The Most Amazing Pot Roast of All Time

 I have made a lot of pot roasts in my day. Sometimes they turn out good, sometimes not so much. I made this one last night and I will never make it another way again. It was SO. GOOD. We gobbled it all up and had no leftovers! Which was actually kind of sad because we do love our leftovers. Mmmboy. 

This recipe and photos are from Joyously Domestic. I will definitely be trying more of her recipes, because…Dang. 

Slow Cooker Pot Roast 

Ingredients:

1 chuck roast (mine was 3 pounds)
Olive oil
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 onion, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks (optional)
1 cup beef broth
1 tablespoons corn starch

SEASONING MIX -

2 tablespoons steak seasoning (mine is store-bought and has a blend of peppercorns, garlic, paprika, parsley and salt)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried rosemary

Directions:

Combine together seasoning mix in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Coat both sides of meat with olive oil.  Sprinkle on a third of the seasoning mix onto each side.

Sear both sides of the meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Transfer roast to slow cooker.

Place the vegetables in a large bowl.  Drizzle on a little olive oil to coat vegetables.  Sprinkle on the remaining seasoning mix.  Add the vegetables to the same skillet that was used to sear the meat. Sauté for about five minutes - stirring occasionally.

Transfer the vegetables to the top of the roast in the slow cooker.  Pour in the beef broth. Cover with lid.

Cook on low for 9 hours or on high for 6 hours.

Using a turkey baster, retrieve most of the cooking juices from the slow cooker.  Transfer juices to a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat on the stovetop.  Whisk together the cornstarch with a little water.  Blend into the pan juices while whisking.  Bring back to a simmer until thickened.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Transfer the roast and vegetables to a large platter.  Ladle the gravy over.  Serve immediately.

The Best Salsa Ever - for real this time

Okay so... I pride myself on making a good salsa, but our friend Easton came over the other day and had a salsa that knocked all of our socks off! So for fear of losing her recipe I want to post it here. I have already made it since she brought it a week ago and mine didn't turn out quite as good as hers but it was still the best I've ever made :)

Perfect Salsa

1 large can of diced tomatoes - drained
5-7 tomatillos depending on the size (5 large, 6-7 small)- peeled and quartered
1-2 bunches of cilantro, depending on how much you like the taste - rinsed and with the stems cut off
1-2 cloves of garlic, depending on how garlicky you want it
1/4 onion
1 jalapeño - I always rinse mine off first so that I can actually touch it without getting the oil on my hands, then I cut it in half lengthwise and cut out the veins and seeds and just add the fruit... then if I want it spicier I just add seeds
1 lime - juiced, and I usually cut off some of the fruit and add that in too
Cumin - to taste, I usually just shake the bottle until my arm hurts (how is that for precise?!)
Salt and pepper to taste

Just throw everything in and blend! Enjoy!

Raspberry Salad Dressing (aka The Best Salad Dressing in the World)

I was scrambling to assemble dinner for Blaine's family on Sunday and my heart about stopped when I couldn't find my most treasured recipe card - the one for Katie's Salad Dressing.

See, I used to make salad with this dressing all the time, but there is something about pregnancy that makes lettuce and spinach seem very, very vile. So it has been a while and I no longer had the recipe memorized. I was terrified about not having the card and I couldn't  believe the recipe could not be found on either of my recipe blogs. Sad indeed. Luckily I found the card and am now posting to prevent a future culinary crisis!


Katie's Raspberry Salad Dressing

2 T red wine vinegar
2 T honey or agave
1/2 C olive oil
1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t salt
1 C strawberry or raspberry jam (do yourself a favor and use raspberry)

Mix it all together....like in a blender or with a whisk.



So this salad dressing is great on baby greens or a spinach salad. I like to top the greens with any combination of the following: avocado, feta, pecans (candied or toasted), red onion, apples, raspberries, strawberries, you get the idea.  . . (apple/avocado/feta/pecans is a personal favorite combo).


Enjoy!

Sourdough Croutons

If you haven't had the pleasure of making your own croutons you are missing out on one of the easiest and most satisfying baking experiences you can have. Everyone will be duly impressed and they are completely simple to make!

Homemade Sourdough Croutons
Recipe from: Rachel Ray

2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups cubed sourdough bread
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
1 teaspoon italian seasoning (or just oregano)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (or 1 1/2 t. dried)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Heat garlic and oil over low heat and melt butter into the oil.
Place the bread in a large bowl and toss with garlic oil and butter.
Season with pepper, Parmesan and thyme.
Spread croutons evenly on baking sheet and bake until crisp and golden. (15 - 25 minutes).

Try to not eat them all before your salad is served. 

Coconut Ice Cream

It was B's birthday yesterday and in honor of the occasion I made my absolute favorite thing: homemade ice cream. One day I sidebusted a facebook conversation between Ralphie and Kinsey and procured this recipe, and my life will never be the same.

Coconut Ice Cream

By: Allrecipes.com via Kinsey, a cute YW from my Texas ward

1 c milk
1 14oz can cream of coconut (I'll save you an hour of your life by telling you to look by the Margarita Mix, and note that it is a different product than coconut milk - which is by the Asian foods. Both products will change your life for the better though).
1 1/2 c heavy cream

Now here's the tricky part: Mix all ingredients together. Put them in the fridge for a spell (10 minutes to a couple of hours, whatever), then put them in your ice cream maker. Ground breaking right?

Thank me later.

Do you like how I gracefully ignored the fact that I've been all MIA for the last six months. Me too. 

Heavenly Halibut

Today was my first experience with halibut, but it most certainly won't be my last. It was brought to my attention that halibut costs upwards of $17/lb. That, my friends, is insanity. The good news for me though is that my dad has a gig where every summer he goes to Alaska, scrubs pots and pans for a week in the day and fishes by night. Then he comes home with a truckload of salmon and halibut and is kind enough to share the spoils!

So I understand if you are a little hesitant to go drop serious cash for halibut. But the thing is...it was divine! And, I am guessing that you could use any white fish in this recipe and have similar results (tilapia is super cheap). So give it a shot and thank me later!

Heavenly Halibut

from: www.allrecipes.com

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 dash hot pepper sauce ( I used chaloula - or however you spell it, and I used two and a half dashes)
2 pounds skinless halibut fillets

Directions

1. Preheat the oven broiler. Grease a baking dish.
2. In a bowl, mix the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise, lemon juice, green onions, salt, and hot pepper sauce.
3. Arrange the halibut fillets in the prepared baking dish.
4. Broil halibut fillets 8 minutes in the prepared oven, or until easily flaked with a fork. Spread with the Parmesan cheese mixture, and continue broiling 2 minutes, or until topping is bubbly and lightly browned.

Miracle Muffins

Blaine has struggled with high cholestrol for a couple of years now, probably more but we didn't bother even having it checked until about 2007. His doctor saw his numbers and immediately prescribed him statin drugs. After doing some research on statins I was scared out of my ever loving mind (memory loss? Nerve damage?) and decided that we would try to get his levels under control ourselves for a few months before giving in to a lifetime of medication.

Part of our cholesterol lowering regime is to have 2-3 of these muffins every day for 8 weeks. Well, more realisticly probably for life. Though I don't struggle with high cholesterol, I still enjoy the muffins each day and so do my kids. It's like eating a nice bowl of oatmeal, but that actually tastes good and that you don't have to douse with sugar to swallow.

So if you are looking for a simple breakfast that is filling, nutritious and could potentially lower your cholesterol, this is it! There are lots of varitations to the muffins, but we just like them plain and simple!

Miracle Muffins

by: The 8- Week Cholesterol Cure

2 1/4 cups oat bran cereal (found in the bulk section of Whole Foods or Good Earth)
1/4 cup chopped nuts of your choice (choose pecans people)
1/4 cup raisins or dried fruit (we leave this out since raisins are vile)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup brown sugar, honey or molasses (brown sugar)
1 1/4 cup skim milk (now, here's a big tip! Use vanilla almond milk-- the muffins taste so much better and I think it even has fewer calories!!)
2 egg whites
3 tablespoons canola oil

Preheat the oven to 425dgs. In a large bowl combine the oat bran, nuts, raisins (ew), and baking powder. Stir in the sugar or other sweetening. Mix the milk, eggs, and oil together in a seperate bowl. Once you mix the dry and wet ingredients seperately combine and mix together. Line muffin pan with paper baking cups, and fill with batter. Bake 15-17 miutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick; it shoudl come out moist but not wet.

These store well in the freezer! Enjoy!