BEER BRAISED CHUCK ROAST with GLAZED RED ONIONS

BEER BRAISED CHUCK ROAST with GLAZED RED ONIONS
2 tablespoons butter
2 LARGE red onions, sliced thick
3 pound chuck roast (marbled with plenty of fat)
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper (at least 1 teaspoon per pound as a general rule)
12 ounces AMBERBOCK beer

  • Preheat oven to 300°.
  • Melt butter in large enameled cast iron pot.
  • Add onions and saute 2-3 minutes.
  • GENEROUSLY season roast on both sides.
  • Add roast to pot on top of onions.
  • Pour the beer around the roast making sure not to wash the salt and pepper off the top of the roast.
  • Cover with lid.
  • Place in oven for 5 hours undisturbed except to check periodically to make sure you still have liquid. If too much has evaporated add beef bone broth as necessary. Your goal is to have 2 cups of braising liquid when the roast is done.

MEYER LEMON CAESAR DRESSING

MEYER LEMON CAESAR DRESSING
Juice of 2 Meyer lemons
1 teaspoon anchovy paste or 3 anchovy fillets, minced
2 LARGE egg yolks
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional*)
FRESH ground sea salt* and black pepper, to taste
3/4-1 cup avocado oil
3/4 cup FRESH, FINELY grated Parmesan cheese

  • Blend the lemon juice, anchovy paste, egg yolks and mustard until creamy.
  • Slowly stream the oil into the mixture until dressing begins to thicken. DO NOT OVER MIX!
  • Once dressing is thick and creamy, fold in Parmesan cheese.

*NOTES:

  • I’m deathly allergic so I have never had it with the mustard and it is really good, but hubby says it’s even better with the mustard. 😀
  • Be sure and remember that anchovies are salty so taste before adding salt!

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 44 of 2021

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up
with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Hey everyone! I know I’ve been missing in action, but this is the beginning of our last week of travel! I have to admit I will be so happy to end this trip. It has been beyond exasperating, beyond informative and tiring too (which I will do a post about soon). There were some great highlight moments too, but it was certainly an eye opener. It’s true what they say, YOU CAN’T GO HOME AGAIN! But, that’s a story for another day.

I promise to get around to everyone and visit this next week 😀 Thanks for being patient with me.

We arrived at my SIL’s house yesterday and boy what a weather change from the past couple weeks. It’s extremely cool here, windy and rainy too. We should have highs in the 50’s all week. I’m glad I packed some of my favorite flannels and extra socks 😀 I’m also glad we’ll be here through the worst of the storm which should clear before we head home Thursday.

Hot water and baby food squeeze

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING We’ll get home Friday and I’ll certainly have a pile of laundry to do!
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS These will wait until next week, probably Tuesday since I already have a pedicure scheduled that day. And hubby has a Dr. appointment on our way home Friday.
  • PAPERWORK & PHONE CALLS I’m still trying to get the doctor’s office to handle my new meter 🙁 No one seems to be following through! I do meet with the chronic care manager on the 9th and hope to have everything resolved by then.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I was able to work on menus on the trip and have next two weeks planned.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • WHATEVER is on the SIS’s and the hotel TVs. We’ll start catching up on the DVR over the weekend when we get home.

We’re still listening to the Jana DeLeon’s Miss Fortune series and will finish Reel of Fortune #12 and Swamp Spook #13  on our way home.

I’m trying to get caught up on editing all the pictures I have taken on this trip, but some of my favorites were the ones from Cadillac Ranch.

And I LOVE this one from lunch last Saturday! We had sooooooo much fun and this series reminds me of an old photo booth series.

I will be attending our local craft fairs in November and December for just this reason!


 

 

  • BEER BRAISED CHUCK ROAST with GLAZED RED ONIONS
  • MEYER LEMON CAESAR DRESSING

ROAST CHICKEN with HOT BUTTER SAUCE

The original recipe called for St. Germain liqueur. What does St. Germain taste like you ask? I had to google it myself. It’s a combination of tropical fruits, peach, pear, citrus, and even a hint of honeysuckle. I couldn’t even find it anywhere locally so I goggled it for another substitution.

ROAST CHICKEN with HOT BUTTER SAUCE
SAUCE
10 habanero chiles, halved and seeded
1 orange bell pepper – halved, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons orange zest
4 tablespoons Peach Schnapps
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, FINELY minced
1 cup Champagne vinegar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • Puree chiles, bell pepper, orange zest, garlic, 2 tablespoons of peach schnapps, FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper in a small blender.
    Transfer mixture to a small bowl.
  • Cover with saran and let sit overnight or 12 hours at room temperature to ferment.

 

  • After fermented and while chicken is baking, puree again with vinegar, remaining peach schnapps.
  • Strain through a fine sieve into a small saucepan.
  • Heat over medium heat.
  • Whisk together the water and cornstarch until smooth.
  • Whisk cornstarch mixture into the hot sauce. Simmer 2-3 minutes until thickened, whisking constantly.
  • Whisk in 3 tablespoons of butter.
  • Adjust seasoning.

CHICKEN
3 pound chicken thighs or leg quarters or combination of thighs and legs
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper

  • Preheat oven to 450°.
  • Generously season chicken pieces.
  • Melt 1 tablespoon butter in cast iron skillet over medium heat.
  • Cook chicken skin side down 5 minutes until golden.
  • Flip chicken and cook another 5 minutes.
  • Remove chicken pieces to a plate.
  • Serve with sauce.

KANSAS CITY BBQ CHICKEN

KANSAS CITY BBQ CHICKEN
CHICKEN
2 1/2 pounds chicken (I like to use thighs)
2 tablespoons Pampered Chef Kansas City style BBQ rub
2 teaspoons baking powder

  • Preheat oven to 425°.
  • Toss the chicken with the rub and baking powder.
  • Arrange in a single layer on a large stone or stainless sheet pan.
  • Bake 30-35 minutes until cooked through, flipping chicken pieces midway.

SAUCE
1 cup jalapeno ketchup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon Pampered Chef Kansas City style BBQ rub
2 tablespoons QUALITY honey

  • Whisk together the ketchup, water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, molasses and Kansas City style BBQ rub in a saucepan until well blended, bringing to a simmer 8-10 minutes until thickened.
  • Remove from heat and whisk in honey.
  • Add baked wings to a large bowl.
  • Pour sauce over chicken and toss to coat.

PEPERONCINO CHICKEN

PEPERONCINO CHICKEN
6-8 skin on chicken thighs
10-12 peperoncinos
1/2 cup peperoncino brine
2 + 2 tablespoon QUALITY avocado oil
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
3 stalks celery, sliced thin
1/2 red onion cut root to tip, sliced thin
4-6 cloves garlic
1 pound baby potatoes, halved
2 tablespoons FRESH chopped thyme leaves**
2 tablespoons FRESH chopped parsley**

  • Preheat oven to 425°.
  • Coat a large cast iron skillet (I like my enamel covered cast iron) with 2 tablespoons of QUALITY avocado oil and heat over medium heat.
  • Generously season chicken with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Place chicken skin side down. Cook undisturbed 10 minutes or until chicken skin is browned.
  • While chicken is browning toss the potatoes, peperoncinos, remaining oil, peperoncino brine, garlic, half the red onions, half of the celery, a generous turn of ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • When chicken is browned, turn the pieces over onto a plate.
  • Add potato mix to pan and stir to combine well.
  • Nestle chicken thighs skin side up into the potato mix.
  • Transfer pan to oven and roast 45-50 minutes until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.


**NOTES:

  • I like to use herb mixes that my local store carried to make my dollar go farther.
  • After plating the chicken and potatoes you can also make a gravy out of the juices if you’d like.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 43 of 2021

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up
with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

I hope y’all had a GREAT week. Mine was spent traveling. All and all it has been a good trip. Day 1 and 2 surprised us with cold and snow, but in a good way. We have seen and waited in a ton of road construction making it seem A LOT longer!

This whole trip was to search for houses for our next and hopefully final project. We still have many to look at, but have looked at 4 dozen so far. Of those we’ve narrowed it down to 6 or so we’re interested in and definitely ruled OUT several neighborhoods all together. We want a project house, but don’t have enough money to gentrify an entire neighborhood so are being picky for this next project. We have another 10 or so to see today.

We have a niece, her fiance’, her daughter and her brother, our nephew that recently moved to this area and were able to meet up with them and spend some great family time yesterday. 😀 We have 2 more days to finish investigating before we begin the trip home. We wish we had a bit more time here to meet up with blog friends and other relatives, but schedules are being dictated by medical appointments. We will be able to meet up with some old friends and our niece in California along the way before spending promised time with hubby’s sister on our way home.

 The weather will vary a lot for us this week from starting with the low 80’s down to the 50’s by the time we end our travels at sis in law’s. Night time lows will also vary from 50’s to 30’s.

Hot water and cherry vanilla yogurt. I can’t wait for my appointment with the chronic care manager. I’m STILL waiting for the gastroenterologist to get my meter handled, but his office is still trying to figure that out. Every time I call I get a new person that promises to follow through and yet it’s now the 18th! My original appointment was the 24th of last month and there is no sign of completion yet. I had another middle of the night (1:30 AM) reactive hypoglycemic episode last night that was soooooooo scary and completely avoidable if I had been wearing the monitor! What if I hadn’t woken up? Fortunately/(unfortunately) I start sweating and my heart starts sweating when it drops that low and trying to raise it before it gets any lower  and I pass out risks an opposite and equally unpleasant reaction of dumping syndrome that also makes my heart race, sweating and pure discomfort!

THIS WEEK’S LIST
  • HOUSE HUNTING

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • WHATEVER WE CAN FIND IN HOTEL ROOMS. WE’LL CATCH UP ON THE DVR WHEN WE GET HOME.

Listening to Jana DeLeon’s Miss Fortune books on Audible.

There were so many… but this one of the snow in Reno  midafternoon day one of the trip is a true favorite.

with the links to last week’s posted recipes, featured party links for the week and upcoming recipes to be posted soon.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
*??
*??
*??
*??
*??
*??
*??
 
 

  • PEPERONCINI CHICKEN

HONEY BEER BREAD

HONEY BEER BREAD
3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 ounce beer (I like a Michelob AmberBock)
1/4 cup QUALITY honey
2 + 2 tablespoons butter

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Melt 2 tablespoons butter in loaf pan and brush up the sides to coat.
  • In a mixing bowl stir together the flour, salt, beer and honey until combined.
  • Spread dough over melted butter evenly.
  • Melt remaining butter.
  • Drizzle remaining butter over the dough and brush to coat well.
  • Bake 45-55 minutes until cooked through.
  • Serve with honey butter with your favorite soup.

NOTE: Spray your spoon with non-stick cooking spray before stirring to prevent sticking.

You can alter the flavor by adding a teaspoon of apple pie or pumpkin pie spice.

BEEF VEGGIE SOUP

This is one of those soups that everyone of a certain age has had! During a simpler, more frugal era this type of soup was a staple on the dinner table, especially in the fall/winter months.

Ground beef was the lesser expensive meat choice and the soup was a great way to use up veggies at the end of the week. Once the flavors meld together no one cares that they were the former beauty queens that were now the  less than pretty wilting ones from the crisper bin.

BEEF VEGGIE SOUP serves 6
1 pound ground beef
1 LARGE Vidalia onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, diced
1 LARGE carrot, diced
1 can Green Giant white shoepeg corn
2 cups frozen green beans
15 ounce can stewed tomatoes, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons FRESH chopped Basil
2 tablespoons FRESH chopped Parsley
FRESH ground sea salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup DRY red wine
8 cups beef bone broth**
1 cup diced potatoes, optional
1 cup prepared pasta, optional
1/2 cup raw rice, optional
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced, optional
Grated cheese, as a topping

  • Brown ground beef over medium high heat in a large soup pot.
  • When beef is just about browned, drain off most fat and add onions, carrots and celery, sweating for 4-6 minutes.
  • Add garlic, garlic salt and onion salt, stirring to blend.
  • Add chopped stewed tomatoes with their juice, Basil, Parsley and FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper. Simmer 3-4 minutes.
  • Add broth, wine and potatoes or rice if using.
  • Simmer for 1 hour.
  • Add corn, green beans and mushrooms if using, simmering for 15-20 minutes more.
  • If using pasta add prepared pasta and simmer 5 minutes until heated through.
  • Serve with Honey Beer Bread.

**I made this broth with beef bone marrow bones and end of the season tomatoes.

HEART ATTACK CASSEROLE

TEXAS POTATOES aka FUNERAL POTATOES aka CHEESY POTATO CASSEROLE aka COMPANY POTATOES aka COMFORT POTATOES aka HOLIDAY POTATOES aka HASH BROWN CASSEROLE aka my favorite HEART ATTACK CASSEROLE

This is a delicious recipe that is PERFECT for church suppers, pot-lucks, barbecues… I have been asked over and over for this recipe after events. It is ALWAYS a hit!

1 LARGE bunch green onions, sliced thin
1 can cream of chicken soup
16 ounces FULL fat sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
30 ounce package of frozen hash brown potatoes
1/2 cup melted butter
1 sleeve of Keebler or Ritz crackers, crushed
1 cup corn flakes, crushed into crumbs

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Spray a 10×15 jelly roll pan LIGHTLY with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Whisk together the soup, sour cream, 1/4 cup of the melted butter, a VERY generous grinding of both sea salt and black pepper.
  • Fold in onions and cheese followed by the frozen potatoes mixing until well blended. If mixture is too thick to blend well add another tablespoon or two of sour cream.
  • Combine the corn flakes with the crackers and mix with remaining melted butter.
  • Sprinkle on top of potato mixture and bake for 30-45 minutes until potatoes are cooked through and the top is crispy

NOTE: The original recipe calls for using a 9×13 cake pan. We prefer a crispy edge to more of the potatoes so I use a jelly roll pan.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 42 of 2021

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up
with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

We’re leaving on our road trip today (FINALLY) so I’ll make this fairly short and sweet. I hope you have all had a productive week and quiet weekend full of family and fun.

I’m laughing at this category today. The weather has been changing so much all over the country in just the past couple days. I packed for the trip and then repacked a second time before finally deciding on a multi-layered pack that allows for multiple weather pattern changes. Here this morning it’s raining and cool, but we’ll probably see some cooler temperatures and maybe even a bit of snow or at least a frost tonight when the low will be 27°. LOL tomorrow though we’ll be in Las Vegas by the end of the day so are planning for a bit warmer in the 70’s.

Hot water and a baby food squeeze on the go.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • Whatever we see along the way 😀 We’ll catch up with the DVR when we return.

I’m reading Jana DeLeon’s Swamp Sweets, book #21 in the Miss Fortune series. Hubby and I will continue to listen to the books from the beginning on audible while we travel the next few weeks.

I went to a painting party last Wednesday for a Halloween painting that’s growing on me and I will definitely be doing some updates on, but I’m really looking forward to the Christmas cookie exchange painting party that my girlfriend is putting together. She’s thinking about maybe doing this one.

I did sign up for this cute gnome in December also.

The Eagles will be having a bake sale while we’re gone (I originally offered to bake for it when we were supposed to go on this trip months ago and thought we’d be here for the sale) so I did all my baking this weekend and prepared them for the freezer. This way they can do as they please for the sale. I made 3 Whiskey Currant Pineapple Carrot cakes, a Pumpkin Spice Dump Cake and a Pumpkin Butter Pecan Dump Cake. Needless to say I ran out of time for much picture taking this week, but hope to make up for it on the trip. 😀

with the links to last week’s posted recipes and upcoming recipes to be posted soon.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
??? ON THE ROAD
?? ON THE ROAD
?? ON THE ROAD
?? ON THE ROAD
 

  • HEART ATTACK CASSEROLE aka TEXAS POTATOES
  • BEEF VEGGIE SOUP
  • HONEY BEER BREAD

DADDY’S ROAST CHICKEN aka CAFETERIA CHICKEN & GRAVY

I recently purchased a few new cookbooks. When cookbooks arrive at my house, I read them like a novel, cover to cover. I use colored tabs to mark the recipes I want to try soon. I ran across a recipe called Cafeteria Chicken whose name sounded so interesting that I marked it with a tab to read in depth at a later date.

Well, that date was a few days ago. As I read I was intrigued by how similar this recipe sounded to my great grandmother’s recipe for Chicken and Noodles that my dad taught me to make when I was VERY young. It is a family favorite to this day.

I found this in Danielle Kartes’ Rustic Joyful Food: Generations cook book. She told a story of a favorite Holiday Lunch Option for her hot lunch when she was in the fourth grade and how that transpired into her chicken gravy and potatoes recipe that her mother requested when she was going through chemo years later.

My recipe, like hers is rooted in family and memories. One meal that becomes two SEPARATE meals. My dad has since passed, but his memory is alive every time I cook. 😀 The base of these meals is a really good mirepoix to begin your flavor base.

A mirepoix is a flavor base made from cooked diced vegetables cooked. They are usually sautéed with butter, oil or other fat like bacon fat for a long time on a low heat without coloring or browning. When the mirepoix is not precooked, the vegetables may be cut to a larger size, depending on the overall cooking time for the dish.

There are similar flavor bases all across cooking. The Italians call it a soffritto, the Spanish and Portuguese call it a sofito/refogado and it consists of a braised onion, garlic and tomato base. The Turkish version uses a tomato paste instead of fresh tomatoes. The German as well as the Polish version include leeks and/or celery or parsley root. The Russian version includes beets or peppers and the French include mushrooms as well as shallots and herbs that have been reduced to a paste. Here in the United States we have the holy trinity Cajun/Creole version of onions, celery and bell peppers that is a favorite.

The traditional vegetable mixture is onions, carrots and celery in a 2:1:1 ratio. Mirepoix is the flavor base for a wide variety of  stocks, soups, stews and sauces. My version adds mini peppers and garlic making my ratio 2:1:1:½:½.

The leftover chicken was then picked from the bone and chopped up to add to the leftover gravy. The leftover potatoes were mashed and then the gravy with chicken pieces was served over the mashed potatoes.

DADDY’S ROAST CHICKEN aka CAFETERIA CHICKEN & GRAVY

1 LARGE onion, halved root to tip, sliced thin
3 stalks celery, diced
2 LARGE carrots, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 mini peppers, seeds & ribs removed, sliced
5-6 pound WHOLE chicken
1 stick butter, melted
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
3-4 cups chicken bone broth

  • Preheat oven to 300°.
  • Alternately layer the onions, celery, carrots, peppers and garlic in the bottom of the roaster.
  • Add chicken on top of the veggie layer.
  • Coat chicken with melted butter, reserving any extra.
  • GENEROUSLY season the chicken with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Whisk the remaining melted butter into the bone broth.
  • Pour the broth mixture around the chicken over the veggies.
  • Cover the chicken with a foil tent, sealing the edges.
  • Roast 3 hours without peeking!
  • Transfer chicken to platter and tent to rest while you prepare the gravy.
  • Drain the veggies through a sieve to accumulate the cooking juices.

GRAVY
3 cups of reserved cooking juices
3 cups chicken bone broth
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup WONDRA flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
FRESH ground thyme or poultry mix herbs

  • Melt the butter in large saute pan.
  • Whisk in flour 2 minutes until golden.
  • Slowly whisk in chicken stock and reserved cooking juices.
  • Add thyme or herbs.
  • Bring to a simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes or until thickened, creamy, but still pourable consistency.
  • Whisk in cream.
  • Fold in chicken pieces.
  • Serve over mashed potatoes.

CAFETERIA CHICKEN & GRAVY
Leftover roast chicken taken from the bone and diced small
Leftover gravy if there is any
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons WONDRA flour
4 green onions, sliced thin
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
3 cups homemade bone both
1 cup half and half

  • Melt butter in a stock pot over medium heat.
  • Whisk in flour until golden and smooth.
  • Add green onions and saute 30 seconds.
  • Add bone broth and stir until smooth, simmering 5-10 minutes.
  • Season with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Blend in half and half.
  • Fold in chicken pieces.
  • Adjust seasoning and simmer until creamy and desired consistency.
  • Serve over mashed potatoes.**

**NOTE: I use the remainder of the potatoes from the original meal. I dice half of them and mash the rest. Then I fold them together to make a rustic mash.