Slow Cooked Pot Roast with Potatoes in Onion Gravy

Sometimes you just don’t want all those veggies with your pot roast.  I’m a true meat and potatoes kind of girl and so now and then I like to just make a pot roast with potatoes as my only vegetable….oh and onions…You have to have thick and rich onion gravy to make it the best pot roast you’ve ever tasted!  I decided to try something different with my gravy this time so I used a couple of those little McCormick gravy packets.  I only had the pork gravy and not the beef but I decided to give it a try.  OH MY GOODNESS.  This turned out to the one of the best pot roasts I’ve ever made!

Slow Cooked Pot Roast with Potatoes in Onion Gravy

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 (4-5 pound) chuck roast

Salt and Pepper

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

2 cups of beef broth, unsalted or low sodium

1 small bag of new potatoes

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Pat the roast dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides generously with salt and pepper. Carefully place it in the pan and sear it on all sides until golden brown.  Remove from skillet and set aside on a plate.

Add sliced onion to the skillet and sauté over medium heat until they are lightly caramelized and golden in color. 

Spray a 4 quart crock pot with cooking spray. Place the seared roast in the pot and place the caramelized onions on top. Add chopped garlic. 

Pour beef broth over roast.  Set temperature to high, cover and cook for about 4 hours. After four hours, remove the lid and place baby potatoes on top and around roast.  Cover and cook another 90 minutes to 2 hours or until potatoes are tender. Remove the meat and potatoes to a platter and cover with foil.

Gravy

Juices from crockpot

2 packages of McCormick Pork Gravy Mix

¼ cup of water

¼ cup heavy cream

1 small can cream of Onion soup, (undiluted)

Carefully pour the juices from the crock pot into a medium sauce pan.  Add two packs of Pork gravy and stir well.  Add the can of soup, the water and the cream and whisk until smooth. 

Turn the heat to medium high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to simmer and allow gravy to thicken, stirring occasionally.  Once gravy is thickened, remove from heat and pour over meat and potatoes and serve! 

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Salted Caramel Brownie Bites

These Salted Caramel Brownies are going to take your brownie game to a whole new level.  Deliciously moist and fudgy brownies topped with ooey gooey melted caramel and chocolate and then sprinkled with chopped pecans.  YUM.

Turtle Brownie Bites

2 cups granulated sugar

½ cup butter

½ cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon instant coffee

4 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt 1 2/3 cups chocolate chips, divided

30 soft caramel candies

1 tablespoon milk

¾ cup finely chopped, toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin pans with liners or baking cups. 

 

 

Stir sugar, butter, oil and coffee in a large, heavy saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until smooth and thick; remove from heat. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. 

 














Stir flour with cocoa, baking powder and salt in a bowl; stir into egg mixture until smooth. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly among baking cups. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in pans.

Heat remaining chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM (50%) for 40 to 50 seconds; stir until smooth. Heat caramels and milk in another microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%), stirring every 30 seconds, for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. 




 



















Spread an equal amount of warm caramel onto each cupcake. Then pour melted chocolate over each cupcake and sprinkle with pecans. Let stand until set.

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Hot Molten Fudge Brownies

Once you’ve had a fudgy molten brownie, you will wonder why you haven't been eating them all your life! I mean who wouldn’t want to bite into a fudge brownie and have thick, smooth, warm chocolate slowly ooze out?  You’ll wonder why all brownies aren’t made this way. The secret is to take the brownies out of the oven when they don’t seem quite done. They’ll continue to cook and as they cool the fudge centers will stay moist and fudgy.

Hot Molten Fudge Brownies

1 cup all-purpose four

¾ cup cocoa

¾ cup brown sugar

1 1/3 cups sugar

¾ cup plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 cup good quality chocolate, chopped into chunks

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper, allowing the paper to hang over sides to use as handles for lifting out brownies later.

Place the flour, cocoa, both of the sugars, butter, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix batter until smooth. Add the chopped chocolate and continue to stir until smooth. Spread the batter into the baking pan and smooth the top until level.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until the brownies are set on top. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before slicing into squares and serving warm.  Top with vanilla ice cream for a real treat! 

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Quick Turkey Bolognese

It’s the perfect combination of ingredients that lends itself well to store-bought shortcuts.  Get dinner on the table in 20 minutes or less with this fast, fresh and family-friendly recipe.

Quick Turkey Bolognese

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 pound ground turkey

1 32 ounce jar of Ragu Chunky Tomato, Onion, Garlic Sauce

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 pound uncooked spaghetti pasta

Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional) 

Add the olive oil to a large saucepan set over medium-low heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the ground turkey and using a spatula, break it apart into pieces while it cooks.  I like to leave some bigger chunks for texture.

 

Once the turkey is fully cooked, add the tomato sauce, dried oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes then taste and season it with additional salt and pepper as needed.

While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook it until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta well before serving.

 

Transfer pasta to serving bowl and top with the sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (optional).  Enjoy with a side salad and some crusty Italian bread!  YUM.

 

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Macaroni and Cheese with Pancetta and Cauliflower

You will love this easy to make stove top mac and cheese.  If you don’t have pancetta, use bacon or ham. The cauliflower takes on the flavors of both the cheese and ham and adds texture. You'll love the addition. Plus you can say you ate your veggie today!  Tender cauliflower and pasta in a creamy cheese sauce topped with crispy bacon. recipe is easy, cheesy and delicious!

Macaroni and Cheese with Pancetta and Cauliflower

8 oz. pancetta, diced

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into 1/2-inch florets

3 to 6 more tablespoons butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 1/2 cups milk

1 cup shredded fontina, gouda or guyere cheese

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 cup heavy cream (add more cream if too dry)

16 ounce box elbow macaroni, cooked until al dente

In a 4-quart pot over medium heat, cook the pancetta (or diced bacon) until lightly brown and a little crispy, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Do not drain fat. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Bring another large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Break down the cauliflower head into small florets and add them to the boiling water. Bring to a boil, then pour off water to only about an inch. Reduce heat to simmer and cover pot allowing it to steam until it can be pierced with a fork but isn't mushy, 5 to 10 minutes. 

Use a slotted spoon to move the cauliflower into a colander. Drain well and return to the warm pot for a few minutes to draw out more moisture. Drain again and set aside.

In the same pot over medium heat, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. 

   















 


Whisk in cream and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the cheeses, nutmeg, salt and pepper and a bit of cayenne if using stir until well blended. Stir in the pasta, pancetta and cauliflower and mix well.  Serve and enjoy!

 






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Green Beans and Potatoes

 

Really, is there any other way to eat green beans?   It’s my favorite way to eat fresh green beans, hands-down.  I have eaten this dish many times as my main course and I even serve it at Thanksgiving.  Although I have to be careful because nothing else gets eaten when there’s a big bowl of fresh green beans and potatoes on the table!

Green Beans and Potatoes 

2-3 pounds fresh green beans

8 slices bacon, sliced into 1 inch pieces and fried

1 large sweet onion, diced

4 large Yukon Gold potatoes (or any potato except Russet) 

4 cups chicken broth

3 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Wash and trim beans and break them into 2-inch pieces; set aside.

In a large skillet, fry the bacon pieces until crisp. Transfer bacon to plate when done but do not drain the fat from skillet.

Add onion and green beans to the bacon fat and saute just until onion is tender and translucent. Remove skillet from heat and set aside. Once again, do not drain the fat.

 

 In a large Dutch oven or pot, add chicken broth, butter, salt, pepper and stir. Cut potatoes into large cubes or chunks and add to the liquid. I use Yukon Gold but you can use any potato you like other than baking potatoes.  Russets get too mushy when you boil them.  

  
Add the green beans and onions, including the bacon drippings to the pot and bring to a full boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until potatoes are fork tender…..about 30 minutes.  Don’t overcook or potatoes will get mushy. Serve in bowls and top with crumbled fried bacon pieces.  OH YUM!

NOTE:  You can also make this recipe in a slow cooker.  Just follow the same exact recipe but cook on high for about 4 hours or until potatoes are fork tender.

 

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