Potroast

Pot Roast!!!

I was craving some of my mom's pot roast.  She was out of town, so I had to make it for myself.

20 oz baby potatoes quartered
12 oz baby carrots
8 oz sliced mushrooms
6 oz celery cut in bite size pieces (you could use more. This is all I had!)
1 medium purple onion sliced into 1/2" rings
2 lb roast (eye of round was on sale)
2 T minced garlic
2 T (reduced sodium) Soy sauce
2 T Worchestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of coffee.  (I used a bit of Starbucks Via (instant coffee) instead, as I am not a coffee drinker)

Place all ingredients in sleeve of crock pot.  Refrigerate over night to marinade.  In the crock pot on high for 2 hours.  Then,  crock pot on low for 5 hours. About 5 servings.

This really hit the spot!!!

Proper pork meal.

Some days I enjoy making a complete cohesive meal and serving it to others. The hard part some days is to find that victim, I mean someone, to feed.  Last night, I trapped Kate!  

The menu?  Marinated pork loin, asparagus, chevre and chive mashed potatoes, finished with baked apples and vanilla ice cream. 

Marinated pork loin:

I started out by sneaking a peak at this recipe.  It seemed pretty easy, but as always, I had to tweak it a bit!

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce (I used reduced sodium)

1 T minced garlic

1/4 cup yellow mustard

1/4 t maple syrup extract

1/4 t pumpkin pie spice

1/4 cup sugar (more or less, regular or substitute)

2 lbs pork loin - roast or steaks

Mix top 7 ingredients in a ziplock bag large enough to hold meat.  Taste test.  Add more sugar as needed.  Put pork in, being sure to coat with the marinade.  Set in fridge for several hours to overnight.  Preheat over to 350F.  Reserve leftover marinate.  For steaks, bake 20 to 30 minutes (roast bake a bit longer), flip, add leftover marinade.  Cook 20 to 30 minutes more, or until center no longer pink.  Serves several (around 6).

Asparagus:

There is no real "recipe" to this. I snap off the ends of the asparagus (which Cocoa the dog immediately begs to eat!), start some water boiling, throw the asparagus in and boil for 7 minutes.  Drain, add a tiny bit of salt, and enjoy!

Chevre and Chive Mashed Potatoes:

1 lb potatoes

1/4 cup sour cream 

1/4 cup milk

2 oz goat cheese 

Chives to taste

Pinch powdered garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Dice potatoes.  Boil 15 minutes or until very tender. Drain off water.  Mash.  Add sour cream, milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder.  Chop chive. Mix chive and goat cheese in.  Serves 2 to 3.

Baked Apples:

Preheat over to 350F.  Peal fresh picked apples. Core and slice apple into large chunks.  Place in covered baking dish with small amount of water.  Sprinkle sparingly with sugar and pumpkin pie spice.  Bake an hour or so, until soft.  Half way through baking, vent lid to baker to thicken apple syrup in bottom of pan.  Once baked, allow to cool, then top with ice cream and enjoy!

 

I am the worst blogger ever!

Yet again, a huge span of time has gone since I updated.  You know that I have had to have been eating and experimenting since then. So, here is yet another long update.

Almost Weight Watchers Chocolate Cake

1box devil's food cake mix
1/2 cup water
1 can pumpkin
2 T cocoa powder
3 T sugar
instant coffee (enough to make an 8 oz cup - I used a package of starbuck's via)

Topping: powdered sugar, milk and dark chocolate chunks (I used a Hershey bar and part of a dark chocolate Easter bunny!)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grfease 9x13 pan. Mix all cake ingredients for 2 minutes. Bake according to box instructions.  While still warm, top with milk and dark chocolate chunks.  Once cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Refrigerate. 

This recipe is quite versatile.  I made a "Fall Cake" with the basics.  1 vanilla cake mix, 1 can pumpkin, 1/2 cup water, 2 medium apples pealed and chopped, 3 T sugar (I didn't add this, but should have!), 1 1/2 T each almond extract and pumpkin pie spice.  Bake according to instructions.  Top with slivered almonds and drizzle made of milk, almond extract, and powdered sugar!

Comfort food chicken bake:  Is it pot pie or is it chicken and dumplings?

3 cups diced potatoes
2 cups diced chicken (canned is very easy!)
1 bag frozen mixed veggies
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Topping:
1 1/2 cups bisquick
1/2 cup milk

In a 9x13, mix top ingredients.  Bake at 350 until warm.  Poor bisquick on top. Bake until fluffy and warm.  Serve.  Eat.  This goes fast!

Personal Pie:

Filling:
2 medium apples or peaches pealed and cored/pitted
1/4 cup blueberries if desired
3 T sugar substitute
1 t sugar
1/4 t cinnamon
1 T cornstarch

"Crust"
1/2 cup bisquick
3 T sugar substitute
1 t sugar
1 T butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 6" pie pan.  Using a fork, combine crust ingredients.  Press half of the crust into pie pan and bake for 10 minutes.  While baking, toss filling ingredients together.  Place all of filling in pan and top with remaining crumble.  Bake 45 minutes, until fruit is soft and bubbly.  Refridgerate until cold.  Enjoy!

I have been making far too many mini pies recently, thanks to the bountiful apple and peach crops!


Krispie Kream Bacon Cheeseburgers

My sister, Heather, takes the credit for getting me to do this one.

2 Krispie Kream original doughnuts
1 burger patty (cooked to your heart's desire)
1 slice cheddar cheese
several slices bacon
burger toppings as desired: lettuce, tomato, onion, mushroom
pickle (we forgot it!  Major error)

Layer all and eat.  Be sure to have an AED nearby... 

Pizza Buns

I had this semi genius idea for a new way to eat pizza!  Rolled up like a cinnamon bun and dipped in pizza sauce!  Why not? :)

Cinnamon roll dough - I used this one
3/4 cup softened butter
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 T garlic powder
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Pizza toppings as desired

Follow cinnamon roll dough instructions including rising times.  Roll out dough.  Mix butter, parm, and garlic.  Spread over the dough.  Add mozzarella and other pizza toppings.  Roll and slice in 1.5 inch slices

Place in greased pans.  Allow to raise until doubled.  Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until no longer doughy. 

Serve with pizza sauce for dipping!  Enjoy!!!!

Playdough Ice Cream

They said it couldn't be done! 

Come to find out, blue moon ice cream is only sold in the Great Lakes Region.  While in North Carolina, I got the craving to eat some, and none was to be found. After much research, I was not having any luck for a recipe.  So, I went to the store, bought some extracts, and hoped for the best!

Vanilla Ice Cream
Lemon Extract
Raspberry Extract
Almond Extract
TONS of blue food coloring
(For Playdough Ice Cream, you will need sugar cookie dough and food coloring. Add food coloring to dough and combine. Your hands will change color. Roll into little balls and freeze)

Now, this is no where near how a real ice cream place does it, but in a pinch it will do!  In a large bowl, empty a carton of vanilla ice cream.  Start mixing ice cream to soften it.  Add several drops blue food coloring and equal parts of each extract, starting at about a teaspoon.  Mix until ice cream is a unified color. Taste test.  If it is not there, continue adding equal amounts of extracts and blue food coloring. Trust me, it will get there.  Then, once it tastes like blue moon, drop in sugar cookie bits and stir. Freeze immediately.  Once firm, enjoy!  This is not going to be soft and fluffy. It will be very dense. But, it is still good and will do in a pinch!