My Homemade Pizza and Dough…

 

I have been making homemade pizza for the past 3-4 years. Just like any town, big or small, we have local pizza joints, but sometime along the way, I decided that generic looking pizzas were no longer what I wanted to settle for. We still have take-out pizza from time to time, but for 1/4 of the price charged for one medium pizza there, I can make two AMAZING medium-large homemade pizzas! Once i figured this out, I began to make homemade pizza for dinner about every other week to keep us from getting an expensive, mediocre pizza as a result of our love of and craving for pizza. I began to try out maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaany recipes for pizza crust, trying to find the perfect one. I finally came across this one and we have stuck with it since then. One mistake I was making, was that I assumed pizza crust like most other breads and such, was best baked at the common 350 degrees F. I was SO wrong! The reason pizza crust from a brick oven or pizza oven is so dang good, is because of the very high temp. Now, you’d never get me to bake my pizzas under 450 degrees F. Here is the delicious recipe that I have adapted as my own. I use both a pizza stone and a traditional metal pizza pan. Two quite different crust outcomes, but both are delicious and the important characteristics shine through. Make this in the morning and let it rise all day, punching it down in the bowl if it gets too high in your proofing bowl for a more strong and “yeasty” flavor. Regardless, you will need about 3 1/2 hours minimum before making your pizzas. This makes enough dough for two 12″ (thicker crust)-15″ (thinner crust) pizzas. Split the dough and a 16-oz brick of mozzarella in half, bake half each into your pizza and wrap the other half of the dough and cheese (separately) in seran wrap and put it, with about a 1/2 cup of your favorite sauce (in a snack ziplock bag) all in a gallon ziplock bag for pizza kit for a SECOND night! try to use it up within the month.

1 1/2 C. very warm (but not hot) water

1 1/2 TBSP. sugar

2 tsp. yeast

1) Pour the water into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve all the sugar into the water. Sprinkle yeast over water. Let proof (bubble and foam ect) for 15-20 minutes.

3 1/2 C. flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1) Add flour and salt to yeast mix. With a good stiff rubber scraper or wooden spoon, mix everything well until a ball of dough starts to form. In order to contain a mess, I hold the bowl in my left elbow/arm, and use my right hand to knead the dough in the bowl until a nice smooth ball of dough is formed, about 5-7 minutes.

2) Grease another large bowl all over the inside GENEROUSLY with olive oil and place dough ball inside. Turn the dough in the bowl to get it coated with the olive oil. Cover with seran wrap or a clean towel, and place in a warm undisturbed place to proof/rise for 2-3 hours AT LEAST. I try to get my dough proofing by noon so it has about 5 hours to proof before I need to make dinner. We like a good yeasty flavor that needs those extra couple hours to develop.

3) When it’s time to make the pizza, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F, remove the dough from the proofing bowl, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and cut it in half. Wrap half WELL in seran wrap, then place it in a ziplock bag and put it in the freezer. Or you can make a second pizza! (*Two pizzas is too much for my family of two adults and one toddler because we like to have a garden salad with it.)

4) With the other half, sprinkle dough with flour and roll/press out to desired size. (I use a rolling-pin nowadays because it goes faster.) When “sticky spots” pop up, toss some flour over them and continue spreading the dough to the size you need. Remember to check underneath and make sure the underside of the dough isn’t sticking. If it is, just toss some flour in that spot and move on.

5) Carefull move pizza dough to well olive oiled metal pizza pan, or to a baking stone.  Patch up any holes and try to make sure your dough is even throughout. Top with desired toppings and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. To know when it’s done, use a flipper to carefully check underneath the crust. When it is a nice toasty brown all the way to the center, it should be done. Remove from the oven and let it set for 7-10 minutes. Cut and Serve!

It may take making this a couple of times to really get the hang of it, but come on now, it’s pizza! Once you get the hang of it and realize how easy it is, how much CHEAPER it is, how much BETTER it tastes, and how much HEALTHIER it is, you may never go back, or only go back when you get that unmistakable craving for your favorite “pizza joint” pizza. It will happen.

Here are just a few ideas of some GREAT pizzas we have made in our home. I LOVE such versatility!

• Red pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and toppings like: Pepperoni, cooked chopped chicken, cooked crumbled sausage, cooked crumbled ground beef, cooked chopped steak, fresh sliced or chopped green peppers, fresh sliced mushrooms, fresh sliced or chopped onions, sliced black olives, small florets of steamed broccoli, sliced or chopped Roma tomatoes (make sure to only use the flesh of the tomato. Remove the seeds and pulp or you will get a soggy mess!)
• BBQ Chicken or Pork- spread your favorite BBQ sauce over the crust, top with either mozzarella or a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack, then scatter pieces of cooked pulled or cubed chicken, cooked pulled or cubed pork (I have used leftover pulled BBQ pork for this with GREAT results!) thinly sliced or chopped red (or white) onions, and sliced or chopped green peppers. Serve with Some delicious cole slaw on the side!
• Cheesburger Pizza- Spread ketchup over crust as sauce, sprinkle with either shredded mozzarella, shredded Monterey Jack or shredded American cheese. Scatter cooked ground beef, diced Roma tomatoes, chopped or thinly sliced fresh onions. Strain dill relish in a mesh strainer and sprinkle over cooked pizza. Drizzle ketchup and/or mustard over cooked pizza for a freshend-up taste!
• Margarita Pizza- Drizzle crust with olive oil, mince fresh garlic and spread over olive oil. Spread shredded mozzarella over and top with diced or sliced de-seeded and de-pulped tomatoes. Bake then sprinkle with fresh chopped basil.
• Garlic Pizza- make Margarita Pizza but don’t add tomatoes or chopped basil.
• Pesto Pizza- Spread pesto liberally over crust, then top with shredded mozzarella.

I hope you are able to try this at least once, and I hope you are hooked after that. Enjoy and let me know about your pizza-from-scratch making adventure!

Peace and Tasty Homemade Pizzas in Your Home,

Leah

Tacos al Pastor

My husband came home from a large chain bookstore that rhymes with Parnes and Foble, with a recipe magazine that Better homes and Gardens put out that is FULL of some pretty AMAZING mexican food recipes! I am particularly fond of dishes that I call “Fresh-Mex”, and he and I agreed that this would be the very first recipe from said recipe magazine that we would try. It’s on the meal plan for this week, so I must share it! My review and photos of it after we dine on it.

*Tacos Al Pastor*

2lbs ground pork

2 TBSP. minced roasted garlic

1 TBSP. ground cumin

1 TBSP. dried oregano, crushed between your palms into the dish

1 TBSP. minced fresh pineapple

1 ts. salt

1/2 tsp. ground annatto

1/2 tsp. black pepper

4 slices fresh pineapple

16 warmed corn tortillas

1 recipe Salsa de Aguacate (recipe below)

1 recipe Chipotle Crema (recipe below)

minced white onion

chopped fresh cilantro

lime wedges

Directions:

1) In a lg. bowl combine well pork, roasted minced garlic, cumin oregano minced pineapple, salt, annatto and black pepper. Shape meat mix into 8 3/4 in. thick patties.

2) For a charcoal or gas grill, place patties and pineapple slices on the grill rack directly over medium heat. Cover and grill patties for 7-9 minutes then flip and cook for 7-9 more minutes, or until meat thermometer temps internal temp at 160 degrees F. Grill pineapple slices 3-4 minutes on each side. Wrap patties in foil and let stand for 5 minutes

3) Using a very sharp knife, thinly slice meat patties into 1/2-1-in. strips (meat will crumble slightly), and chop pineapple slices. Serve meat and pineapple on double layers of corn tortillas. Serve with Salsa de Aguacate, Chipotle Crema, onions and cilantro, if desired, serve with lime wedges to squeeze over taco before eating.

*Salsa de Aguacate*

1-2 lg. or 3-4 small tomatillos

1 avocado halved, de-seeded, scooped out and cut up

1/4-1/2 c. onion, chopped

3 lg. cloves of garlic, minced

1 small jalapeno pepper de-seeded then minced

salt to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat broiler on low. Husk tomatillos. Rinse tomatillos. Place tomatillos on a broiler pan. Broil tomatillos 4-5 inches from the heat for 10-minutes, or til soft and lightly charred, turning one halfway through broiling time.

2) In a blender or food processor combine all the ingredients. Blend/process til as smooth as desired.

 

*Crema De Chipotle*

In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 c. Mexican crema or sour cream and 1 tsp. minced canned chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce. Makes 1/2 c.

Peace and Tasty Homemade Goodness to Your Home,

Leah

My Original New England Clam Chowder

I am a BIG fan of New England Clam Chowder. Understatement. In the past when I have needed a fix, I would go to the grocery store, pick out a can of something with “chunky” in the title and pay all of $2.50 for it, plop it into a microwave-safe bowl and heat it up. If I REALLY wanted to treat myself right, I’d order it at a restaurant. Yes, I was such a foodie.

Once I started making things from scratch, I attempted to make NE Clam Chowder myself, all the way from buying fresh (ish…I live in central NY) clams, wash them, steam them, take them out of the shells, de-poop them, rinse them, chop them and THEN proceed to make a steaming pot of NE Clam Chowder. Only made THAT attempt once before I resigned myself to eating NE Clam Chowder in restaurants for the rest of my life. Until…

…my youngest sister discovered that my favorite grocery store, Wegman’s, carried clean, fresh(ish), raw, chopped clams for my chowder-making pleasure in their fresh fish department for only $6.99/lb! Eureka! I got my hands on some as soon as possible and made literally THE best NE Clam Chowder that I and my husband have ever tasted. He even said so, unprompted! So here is my recipe. Go forth and make ye some New England Clam Chowder!

New England Clam Chowder

(My Original Recipe!)

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons butter

2 lg. onions, diced

4 stalks of cleaned celery, chopped

3 lg. carrots, diced large(ish)

4 lg. mushrooms chopped large(ish)

4 lg. peeled potatoes, diced large(ish)

8 cups chicken stock (homemade or purchased low sodium)

1 can creamed corn

2 cups frozen corn (or an additional can of whole kernel corn)

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons salt (+more to season to your taste later)

2 teaspoons ground black pepper (+more to season to your taste later)

2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

2 teaspoons season salt

1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley or 2 Tablespoons dried parsley

1 lb. clean, chopped, fresh, raw clams

1 cup 1/2 n’ 1/2

For Roux (to thicken):

5 Tablespoons butter (I use unsalted)

5 Tablespoons flour

3 cups 1/2 n’ 1/2

Directions:

1) Heat olive oil on med. low heat. Add onions when heated and saute until tender and see-through (about 7 minutes)

2) Add celery, carrots and mushrooms to onion mix. Add the 2 Tablespoons of butter and saute everything for 5 minutes.

3) Add potatoes to mix and saute everything for 3-5 more minutes. If you develop a “crust” on the bottom, this is a good thing! Just turn the heat down a little bit and don’t let the crust burn.

4) Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Stir well, scraping up any of the brown “crust” that has developed on the bottom of the pan. Add the creamed corn and corn kernels and all your seasonings and herbs. Mix in well.

5) Let that boil while you make your Roux (thickener)

6) Measure out your 1/2 n’ 1/2 and have it in arms reach. In a skillet or saucepan, melt 5 Tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add Flour and stir continuously and thoroughly until mix looks golden brown and smells “toasted”. Slowly stir in 1/2 of the 1/2 n’ 1/2 and mix well. Add the remaining 1/2 n’ 1/2 and mix well. When rough is thickened, turn off heat and set aside.

7) Check boiling soup mix. When potatoes and carrots are mostly to fully cooked,  add every bit of the roux to the soup pot. Once the roux is fully mixed in and the soup has thickened, turn off the heat completely.

8) Slowly add all of the clean clams and any juice they come with, to the pot.  Mix in well. Let soup sit for 20 minutes so the clams can cook in the residual heat of the soup. DO NOT turn the heat on again to cook the clams or they will over cook and turn chewy and rubbery!

9) After 20-30 minutes, taste the soup and add 1 cup 1/2 n’ 1/2 and any additional salt, pepper, Old Bay Seasoning, garlic or onion powders you want more of and mix well.

10) Soup is ready to eat! Serve hot with oyster crackers, or hollow out small boule loaves of bread (crust rolls homemade or store-bought, work well for this too especially for kids portions!) and pour soup in, dunking the dug-out bread in your soup. Mmmmmm! Enjoy!

Peace and tasty homemade dishes to your home….

Leah

My Hearty Homemade Meatsauce

Doesn’t this pasta look LONELY???? My heart goes out to lonely pasta because #1 GOOD, well made pasta is one of my favorite things to eat, and #2 homemade sauce is SO delicious and SO easy to make! The one jarred pasta I always keep on hand is this…

…because it is delicious and tastes of fresh basil and more like fresh tomatoes than any jarred pasta I have ever had, and sometimes a hardworking mommy just needs to throw together a meal of pasta, jarred sauce and a salad. Also, it is super easy to make last-minute homemade pizza if you have a jar of this, split into ziplock snack baggies and stashed in the freezer with one of  your own delicious homemade pizza kits. More on that later… in any case, in my opinion, THIS is the only acceptable jarred pasta sauce. But then again I am a self-proclaimed foodie. Moving on…

The ingredients you will need to make my Hearty Homemade Meatsauce are:

1-2 lbs 90/10 (or leaner) ground beef

2 TBSP. Olive Oil

1 large onion diced into desirable size

4 lg. cloves of garlic, minced

1 28-oz. can Tuttorosso Diced tomatoes (not too pricey but better quality than el  cheapo.) Believe me, totally worth the extra cents!

1 28-oz. can Tuttorosso Crushed Tomatoes with basil

1 beef  bullion cube

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried basil (crush by rolling between your palms while adding to the pot)

1/4 tsp dried oregano (crush the same as basil)

1/2 tsp. black pepper

salt to taste

*Fresh chopped basil (optional…only add it at the VERY end of cooking after you shut the heat off. If fresh basil gets cooked it loses its fresh flavor)

*2 large or 3 medium fresh diced tomatoes (also optional…. add at the very end of cooking after heat is off. Residual heat will cook them JUST enough and you will get a nice “garden fresh” flavor added to your sauce. DO not do this step if you have a tomato-hater because they WILL bite into tomato. If you love fresh tomato and everyone else does not, chop up one small tomato and add it to your own dish of pasta and sauce! Why should you miss out on deliciousness?)

Directions:

1) Drizzle olive oil in large saucepan. Add ground beef and brown over medium-high heat till almost completely cooked.

2) Lower heat to medium. Add onions and garlic to meat. Stir and cook all together until onions are soft and see-through(ish). (If you get some light “crustiness” at the bottom of the pan, jump for joy because in a few moments you will add the tomatoes and it will all scrape off and add a nice rich beefiness to your sauce. If your “crustiness” turns black and burns, fall onto the floor in a crumpled heap and cry. Cleaning burned pans is one of the tortures in hell.)

3) Sprinkle herbs, powders, pepper and at least 2 teaspoons of salt over meat mixture and stir well.

4) Add (slowly), both cans of tomatoes and the bullion cube. Stir well and if you have managed to create and accumulate any “crustiness” at the bottom of the pot, scrape up all that yumminess.

5) Put a lid on your pot and set the heat to low. Let sauce lightly simmer for 30 minutes, tasting and stirring every 10 minutes. The 2nd 10-minutes, taste first then add 1/2 tsp. salt if you think it needs it. At the end of the 30 minutes turn off the heat, stir, taste and add another 1/2 tsp salt or pepper if you would like it better with more. If you want to add more than 1/2 tsp. to get it how you like it, do so. At this point, you make it yours.

6) If at this point you are using either or both of the fresh chopped basil and/or the fresh diced tomatoes, add these now. Cover with the lid of the pot and let set while you make the pasta you will smother it over. If at this point you choose to let it cool to almost room temp so you can put it in a container for late in the day/week,  or put it in the freezer because you ROCK at life and have planned ahead for a late meal, THIS would be a perfect time to do so!

***A couple of notes and ideas on how we use this sauce…

~Freeze in ziplock snack (for children) or sandwich (for adults) bags for a single serving of sauce to put in the freezer for lunches, or single serve dinners for a teenager or spouse to make dinner for themselves. But PLEASE do not freeze it already mixed with pasta. In my humble opinion, frozen pasta is nasty and mushy and really how hard is it to cook some pasta?

~Cook elbow pasta and mix it all together to make delicious american-style goulash!

~Snack-sized ziplock bags of this sauce in the freezer make DELICIOUS homemade pizza! Just top with shredded mozzarella, bake the pizza and enjoy!

~ Make this sauce and replace the beef with ground italian sausage for variety!

~Keep a batch of this meatsauce in the freezer to make assembling homemade lasagna THAT much quicker and easier!

~Eat it with a spoon as “Italian Chili” with some crusty italian bread!

So there ya’ go! I hope anyone who reads this will give it a go and get as addicted to it as my family is. Pretty sure you will never go back to Ragu or Prego. If you have questions or need help troubleshooting, feel free to ask, and please let me know how your own adventure with it turns out!

Peace and tasty homemade dishes to your home….

Leah

 

 

My Signature Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch…

Sorry friends…no photos. This was posted fast and furious because so many of you were asking me for it. Feel free to send me pics on Facebook when you make it so I can see YOUR versions! This is a GREAT thing to have regularly over the winter, as it is loaded with natural antibacterial and anti-fungal properties from the loads of fresh onions and garlic in both the stock and then in the soup, and if you choose to add the mushrooms, or kale/spinach, you get some wonderful anti-oxidant value as well! Keep your immunity strong and avoid the sickies! Happy soup-ing!

Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch

Stock from scratch:

4-5 raw chicken drumsticks (you can use thighs or 2-3 quarters as well)

1 huge or 2 med/large onions peeled and cut into big chunks

3-4 large cloves of garlic smashed

2 TBSP salt

4 bay leaves

1 pinch of dried thyme

Large stockpot filled 2/3 with hot water

Directions for making Stock:

*Bring all these ingredients to a boil over med-high heat. When it is boiling, lower the temp to medium heat and cook uncovered for a few hours, until the broth has a nice strong chicken-y flavor. The longer you cook off the water, the more flavorful your stock will be. You will need at least a half stock-pot of stock to make the soup, a little more is better if you like a good amount of broth rather than more of a stew. If you get down to a half-pot of stock and it isn’t quite flavorful enough for you, add 4 cups of water and cook it a bit longer. Play around with it, you’ll get the hang of it! Have a few chicken boullion cubes on hand to add if you just can’t get as much flavor as you like. Add 1 cube at a time and wait 5 minutes then taste and see if it is just like you want it. Not gonna lie, making a delicioius stock is very easy, but it takes alot of patience and with time, your experience will help you make the PERFECT chicken stock.

*When stock is as flavorful as you want it, strain it into a large bowl that will fit more than all of it. Lift the strainer out of the bowl if it is in the stock, and let the bones and such finish draining into your empty stock pot. You want to get ALL that yummy stock! After about a half hour of straining, pour whatever stock you get in the pot, in with the rest of the  stock. If you can, cover the bowl of stock with plastic wrap or foil and put it in the refrigerator overnight so the fat comes to the surface and hardens. In the morning ,scrape the fat off the top carefully, and discard. You don’t HAVE to do this step, but it makes a slightly healthier and less “greasy” soup.

Soup Assembly:

1 huge or 2 large onions, diced

3-4 large garlic cloves, minced (if you are using pre-minced garlic, use 2-3 rounded TBSP.)

3-4 stalks of cleaned celery cut however you like (about 2 cups)

2-4 cleaned and peeled carrots, cut however you like (about 2-3 cups)

2 C. frozen peas

2 C. frozen cut green beans

2 C. Frozen corn kernels

2-3 C. fresh spinach leaves  or fresh Kale leaves (peel or cut kale off of stems and chop into bite-sized pieces) (OPTIONAL)

1-2 C. fresh chopped Mushrooms (OPTIONAL)

1 TBSP dried parsley

2+ tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

More salt to taste if needed, added 1 tsp. at a time wait 20 minutes and taste in between additions.

Final Step:

2 large B/S Chicken Breasts, left whole or cut in half at the most

2 C. small to medium width egg noodles

*Bring chicken stock to a rolling boil, add ALL the veggies ,herbs and spices. Bring to a boil again over med-high heat, then lower heat to medium.

*Gently poach the chicken breasts by adding them to the soup. Poach for 10-15 minutes or until breast is JUST cooked and there is no more pink in the middle. If you over cook the breast it will get VERY tough. Once the breasts are cooked, move them to a large piece of foil and wrap them up tight to rest from cooking, and cool off some for 15-20 minutes.

*Once veggies are completely cooked, (you will want to make SURE the kale, if you are using it, is as soft as you want it because undercooked kale can ruin a soup for you. lol) and soup is boiling over medium heat, add egg noodles and stir them in well. Test the noodles after 7 minutes. If they are completely cooked or very close to it, shut the heat completely OFF.

*Remove the chicken breasts from foil and transfer to a meat-only use cutting board. Cut chicken into chunks of desired size, then put the meat into the soup. DO NOT TURN THE HEAT BACK ON! Let the chicken cubes warm up from the heat of the soup for 5 minutes then SERVE!

This soup freezes well, except the noodles do get a little soft and gummy.

It becomes SO easy once you make it a couple of times! I promise! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do….

 

Leah

I’m BACK! Gearing up for a brand new series….

 

I know I have been gone for over a year, but it has been one heck of a year! Recent monetary changes are making me research, test recipes and really get VERY creative when it comes to our meal plans. Has left me with many months of not feeling very inspired or creative. However, now I have learned some tips and tricks, gained some experience, and I am really eager to share my new recipes and ideas for helping YOU do the same. No doubt with this economy, you too are left wondering how to put a healthy meal on the table, not to mention those of us that really need some quick and under 5 step meal ideas for those dinners following crazy days and evenings ,or when you just plain need a break. I became tired of my family suffering from lack of nutrition and quality, and/or spending what little we have on take out! So, here is the series…

“Simple Suppers: plan ahead, and make ahead, to get ahead!”

I am so excited! The first recipe is a basic but incredibly delicious Tomato Meat sauce that has very few steps and you can make a large batch to portion out into freezer bags or containers and freeze for months. Thaw out and heat in a saucepan while cooking up some pasta and maybe even throwing together a salad. Get the nutritional and taste benefit of a delicious and hearty homemade sauce, without having to think to far ahead. Also will be giving some great ideas on how to turn this sauce into a few different meal ideas. This will be posted by the end of the weekend! Yeaaay! Welcome back friends!

 

So long 2010!

Just had to pop in and wish my sweet girl a happy 2nd birthday, and *all* my faithful peeps a happy 2011! What are your hopes for 2011…not resolutions, HOPES? One of my hopes, that I would be a better blogger. Be safe and live intentionally. Much love!

P.S. What do you think of my new look here? Boring, nice, pretty, AWESOME… be honest. I can take it. ;o)

Giving Thanks and a HUGE Family Meal!

                                                                                                                                               

It’s the MOST wonderful tiiiiime of the yeeeeeeeaaaaaar!   

 Tomorrow (at least in our home) is the beginning of “The most wonderful time of the year 2010″ and I am STOKED!  Tomorrow you see, is exactly one week before Thanksgiving Day ’10! Meaning, I am in all-out holiday mode. Thanksgiving Dinner with my family is held here in my home because my loving and gracious family (Mom, Dad, Megan, Josh, Annie, Gabey, Ella, Stacie, Carl, Ryan and Isaak), love my litle son Andy so much that they are willing to come here so Andy can be in familiar surroundings with his bed, his Teletubbies DVD’s, his books, and his food and medicine all close by. 

All the parts of a beautiful and traditional family-style Thanksgiving dinner are divided up between myself, my mom, and my two beautiful sisters. My busy week ahead will be filled with preparing my home with cleanliness, organization, and decorations, as well as deciding the method of cooking the turkey, making some special, sweet, suprise treats and activities for my nieces and nephews (if there is time), making sure my serveware is cleaned and ready for action and the table linens are cleaned and pressed  to perfection. To top off my preparations will be my infamous sweet potato casserole, a from scratch green bean casserole, and  two pumpkin pies that are ready to be crowned with real whipped cream and bless the tummies of those I love. Sound like alot? It is. Will it be as perfect as I have it in my head. Probley not, but lets be honest, everyone has a Norman Rockwell Thanksgivng in mind around mid-November. It’s good to have goals. 

 God has been SO good to me and my family this year. Celebrating with a feast and gratitude overflowing in our hearts is about as good as it gets!

   

Perfect, delicious, tender, and not dried out inexpensive slow-roast beef!

   I don’t know about you, but I was never a fan of Roast Beef for dinner. Seems like sometime back in the 1950′s maybe, someone proclaimed that leathery, dry, well-done roast beef nestled in over-cooked potatoes and carrots was cool.  No. Now my husband still has a soft spot for “Grandmas Roast” covered and made edible by gravy, as may you, but please just give this a try. Just once. You won’t hate me for it I promise.

   Plain and simple, the best inexpensive cut of beef to use is a 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 lb. boneless eye-round roast. Mostly for the fact that it cooks evenly, carves into thin slices nicely (important for using leftovers on sandwiches!), and looks pretty plated up…VEEEERY pretty. Also, it’s only about $4.99 a pound or less in most stores! My first roast using this recipe, was 3 pounds. My hubby, myself and our two little ones only ate half of it for the meal and we had the other half for the most incredible sandwiches I have ever made (granted they WERE made on my homemade bread). 

   Now for a little science behind why those roasts “Grandma” (not saying MY grandmas because I have never actually HAD either of my grandma’s roasts) cooked were so “toasted”.  I will gladly admit that one of the very best things about a roasted beef is the highly-flavored and crispy outer crust. Mmmmmm… I am a lover of the end pieces! Conventionally, the only way to get that has been to cook the roast on high heat so that the fat on the outside crisps up nice. The problem with that is that the tenderizing enzymes that are naturally in beef were killed almost from the beginning! See my friends, beef containes these enzymes that break down its connective tissues and works as a natural tenderizers. These enzymes work faster as the temperature of the beef rises, but only until the beef reaches 122 degrees F. Afer that the tenderizing action stops. In a conventional method of roasting beef, the oven is set to at least 350 degrees F and reaches an internal temp of 122 degrees F about 45-minutes to an hour earlier! WHat a waste of those nice little natural enzymes.  The solution? Sear the outsides (2-3 minutes per side) of the roast in a 10-in skillet to kill all the bacteria, get the fat nice and crispy, and develop the flavors of the salt and pepper (I also have used garlic and onion powders as well) to form a beautiful crust but not cook much of the center of the meat at all. THEN put it in a 225 degree F oven to do the major cooking. Also, don’t forget to let it rest under a loose cover of foil for 15 minutes.  The result is perfection! Here is a step-by-step photo journey of the process…if you are into roasts as much as I am, you should be in a puddle of your own drool by the time you reach the end… full recipe at the end!

 

First step: 18-24 hours before you want to actually cook it, rinse and pat dry the roast to get all the “old stuff” off of it. Rub…massage…slather a couple teaspoons of salt on all sides of the roast. This helps to tenderize the outside.

wrap the roast tightly with plastic wrap. I use two layers to make it nice and tight.

This step is optional, I like to putit in a ziploc bag after I wrap it. I am not a fan of pools of  ” meat fluids” running all over my refrigerator. Even setting it wrapped and on a plate, there is always a chance of knocking into the plate or worse yet having something accidently dipping into the “meat juices”. Nobody wants that. Use a bag.

line a baking sheet with foil and place a cooking rack (here I have used an old cooling rack)

…and preheat your oven to 225 degrees F.

Unwrap the roast and dry it off with a paper towel. DO NOT rinse the roast because you’ll wash all the salt off silly!

rub a tablespoon of your favorite oil and completely cover the roast. Sprinkle a generous helping of ground black pepper (and garlic powder, onion powder or both if it tickles you!) Rub it aaaaaaall over and into the meat.

In a 10-in. skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of corn/canola/veggie oil over medium heat.

When the oil is hot and shimmering, gently lay the roast into the pan.

 Cook for 2-3 minutes (3-4 if it’s a side with a thicker bit of fat) on each side.

make sure to get all four sides!

when all four sides of the roast are toasty, gently transfer the roast to your prepared baking sheet and rack combo.

1)Quickly place it into your preheated oven and set your timer for 1 1/2 hours! Don’t peek at it, poke it, or check it’s temperature for at LEAST the first hour(keep in mind you will have to adjust all these times if you are making a roast under 3lbs. It’s important to keep the heat in there since it’s such a low heat! After 1 1/2 hours, check the center internal temp of the roast. Your goal is to get the internal temp to 120-125 degrees F.

2) If the roast has not reached 125 degrees F, put it back in the oven for 20 minute intervals until it temps at 120-125 degrees for medium rare.

3) Once the roast reaches 125(ish) in the middle, turn the oven OFF and LEAVE IT!!! Don’t touch it and don’t open the oven door to temp it for at LEAST 45 minutes. After that you may temp it at 20 minute intervals until it reaches130 degrees F for medium-rare or 140 degrees F for medium (my recommendation!).

Wrap it up tight in foil for 15 minutes so it can take a nap.

Transfer your unwrapped roast to a clean cutting board and then…oooooooooh THEN!!!!!!!!!!

…and ONLY then…

…will you take a WELL SHARPENED slicing/carving knife…

…and have yourself a FEAST! Well, you will first have to make mashed potatoes…and gravy…and green beans…and salad…and…a nice glass of red wine from the Finger Lakes!

Well, you get the picture! Oh, did I mention you will be bathing in glorious slices of roast beef for sandwiches and salads till you run out? But you WILL run out quickly because you will be nibbling on this every chance you get. It’s THAT goooooood!

P.S. Thank you SOOOO much for your patience with me getting this posted! I love you guys!

Delay

SO sorry for the delay in getting the Roast Beef post out. Been a lil’ crazy around here but I will get it out sometime within this week I promise. ) After that…Simple Sickie Busting Chicken Noodle Soup! Wait for iiiiiiit…..