YUMMMMM

I'm sure if you know me, you know by now that one of my favorite things to do is COOK! Might explain the Pampered Chef thing huh?! If not...SURPRISE! LOL

Yeah, cooking is one of my favorite hobbies. Which is actually hilarious since I can recall when I first got married, I hated cooking! Did not want anything to do with it, lol. Yeah... we have done a 180 there.

Anywho..one of my favorite shows to listen to (I don't always get to sit down and watch it...so mostly I listen while doing other things) is Rachael Ray. Well I found a super yummy looking meal on there the other day and I had to share it here.

Soon I will add a recipe section to my domain site so I can keep these things all organized, lol.

But for now here it is...

First we have "Buying in Bulk" Pot Roast

Ingredients

3 to 4 tablespoons canola oil
1 4 to 5-pound rump roast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons flour, plus enough to dredge the roast in
3 carrots, roughly chopped
4 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
2 large onions, roughly chopped
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 fresh bay leaves
3 cups water
3 tablespoons butter
3 to 4 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
A handful of parsley, chopped, for garnish

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F.


Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat with the canola oil. Season all sides of the roast well with salt and freshly ground black pepper then dredge it in flour. Brown the roast well, about 3-4 minutes per side.


Once all sides are brown, add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, fresh bay leaves to the pot, and fill it with water so the liquid comes 1/3 the way up the roast. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and place in the oven for about 3 1/2-4 hours. If you don't have a tight-fitting lid for the pot, use tin foil instead and baste the roast every 30-40 minutes.


Once the roast is about a half hour away from being done, start your gravy: Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and stir in 3 tablespoons of flour. Cook the butter-flour mixture about 2-3 minutes, until it is light brown. Then, whisk in the beef stock, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce, season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Let the gravy cook down, whisking occasionally, until desired consistency.

Once the roast is done, remove it from the oven and place the meat on a cutting board, loosely covered with foil. Let the roast rest for about 15-20 minutes. While the meat is resting, strain the pan juices through a fine strainer, remove any extra fat, then stir the pan juices into the gravy.


Once the meat has rested, slice it across the grain and pour gravy over each portion. Garnish with parsley and serve with Oven-Roasted Spicy Potatoes & Glazed Carrots alongside.


Followed by Oven Roasted Spicy Potatoes and Glazed Carrots

Ingredients

For the potatoes:
5 pounds red potatoes
A palmful garlic powder
A palmful of onion powder
A palmful of dried parsley
A palmful of dried rosemary
A palmful of dried thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), to coat the potatoes
Salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
For the carrots:
3 to 4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup water
2 28-ounce bags (the large ones) of frozen carrots
1/2 cup honey
Dash of curry powder

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400ºF.


Remove carrots from freezer and let them come to room temperature. Cut potatoes in half and place them on a large baking sheet or roasting pan. Add all of the spices to a small bowl and mix to create a seasoning mixture (keep the leftovers in a well-sealed container for a later use).


Coat the potatoes with EVOO then sprinkle with the spice mixture. Toss the potatoes so the EVOO and spices are distributed evenly. Roast for about 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

While potatoes are roasting, place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter to the skillet and let melt. Add the water, thawed carrots, honey and curry powder to the butter and stir to coat the carrots in the butter. When they're heated through, they are ready to serve.

Serve the roasted potatoes and glazed carrots alongside Rachael's "Buying In Bulk" Pot Roast.