Perfect Pot Roast

I created this recipe several years ago mostly by trial and error, just adding things as I went.  It is so easy - lots of ingredients, but you basically just throw everything in a dish, bake and serve.  

Here is what you will need:

1 beef chuck roast (at least 2 lbs.)

1 package of baby carrots (16 oz.)

1/3 cup chopped white onion

1 bag small red potatoes (size C works well - 2 lb. bag)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 t rosemary

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t Italian seasoning

1/2 t onion powder

1/2 t garlic salt

2 dashes Tony Chachere's seasoning

1 t freshly ground pepper

1/2 t - 1 t freshly ground sea salt

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 cup water

1 cup red wine (any variety, except dessert wine)

Preheat oven to 350.  Place thawed roast in the center of a 13x5 glass baking dish.  Surround with carrots, potatoes, and onion.  Rub one clove of chopped garlic on roast, and mix the rest of the garlic in with carrots and potatoes.  Drizzle olive oil on carrots and potatoes.  Sprinkle dry ingredients over beef, carrots and potatoes.  Pour water in at the corners (about 1/4 cup water in each corner).  Drizzle about 2/3 cup of red wine over the roast, and the rest over the carrots and potatoes.  It should look something like this:

Cover with foil.  Bake approximately 2 hours or until roast is cooked throughout.  At least once during baking, take out of oven, remove foil, and spoon juices over entire dish to keep moist.

I served with freshly made rosemary batter bread (a recipe I have altered from a Betty Crocker one).  I will post the recipe for the bread later.

Grown-up Grilled Cheese

I posted this recipe on my other blog a while back, but it went so well with my fried broccoli that I had to share:

I had this grilled cheese through hotel room service at a Hilton a few years back and made up my own recipe for it.  Though it's not as quick as slapping a slice of American cheese between two pieces of Wonder bread, it's really easy and sooooo delicious!

All ingredients should be fresh for best taste.  If you live in Texas, you can get all of it fresh at H.E.B.

* Mozzarella cheese (sliced or sliceable - it comes in little balls sometimes, or shredded - don't get either of those)

* Provolone cheese

* Asiago cheese, shredded

* Romano cheese, shredded

* Butter or margarine

* Sourdough bread, sliced for sandwiches

Heat skillet or griddle on medium-medium high heat.  Pair two slices of bread for each sandwich.  Butter the outsides of the bread and then sprinkle lightly with Asiago cheese.  Asiago has a very strong taste, so don't go too heavy with it.  Using the back side of a fork, lightly press the Asiago into the buttered bread to keep it from falling off.  Open your sandwiches, with the buttered sides down.  Cover one piece of bread with slices of mozzarella.  Layer it on thickly - if slicing it yourself, use about 1/4 inch slices; if you are using pre-sliced cheese, you may need a few layers.  Add a few thin slices of provolone on top of the mozzarella.  Sprinkle Romano on top - again this cheese has a strong flavor, so make sure to use a thin layer.  Finish your sandwich with your naked piece of bread, making sure to keep the buttered side out.  Place your sandwich in your skillet or on your griddle and press firmly (but don't smash it!) with the back side of a spatula.  Cook a few minutes, or until the cheese in the middle starts to melt and the outside turns golden brown.  Flip and repeat on other side of sandwich.  Remove from heat source, and cut in half.  Serve immediately.  Goes great with tomato soup, french fries, chips, or fresh veggies.

Pan-fried Parmesan Broccoli

I had some leftover fresh broccoli from the farmer's market that was borderline going bad, so I had to come up with a quick, delish recipe to use it up. This is so fast, easy, and a great way to get everyone to eat their veggies!

2 cups raw, thinly chopped broccoli
2 or 3 T olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 T shredded Romano cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat for about a minute. Mix cheeses and salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Add broccoli to the skillet and sauté on all sides for a few minutes. Sprinkle half of the cheese mixture on top of the broccoli and cook for a few minutes. Flip broccoli and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on the other side, cook as is for a minute or two. Continue cooking and stirring broccoli every couple of minutes until cheese becomes crispy. Add more olive oil, if necessary, if broccoli becomes dry during cooking.

In my opinion, the crispier this stuff is, the better, just be careful not to burn it. You may need to turn the heat down to medium to avoid burning. Once your broccoli has the desired amount of crisp, remove from heat and serve immediately. It pairs well with my grown up grilled cheese recipe, too. Enjoy!

2

Today is mine and my husband's 2nd wedding anniversary, and while I had been making something to commemorate it, I, of course, didn't quite finish it in time.

I'll post a tutorial and photos as soon as it's ready. As a teaser, let's just say, it involves maps, pillows, a wedding dress and my grandmother-in-law's hope chest. Can't wait to share!