In my mind a Pot roast is the epitome of family sit down Sunday dinner main course. However, I don't really like meat all that much and so I had never made one until this last year. Roasts were on sale and I figured I had better learn how to make one, you know in case of some food emergency or something!! Anyway, I called my good friend Karen and she gave me the sure fire way to make any roast (even a chuck roast) tender and tasty!
EASY POT ROAST:
Ingredients:
1 can diet soda (I used diet pepsi, but have also used diet dr. pepper)
4 Tbsp. Apricot jam
1 packet onion soup mix
1 pot roast (approx. 2.75 lbs.)
Directions:
Put roast in crock pot.
Pour diet soda over roast.
Empty packet of soup mix into pot.
Add Jam.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
I don't even like meat especially red meat, especially roast, but I do like this!! I serve with baked potatoes, steamed carrots, salad and biscuits. You can also make a gravy with your left over juices. I will post that recipe later.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Freezer Stuffed Potatoes
I already posted this recipe but with no photo. Here is the picture and the recipe one more time so you don't have to search for it if you don't want to. So yummy. We had salad and potatoes, light easy and tasty!
Stuffed Potatoes:
Ingredients:
6 medium sized baking potatoes
Oil
kosher salt
1/2 cup softened cream cheese
1/4 cup softened butter
1/3 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 cooked bacon slices cooled and crumbled
2 green onions chopped
salt and pepper to taste.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Poke potatoes for baking. Coat potatoes with oil. (I just use my hands and rub it all over). In a large zip lock bag add salt and one potato at a time and get a good flavoring of salt on the potatoes. (This makes the skin taste super good and is something I do now with regular baked potatoes).
Bake un-covered for 1 hour or until tender. Let cool.
Cut a wide strip of skin off top of potatoes and throw away the skin. Scoop out inside into a large bowl leaving shells in tact. Mash pulp, cream cheese, butter and milk with a masher, stir in cheese and other ingredients. Spoon mixture into shells.
Wrap with foil; freeze in large zip lock bag up to 1 month.
To cook from frozen:
preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove desired amount of potatoes from bag bake for about 1 hour.
To cook from fresh:
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
Stuffed Potatoes:
Ingredients:
6 medium sized baking potatoes
Oil
kosher salt
1/2 cup softened cream cheese
1/4 cup softened butter
1/3 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 cooked bacon slices cooled and crumbled
2 green onions chopped
salt and pepper to taste.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Poke potatoes for baking. Coat potatoes with oil. (I just use my hands and rub it all over). In a large zip lock bag add salt and one potato at a time and get a good flavoring of salt on the potatoes. (This makes the skin taste super good and is something I do now with regular baked potatoes).
Bake un-covered for 1 hour or until tender. Let cool.
Cut a wide strip of skin off top of potatoes and throw away the skin. Scoop out inside into a large bowl leaving shells in tact. Mash pulp, cream cheese, butter and milk with a masher, stir in cheese and other ingredients. Spoon mixture into shells.
Wrap with foil; freeze in large zip lock bag up to 1 month.
To cook from frozen:
preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove desired amount of potatoes from bag bake for about 1 hour.
To cook from fresh:
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
Freezer Sandwiches
I got this recipe from the same book with the freezer potatoes. These are really yummy and can be varied with types of meat, cheese and spices. I go to costco and get the big thing of rolls and make a big batch that usually lasts me a month or so for lunches and dinners.
Here is the basic recipe
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, softened but not melted
1/4 mayonnaise
3 Tbs. mustard (your choice, I like Dijon the recipe calls for coarse-grain)
1 Tbs. grated onion (I used dried onion flakes)
2 tsp. poppy seeds (optional)
8 large croissants, split open
1 lb. deli ham (I use turkey)
8 1 oz. swiss cheese slices (I alternate between swiss and Havarti)
Directions:
stir together first 5 ingredients in small bowl. Spread evenly over inside of croissants. Add layer of meat and cheese.
Wrap individually in foil and place in large ziplock bag and place in freezer for up to one month.
To heat in oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook desired amount of sandwiches for 1 hour.
To heat in microwave: Remove foil and microwave individually at med. power for 2 minutes or until heated through.
To cook fresh: Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes.
Easter Vanishing Rolls
We try to separate the Easter Bunny Easter from the Resurrection Easter at our house. On the Saturday before Easter Sunday the Easter Bunny delivers his baskets and we search for eggs. We tell the kids that it is a celebration of spring time arriving. Sunday is reserved for thinking about our Savior, his life, his sacrifice and his Resurrection. We start the morning by making these yummy vanishing rolls.
Our kids are still quite little, so we summarize most of the story of the end of Christ's life. The kids all get a marshmallow and we talk about how Christ was pure and clean from any sin like the marshmallow is clean and pure white. We talk about how people didn't believe he was the son of God and some hated him and wanted him dead, how he suffered for our sins in the garden of Gethsemane and how he hung on the cross and died.
We use our scriptures to tell the rest as we make our rolls:
Johns 19:40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
Roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture and wrap in crescent roll dough (like the spices and linen Jesus was wrapped in)
John 19: 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.
42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ apreparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
John 20: 5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
I like this because the marshmallow is gone but the roll (or linen cloth) remains. We then talk about how we get to enjoy the sweet reward of the resurrection. Christ lives so that we can too.
Our kids are still quite little, so we summarize most of the story of the end of Christ's life. The kids all get a marshmallow and we talk about how Christ was pure and clean from any sin like the marshmallow is clean and pure white. We talk about how people didn't believe he was the son of God and some hated him and wanted him dead, how he suffered for our sins in the garden of Gethsemane and how he hung on the cross and died.
We use our scriptures to tell the rest as we make our rolls:
John 19: 39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
We roll the marshmallows in melted butter (like the aloe, and washing of his body)
Johns 19:40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
Roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture and wrap in crescent roll dough (like the spices and linen Jesus was wrapped in)
John 19: 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.
42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ apreparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
The pan is the seplulchre and when we shut the oven we talk about moving the stone to close it.
Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for aprox. 11-15 minutes. We talk about how Jesus was laid in the tomb for 3 days and watch the Lamb of God while they cook.
John 20: 5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
I like this because the marshmallow is gone but the roll (or linen cloth) remains. We then talk about how we get to enjoy the sweet reward of the resurrection. Christ lives so that we can too.
Monday, April 5, 2010
On the Menu 4/5-4/11
The theme for this week is to clean up and clear out. I went through my cupboards and fridges and got rid of all expired items and anything that I figured we just were not going to use. I also made a bag for my local food bank of items that I wanted to clear out but that were still good. I know that most food banks suffer through the non holiday months and figure that I would try to donate every time I clean out my storage (about every 3 months).
Monday: Freezer Sandwiches and soup
Tuesday: Freezer Stuffed potatoes and salad
Wednesday: Freezer Manicotti
Thursday: Egg Salad sandwiches (easy, Easter leftovers!)
Friday: Cobb Salads (More uses for my hard boiled eggs)
Saturday: BBQ chicken (Fast and easy)
After this week, my freezers should be close to empty and I will be ready for another freezer day!! STAY TUNED! Also if anyone has good ideas for freezer meals please let me know, I would love any ideas!
Monday: Freezer Sandwiches and soup
Tuesday: Freezer Stuffed potatoes and salad
Wednesday: Freezer Manicotti
Thursday: Egg Salad sandwiches (easy, Easter leftovers!)
Friday: Cobb Salads (More uses for my hard boiled eggs)
Saturday: BBQ chicken (Fast and easy)
After this week, my freezers should be close to empty and I will be ready for another freezer day!! STAY TUNED! Also if anyone has good ideas for freezer meals please let me know, I would love any ideas!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Easter Eggs
Can you believe I still need the recipe to hard boil eggs??? That is how crazy I am. I don't know why I can not retain how to do this simple task!
It's egg coloring tonight! Wish us luck as it is no simple task with 4 children 3 of which will need major assistance!!!
Taco Soup
This is another recipe I aquired from my friend Krista. She constantly had our family over for dinner when we lived on Guam and this recipe has become a regular at our house. It is fast, it is easy and it is good!!!
Ingredients:
1 can kidney beans with juices
1 can black beans with juices
1 can sliced olives with juices
1 can corn with juices
1 can (I use a quart jar from my own canning) petite diced tomatoes
1 package morning star farms veggie meat (or 1 lb -2 lbs. ground meat-turkey of beef)
1 package taco seasonings
grated cheese
sour cream
corn chips
Directions:
In a large soup pot cook meat as needed with taco seasoning. Add all canned ingredients. Simmer until boiling.
Serve with sour cream and grated cheese.
Chips can be done several different ways as you like:
Krista's version is crunched up at bottom with soup on top.
My version is crunched on top.
My sister Megan likes to eat this like dip and scoops soup with chip spoons.
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