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
1 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 pan. Open 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 gravy, pour 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 saucepan. If 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!

Links:  Between Naps On The Porch

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

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! 

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!

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