Home-Style Pot Roast

                                                                             
A pot roast is a cut of beef that is first browned and then braised in some liquid until tender, often with vegetables in a covered pot. This recipe turns a simple shoulder roast into a scrumptiously tender and filling pot roast. Good for any time of the year, this recipe is especially great during those cold, rainy days when you just want to stay in and enjoy your family. At least to me it is :). The beauty of this dish is that all the cooking takes pace in one pot, making clean-up a breeze. Here's how you make it...

Serving Size: Feeds 4-6 comfortably.

Equipment:
-A pair of kitchen tongs.
-A heavy 8 Oz. skillet, Dutch oven or saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.
-Large plate or platter.
-Cutting board.
-Sharp knife.

                                                                         

Ingredients:
-2 1/2- 3lb. boneless beef shoulder roast that has been sitting covered, at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Don't cook it straight from the fridge or your beef with seize when it comes into contact with the hot pan and result in a tough pot roast-blech!)
-3 medium yellow onions, quartered (leave the roots attached to keep the onions together. See pic).
-4 cloves of garlic, minced.
-2 celery ribs, cubed.
-3 large carrots, washed, peeled and cut diagonally (see pics.).
-6-8 small red potatoes (clean the skin thoroughly with a vegetable brush or nail brush and leave the skin on).
-1/2 a red bell pepper, cubed (red capsicum).
-1/2 a green pepper, cubed (green capsicum).
-6 peeled grape-shaped tomatoes, chopped (I used a 28Oz. can, but drained and reserved the liquid).
-3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use Canola).
-1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional).
-1/2 cup of a dry red wine (I use merlot).
-1 cup beef broth (If you're not using wine to cook, use 1 1/2 cups of beef broth to replace the wine).
-1 cup tomato juice (I used the tomato juice from the canned tomatoes).
-1 bay leaf.
-1 teaspoon sweet paprika (optional).
-1 tablespoon dry oregano.
-1 tablespoon salt (for seasoning your roast)
-1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (for seasoning your roast).
-1/4 cup all-purpose flour.
-3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped.
-1 tablespoon cornstarch (corn flour). This is optional. See the tip at the bottom of the page.

                                                                             

Instructions:
-Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celcius). If you do not have an oven, see the note at the bottom of the "Instructions" section.
-On medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the cooking oil in your cooking vessel ( I used a cast-iron Dutch oven. These brown meat beautifully!)
-On your large plate or platter, sprinkle the flour, salt and pepper; mix these three ingredients well with a fork.
-Roll the roast around on the platter to season it; shake off any excess flour.

                                                                          

-When the oil looks as if it's glistening in your pot (indicator that the oil is hot), add the roast and cook, turning it occasionally.

                                                                                 

All the sides of the roast should be browned (don't forget to hold up your roast  using kitchen tongs and brown the ends as well). This should take about 8 minuets total. Once the roast is browned on all sides, transfer it to a plate and set it aside.
-Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pot and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the onions, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions soften and turn light brown. Be careful not to burn the onions. This should take about 3 minutes.

                                                                                    

-Add the garlic and stir, and cook for about 2 minutes (take care not to burn your garlic or it will give your pot roast a bitter taste).
-Stir in the celery, cover and cook for about 3 minutes.
-Add in the carrots and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
-Add the wine, stock (or just stock if you choose to omit the wine),tomatoes and the parsley and stir.

                                                                                 

-Add in the Worcestershire sauce, sweet paprika and oregano. Stir.
-Return the beef to the pot, nestling it in the vegetables; add the bay leaf to the pot.

                                                                                   

-Bring the liquid to a boil on the stove.
-Once the liquid comes to a boil, transfer the pot containing the roast to the middle rack of the oven and cook it for 2 hours. When done, the sauce should have reduced, the vegetables should be fork-tender and the meat should pull apart easily.
NOTE: If you do not have an oven, you can allow the pot roast to simmer on the stove top for 2 hours on medium-low heat until the vegetables are fork-tender, the beef pulls apart easily and the sauce has reduced in amount.**

TIP: If you would like your sauce thicker, to can make a thickening agent made of equal parts cornstarch and liquid. I used a tablespoon of cornstarch (called corn flour in some parts of the world), and a tablespoon of the sauce from the pot roast once it started bubbling. I used a spoon to smooth out any lumps and returned the mixture into the pot.
Serving Suggestion: A lot of people like to eat pot roast on it's own as a meal. I prefer to enjoy it on a bed of basmati rice. To me, eating it this way is comfort on a plate :)

                                                                                   

Lazy Eggs

                                                                                

Here's a quick and easy recipe for cooking eggs. So easy, I like to call them "Lazy eggs". Whisk the eggs, add the protein and veggies, put them in the oven and forget about it! As easy as they are to make, these eggs do not compromise on the taste or looks of the final product. They're light and fluffy on the inside and the little bursts of color from the peppers used to cook them add such visual interest! Here's how you make these perfect little portions of goodness...

Serving Size: I used 6 eggs total and got 8 lazy eggs. Feel free to double the recipe depending on how many people you're feeding.

Equipment:

-Well greased muffin pan.

-Whisk.

Ingredients:

-6 large eggs at room temperature.

-1/2 a red bell pepper, finely cubed (red capsicum).

-1/2 a green bell pepper, finely cubed (green capsicum).

-Sausage of your choice, cubed finely (I used a smoked turkey sausage. You can also use sausage crumbles if you prefer).

-1/3 cup shredded cheese of your choice.

-1/2 teaspoon salt.

                                                                            

Instructions:

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celcius).

-In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs; add the salt and cheese. Whisk. 

-Add the peppers (red and green) and whisk; add the sausage and whisk.

-Pour the egg mixture into the cavities of the muffin pan about 3/4 way full. Do not overfill as the eggs rise as they bake.

                                                                                  

-If your egg mixture is not enough to fill all the cavities of the muffin pan, fill the empty cavities with water.

                                                                              

-Bake for 20 minutes in the center rack of the oven. When the eggs have risen and have pulled away from the walls of the cavities, your eggs are ready to enjoy. 

                                                                           

-Serve them warm. I like to enjoy mine with a bit of ketchup. 

                                                                                    

It's just that simple and oh-so-good! If your eggs are rubbery, it means you cooked them too long. They're supposed to be fluffy on the inside, but not runny. Bon appetit!

TIP:

If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container and refregerate. These can be reheated the next day in a microwave oven for about 45 seconds on high (per lazy egg). 

Coconut/Pecan Waffles

                                                                                  

For those who do not know, a waffle is a leavened batter cooked in a special hinged iron with deep indentations on both sides. This special iron gives the cooked waffles their characteristic shape and surface impression. Waffles are a weekend brunch staple at my house. I'm always up for trying different and new waffle recipes. This weekend, I decided to experiment a bit, and I'm sure glad I did! I came up with these coconut/ pecan waffles that were a hit with my family. These turned out just the way I like them-crisp on the edges and fluffy on the inside. In one word-delicious! Here's how to make them...

Serving Size: 12 waffles.

Equipment:

-Waffle Iron

-1/4 cup measuring cup.

-1 large mixing bowl.

-1 medium mixing bowl.

-Whisk.

                                                                                          

Ingredients:

-2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour.

-3/4 cup granulated sugar.

-4 teaspoons baking powder.

-2 teaspoons malted milk (optional).

-1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder (optional).

-3/4 teaspoon salt.

-2 large eggs at room temperature, beaten.

-2 cups milk.

-1/2 cup heavy coconut milk.

-3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil).

-1/2 cup finely chopped pecans.

                                                                              

Instructions:

-Preheat your waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions.

-Combine the first 6 ingredients (dry ingredients) in a large bowl.

                                                                                  

-In the medium bowl, combine the eggs, milk (regular and coconut milk) and oil. Whisk to combine.

                                                                                

-Add the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a whisk until the dry ingredients are moistened. Scrape the sides of the bowl to get any dry ingredients.

-Stir the pecans into the batter.

                                                                                  

-Using the 1/4 cup measuring cup, pour the waffle batter into the center of the waffle iron and use a spatula to evenly spread the batter on the waffle iron so that your cooked waffle will not have holes. Cook until the waffle is golden-brown (refer to the waffle iron manufacturer's cooking instructions). Place the waffles in a warm oven as you cook the rest of the batch.

                                                                                     

Serving Suggestions:

-Serve warm with a knob of butter (optional) and a drizzle of maple syrup.

-As a breakfast treat, serve a warm waffle topped with a scoop of ice-cream (vanilla ice-cream is great with these).

                                                                               

TIP: If this recipe makes more waffles than you need, you can carefully wrap the leftovers in cling/plastic  foil and store in the freezer. When ready to use, reheat the cooked waffles in a toaster.

Moist Red Velvet Cake Roll

                                                                                

                                                                                                                                                             
This post is dedicated to my niece, Gigi, who is crazy about red velvet cake. After making red velvet cake in the traditional two-tier shape more times than I care to count, I decided to bake it in a different way. When I came across this recipe in an old magazine, I was desperate to try it. I'm glad I finally did because the results were perfect! Here's the recipe....

Equipment:
-Half-sheet baking pan (see video).
-Hand OR Stand mixer.
-Clean lint-free kitchen cloth.
-Spatula.
-Parchment paper.
-Fine mesh sifter.

                                                                                          

Serving Size: 8-10 servings.

Equipment:
-1/2 sheet baking pan.
-Parchment paper.
-Cling foil (plastic foil).
-Electric Mixer.
-Clean lint-free kitchen cloth.

Ingredients for the cake roll:
-2/3 cups all-purpose flour.

-1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder.

-1/2 teaspoon baking powder.

-1/4 teaspoon baking soda.

-1/4 teaspoon salt.

-1/2 cup granulated sugar.

-1/3 cup granulated sugar.

-1 FL OZ red food color OR 2 tablespoons red velvet bakery emulsion.

-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.

-Water.

-4 large eggs, separated.

                                                                              

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Filling:

-2 8Oz. Packages of cream cheese, at room temperature.

-2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar(powdered sugar).

-12 tablespoons softened butter.

-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.

                                                                                   

Instructions for making the cake:

-Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celcius).

-Line a half-sheet jelly-roll pan with parchment paper and generously grease the parchment paper.

-Sprinkle a clean, lint-free kitchen cloth with 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar. Set aside.

                                                                           

-Beat the egg whites in a large, grease-free bowl until soft peaks form. The egg whites are well beaten when you can hold the bowl in which they are whisked up-side-down without the egg whites falling out (I used a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment).

                                                                           

-Gradually add 1/2 cup granulated sugar to the egg whites, beating until stiff peaks form.

-In a seperate bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla extract in a medium bowl on medium speed of mixer for about 3 minutes. Gradually add remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar and continue beating for  2 additional minutes until thick and light yellow.

                                                                                 

-Place red food color in a liquid measuring cup; add water to make 1/3 cup.

                                                                                  

-Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture alternating it with the colored water. Beat on low speed just until the batter is smooth.

                                                                                    

                                                                               

-Put about 1/4 cup of the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture and whisk to lighten the chocolate mixture.

-Gradually and gently fold the chocolate mixture into the beaten egg whites until well blended and no white streaks remain.

                                                                                   

-Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

                                                                                

-Bake the sheet cake for 12-15 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when touched lightly in the center.
                                                                               
-Immediately loosen the cake from the edges of the pan; using the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan, invert the cake onto the prepared towel. Carefully peel off the parchment paper.

                                                                                    

-Immediately roll the cake and towel together starting from the narrow end; place the wrapped cake on a wire rack to cool completely.

                                                                             

-At this point, Prepare the cream cheese filling.

Instructions for preparing the cream cheese filling:
-In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract together until creamy.

                                                                                  

Assembling your cake roll:

-Carefully unroll your cake and remove the towel.

-Spread the prepared filling over the cake using a spatula.

                                                                                  

-Re-roll the cake without the towel.

-Wrap the filled cake with wax paper and wrap again with plastic wrap.

-Refrigerate with seam down for at least 1 hour or overnight (I left mine in the fridge overnight).

                                                                               

- Cut the ends of the roll off to make it neat (discard the ends off in your belly). Just before serving, sprinkle the top of the rolled,filled cake with additional powdered sugar. Slice to serve.

                                                                               

Refregerate leftover cake roll.