Sweet & Tangy Pot Roast

I love setting my crock pot in the morning and returning to a house filled with the aroma of a delicious roast. The few minutes it takes to put together the ingredients before work is well worth it when dinner is ready for the table as soon as you walk in the door. This recipe is one that my mother-in-law recently tried from a friend and then passed on to me. I would say that this was the best pot roast I have ever had!! The slow cooked meat was fork tender. The gravy was one-of-a-kind with ketchup being the star ingredient. Tonight we enjoyed this roast with mashed potatoes and peas - yum!

Sweet & Tangy Pot Roast

1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 lbs)

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 c. water

1 c. ketchup

1/4 c. red wine or beef broth

1 envelope brown gravy mix

2 tsp. dijon mustard

1 tsp. worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

2 Tbls. diced shallots

3 Tbls. cornstarch

1/4 c. cold water

Place meat in slow cooker and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine in bowl: water, ketchup, wine or broth, gravy mix, mustard, worcestershire sauce, shallots and garlic powder. Pour over meat.

Cook on low setting for 9 hours or until tender. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth and stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until gravy is thickened.

Pilgrim Hat Cookies

My co-worker brought these cute cookies into work last year at Thanksgiving and I liked them so much that I emailed a picture of them to my family. My sister saved the email this past year and while I had forgotten about them, she had not. We made them on Wednesday night and decided they would be a fun activity to do with our nephews when they get a little older. They are quick and easy to assemble and keep your Thanksgiving table looking festive.

Pilgrim Hat Cookies

1 can cream cheese frosting

1 pkg. fudge striped cookies

1 bag mini Reece's peanut butter cups

Reece's pieces candies or mini M&M's

Place fudge striped cookie face down and add approximately 1 tsp. frosting to the center. Place peanut butter cup face down on top of frosting. Add a mini M&M for the button. Enjoy!

Green Bean Casserole

I couldn't post every item on my Thanksgiving menu since I was busy hosting my family for the weekend. (I was so happy that my husband was able to snap a picture of his plate since I was not thinking of my blog during the holiday.) Instead, I decided to feature one of my favorite new recipes for you to try, perhaps this Christmas. I have always liked the topping on green bean casserole but never liked the mushy center. I searched Food Network's website because I trusted their experts would know how to make this casserole better. By using fresh cut beans instead of canned or frozen the casserole was less mushy. I also used cream and fresh mushrooms instead of cream of mushroom soup which made the whole dish taste fresher. I still topped them with the prepared french onion crisps that we all love!

Fresh Green Bean Casserole

2 Tbls. salt

1-2 pounds fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved 2 Tbs. unsalted butter 12 oz. mushrooms, sliced 1/2 tsp. black pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup chicken broth 1 cup half-and-half

1 1/2 c. French fried onion Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Add the beans and simmer for 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the green beans. Top with onion crisps. Place into 425 degree F oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 25 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

Adapted from Alton Brown's Green Bean Casserole recipe

Harvest Squash Soup

The rush of the holiday season is already in full swing and I have not been able to get in the kitchen for quite a few days. (My apologies to my diligent readers!) With this in mind, I would like the recipes for the next month to be ones that can be made ahead of time or ones that do not take a lot of time prepare. Though the holidays can be "all about the food" I know we would rather spend time with family and friends or curled up on the couch watching a Christmas movie. It only takes a bit of extra planning to achieve both. Tonight's menu is another soup recipe. This squash soup is decadent and rich. It could be served as a first course or paired nicely with a leftover turkey sandwich. This was the first time I made something with fresh ginger and it was worth the effort! I hope you find this recipe as wonderful as we did. Happy Thanksgiving!

2 butternut squash, seeded and quartered 3 Tbls. melted butter 2 tsp. salt, plus 1 teaspoon to season later 3/4 tsp. freshly ground white pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon to season later 3 cups chicken broth 1/4 cup honey 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger 1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the quartered squash onto a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush squash with a melted butter and season with 1 tablespoon of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the white pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 30 to 35 minutes or until tender. Scoop the flesh from the skin into a large pot. Add the broth, honey and ginger. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Transfer into a blender or food processor (you may have to do this in batches) and blend until smooth. Stir in the cream and return to pot and simmer on low. Season with the remaining salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Based on Squash Soup recipe from Alton Brown

Quick & Tasty Tortellini Soup

With my husband home sick today I knew there was only one option for dinner...soup! Soup is by far my favorite food. As soon as the weather starts to get cold, I look forward to the warmth and comfort that comes in a bowl of great soup. You can look forward to many easy soup recipes in the weeks to come. Tonight I had to make due with the ingredients that I had on hand so this soup is unlike any I've made before. By sauteing the vegetables in olive oil first, I was able to cut my cooking time down in half. Also, using pepperonis for the meat make this soup "quick and tasty". Top it all off with freshly grated parmesan cheese - yum!

Quick & Tasty Tortellini Soup

1 lg. carrot - thinly sliced

1/2 onion - diced

2 tomatoes - chopped

minced garlic

2 cans chicken or vegetable stock

1/4 c. pepperoni slices - quartered

salt/pepper

1 tsp. italian seasoning

15 oz. fresh or frozen tortellini

parmesan cheese

In large pot, saute carrots, onion and garlic until tender. Add tomatoes and stock and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Add pepperonis, seasoning and tortellini and simmer for 5-10 minutes more. Top with parmesan cheese.

Sticky Caramel Rolls

Is there anything better than made-from-scratch caramel rolls? The satisfaction I get from mixing yeast and a couple of basic pantry ingredients together to get homemade bread dough is almost as great as the sweet reward of the finished product. I know making your own dough can seem a little intimidating, but I challenge you to give it a try this week. The secret to yeast success is to use a digital thermometer to test your water or milk temperature. The magic number you are looking for is between 105-115 degrees Fahrenheit. My other tip is to use "rapid rise" yeast since it does cut the time needed for the dough to rise almost in half. This recipe is from my favorite cookbook and I have been perfecting it over the past year. Enjoy them on a Sunday morning - they are perfect to serve to overnight guests!

Dough

(2) pkg. rapid rise yeast

1 c. milk (heated 105-115 F)

1/2 c. granulated sugar

3 lg. eggs

5 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Grated zest of 1 orange

1/2 c. butter (at room temperature)

In stand mixer dissolve yeast in warm milk and let stand until foamy (about 5 minutes) - add remaining ingredients. Attach dough hook to mixer and knead on low speed. Add a little more flour as needed for the dough to come away from the sides of the bowl - knead until dough is smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes). Form the dough into a ball and transfer into a lightly oiled bowl - cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size, 1 - 1.5 hours.

Filling

5 Tbls. granulated sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Combine sugar and cinnamon

1/4 c. softened butter

Punch down dough and turn over onto a lightly floured work surface. Cut the dough in half with a sharp knife. Roll out one-half of the dough into a 10 x 16 inch rectangle. Spread dough with butter and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Roll the rectangle up along the long side. Slice into approx. 10 rolls. Repeat with the remaining half of dough.

Caramel Sauce

1/2 stick butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 c. half-n-half or cream

Combine ingredients in sauce pan until melted. Pour into 9x13 pan and place rolls on top of sauce.

Cover the rolls loosely with a kitchen towel and let them rise in a warm place until they have doubled in size, 30-40 minutes.

(Alternatively, place rolls in the refrigerator and let them rise overnight.)

Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes. Let the rolls cool slightly in the pan and then flip over.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma "Essentials of Baking"

Grand Tacos

Here is a new version of tacos for your family. My sister-in-law made these last week and said they were an excellent twist to the regular taco. We piled our "grand" tacos high with seasoned ground beef, black beans and lots of fresh taco toppings. They remind me of Uffda-Taco's which are a fair favorite in northern Minnesota, but these are not deep fried so you don't have to feel guilty while enjoying them.

Grand Tacos

1 can of Pillsbury Grand Biscuits

Traditional taco toppings

Simply flatten Grand rolls on an ungreased baking sheet and cook at 375 for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Top with taco seasoned ground beef, cheese, and all of your favorite taco toppings.