Mom’s Sunday Roast. Oh man, I can already smell it…

There’s nothing better than a good ‘ole roast or a pot of spaghetti and meatballs waiting when we come home from church. You can smell if from the garage; like Grandma has been cooking all morning.

Here’s a happy medium when you can’t decide.

My mom made this recipe when I was a kid. I’ve never had it anywhere else so I’m find with saying it’s an old family recipe. I must admit: I get nostalgic in the kitchen. My sister, Annalisa, thinks I’m half nuts when I pull anything out of mom’s old cookbook and if she reads this, she will roll her eyes that I still make this.

I’m sure these ingredients could be tweaked, but if I did, it wouldn’t be the same. My mom made this some years ago (the first time I’d had it as an adult), and I could see myself opening the avocado green refrigerator and getting a glass of Tang. I’m getting teary eyed already.

Once again, I cooked this recently and forgot to take a picture. I’ll do it the next time. But if you make it, send me yours so I can post it!

Ingredients:

2 lb. Chuck Roast (not my favorite cut of meat, but my mom says this works best. I didn’t believe her until the butcher at Publix confirmed it. Just be ready to cut away the fat at the end. NOTE: a 2 lb. chuck roast shrinks up; so if you buy a larger roast like I always do, use your judgement and adjust your seasonings so. I usually double the sauce and water anyway but again, remember to adjust.)

2-3 garlic cloves (sliver one clove, chop the rest)

2 T. olive oil

2 T. butter

1 small onion, chopped

2 t. oregano

1 t. thyme

1 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1/8 t. cinnamon

1 15. oz tomato sauce (Plain sauce, not the flavored kind; this is not meant to be an Italian sauce.)

1/2 cup water

Spaghetti noodles

Directions:

Make a few slits in the roast. Jam one of the pieces of garlic inside. (I have no idea why, but Mom says to do this.)

I cook this on top of the stove in a large pan; no need to even turn the oven on.

Brown your meat and onions in the oil and butter on medium heat (remember, this is an old recipe. I haven’t changed it to a low-fat version). Once the meat has browned, about five minutes on each side, chop up the rest of the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.

Mom says to take the roast out at this point and then add your next ingredients. I simply scoot the meat to the side and then add. Take your pick.

Add the oregano, thyme, salt, pepper and cinnamon to your pan. Next add the tomato sauce and water and put your meat back into the pan if you chose my mom’s way.

Cook on low, covered, for two to three hours (or however long you’re going to be in church).

Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles. (Al dente please. I will not have you giving soggy noodles to your family.) Garlic bread, a salad, something good for dessert…could Sunday lunch get any better?

I’d choose a home cooked meal over a restaurant any day, especially on a Sunday. Besides, you will love how your house smells when you walk in from church; and I wouldn’t lie when it comes to food.

Enjoy!

This Bud’s For You!

On the way to the bus stop this morning, a thought occurred to me. It’s early March.

The blossoms are not supposed to be out. It’s not right.

Mother Nature hasn’t given the sprouts on the Bradford Pears permission to make their entrance yet.

But they’ve decided differently. Just look around.

I took these pictures for those who have found the courage to bloom, even though your season says,

“Not yet.”

Who cares if you’re older than you’ve ever been. Who cares that you’ve never been here before.

It doesn’t matter. Something is calling you out of your old season. You’re not late, not even early.

You’re right on time.

This bud’s for you!

Lemon Chicken

Here’s another one of my go-to meals. When I make this my kids always say, “Yum!” And, I like when they’re happy. I usually have a few chicken breasts lurking somewhere in the back of the freezer and I always have fresh lemons on hand. If you’ve got these two key ingredients, then you can pull this simple recipe together.

Yummy Cavendar’s

You will need:

At least four skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Butter

Seasonings: Cavender’s Greek Seasoning, Salt, Pepper, Oregano, Parsley

Garlic

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Better Than Bouillon chicken base (If you keep fresh chicken stock on hand, you can use that. I’m impressed if you do.)

This is about how much seasoning I use.

Before you get started, throw some more chicken in there because this makes great leftovers. If you’re making use of the crock pot, why not?

Now brown the chicken in a large frying pan, about five minutes per side. I use a couple tablespoons of either real butter or Brummel and Brown. Whatever looks good for the amount of chicken you have.

Disclaimer: I have no idea how to write a recipe correctly. Kudos to cookbook writers. So, forgive me if I leave something out or confuse you. I thought this would be a good idea to add to my blog…I will put the absolutely unneccesary thoughts in BF italics. I feel compelled to let you know why I do certain things.

You want to get a nice brown on each side. I’m not sure why, but I just think it tastes better this way. While you’re browning one side, generously season the other side with oregano, parsley, fresh pepper and Cavendar’s Greek seasoning. You can pick up Cavendar’s at Publix; it’s a great seasoning for anything, especially for fresh salad dressing.

This is what one side browned looks like.

Once you’ve seasoned and browned both sides of the chicken, put the breasts into a crock pot or a Dutch oven. I’ve used both so I guess it depends on how long you have. I generally opt for the crock pot because it’s easier. However, if  I’m cooking for a crowd, then I choose the Dutch oven because my crock pot isn’t that big.

Come to think of it, I think I’ve had my crock pot for my entire marriage (that would be 22 years). I wish I could remember who bought it for me so I could share that with them.

Once the chicken is out of the pan, add some chopped garlic (about two cloves) into the pan and saute for about 30 seconds. Then add the juice from one or two freshly squeezed lemons. The amount of lemon is according to your preference and how much chicken you went with in the first place. I prefer using at least two lemons.

My handy dandy lemon squeezer.

I have one of those lemon/orange juicers that I received as a gift at a wedding shower too. Why am I remembering this all of a sudden? Mary Carol Crisafulli bought it for me in case she ever reads this and in case I forgot to send her a thank you note. 

Next add a tablespoon or more of the Better Than Bouillon chicken flavoring and some hot water (at least a cup or two) to make your sauce. Now scrape up all the good stuff left behind in the pan from when you browned the chicken and pour it over the chicken in your crock pot. Make sure you have enough broth so that you’ll have some gravy.

Let it cook on low for about 5 hours or until its done. Again, it depends on how much chicken you’ve used and how large your crock pot is.

This is what it looks like going into the crockpot!

Be sure to taste the broth towards the end to make sure you’ve got it seasoned enough. You may need to add more salt or lemon juice. Just get it to a nice flavor that you like. I’d like to say I serve this over brown organic rice but I don’t. Instant rice is what I usually have on hand. If my mom is coming over for dinner, I ask her make the mashed potatoes because she is the absolute best mashed potato maker in the family. Mine are okay, but I hate peeling them. However, it’s worth the extra effort to make then just to see the glazed look my kids get in their eyes when I tell them I made mashed potatoes. They say things like, “You’re the best mom ever. Let me clean my room before dinner.”

I generally serve it with a salad and some freshly frozen corn (because Sophie has to have corn with mash potatoes). When dinner is over, let the kids and your husband clean the kitchen while you go take a bubble bath!

I’d love to hear about your favorite recipe in the comment section below.

Enjoy.

 

Looking for a new meal idea? Try this recipe!

Lana’s Curry Chicken…My Way

My friend, Lana Irons (you can visit her page at www.ByeByeOffice.com) posted this recipe last year. She stated that it was “kid friendly.” Yeah, right. Maybe friendly for your kid, but not mine! I have one good eater, one not so. Desperate for a new recipe one Friday, I decided to try this (I seldom try a recipe that doesn’t come with a picture but I did anyway). It was a hit for ¾ of our family. Eventually, Eli came aboard and now this is one of our family’s favorite meals. I’ve made adjustments from her recipe to come up with how we like it. You can read my ending note to see the varying tastes of my family. And the next time I make this, I’ll post a picture or two.

Enjoy!

Lana’s Curry Chicken…My Way

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
 (I slice them into @ 2” strips)

1 small to medium onion, sliced

2 gloves garlic

olive oil

1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon chicken flavoring (this is found near the bouillon cubes; it’s in a jar and you spoon it into your dishes. I had never used this before until I read it in Lana’s recipe and now I use nothing else. It’s worth it.]

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1-3 tablespoons yellow curry (adjust to your liking)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 cup sour cream (I always use light)

1/4-1/2 C. milk (to thin out if too thick; I always use skim)

½ fresh red pepper (sliced; more if you like)

½ fresh green pepper (sliced; more if you like)

1 small package sliced fresh mushrooms (although my husband hates these, these are the best part of the entire meal)

Cabbage (as much as you like, even though the kids don’t like this part; I only use this occasionally but Regi loves it)

Directions:

Early in the day, I cut the chicken up and put it in a medium bowl with the olive oil, paprika, salt, pepper and @ 1 tablespoon of curry. I let it marinate for a while until I’m ready to start dinner.

  • In a dutch oven or deep skillet, brown onions in olive oil until soft (about 5 minutes).
  • Add garlic and brown sugar.
  • Add the chicken to skillet and cook over medium heat in order to brown the chicken.
  • Add the bouillon paste and water. Let it simmer for a while (about 20 minutes).
  • At this point, add more water and bouillon paste until it’s the consistency you like. Add the rest of the curry, adjusting to your liking. Then add the mushrooms.
  • Next add the sour cream. If you need to thin it out, I add milk.
  • Add peppers and cabbage (or whichever you like) toward the end because it doesn’t take long for them to cook. Simmer, covered, for approximately 25 minutes.

If the sauce gets too thin, I add a little cornstarch. Don’t forget to taste it along the way. If you like it a bit sweeter, add another teaspoon of brown sugar. I use about two tablespoons of the curry all together. Sophie tends to like it spicy and always tells me I need to add more.

How I serve it: my family likes to serve this over good old white rice. I know it’s not really good for us, but I think it tastes good.

For Regi, I make sure no mushrooms get onto his plate. He likes everything else.

For Eli, I only put chicken on his plate without much of the sauce. I can barely get this child to even taste a vegetable.

Sophie gets all the mushrooms that neither Regi nor Eli want, but won’t eat let me put the cabbage or peppers on her plate. She loves the chicken and lots of sauce. Little known fact about her: She usually won’t let any food touch each other and she will only one food group at a time. Thought you’d like to know that.

Me…I like it all. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have put it in the pot to begin with!

The Bagman Cometh. Or See-eth.

A quick trip to the grocery comes with a dilemma. Makeup? No makeup? Hat? No hat? I care about what I wear, but not always. Sometimes I take the real me, unphotoshopped, as I sneak around the aisles. If I spot someone I know, I pretend to be glued to the buy-one-get-one free chicken broth just to go unnoticed.

Today I just wanted to get in and out of the store, short and sweet. I didn’t feel like small talk but you can’t escape it there. The people in green are just so stinkin’ friendly.

The very second I walked to where the baskets were waiting, I was greeted by the kindest man ever. Jacob. Older than my father but younger than my grandfather so I don’t know to classify him. Every time he sees me, without fail, he loudly calls to me, “Ahh, my favorite customer is here. Kim! How are ya today, Kim?” Emphasizing my name each and every time. Cheeks turn red; I should have worn the hat.

A couple years ago, Jacob got me confused with someone else and called me by the wrong name. This sparked our friendship. He reminds me of this every other time I see him, and he often recounts the entire story to whichever cashier is within earshot. I play along and laugh at the appropriate time, wishing he would work a little faster. Impatient Man is behind me. Jacob hugs me hello, hugs me good-bye, and I don’t even know his last name.

He sees me at my best, like right after I’ve had lunch with a friend and stop in for some milk. And my worst, like the time I felt the need to personally question the gentleman in the parking lot who flipped me off because I got his parking space. That’s another story he likes to tell. (The time he was dressed up as Santa and walked up to me and said, “How are you today, Kim?” still has my kids rattled.)

This time, between bagging eggs and Cheetos, he pays me a compliment. “Jacob, you are too kind but I think you need to get your glasses adjusted. I look terrible and you know it.” We laugh, he insists, I contradict. I know the guy behind me hears, even though he now pretends to read the cover of Cooking Light. And I know he thinks a little cover-up would have done wonders.

As Jacob takes my groceries to the car, we take our time. This is when we catch up on the kids, his work schedule, and the price of groceries. His breathes like the 70-something-year-old-man he is and I wonder how I would ever know if something happened to him. He packs up my car, hugs my neck, and says he’ll be looking for me on my next trip. I secretly vow to make myself more presentable next time.

As I back out of the parking lot, I look in the rear view mirror and try to see who he was talking about.

Why is it so difficult to see ourselves as the bag-man does? Beneath the dirt and beyond the phony. Past the impatience, beneath the mask, and beyond the organic bananas, to the core. Past who we used to be, to who we have become. Every time we see ourselves as not-entirely-forgiven, or not-exactly-beautiful, or not-as-good as-our-neighbor, we undo everything that was accomplished on the cross.

We were made to walk in grace, to rest in mercy, and sometimes it takes people like the bag-man to gently remind us of that. God sees us bare and undone and loves us in spite of ourselves. Why can’t we do the same?

I think we could learn a lot from the bag-man.

1 Peter 3:4: Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. (The Message)