Not so Swiss.

picture from Venere.com

We've landed in Switzerland and are searching for Heidi! How beautiful it is here in the springtime. It's Andy's country choice this week and it sounded easy to plan for, right? I have concluded that this country is nothing but rich cheese, chocolate, potatoes and cream sauce. Plus unlimited recipes for desserts. Just when I'm getting serious about going on a diet too.

It's a busy week, as all are in the month of May. We have softball, soccer, swimming, lifeguard pool training, dance sign-ups, dance rehearsal, girl scouts, homework, travel for work, house cleaning, deck staining, flower planting, laundry, meal planning and meal EATING. I'm exhausted. Thank goodness I work out before 6am. Wouldn't know where to fit it in otherwise.

Tonight's meal is an old crock pot stand-by that I've prepared in the past. Not thinking, I quickly chose it this week because it's Swiss. Or so I thought... blonde moment. Swiss steak is NOT from Switzerland, rather it's origin is actually Italy. Go figure. I'm finally beginning the week on a Tuesday and it's a bust.

Though we may never find Heidi and eating isn't quite authentic, I think you will find this meal a tasty addition to your meal plans in the future. It's also a great way to serve up veggies to your kids without them really realizing.

Swiss Steak
2 round steaks, 1/2-1 pound each, cut into 3/4 inch thick (I used 2 1lb packages)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp pepper
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
Water or broth optional

Cut round steak into serving pieces. Place four, salt and pepper in plastic bag. Add steak pieces, shake to cover with flour. Place onion slices in bottom of crock-pot; add meat on top. Top with carrots and celery and cover with tomato sauce. I would also add 1/4 cup water to keep the sauce from being too thick. I continued to add water or broth the longer it cooked. Cover and cool on low, 8 - 10 hours. Serve over egg noodles.


So I realize this may have been a slight miss on the country tonight.... BUT... Switzerland has influences from the German's and the Italian's, depending what area of the country you're in. So let's just say we dined in the south of Switzerland tonight, Lugano to be exact!