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Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Sunday Supper Beef Pot Roast

You can enjoy this classic Sunday supper with
almost no effort. This moist and tender 
pot roast couldn't be any easier.
I've made this with any size chuck roast.
The first was a small one and the next is a 
larger one that gave us leftovers for 
another dinner. 
It uses very basic pantry ingredients. 
Salt, pepper, onion and one unexpected 
ingredient; apple cider vinegar. 
Salt and pepper all sides of the meat generously.
Put into a foil lined metal roasting pan. Top
with sliced onion. Pour the ¼ C of apple cider
vinegar around the roast. 
Seal all the seams of the foil tightly.
Pour water into the bottom of the roasting 
pan until it's halfway up the sides of the 
meat packet. Replenish the water as 
needed, about 2 more times. 
Roast at 400º for 3-½ hours
 Remove the roast to a serving platter. 
It will be fork-tender.
 Pour the meat juices into a gravy boat.
Serve over the beef as a natural au jus.
with natural au jus
You can also thicken the juices and make a
 traditional brown gravy. 
with brown gravy

Sunday Supper Beef Pot Roast
3-5-pound boneless chuck roast
Salt and pepper
red onion, sliced (or vidalia)
1/4 cup cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Line a metal roasting pan or your oven's broiler pan with a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough to fully wrap the roast. The shiny side of the foil should be up. Sprinkle the roast on all sides with salt and pepper and place it in the center of the foil. Spread the onion slices over the top of the roast and pour the vinegar around it. Bring the ends of the foil together and fold several times, and then fold the ends together to completely enclose the roast. Pour about 1 inch of water into the pan around the foil-wrapped roast. Bake until the meat is fork tender and brown, 3 to 4 hours. Check the water level in the pan regularly during cooking and replenish it if necessary. 

When the roast is done, remove the package from the baking panOpen the package carefully to preserve all the juices and transfer the meat to a platter. Cover with the foil to keep it warm while you make the gravy. You can also just serve the roast with the pan juices. To make gravypour the roasting juices into a measuring cup and let the fat rise to the surface. Skim off the fat, and put 

2 T fat in a saucepanIf the fat measures less than 2 tablespoons, add enough butter or shortening to make up the difference. Measure the remaining pan juices, if you have less than 2 cups juices, add water to make 2 cups. Add 2 T flour to the fat in the saucepan and stir with a wire whisk to make a roux. Cook over medium-low heat until the flour is golden browned, about 1-2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the reserved pan juices and stir until thickened. It's the basic 2-2-2 ratio 2-fat, 2-flour, 2-liquid. 
Slice the roast or cut it into chunks (it will be very tender), and serve it with the gravy. I usually double the gravy; 4-4-4. 

Enjoy!



Recipe adapted from Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen by Trisha Yearwood.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Cranberry Nut Bread

Loafing around.....with a loaf of
Cranberry Nut Bread and a cup of coffee.
It's that time of year when it's always nice 
to have a sweet homemade treat in the house. 
  Cranberries are plentiful in the grocery store
 right now and that got me in the mood
 for this classic quick bread.
In a large bowl whisk to combine the dry 
ingredients. Toss the cranberries and nuts 
into the flour mixture. You can also add 
them at the end as I did this time. Next, 
melt the butter in a glass cup then add it 
to the orange juice. Then use that cup to 
whisk the egg lightly with a fork and add 
that to the orange juice and butter mixture. 
 Whisk that all together and add to the 
bowl with the dry ingredients.
 Stir just to combine.
 Add the nuts and cranberries if you didn't 
already toss them in with the flour mixture.
I don't cut the cranberries in half as in so
many recipes. Too much trouble and they 
bleed into the batter. It also saves me a step!  
 Put into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. 
I love using this vintage pyrex one. 
 Bake for an hour. 
Check for doneness with a wooden skewer.
 Wait 10-15 minutes before inverting out.
 I freeze this bread in sandwich baggies 
placed flat with 2 slices (side by side) for us. 
 I love a warm piece slathered with soft butter.
Also good is a spread of equal parts butter and
 cream cheese whipped together. 

Cranberry Nut Bread
2 C flour
! C sugar
1-½ t baking powder
½ t baking soda
½ t salt
Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl
the add:
1 heaping C cranberries
½  heaping C chopped pecans
Toss to coat with flour mixture.
In a 2 C measuring cup combine:
¾ C orange juice
¼ C melted butter
1 egg, beat with a fork
Mix together then add to the dry 
ingredients in the bowl. Stir until
blended. Pour into a greased 9x5
loaf pan and bake at 350º for 1 hour.
Test for doneness. Toothpick inserted 
in the center comes out clean. Cool for 
10 minutes. Remove from the pan. 

Enjoy! 


Sunday, November 13, 2016

Crock Pot Roast In Golden Mushroom Wine Sauce

This souper-easy pot roast will satisfy 
your need for yummy comfort food. 
It takes only 5 minutes to put together. 
I used the crock pot, but when I was given this
recipe from a relative, crock pots weren't even
on the market yet. That's how old this one is.
I love the memories behind each recipe I've
been given. They're the best "souvenir". 
So, you can make this pot roast in the 
crock pot or in the oven. I've given cooking
times for each option. 
The Golden Mushroom soup and sherry wine are
what make this recipe different from others.  
I always use the dry sherry (not cooking sherry) 
in this recipe.. I use it in several other recipes 
as well, but it's also suitable to drink.
 Mix everything together in the crock pot 
then add the meat. 
 Turn it over to coat 
both sides with sauce.
 My favorite: cover and know that 
dinner is taken care of and the house
will smell amazing when we walk in. 
 I love mashed potatoes with this dinner. 
They are so worth the effort, but if you're
short on time, you can microwave a potato.
There's plenty of gravy to ladle over 
everything. Carrots always seem appropriate 
with pot roast for me. I just microwaved 
them, then added butter, salt and pepper

Easy Pot Roast In Wine Sauce
2-3 lbs chuck or rump roast
1 can Golden Mushroom soup
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
½ C dry sherry (or burgundy)
½ C water
Add the mushroom soup, onion soup, garlic,
and bay leaf to the pot. Pour the sherry and
water into the empty soup can; stir to get
out any remaining soup. Add to the pot. 
Mix everything together. Add the meat
turn it over to coat both sides.
Cover and cook:
crock pot on low for 8-9 hours
oven 325º for 2-3 hours
oven 300º for 3-4 hours
oven 250º for 5-6 hours
oven 200º for 9 hours

Enjoy!