Dutch Oven Pot Roast With Onions, Potatoes and Carrots

Well, that weekend certainly flew by now didn't it?  Wow.  Here it is Monday once again and there were errands to run and projects to work on and of course, dinner to be made.  Do you have favorite meals from childhood that you consider comfort food or "go to" meals?  Today was one of those days when I wanted something fabulously delicious (at least in my book), so I decided to make pot roast in my dutch oven with carrots, onions and potatoes.  This was one of my all time childhood favorite meals.  It was usually served for Sunday dinner in our house, but who said it's only for Sunday?  I decided to make it Monday dinner because I had the time, a roast in the freezer and it was what I wanted.  I cook, I make the menu.  Dan has to go along for the ride.  He didn't seem to mind at all! And, it's doctored up a bit from the ones we had at home.

I have a slow cooker and I use it often, but today I wanted a roast cooked in the dutch oven the "old fashioned" way.  Cooking in the dutch oven gives food so much flavor and makes a roast super tender.  I buy my meat from a local farmer at the farmers' market.  All his meat is grass fed, all natural, no hormones or antibiotics added and it is processed locally.  It is fabulous, lean beyond belief and so flavorful that it is reminiscent of childhood days.  It seems that so much of the meat sold in grocery stores today is somewhat flavorless, but not his.  

Here is what you need:

2 tsps extra virgin olive oil
1 3-4 pound chuck or shoulder roast
salt and pepper
2 large onions
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves chopped
2 cups low sodium beef broth
6-7 large carrots
3 pounds potatoes

The roast was a 4 pound shoulder roast that I had purchased a while back and put in the freezer.  I knew it was there waiting for just the right day and time to make its appearance.  Today was that day.  First, I defrosted it in the microwave.  Now to begin.  It's important to sear meat to help it retain its flavor and keep all the important juices in.  I put about two teaspoons of olive oil in the bottom of the dutch oven and let it get screaming hot.  Salt and pepper both sides of the roast and place it in the bottom of the plan.  Listen to that sizzle.  Boy oh boy, does it smell good.  Let is sear for a couple of minutes until it is brown and flip it over.  Sear on the second side until brown and remove the roast from the pan to a plate.

Slice two large onions in half top to bottom and cut each half into eights.  Throw the onions in the pan and saute until translucent.  Put the meat back in the pan and add about 2 cups of low sodium beef broth and 3 cloves of chopped garlic.  Toss in 4 or 5 sprigs of fresh time, put the lid on and place the dutch oven in a 350 degree oven for one and one half hours.  (don't peek)

While the roast is in the oven, peel 6 or 7 carrots and cut into chunks.  Peel about 3 pounds of potatoes and cut into chunks also.  I like to use what my grandmother called "irish" potatoes.  Back in those days we had red potatoes and irish potatoes.  (We didn't have Yukon golds, fingerlings or any of the fancy varieties we have to choose from now).  These will go in the pan at the end of the 1.5 hours cooking time.  Put the lid back on the pan and continue to cook for at least one more hour until the vegetables and meat are tender.  Remove the pan from the oven (it's heavy and hot, use pot holders), slice the roast and serve with the carrots and potatoes.  The onions have pretty much disintigrated at this point, but add soooooo much flavor to the pan juices, meat and other vegetables.

You can see the roast peaking through all the vegetables.  I wish you could enjoy how incredible this smells.   Oh so wonderful.  Garlic, onions, potatoes, carrots, thyme and beef filling the air, making your mouth water.  The beef was so tender you didn't even need a knife to cut it.  Yum!

We had a green salad with radishes right out of our garden and cornbread.  Talk about childhood memories.  Dan just kept saying over and over how good it all was.  Made it all worthwhile and there are leftovers!!

Next time you are in the mood for some delicious comfort food, give this recipe a try.  There are alternatives to a slow cooker.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

A favorite childhood memory:  Mashing up the potatoes cooked with the roast and putting some of the pot liquor over them and the carrots.  One of my all time favorites.  It's the little things.  donna

The Best Fudge Recipe I've Ever Made!

Christmas Day has come and gone and we survived our first celebration here in the little yellow cottage. We had 4 out of 5 grandsons present, two daughters, one son and two sons in love celebrating together!  What fun we had.  It was a bit crowded, but so what?  We were together and that is the most important thing.  Our older son, daughter in love and grandson live in New York City, and John had a show on Christmas Day so they were unable to join us this year.  But, we did spend time Skyping and got to watch our grandson open his gifts.  THAT is the amazingly fabulous thing about technology!  Being able to see each other face to face, talking like we were in the very same room.  Thank you to whomever invented Skype!

The holiday seasons for us are all about fun, fellowship and good food.  Our oldest daughter and her family moved to Nashville the week before Christmas and it was a wee bit hectic, trying to help them get enough things unpacked to be able to live for a few days AND get their Christmas shopping done all at the same time.  We watched our grandsons a couple of days to help her out and I didn't get my usual amount of baking done this year  - which is okay because there is usually waaaaay too much.   But, I did try some new recipes and made enough gluten free things that our son in love could also enjoy treats with the rest of us.  All in all, it was a very successful holiday.  

This fudge is fantastic - best recipe I have ever tried.  Candy is so cantankerous to make that I have sort of given up the last few years except for a couple of really reliable, easy things that I can count on.  You have to use a candy thermometer, the humidity affects the outcome, it's too hard, or too soft and on and on.  It is really frustrating.  Well, this year I found this recipe on Pinterest and it said it was a winner at the state fair.  Okay, I'll give it one more shot.  My husband LOVES chocolate and he LOVES fudge, but you know how fudge can be.  Sometimes it's grainy and sandy and I don't like that.  Or it's too hard or too soft.  Boo on that too.  I hate wasting time and ingredients on something that really isn't good.  But, this recipe is the best fudge recipe I have ever made bar none!  It is creamy, chocolaty, made a huge pan full and was worth the effort.  Think I will stick with this recipe from now on.

Here is what you need:

2 sticks of butter (use real butter)

6 cups of sugar

1 can evaporated milk

1 jar marshmallow cream

1.5 (18 oz) packages chocolate chips (1 -12 oz bag and 1 -6 oz bag)

2 tsp vanilla

a jelly roll pan (approximately 11 x 15), butter bottom and sides of pan

a large dutch oven

1 wooden spoon

In a large dutch oven, melt the butter, sugar and evaporated milk on medium heat until boiling.  Once it boils, set timer to 6 minutes.  After 6 minutes, remove pan from heat and add marshmallow cream and chocolate chips.

Mix thoroughly with wooden spoon until all marshmallow cream and chocolate chips are melted and the contents are a nice even chocolate color.  Add vanilla and  continue to stir until fudge thickens and no longer runs quickly off the spoon.  It will be very glossy and  the fudge will kind of collapse off the spoon in big clumps.  That's how you know it's done.  The whole process took about 30/35 minutes.  Don't get in a hurry.

Pour the fudge onto the buttered jelly roll pan and spread evenly over pan.  Looks like this. (Are you drooling?)

Let the fudge sit about 30 minutes and it's ready to slice.  I cut it in about 1 inch squares and it makes TONS!  It is rich, sweet, chocolaty and just the right texture for my liking.  Dan has declared it the best!  He is a connoisseur of all things chocolate, so consider that confirmation of it's goodness.  : )

If you have more holiday parties to attend or are having a New Year's Eve Party, this is a wonderful treat for your guests.  It would also make lovely little treat bags for everyone to take home.  

Hope you will give this recipe a try, because the best part is you get to lick the spoon when the fudge is done and poured in the pan.  MMM, MMM, MMM, MMM.

Takes you back to childhood doesn't it?  Everyone likes to lick the spoon.  Yummm.  Enjoy this fabulous recipe.  Just one little square of this delicious fudge is so good with a cup of coffee.  Best dessert ever.  

Everyday Donna

Things to remember:

Go ahead, lick the spoon.  It's the best part!  

A Fall Comfort Food - Beef Stew

Fall is definitely in the air.  Today the temperature was up to 76 and within two hours it was down to 59 as a cold front moved through following a quick thunderstorm.  Now, there is a steady rain falling and I had to turn the lights on in the living room at 5:30.  It makes me realize that it won't be long until winter will be here and I am not quite ready to even think about cold weather yet.  The fall days here in middle Tennessee have been remarkable - sunny days with cool evenings.  The trees are just beginning to show a little color.  If it were up to me, this would be the ideal weather for most of the year.  The kind of weather where you are warm during the day, but may need a light jacket or sweater in the evening.  Perhaps a fire in the fire pit while sitting on the deck or patio enjoying an evening desert and cup of coffee.  Yes, that is the ideal for me.  The older I get, the less I like cold weather!

These cooler evenings are the perfect time for one of our "comfort food" favorites.  This evening I made beef stew.  It's easy, economical and can be made in one pot.  I use my cheery red dutch oven.  Just setting it on the stove makes me smile.  I know, you probably don't smile at your pots and pans, but this bright, shiny red dutch oven does make me smile, especially since I know that it will make the meat super tender and the flavors meld together in an amazing way.

I have been buying my beef at the Nashville Farmer's Market.  It is grass fed, antibiotic and hormone free and is super lean and delicious.  It is so tender when cooked and there is virtually no fat to drain.  One pound of super lean beef stew meat cost me $4.76.  Not much different than the grocery store and so much better.   This gives you a delicious protein for less than $5.00.   Check your farmer's market or phonebook for farmers in you area who produce grass fed meat.  It is so much better for you and the price here is comparable to the grocery store.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter
Approximately one pound  of beef stew meat
 white starchy potatoes peeled and cut into chunks - approximately 8 cups
carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces - approximately 2.5 cups
1 large onion, cut in half and then into about 7 or 8 wedges
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 32 ounce box beef broth (I use low sodium, no msg)
about 4 cups water
3/4 cup frozen green peas
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme (substitute 1/2 amount rosemary and thyme if using dried)
salt and black pepper to taste  (I add very little salt, lots of fresh cracked black pepper)

Melt the butter in the dutch oven.  Cut the stew meat into bite sized pieces.  Add it to the melted butter and cook until lightly browned.  Add onions and continue to brown meat, cooking until onions are translucent.  Add garlic, potatoes, and carrots.  Add 1 box (32 oz) beef broth and enough water to cover all the ingredients in the pot.  (It took about 4 cups)  You can use two boxes of beef broth if you want, I prefer it this way.  Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until all the vegetables are fork tender.  Add salt, black pepper and frozen peas.  Cook until peas are done.  Serve.

This can be served this with a green salad and warm bread if you like.  There is nothing better on a cool fall evening.  It is easier and much less expensive than a pot roast, but has the same delicious flavors and I love one dish meals.  It also really stretches a buck!  If you are a camper and spend time out of doors in the fall, this is a great recipe to use.  Easy.  Inexpensive.  Delicious.  You could even put some drop biscuits on the top and let them cook until done.  Yummmmmm!

  Our children always loved beef stew night and it's a recipe that I have made over and over through the years.  You have your protein and vegetables all in one bowl.  Yes!  That's the way to make a quick and easy dinner.  It can even be made the night before and reheated.   I get to use my shiny red dutch oven and that is good.  We also have left overs for tomorrow.   How much better could that be?

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Don't dwell on who let you down, cherish those who lift you up!