I told Eddie that one of my "resolutions/goals" this year was to cook my way through an entire cookbook. While it may not be the HEALTHIEST choice, he was all onboard with the idea of cooking through Pioneer Woman's (Ree Drummonds) first cookbook. I have both but it seemed best to start with the first!
There are 50-60 recipes in the cookbook so my goal is to cook one a week. (And there are a few that I may not do...Eddie HATES meatloaf. It seems sort of a waste to make meatloaf if no one will eat it! Maybe James and I would like it? Maybe I could make it with Mama and let her have it?) (Is anyone else saying "Meatloaf, beatloaf...I HATE meatloaf!" Just me? Oh. Carry on, then!)
This week's recipes sounded SCRUMPTIOUS. Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast and Creamy Mashed Potatoes. I usually do roast in a crockpot so this was a little daunting initially but then I put on my big girl undies and got going. Pot roast and mashed potatoes! Is there anyone who DOESN'T like that meal? Not at my house!
Like I said, I was slightly apprehensive about PW's pot roast when I started. And the boys weren't helping. Will decided he wasn't going to nap but I HAD to get it started because it cooks anywhere from 3-5 hours (ours cooked almost exactly 4 hours and was PERFECT). I really thought it would take a while to prep because there were veggies to be chopped and everything had to be browned before roasting. I think it took me twenty minutes of prep time. MAYBE thirty. But it was SO much easier than I expected.
The potatoes I wasn't worried about. I've made mashed potatoes before and they're pretty simple. These were easy, there was just more hands-on time than the roast.
The verdict? The house smelled FANTASTIC when Eddie walked in which is always a good thing. (A friend's grandmother told my mama one time that if you haven't gotten dinner fixed when your husband walks in the door to throw butter and an onion in a pan and it will SMELL like you've been hard at work! I laugh every time I think of that! {Lib! I'm talking about Gran!})
Eddie LOVES comfort food. He is a meat and potatoes man. And this was definitely a winner in his book. Write it down! I've found the winning roast! I've never worried that my roast wasn't good, but this was SO good that it's the winner. I would cut back just a bit on the rosemary, but that's just me.
The key, I think, was definitely the cut of meat. She suggests a chuck roast. And she probably should know since they're cattle ranchers! I was thankful that Eddie stuck to that item on the list and didn't get whatever was on sale. Apparently the marbling (is that a word?) is the key to keeping meat from drying out.
The potatoes were also excellent. Even James (a self-proclaimed potato hater...HOW is he my child???) ate every bite. They're delicious! I didn't add enough half-and-half but it's because I halved the recipe and wasn't sure how much they needed.
Perfect meal! Two thumbs up from everyone in my household!
Like I said, I was slightly apprehensive about PW's pot roast when I started. And the boys weren't helping. Will decided he wasn't going to nap but I HAD to get it started because it cooks anywhere from 3-5 hours (ours cooked almost exactly 4 hours and was PERFECT). I really thought it would take a while to prep because there were veggies to be chopped and everything had to be browned before roasting. I think it took me twenty minutes of prep time. MAYBE thirty. But it was SO much easier than I expected.
The potatoes I wasn't worried about. I've made mashed potatoes before and they're pretty simple. These were easy, there was just more hands-on time than the roast.
The verdict? The house smelled FANTASTIC when Eddie walked in which is always a good thing. (A friend's grandmother told my mama one time that if you haven't gotten dinner fixed when your husband walks in the door to throw butter and an onion in a pan and it will SMELL like you've been hard at work! I laugh every time I think of that! {Lib! I'm talking about Gran!})
Eddie LOVES comfort food. He is a meat and potatoes man. And this was definitely a winner in his book. Write it down! I've found the winning roast! I've never worried that my roast wasn't good, but this was SO good that it's the winner. I would cut back just a bit on the rosemary, but that's just me.
The key, I think, was definitely the cut of meat. She suggests a chuck roast. And she probably should know since they're cattle ranchers! I was thankful that Eddie stuck to that item on the list and didn't get whatever was on sale. Apparently the marbling (is that a word?) is the key to keeping meat from drying out.
The potatoes were also excellent. Even James (a self-proclaimed potato hater...HOW is he my child???) ate every bite. They're delicious! I didn't add enough half-and-half but it's because I halved the recipe and wasn't sure how much they needed.
Perfect meal! Two thumbs up from everyone in my household!
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2 comments:
I have both of her cookbooks and both of Trisha Yearwood's books and I am obsessed with all four! I've made PW's pot roast before, but I've somehow never managed to make the mashed potatoes. They are on my bucket list, though! How can you go wrong with mashed potatoes with cream cheese in them!?
Wait till you try the Pot Pie. It is to die for....Do use the wine it makes all the difference.
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