From the Archives: Mom's Roast

Tonight's meal is one of our family favorites.  My mom has been making this since as far back as I can remember.

Mom's Roast

2-3lbs beef roast

1 small bag of carrots
1 medium onion, quartered
1 to 1 1/2 lbs of potatoes, chopped
1 package Lipton onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small can mushrooms, stems and pieces (optional)
Flour
Salt
Pepper

Directions: If using a traditional oven:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a roasting pan with cooking spray.  If cooking in traditional oven, tightlty cover the dish with either a lid or tin foil before placing in the oven.

Cut up the meat into big chunks and trim excess fat. Liberally salt and pepper each piece and cover all sides with flour. Put meat in either roasting pan or crockpot; then, add all other ingredients either on top of meat or around the sides, if pan is large enough. Take 1 can of soup, either cream of mushroom or celery, 1 package of onion soup mix and 1 cup of water and mix together.  Pour this mixture over the meat.  Cook in the oven for about 3-4 hours or 6 hours in the crockpot. After roast is done make up some corn starch/water and thicken juices for gravy.

Modifications:
-I didn't do the corn starch mixture.
-You could add whatever vegetables that you choose.

Here's what I used:

Here's how I did it:

#1 I cut up some potatoes.  Usually, I would use a small bag of new potatoes but since I already had a bag of potatoes I just used those.

#2 I sliced up an onion.

#3 I trimmed the fat off of the meat.

#4 I liberally covered each piece of meat with  Home Seasoning .  You can also just use salt and pepper.

#5 I covered each piece of meat and then placed it in a baking dish.

#6 Next, the onions and the potatoes went in.

#7 I put the carrots on top and then opened a small can of mushrooms, stems and pieces, and put them on top of everything.

#8 Next, I opened up a can of cream of mushroom soup and added a package of Lipton Onion Soup mix and 1 cup of water and mixed it altogether.

#9 The soup mixture then went on top of everything. 

#10 I covered the dish tightly with tin foil and put it in the oven for 3 1/2 hours.

The Finished Product:

Review:

What can I say about this?  It is delicious.  It is awesome.  You absolute must try it!
Hope you enjoy!
April

Weekly Menu

Here's what's for dinner this week:

Garlic Chicken
Baked or Grilled Orange Chicken
Mom's Roast

Greek Salad

I can't even begin to tell you how good this is.  I could seriously sit down and eat the entire bowl.  If you like feta cheese, you are going to love this.

Greek Salad adapted from A Step Into My Kitchen

1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 red bell pepper, large-diced
1 yellow bell pepper, large-diced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, sliced in half-rounds
1/2 pound feta cheese, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled)
1/2 cup calamata olives and green olives, pitted

For the vinaigrette:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil

Directions:  Place the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.

For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Still whisking, slowly add the olive oil to make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta and olives and toss lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.
 
Modifications:
-I didn't have a cucumber on hand so I just left it out.

Here is some of what you will need.  I messed up the first picture and didn't have all of the ingredients out for the vinaigrette.

Dice up the peppers

Dice up the onions

Cut up the tomatoes into about the same size as the peppers and onion

What you'll need for the vinaigrette:

Mince up a couple cloves of garlic.  Toss garlic and oregano into a bowl.

Add the dijon mustard

Add the red wine vinegar and whisk away

Slowly whisk in the olive oil and use sea salt to season, as needed

Pour over the veggies

Add olives and feta cheese

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:

What else can I say?  It is absolutely fantastic.

TABASCO Original Red

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TABASCO® Original Red. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do any of you have a Super Bowl party that you are throwing or that you are attending?  Everyone is scrambling to find those great game day recipes and I have found a site that offers a lot of good tips.  If you are looking for some great appetizers, check out this Game-Day Party Menu from TABASCO® Original Red.  There are so many ways that TABASCO® Original Red can enhance the flavor of some of the most popular football recipes.  Chili, dips, and hot wings instantly come to life when you dash on some TABASCO.  I also always add it to my guacamole and you can find a great recipe for guacamole at Game-Day Party Menu.

Growing up, my dad used to dash some into the homemade stew that my mom made.  I took on that habit and more.  I put TABASCO on practically everything!  Macaroni and cheese, eggs, nachos, chili, hot wings, and, of course, pizza.  Have you TRIED TABASCO® Original Red on pizza?  It is so much more than hot.  It actually enhances the flavor of the pizza.  It's Pizza Perfected!

TABASCO® Original Red has been around since 1868.  That is a lot of time to get that unique flavor perfected.  Made with the perfect combination of salt, pepper, and vinegar TABASCO® Original Red goes through a 3-year aging process before it hits the stores and before it hits your plate. 

Chicken Milanese

Chicken Milanese adapted from My Recipes
3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon minced shallots
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
Dash of sugar
2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 cups packed spring mix salad greens
2 lemon wedges

Directions:  Combine juice, vinegar, shallots, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and sugar; let stand 15 minutes.


 Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet.

Combine breadcrumbs and cheese in a shallow dish. Place flour in a shallow dish. Place egg white in a shallow dish. Sprinkle chicken with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Dredge chicken in flour; dip in egg white. Dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place chicken on a wire rack; let stand 5 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes. Turn chicken over; cook 2 minutes or until browned and done.

Add 2 teaspoons oil and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to shallot mixture; stir with a whisk. Add greens; toss gently. Place 1 chicken breast half and 1 cup salad on each of 2 plates. Serve with lemon wedges

Modifications:
-I used Panko crumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs.
-I used chicken breast tenders.

Calories:402
Fat:15.4g (sat 3g,mono 9g,poly 1.8g)
Protein:45.9g
Carbohydrate:17.7g
Fiber:1.4g
Cholesterol:102mg
Iron:2.2mg
Sodium:539mg
Calcium:80mg

Here's what you'll need:

Put the Panko crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a bowl

Lightly beat one egg in another bowl

Dredge the chicken in the egg and then over into the Panko/cheese

Put some olive oil in a pan and cook the chicken 3-5 minutes per side or until juices run clear.

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:

This was an easy recipe.  The combination of the Panko and the cheese made a crisp crust on the outside with the inside still juicy.

I, personally, thought it was a little bland but Kanin gave it a whopping 5.  Scott and I both thought it more of an "OK" so I compromised on the rating.

Hope you enjoy!

April



Cheeseburger (Potato) Soup

I saw this recipe last week and wanted to try it.  I figured Scott and the kids would like it plus I actually happened to already have Velveeta on hand.  I forgot to take an initial picture-sorry!

Cheeseburger (Potato) Soup adapted from Recipes from Dawn's Daily Life
1/2lb of ground beef
3/4 cup of chopped onion
3/4 cup of shredded carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 tsp dried basil
4 Tbsp butter, divided
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups diced, peeled potatoes (1-3/4lbs)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups (8oz) processed cheese (Velveeta)
1-1/2 cups milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 sour cream

Directions:  In a 3-quart saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, saute onions, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 tablespoon butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour, cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat; blend in sour cream.

Modifications:
-I used 93/7 lean ground beef
-I used whole wheat flour
-I used light sour cream

Brown the ground beef.  Once browned, pull it out of the pan and set it aside.

Peel and dice the potatoes, dice the celery, shred the carrots, and dice an onion.

Throw the veggies in the same pan that the beef cooked in along with 1 Tbsp of butter.  Cook until tender (about 8-10 minutes).

Add the chicken broth and potatoes.  Put the ground beef back into the pot.  Cook on high until boiling, cover, and reduce.  Cook until potatoes are soft.

While the potatoes are cooking, melt the rest of the butter in a separte pan.  Add the flour.

Add the flour into the soup pot and stir well.

Add the milk.

Add the Velveeta and stir until melted.

Once the cheese melts, pull the soup off of the stove and add the sour cream.  Stir until the sour cream is mixed well.

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:

I'm not really sure why this is called cheeseburger soup other than it it has ground beef, cheese, and onions.  It is definitely more of a potato soup with some ground beef in it.  Either way, it was delicious!

You could definitely add more veggies if you wanted to just to make yourself feel better about eating potatoes and Velveeta.  LOL  This is comfort food at its best! 

Hope you enjoy!

April