Recipe: Best Pot Roast Ever

Ok, it may not be the best pot roast ever in the whole wide world, but it is absolutely amazing! Of course it's a Pioneer Woman recipe. Are you shocked?

It's really easy and cooks so well in my le creuset!

The Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast

Ingredients:
1 whole (3 lb) Chuck Roast
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 whole Onions
6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste
3 cups To 4 Cups Beef Stock
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

Instructions:
1. First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.
2. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).
3. Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.
4. Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.
5. If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.
6. With the burner still on high, use beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.
7. When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.
8. Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

Cook this SOON and enjoy! Happy Thursday!

After the oven!

Before the oven

Recipe: Salsa

This is probably Ethan's all time favorite thing that I make regularly. It's the Pioneer Woman's recipe for salsa, tweaked just a hair for us.We make this at least every other week, but this past week, we made it twice. It's that good...

Homemade Salsa
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
1 large can whole tomatoes, drained (I use Hunt's brand because they peel the tomatoes using steam, not chemicals)
1 can Rotel Original, drained
1 can Rotel Mild, drained
1 jalapeno, sliced and chopped (we leave the seeds for extra heat)
1/4 cup heaping, chopped onion (we use the yellow onions)
2 teaspoons of jarred minced garlic (because we really like garlic! use less if you aren't such a fan)
1/4 teaspoon EACH sea salt, sugar, cumin
lime juice (i squeeze 2 times slowly around the blender...very scientific, i know!)
1 bunch cilantro (depending on our mood and on how good the cilantro looks, we use the whole bunch or just a portion...it's up to you!)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until desired texture.
Serve with a Mexican dish or just with tortilla chips and enjoy!!


Happy Thursday, you guys!

Recipe: Personal Pizza

Ethan and I really like pizza. A lot. So we are always looking for a healthy way to make them. This is our new favorite. We made it this way this week, but you could change it up to have your favorite ingredients!

The Jonesies' Yummy Personal Pizzas

Ingredients (Layered in this order):

These FlatOut Hungry Girl Fold-Its in Rosemary & Olive Oil

Fresh tomato slices
Sprinkle of garlic powder
Mozzarella cheese, freshly grated
Turkey pepperoni or rotisserie chicken or both
Spinach and arugula
Purple onion
Bell pepper
Fresh pineapple chunks
Chopped jalapeños (from the jar, if you don't want the heat)
Turkey bacon (if you are into that sort of thing...we are)
More mozzarella cheese

Bake on a pizza stone at 500 degrees for 10-15 minutes (depending on how crispy you want it).

Freshly grated parmesan cheese on top when it comes out of the oven. Serve with ranch dressing and crushed red pepper.

Yum. Yum. Yum.

Have a very happy Thursday!!

Recipe Thursday: Drip Beef Sandwiches

Have I mentioned that I like the Pioneer Woman? Clearly I do because this is yet another recipe of hers!

I tried this one first from the recipe on her blog. But it's in her new cookbook, too, with a different twist.

I make mine just a little bit differently. You should make this immediately. And enjoy!

Drip Beef Sandwiches
adapted the Pioneer Woman

2.5 lb chuck roast
1 can beef broth
1 cup water
1 jar pepperoncini peppers
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped OR 3 tbsp Italian seasoning

1. Throw everything in a crock pot in the morning.
2. Turn on low.
3. Toast some multi-grain rolls with some provolone cheese. Top with Drip Beef. Dip in the leftover liquid.
4. You can caramelize some onions, if you like that sort of thing. We do.

Happy Thursday!

Recipe Thursday: Chicken Stir Fry and Pineapple Fried Rice

Hi! Happy Thursday!

Have you noticed that I like the Pioneer Women's recipes? Well, I really do. I tried this recipe out while Ethan was out of town a few weeks ago and it was so delicious, I decided to make it while he was home! The verdict...unbelievably scrumptious!

I did tweak just a few things for our liking. I'll make note of them in italics throughout the recipe.

Chicken Stir Fry and Pineapple Fried Rice
Courtesy of the Pioneer Woman, original recipe found here

Ingredients
1/2 whole pineapple, cut into chunks, size of your choice (original says to slice in spears and skewer them)
2 cups brown rice, cooked *1 cup dry, 2 cups water
1 package of chicken breasts (original calls for 6 pork chops)
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil (original calls for Canola or Peanut oil)
1 whole large onion, slice thin
6 Tablespoons soy sauce (more to taste, or if more liquid is needed)
1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon sriracha, or other hot sauce
Salt To Taste
3 cloves minced garlic
2 whole eggs
1 jar (small) drained pimentos (I actually don't use this because I don't care for it)
1-1/2 cup frozen peas (I did not use peas when I made it for Ethan, but the first time I did and it was delicious!)
 2 Tablespoons soy sauce (additional)

Directions
-Cook rice according to package instructions. Set aside. (I actually do this the night before and keep it in the fridge to save time)
-Saute pineapple until they have good marks/color on the outside. Set aside. (I use my cast iron skillet, but this is where PW grills hers)
-Heat butter and oil over medium high heat, then add the chicken (or pork chops) to the pan. Saute until they have nice color.(of course, I use my le creuset)-Throw in the sliced onions and work them into the crevices between the chicken pieces. Shake the pan and move the onions around and let them cook for a good couple of minutes.
-While the onions are cooking, whisk together soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, and hot sauce. When the onions are starting to soften, add soy sauce mixture. Shake the pan, stir it around, and let it cook and bubble up for a good couple of minutes until the chicken is completely cooked and the sauce is thicker. Pour it over the pork chops. Set aside.
-Add a small amount of oil to the same pan (without cleaning it) and return it to the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir it around, then pour in eggs (previously cracked in a bowl) and immediately stir them to scramble them a bit. Add peas, pimentos, and a couple of tablespoons (additional) soy sauce. Add cooked rice and stir it around to cook for a couple of minutes.
-To serve, pile rice on a plate, then top with a pork chops and onions from the sauce. Drizzle a little bit of sauce over the top.

So delicious. Enjoy!

Recipe Thursday: Crock Pot Brisket

Hope you're having a happy week!

So, if you are like me and your husband loves red meat, this recipe is for you.

It's from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I received when we got married and that cookbook has been a lifesaver to me! I tweaked this recipe just a smidgen.

Any recipe that can be cooked in the crockpot is already going to be at the top of my list. Working a full time job and not wanting to dirty up my tiny little kitchen every night, I use my crock pot a lot. It's my best friend in the kitchen.

When I make this brisket, we usually eat is with some good veggies (like kale or sweet potatoes) the first night and then have sandwiches the next day with some fresh fruit. We've given up eating chips with our lunches so we try to keep it interesting by having a lot of different fruits in the kitchen, cut and ready to eat.

Another good thing about this is that it's healthier than a typical pot roast recipe that has a lot of canned soups in it (think lower sodium!). Plus, it's just delicious. And you make your own sauce to go with it that Ethan raves about.

I'll stop babbling now....

Crock Pot Brisket

Ingredients:
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup Worchestershire sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon granules (I do not use this because I think it's gross, but the recipe still  
   turns out delicious!)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced (I use 2 teaspoons of the jarred variety)
1 2 1/2 lb fresh beef brisket (Kroger in TX has great Nolan Ryan beef)
1/2 cup ketchup (we use the all natural kind with no high fructose corn syrup)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:
1. Combine water, and next 7 ingredients. Whisk well. Reserve 1/2 cup liquid for sauce and set aside in fridge. Trim fat from meat and, if necessary, cut to fit in crock pot. Pour remaining liquid over brisket.
2. Cover and cook on low setting for 10-12 hours or on high for 5-6 hours. Meat will pull apart easily.
3. A few minutes before eating make the sauce. In a small saucepan combine the reserved liquid, ketchup, brown sugar, and butter. Heat until thickened a little, just a few minutes. Serve with meat.

I usually do step 1 the night before and put it in the fridge. Then, when I wake up I only have to take it out, plug it in, and we have dinner that evening!

Enjoy!

Have a happy Thursday!

Recipe Thursday: Citrus Butter Cookies

I really like to bake. It's one of my favorite things to do. Even in our tiny apartment, in our teeny tiny kitchen, baking is fun and rewarding. We have some of our college students over every Friday night and I bake for them each week. This is a recipe I tried out on them recently, and let me tell you...you cannot eat just one...or even two or three. I think I ate 6. Yikes. Un.be.liev.able. 

Here are my photos:

Pretty pictures can be found on the Pioneer Woman's website, where I got the recipe. And next time you want a yummy, pretty cookie to make or bring to a shower or party, try these. You will not be disappointed.

Citrus Butter Cookies:


Ingredients

• 2 cups (4 Sticks) Salted Butter, Softened
• 1-1/2 cup Sugar
• 2 whole Large Eggs, Separated
• 4 cups All-purpose Flour
• 3 Tablespoons Orange, Lemon, And Lime Zest (approx 1 Tablespoon Each)
• 2 Tablespoons Orange, Lemon, And/or Lime Juice (2 Tablespoons Total)
• Icing
• 3 cups Powdered Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Whole Milk
• 2 Tablespoons Orange, Lemon, And Lime Zest
• Juice Of 1/2 Lime
• Juice Of 1/2 Lemon
• Dash Of Salt
• Extra Zest, For Decorating

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar until combined. Add egg yolks and mix until combined (set whites aside for the icing.) Add the zest and the flour and mix until just combined, then add juice and mix until combined.

Scoop out heaping teaspoons of dough, then roll them into balls between your hands. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 13 minutes. Remove from the oven and keep on the cookie sheet for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the pan with a spatula and allow to cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, combine 1 egg white with the rest of the icing ingredients. Whisk thoroughly until combined, adding either more powdered sugar or more juice until it reaches a pourable but still thick consistency.

Drizzle the icing across the cookies in several lines, then do it again in the other direction. Sprinkle with extra zest before the icing sets.

• 
  

Recipe Thursday: Sliders

Happy Thursday!

I really love to cook and bake. I never made a full meal until I was married and I honestly thought I would hate this part of being a wife. Turns out, it's one of my favorite things to do! Luckily for me, my mom is an incredible cook and Ethan's aunt is an amazing baker so I've learned a lot and have people I can call when I have questions at the grocery store or in the middle of a recipe.

So, on Thursdays I will share either a tried and true recipe that I fall back on, a new recipe that I'm trying, or some cooking/baking tips and info.

Ethan and I try to eat pretty healthy, but we really enjoy a good meal so we try not to fully deprive ourselves of things we really like. Case in point, cheeseburgers. My favorite food.

I really love the Pioneer Woman. I think she's hilarious and down to earth and her recipes are amazing. You'll find I use a lot of them. Here's a recipe from her website:

I have made this recipe 2 times now. Once, I made it the way listed, the second time I changed things up a little bit to make it a bit more healthy. I'll share the changes throughout the recipe in italics.

Mushroom and Swiss Sliders with Spicy Fry Sauce

by the Pioneer Woman (click here to check out her original blog post about this recipe for step by step photo instructions!)

Ingredients

■1/3 cup Mayonnaise

■2 Tablespoons Ketchup

■1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (less If You're Sensitive To Spice!)

■4 Tablespoons Butter (Extra Virgin Olive Oil works just fine)

■1/2 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced

■8 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Chopped Finely

■1/2 cup White Or Red Wine (optional) (Did not use either time)

■4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce

■Kosher Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper

■2 pounds Ground Beef (You can use any kind you want, but we used 80/20. Not the healthiest, but definitely the tastiest)

■4 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream (Used whole milk)

■4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce

■1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

■Freshly Ground Black Pepper

■4 slices Swiss Cheese, Cut Into Four Squares (Forgot swiss the 2nd time and just used cheddar. Just as good)

■8 whole Dinner (or Slider) Rolls, Split (Used 100% whole wheat, multi-grain rolls)

Preparation Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, ketchup, and cayenne. Stir together until totally combined. Set aside. (This is the spicy fry sauce.) (Skipped this step the second time and just used plain ketchup or BBQ sauce.)
2. Melt butter in a large skillet. (I used my Le Creuset, which I am obsessed with, and it worked great!) Add onions and cook over medium heat for five minutes, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms and toss around, then add wine (if using), Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Cook for several minute over medium heat, or until all liquid has evaporated. Transfer mushroom mixture to a separate bowl, scraping all contents from the skillet.
3.Mix ground beef, heavy cream, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly mix ingredients. (I mixed while the veggies were cooking) Form 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the meat mixture into patties, making an indentation with your thumb to keep the patties from plumping too much when they cook. (I used 1/4 cup both times. Perfect size) In the same skillet as the one used to cook the mushrooms, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium to medium-high heat (I did use butter for this, but the Smart Balance kind). Add four patties at a time, indented side face up. Cook for 4 minutes, then flip. Spoon generous portion of mushroom mixture on each patty, then top with one or two squares of Swiss, depending on your preference. Place lid on skillet and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until burgers are cooked through and cheese is melted. Remove to a place and keep warm while you repeat with the rest of the meat mixture.
4.Toast halved buns under the oven broiler. Spread generously with spicy fry sauce. Place patties between buns and serve immediately with fried onion strings. (We ate this with sweet potato fries and fresh sliced pineapple this week. Delicious!)

Yum!!

Enjoy!

Salsa Recipe

I am really loving the Pioneer Woman right now. I was against it for a while because everyone was really into her. But as it turns out, she is completely worth all the hype surrounding her recipes. She has this salsa recipe that is delicious.

Click here for the Pioneer Woman's blog about the salsa, complete with pretty pictures. But here's the recipe too:

Ingredients:
1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes with juice
2 cans (10 oz) Rotel tomatoes (one Original, one mild)
1/4 cups chopped onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1 whole jalapeno, quartered and slice thin
1/4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 cups cilantro
1/2 whole lime juice

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you like. Pioneer Woman goes 10-15 pulses, but I think I did about 20. Test with tortilla chip. Refrigerate salsa for at least one hour. Then serve!

*I ended up adding a lot more garlic (in powder form) and a good bit more lime juice.

Also, check out this recipe for burritos. They were seriously yummy!!

Enjoy!!

The King Cake

I love King Cake. It's probably one of my most favorite sweet things, especially the cream cheese variety. However, in Fort Worth, it is hard to find a really really really good one. So, I decided to resort to making my own. And what better night to debut the creation than at the Cotton Bowl for a big Tiger Win? (Geaux Tigers, by the way!)

So, due to the flood of requests, here is the recipe. I channeled The Pioneer Woman a little bit by taking pictures along the way (not at every step, though). This was a process worth documenting for me. Anyway, here are the pictures. Full recipe at the bottom...

Ingredients. Not too bad.

First time using the dough hook.

Rolled out and smeared with melted butter.

Generously sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Doesn't it look amazing?

The ugly braid, before rising. It was my first time, don't judge! :)

Fresh out of the oven. Smelled seriously delicious.

Sprinkled with colored sugar in Tiger colors. This picture was right after I did the sugar, the color got more vibrant as it soaked up some moisture.

And we're done! I had a King Cake baby that I put in it after this stage and I was happy that it was found my an LSU fan at the party! (Ok, I rigged it. I gave that piece to the kid because I knew where the baby was. I couldn't help myself!)

Sweetie Pies' King Cakes (Recipe from Taste of the South magazine Feb/Mar issue, adapted from a recipe by Sweetie Pie bakery)

1 (16 oz) package hot roll mix (I used Pillsbury)
2. Tbsp butter, melted
1 cup cinnamon sugar (I made mine with 1 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp cinnamon, plus a little extra because I love cinnamon)
1 recipe King Cake Icing (Recipe to follow)
Colored sugar
*You will also need the ingredients listed on the hot roll mix in addition to this list

-Lightly spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
-Mix hot roll dough according to package directions. Shape dough into a ball. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, for 15 minutes. Punch down dough.
-On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12x16 oblong shape and brush evenly with the melted butter. Sprinkle liberally with the cinnamon sugar.
-Shape dough using one of these options:
1. Fold in half length wise and cut into 3 strips. braid strips. Gently pull to elongate the braid. Place on baking sheet in the shape of an oval. OR
2. Start with long side and roll into a jellyroll shape. Place on baking sheet in the shape of an oval.
-Cover with a dishtowel and tel rise in a warm place again, free from drafts, until almost double in size, approximately 1 hour.
-Preheat oven to 375.
-Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cake cool completely.
-Spread King Cake Icing on cake and sprinkle with desired amount of colored sugar.

King Cake Icing
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 Tbsp whole milk

-In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and milk, beaking at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.

Colored Sugar (this makes a lot of sugar, so adjust accordingly)
Sugar
Food coloring in yellow, green, and purple (or red and blue)

In a METAL bowl, mix together one cup sugar and 3 drops of yellow food coloring. Mix with a wire whisk until sugar turns yellow. You can keep extra sugar in a ziplock bag if it makes to much. This is a good excuse to make another King Cake.
Repeat process with green second, and purple third. If you do it in that order, you don't have to wash the bowl in between colors.

I promise, it's not as daunting as it sounds.

Enjoy!

Pork Osso Bucco

Besides having a fancy name, this recipe is wonderful.

My mom got it from a friend. She emailed it to me. I made it for dinner. It was a hit!

Thought I'd share:

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil
3-4 lb bone-in pork loin roast, fat trimmed (I used two 1 1/2 lb pork rump roasts)
1 Large yellow onion, quartered
2 carrots, cut in strips
2 ribs celery, cut in strips ( I didn't use the celery, I just double the carrots)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried basil (My homegrown basil that I dried over the summer was delicious!)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 cup vegetable broth

1. Coat 4 quart or larger slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mix flour, salt, and pepper in small bowl, then rub mixture on roast.
3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add pork and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.
4. Layer onions, then carrots, celery, garlic, and herbs in cooker. Position roast on top. Add tomato sauce and broth.
5. Cover and cook on low 7 to 8 hours, or until pork is tender. Remove from cooker and cover with foil.
6. Strain liquid from cooker into saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook, uncovered, until thickened.
7. Serve pork with sauce and vegetables.

Enjoy!