned trip for us!).  But I was very excited to be able to see this one, and GO IN!!

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I was smitten, with every nook, cranny, and detail.

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And I couldn’t resist playing teacher!

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Thankfully I even had willing students, to play along and amuse me!!  Their clothing was all wrong, but I didn’t care.

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So was mine.  But I was having fun.  Michael was taking photos of my antics, left and right.  I was glad I had on one on his shirt for this shot….so no one could see my mom jeans.  ; )

Just kidding.


boston-museum-of-science-field-trip-24 {O}, pretending to write.
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boston-museum-of-science-field-trip-25 Check out the desk.  Michael reminded me that we have an old school desk his parents gave him, when they moved from this area some years ago.  I forgot about that!!  I’m going to find it, and maybe bring it upstairs and put it in our school room. : )
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boston-museum-of-science-field-trip-26 THERE’S the pencil sharpener I remember.
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boston-museum-of-science-field-trip-28 I didn’t easily leave the school house area!  As we stepped out and I looked at it from a little ways, I started to have crazy thoughts.  Out loud.  Like…”You know Michael, I bet you could build me one of these fairly easily.”  And to my surprise, he didn’t even chuckle.  He asked me where we would put it.  Huh.  Oh…..I guess I’ll find a spot then!
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boston-museum-of-science-field-trip-29 I loved this display.  It slowly turned.

Behind it was a whole room of taxidermied animals!  As we explained to {JM, O & S} about what taxidermy is, the process, and when and why it is done, they were wide-eyed!!  We couldn’t help but laugh.  I remember being about their age, and trying to wrap my brain around it all, when I learned this little fact of life, too.  They were so cute.

{A} knew about taxidermy, but she said she found seeing the stuffed animals here very interesting anyway, because it gave her an accurate scale of the size of the animals.  For example, we saw a Grizzly Bear and a Black Bear side-by-side, and she was surprised to see how much larger the Black Bear was.  She always assumed Grizzly Bears were the larger.

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It was a great trip, to a really great museum, for all of us.  We look forward to returning there within this school year again, to see the planetarium, and have another day studying the world of science (all of God’s Creation), history, mathematics and social studies.

Have you ever visited the Boston Museum of Science?  If so, what part of your visit did you like best?

Thanks for reading along and following some of our home schooling adventures we chronicle here.  We’re glad you stopped by.

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Filed Under: Elementary Homeschooling, Elementary Homeschooling SCIENCE, Field Trips, Homeschooling, Middle School Homeschooling, Middle School Homeschooling SCIENCE, Science Tagged With: Boston Museum of Science, Boston-area-places-to-visit, Boston-museums, homeschooling, homeschooling-field-trips, museums, Science, science-field-trips

Beef Stroganoff | Recipe

October 7, 2010 By Laura 1 Comment

beef stroganoff over noodles with peas

Beef Stroganoff is a meal we had only made once before, in our married years here, years ago. As I recall, too, it didn’t come out quite as we had hoped. I believe the issue was that the meat came out a little too tough.   So I guess we decided we weren’t good at making that meal, and we didn’t make it again.

That is, until a few weeks. I found myself dreaming of, and really craving, some Beef Stroganoff.  Day, after day, after day.  Finally, I decided I just had to have some, and set out to find a new recipe.   I found one. This is it.  And I can assure you…..we’ll be making this a little more regularly now!  It was DE-LICIOUS, and it sure satisfied my craving. But only for that day, because now we all want it again, a.s.a.p. So count this recipe as tried, true, and definitely approved! (And that counts the kids!)

beef-stroganoff-recipe
Participating Ingredients:

  • 12 ounces boneless beef sirloin steak
  • 1  8-ounce carton dairy sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons instant beef bouillon granules
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 2 cups hot cooked noodles

Directions:

1. If desired, partially freeze beef for easier slicing. Trim fat from meat. Thinly slice meat across the grain into bite-size strips.

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beef-stroganoff-recipe-2 2. In a small bowl stir together sour cream and flour. Stir in water, bouillon granules, and pepper; set aside.

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beef-stroganoff-recipe-1 3.  In a large skillet, melt the butter, and then add 1 glove of minced garlic.
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beef-stroganoff-recipe-3 4. Cook and stir the meat, mushrooms, and onion, in the hot butter with garlic over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, or until desired doneness. Drain off fat.
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beef stroganoff
5. Once the meat is cooked to your satisfaction, along with the mushrooms and onions, stir in the sour cream mixture into skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more.
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*Now interestingly, whenever I have thought of Beef Stroganoff, I’ve always imagined it in my picture-mind, with a dark rich brown gravy.  As you can see, that’s not how it comes out here. And why would it, with the sour cream we’ve added?  Suddenly, I realized that the darker brown gravy I was recalling, was from the Beef Stroganoff hot school lunch menu, that I got in my elementary years.  Now, I have to wonder what that stuff really was.   Hmmm.

beef-stroganoff-recipe-5 6. Serve over noodles.

And have seconds, while you can.

Yes, your peas too!  ; )

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition Facts:

Calories427, Total Fat (g)23, Saturated Fat (g)13,  Monounsaturated Fat (g)7,
Polyunsaturated Fat (g)2, Cholesterol (mg)119, Sodium (mg)575,  Carbohydrate (g)29, Total Sugar (g)6,     Fiber (g)2,  Protein (g)26, Vitamin A (DV%)0, Vitamin C (DV%)3, Calcium (DV%)9, * Iron (DV%)23, Starch (d.e.)2, Lean Meat (d.e.)3, Fat (d.e.)2, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

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Filed Under: Main Dish, Recipes Tagged With: beef stroganoff over noodles, beef-stroganoff-recipe, main-dish-ideas

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