Pot Roast Test

Recently, I saw a recipe for cooking a pot roast and thought I'd try it, comparing it to my favorite recipe. A few years ago I used to make pot roast very similar to this new recipe. I'd put my roast in the crock-pot, then toss some cut-up potatoes, carrots, and onions atop the roast. Let it cook, and voila! dinner in a pot. However, my roast was usually dry, and flavorless. And, forget about making a gravy ... everytime I did it was really gross!


My favorite recipe I found a while ago and I've been using it for some time now. But, like with any favorite recipe, it can get old, so I thought I'd try the recipe included with the box of slow cooker liners. Here are the differences between the two recipes and which way I liked best:


Recipe #1-Slow Cooker Liner Recipe

Okay, this recipe says to put 1/4 cup water into the crock-pot, then add the cut-up veggies. I added some green pepper and garlic to my crock-pot. Then it says to sprinkle on the dry onion soup mix.


Recipe #2-My Favorite Recipe

In my favorite recipe, I only put onions in the pot. Sometimes I'll put some celery in the pot first so the roast can rest on it. Then, I'll put in the roast and place the onions around and atop the roast. I'll slice up my garlic and place all of it atop the roast. (I prepare the roast differently too, and I'll get to that.)



Recipe #1

In the new recipe, it said to sprinkle salt, pepper, and thyme on the roast and rub it in. Which I did, then I deviated from the recipe and browned my roast on all sides to seal in the moisture. Then, place the roast atop the veggies and let it cook for 5-6 hours on high.


Recipe #2

What I do differently in my favorite recipe is brown the roast on all sides, then I sprinkle the salt and pepper, and rosemary and thyme on the roast after I've placed it in the pot atop the celery. After I put the onions and garlic in the pot, I pour in 1-2 cans of beef broth, or about 2-3 cups water and a few cubes of beef bouillon. And, I pour it down the side of the pot so as not to wash the seasonings off the meat.



The verdict:


Recipe #1

I love having the entire dinner in one pot and not having to do any extra work after cutting everything up. The veggies had a lot of flavor, although the potatoes had a bitter aftertaste that I wasn't a fan of. The children really liked the potatoes though, so that was a bonus. I thought the roast would have a lot of flavor, but I was disappointed. It was dry and had a little bit of flavor, but not as much as I thought it would


Recipe #2

By far, it is still my favorite. True, I end up making mashed potatoes and candied carrots when I make my roast this way, but it tastes much better. There is so much more flavor in my roast, and the gravy is always yummy. Plus, the meat is moist and not dry at all.


So, the next time I make a roast with veggies in the pot, I'll place the roast on the bottom of the pot with the veggies atop it. Then, I'll add some beef broth to the pot. I think my roast was so dry because my veggies soaked up all the liquid.

Anyone have another favorite way to make pot-roast?

Eclair Cake

I love this stuff so much, I've made it three times in the last month! It is that yummy! My husband took some to work and came home requesting I make more for him to take again. So, out of the goodness of my heart (and the prospect of goodness in my mouth) I complied.

ECLAIR CAKE

What you need:

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1 cup flour

4 eggs

1 large pkg. vanilla pudding, instant or cook-n-serve

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 tub whipped topping

chocolate syrup

How you do it:

Bring water and butter to a rolling boil; whisk in flour until it forms a ball. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Beat in eggs one at a time. Press into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Meanwhile prepare pudding as directed on the package. Add cream cheese to pudding and mix well. Pour pudding into cake crust. When pudding is set, top with whipped topping. Drizzle with chocolate syrup before serving. Keep refrigerated.

Step-by-Step:

Okay, so before you get to this point you've brought the water and butter to a boil, whisked in the flour, and then beat in the eggs until it's smooth. Now you can just press the "dough" into the lightly greased dish.

(If you want to see what the batter looks like before you put it in the pan, check out my post on Eclairs.)

Make the pudding while the cake shell bakes. I prefer to use cook-n-serve pudding because I think it tastes better and the texture is by far superb to the instant stuff (it's also easier to add the cream cheese because I just put it in the microwave until it's soft and the heat of pudding helps to blend it all together really well). But, use what you like!

When it's time, take out the cake shell. If you've used instant pudding, you'll need to let the shell cool a bit before added the pudding. If you used cook-n-serve pudding, just pour it right into the shell.

Now, that you've filled the cake shell, let it cool completely before adding the whipped topping.

I like to drizzle the chocolate syrup atop individual slices, but again do what you like best!

Chocolate Butter Balls

This year I made one of my family's traditional holiday treats: Chocolate Butter Balls. I don't have a clue where my mom got the recipe, but as a child (and still today) I loved these things. In fact, my brother liked the dough so much that he would put it in a bowl in the fridge and eat out of it with a spoon. Who doesn't do that with cookie dough, though? (I don't have a picture because they are all gone. Sorry about that. Maybe I'll edit to add a picture later.)

I was telling my friend about them today, explaining that they are the perfect treat for a family night because there are enough ingredients for everyone to do something, and even the youngest child can help with these because you mix it together and roll it (there's no baking or cooking involved).

CHOCOLATE BUTTER BALLS

What you need:

2/3 cup butter, softened
3 Tbsp. cocoa
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups quick oats
powdered sugar

How you do it:

Mix all ingredients except powdered sugar; chill for at least one hour. (Or, if you live in Minne-so-cold, like we do, you can flatten the dough out and wrap in plastic wrap, then place it out on your deck or porch for 10-15 minutes [just enough to make the dough workable]. That'll do the trick.) Roll into balls, then roll balls in powdered sugar. Keep leftovers in refrigerator.