Simple Pot Roast

Source: The New Best Recipe

Honestly, I'm just not that into beef. I mean, I LOVE meat! Bring on the pork, chicken, and turkey. But beef...meh. I may cook with it once a month or less.

I was scanning recipes for last weekend and I was just BORED of always making the same things. I had tagged the pot roast from Bridget's blog and it was something I've never made. As well, I'm pretty much always a sucker for Cook's Illustrated recipes.

I was pleasantly surprised by this roast! The roast I've had in the past have consisted of rather dry meat with carrots and potatoes. Nothing to write home about. But my husband and I both loved this! The meat was incredibly tender and flavorful. If you really love beef, I can highly recommend this recipe!

Pot Roast

1 boneless chuck-eye roast (about 3 1/2 pounds), patted dry with paper towels

Salt and ground black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped medium

1 small carrot, chopped medium

1 small celery rib, chopped medium

2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press

2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup low-sodium beef broth

1 cup low-sodium chicken stock

1 spring fresh thyme

1 - 1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup dry red wine

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Sprinkle the roast generously with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Heat the oil in a large oven-proof Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Brown the roast thoroughly on all sides, reducing the heat if the fat begins to smoke, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the roast to a large plate; set aside.

3. Reduce the heat to medium; add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sugar; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broths and thyme, scraping the pan bottom with a wooden spoon to loosed any browned bits. Return the roast and any accumulated juices on the plate to the pot; add enough water to come halfway up the sides of the roast. Cover with a lid, bring the liquid to a simmer over medium heat, and transfer the pot to the oven. Cook, turning the roast every 30 minutes, until fully tender and a meat fork or sharp knife slips easily in and out of the meat, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

4. Transfer the roast to a carving board; tent with foil to keep warm. Allow the liquid in the pan to settle about 5 minutes, then use a wide spoon to skim the fat off the surface; discard the thyme sprig. Add the wine and reduce to 1 1/2 cups, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Using a chef's or carving knife, cut the meat into 1/2 inch slices, or pull apart into large pieces; transfer the meat to a warmed serving plate and pour about 1/2 cup sauce over the meat. Serve, passing the remaining sauce separately.

4-3-2-1 Cupcakes

I have actually made these before, back when I apparently had a total lapse in judgement and WAY overfilled the muffin tins. They were not salvageable. These were much better and the flavor remains one of my favorite cupcake recipes! I think the almond extract really makes the difference.

4-3-2-1 Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcaktes

1 cup of butter
2 cups of sugar
3 cups of cake flour (I used regular, couldn't find this "cake flour")
3 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
4 eggs 
1 cup of milk
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and gradually add sugar, creaming until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture alternatively with milk and almond and vanilla extract, beating after each addition until smooth. Pour batter into cupcake tins. Bake 25-30 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and remove from pan to finish cooling. Top with your frosting of choice. I used cream cheese frosting. Yum!

Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from: All Recipes

All Recipes reviews, you have foiled me again! I always look at the reviews and frequently adjust my recipes if I see enough of the same comments. Here, I saw one comment in particular: the frosting is too "cream cheesy." Many reviewers suggested adding more sugar and less cream cheese. My result was actually a little too sweet; I suggest my version below. The best thing to do is add the sugar, and with the last cup, add gradually to your taste.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup of butter, softened

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.

Pastor Ryan's Bolognese Sauce

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Compared to other bolognese sauces I've made, this one was ridiculously easy and good. I liked the simple ingredients and how easy it was to put together. Typically I see "salt and pepper" in a recipe and you're supposed to add it "to taste," but I rarely do. This time I actually tasted the sauce after it had been simmering for an hour and it seemed a little...blah. 1 tablespoon of kosher salt and about a teaspoon of ground black pepper made it perfect. This is now my go-to bolognese recipe!

Pastor Ryan's Bolognese

1 1/2 cups grated carrots

1 large red onion, diced

1/2 cup olive oil

2 pounds ground beef (I used turkey)

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons dried basil

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups red wine

2 tablespoons Worcestershire

Salt

Pepper

2 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes

1 cup milk

Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add grated carrots and onion and cook for a few minutes.

2. Make a well in the center of the mixture, and add in ground beef. Cook until brown, gradually stirring in carrot mixture.

3. Add in oregano and basil. Use fresh if you have; if you don't, it's fine.

4. When the meat is browned and combined with other ingredients, make another well. Add tomato paste and let it heat.

5. Add garlic and stir to combine.

6. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add red wine. Stir together.

7. Add Worcestershire and stir.

8. Add canned tomatoes.

9. Finally, add in milk, stir, and let simmer for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Serve with pasta and a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Pastor Ryan's Homemade Noodles

Source: The Pioneer Woman

I follow The Pioneer Woman's blog a lot, and I loved her most recent posts where Pastor Ryan visited. I had HEARD about homemade noodles, but never even thought about making them.

These were good, and being the fact that I love cooking so much, were fun to make and required very little effort. However, my slicing skills stink, and I don't think the noodles were as thin as they should have been, and thus took longer to cook. I thought they were good, and fun to make, but I'm not sure if I would make them again just because my noodle size and width were ALL over the board!

1 cup of flour and 2 eggs makes enough for 2 - double accordingly!

Pastor Ryan's Homemade Noodles

1 cup of flour

2 eggs

Chopped fresh parsley

Combine the flour and egg, and knead my hand or with your Kitchen Aid until smooth. Roll out dough very thinly on a floured surface. If waiting until rolling out, keep in a plastic bag (unrefrigerated) until you need the dough.

Put on a large salted pot of water to boil.

Cut dough with a knife or pizza roller as thinly as possible. Add to boiling water, and boil 2-5 minutes, testing occasionally until al dente.

Remove from pot and drain. Toss with freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Mexican Pizza

Adapted from: Good Eats n' Sweet Treats

I literally saw this in Cooking This and That TODAY and immediately made it! I mean, really, how can you go wrong with this combination of ingredients? Simple prep, clean-up, and extremely satisfying! Unlike the other bloggers, I am lazy and used packaged taco seasoning. I would also suggest spraying the tortillas LIGHTLY. If you over-coat them (NOT THAT I DID), they'll take longer to crisp up.

Mexican Pizza

1 1/3 pound package ground turkey or beef

1 package taco seasoning

Scant 1/3 cup water

6 (8-inch) flour tortillas

Cooking spray

3 tablespoons chopped green onions

6 ounces refried beans

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (about 1 medium)

3/4 cup taco sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or Mexican cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook the turkey until brown; drain. Return to the heat and add the taco seasoning and water. Continue to cook for several minutes, until cooked through, stirring often.

3. Spray both sides of each tortilla with cooking spray and place directly on the oven rack (about 3 at a time). Bake for about 6 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden brown and crispy. Watch carefully so they don't burn. Remove to a baking sheet and turn oven to 400 degrees.

4. Microwave the refried beans for 30-60 seconds, or until spreadable.

5. Lay 3 tortillas out on a baking sheet, and top each with 1/3 refried beans, 1/3 turkey mixture, and 1/4 cup cheese. Top with another tortilla and lightly press down.

6. Top the second tortillas with 1/4 cup taco sauce. Layer with 1/2 cup diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup cheese, and 1 tablespoon green onions.

7. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into wedges and top with sour cream or salsa if desired.

Repost

I've made this Red Beans and Rice before and I just wanted to post it again since I think it's the one recipe I've made over and over since posting it! I actually don't make rice with it, so I guess it's technically Pork and Beans. This has become my favorite not only because of its flavor, but the fact that I love to make a big batch, eat and little, and then bring the rest to work for lunch the rest of the week. I've been making an effort to eat out less and I prefer having something hot for lunch. This is very filling and tasty. Try it!