A New Pot, New Camera, and Pot Roast For Supper

After taking a hiatus from blogging, I am back! Life has been extremely busy lately. School started again; I am up to my eyeballs in anatomy to study and papers to write. Some days I question why did I go back?! In the end, it will all be worth it for a career that I am excited to do.   Today was the day that was my day to cook.

The husband told me the other night that he wanted pot roast; it is rare that I get a specific request from him for food. Told him that this weekend would be the time for it, well we are having date night Saturday and going to Alaska Aces hockey game on Sunday. Tonight was the night, and we are having the perfect weather for pot roast. It has been extremely windy and cold here today, time for comfort food. My lack of planning in, not bringing my crock pot home from work is the reason for a new Dutch oven pan. I didn't have one that was meant specifically for the stove and long cooking times.

I also got a new camera. Graduated from the iPhone or point and shoot with a Nikon D3200 DSLR camera. Safe to say that it has more gadgets, buttons, and options that I am excited to play with.   First project to try was a new blog post.   This is a long-winded way to say that I am going to give the recipe for my pot roast.

Pot Roast
3 to 4 lb Chuck Roast
5 carrots
2 onions
Two cloves garlic
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Rosemary
Basil
3 cups beef stock

1) Pull your roast out of the fridge 30 min before planning on cooking. Turn your oven on to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) Peel and chop your carrots, setting aside.
3) Salt and pepper your roast on both sides liberally with salt and pepper.

4)Pour some olive oil into the pan, turning it on high. Once the oil is heated put the chuck into the pot. Searing it on all sides.

5) Once it is browned on all sides, pull it out letting it rest on a plate.
6) Place the onions, carrots, and garlic in the pot allowing the veggies to get a little brown color on it.
7) Setting the veggies in a bowl, pour your beef stock into the pan getting all the brown bits up off the bottom of the pan.

8) Place the roast and veggies into the liquid with some rosemary and basil.

9) Put the lid on, sticking it in the oven, and let it cook on the temp for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

This was the best pot roast that we have had. We devoured it, and I forgot to take a picture of the final product.

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No Boil Lasagna

Life has been super busy lately. I got married June 7, 2014. To kick off wedding week, we had  his parents, my mom, both of his grandmothers, and my brother over for supper. The easiest thing that I could think of was lasagna. This recipe is super straightforward, can be made ahead of time and baked at a later date. Would be perfect to take to new parents as a freezer meal, to a family member who had surgery, or to a grieving family as a meal.

I really do need to get better at taking pictures of the entire process. But, I did get a picture of the final product. I think I picked the warmest day of the last two weeks to have the oven run for 3 hours between lasagna, dessert, and garlic bread.  This lasagna has been made by my mom for years and has been passed down to me.

No Boil Lasagna
2 lbs ground beef
Salt & Pepper
1/4 green bell pepper
1/2 onion
2 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can of stewed or diced tomatoes
2 cups water
12 lasagna noodles
1 large container of cottage cheese
6 cups of mozzarella cheese
2 tsp garlic salt
1 1/2 tsp oregano

In a large pot place the hamburger, onion, bell pepper, salt and pepper in a pan. Brown and drain any excess grease off the meat.

Turn down the heat; add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, water, garlic salt, and oregano

In a 9x13 cake pan spread a thin layer of the sauce mixture

Lay down 3 noodles across and 1 on the bottom. Spread more sauce on the noodles. Put 1/3 of the cottage cheese and mozz cheese.   (Repeat this step two more times)

Bake at 350 for 75 minutes or until noodles are done, cheese is browned.


Now, I am off to spend some quality time with the husband...