Wonderful Pot Roast.

A few weeks ago, I decided to make a pot roast for the first time. I saw the recipe in the Pioneer Woman Cooks and it looked fairly easy so I thought I'd give it a try. First thing first, I needed a dutch oven and since I do not own one, my friend Maia offered to let me borrow one of hers. More on that later.

Ingredients:

- 2 or 3 Tbsp olive oil

- Kosher salt

- One 3 to 5 pound chuck roast

- 2 onions

- 6 to 8 carrots

- pepper

- 2 to 2 1/2 cups beef stock

- 3 or 4 fresh rosemary sprigs

- 2 or 3 fresh thyme sprigs

Pre-heat the oven to 275 degrees.

Heat a large pot or Dutch Oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and let it get really hot. While it heats, prepare the other ingredients.

Generously salt the chuck roast on both sides.

Cut a couple of onions in half from root to tip. Then cut off the tops and bottoms and peel off the papery skin.

When the pot is very hot, place the onions in the oil and brown on both sides, about a minute per side. Remove the onions to a plate.

Next, thoroughly wash, but son't peel the carrots. Cut them roughly into 2-inch slices.

Throw the carrots into the same (very hot) pot. Toss them around until slightly brown, about a minute or so.

Remove the carrots from the pot and allow to get really hot again. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan.

Place the meat in the pot and sear it, about a minute per side. Remove to a plate.

Now, with the burner on high, deglaze the pot by adding 1 cup of the beef stock, whisking constantly. The point of deglazing is to loosen all the burned, flavorful bits from the bottom of the pot.

When most of the bits are loosened, place the meat back in the pot.

Followed by the carrots and onions. Pour enough beef stock into the pot to cover the meat halfway.

Next, put in the thyme and rosemary sprigs. The fresh herbs absolutely make this dish. Tuck them in the juice to ensure that the flavors are distributed throughout the pot.

Now, cover the pot and roast in the oven for 3 to 5 hours, depending on the size of your roast. For a 3 pound roast, allow for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. For a 5 pound roast, allow for 4 to 5 hours cooking time. Don't disrupt the roast during the cooking process.

When the cooking time is over, check the roast for doneness, a fork should go in easily and the meat should be very tender. Remove the meat to a cutting board and slice against the grain.

I served my pot roast with broccoli and mashed potatoes. It was delicious!

Now, something terrible happened to Maia's Dutch Oven while it was in my oven. After we were done eating, I went back into the kitchen to put the left overs away and when I emptied the pot from the rest of the onions/carrots and the juices from the pot roast, this is what I found:

When I saw that, my heart sank, I was devastated. I had ruined Maia's pot. I sent her a very apologetic email and thankfully she answered back and told not to worry, that it was just probably a bad quality pot. Still, Maia, I am sorry I ruined your pot!

Pain d'epices.

Pain d'epices can be translated as "spice-bread". It is a traditional French bread full of flavors and its main ingredients are rye flour, honey and spices. It is very dense and flavorful so one usually eats it by the very thin slice. Some like it by itself while others enjoy it with a bit of butter or jam. I love it with apricot preserves! This bread can be kept (in a dry cool spot) for more than a week and it actually gets better with time, as the flavors meld together.

I followed David Lebovitz' recipe and it came out great!

Today's Brunch!

The drink is a Mimosa (Champagne and orange juice), it's our favorite brunch drink :-)

The fruit salad is not looking too hot, I know.... I forgot to buy more colorful fruits. Then there is maple sausage. And the best part: zucchini and cheddar frittatas. Maia made this not oo long ago and it looked so cool that I had to try it! Mine didn't puff out as much as hers but they tasted delicious nonetheless! Here's the recipe.

This is what they looked like before going in the oven.

Then, after about 20 minutes:

They were delicious and very easy to make!

Apple Crisp

Apple Crisp is one of my favorite desserts. I have made many in the past few years. I have tried several recipes and the one I am sharing with you is a mix of all of them.

Ingredients:

- 4 or 5 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 3/4 Tbsp cinnamon

- 1 tsp vanilla (I forgot to include it in the picture)

- 1/3 cup sugar

- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

- 6 tbsp butter at room temperature

Preheat oven to 365 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, combine the apples, 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.

Put the apple mix into a 9 inch pie pan.

In a mixing bowl (I just use the same one, no need for more dishes!) combine the 1/3 cup sugar and the flour. Cut in the butter. You can use a pastry blender or your fingers. I usually use my fingers. It's messier but definitely more effective in my opinion.

Once it's all combined, it will be crumbly and homogeneous.

Spoon the mixture over the apples.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Serve by itself or with some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Print this recipe!

Chili

I had never made Chili until a few weeks ago. When my friend Josee came over one day and made a chili in my kitchen, I just fell in love with the taste of this delicious concoction! Since then, I have made three different Chili recipes and I am looking for more! If you have a favorite Chili recipe and would like to share it with me, I will be forever grateful! I have become slightly obsessed with Chili.

This recipe is from the Pioneer Woman Cooks. I love her cookbook; it has lots of wonderful pictures and stories as well as recipes.

Ingredients:

- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tsp ground oregano
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 8oz can tomato sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup masa (corn flour)

Optional ingredients:

- 1 can pinto beans, drained
- 1 can kidney beans, drained
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes and chili (I use Rotel brand)

For serving:

- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Chopped onion
- Fritos

Place the ground beef in a large pot and throw in the garlic.

Cook the beef until brown and drain off the excess fat.

Pour in the tomato sauce, followed by the spices and the salt.

Stir together well, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If the mixture becomes overly dry, add in 1/2 cup of water at a time as needed.

After an hour, place the masa in a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup water and stir together with a fork.

Dump the masa mixture into the chili.

Stir together well. Taste, adjust the seasonings, and add more masa paste and/or water to get the chili to your preferred consistency, or to add more corn flavor. Add the beans, jalapeño, and tomatoes if desired. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve with shredded cheddar, chopped onion, and Fritos.

PRINT THIS RECIPE!

Chocolate Ricotta Muffins.

These have officially become my favorite muffins! They are just wonderful! I first tasted one a few month ago when Maia made them and have been wanting the recipe ever since. Well Maia has now shared it with all of us so I did not wait more than one day to make them. Here's the recipe. Thank you Maia!!!