Paula Deen's Pot Roast

Now I don't know about you, but I love me some Paula Deen.

 

She's as crazy as a straw and I wouldn't want it any other way, but man can she cook.

 

The original person who pinned this on Pinterest said it was a crock pot recipe, but it was not and I followed how Miss Deen wrote it. (with a few variation, of course).

 

Here's what you will need:

 

*Forgot to put the wine in the ingredient photo...seriously, how did that happen?*

 

1 (3-4 pound) boneless chuck roast

1 tsp. House Seasoning, recipe follows

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 cup thinly sliced onion wedges

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 bay leaves

1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup

1/4 cup red wine

2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbs. beef bouillon granules

3/4 cup water

 

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt

1/4 cup black pepper

1/4 cup garlic powder

 

*You can mix these ingredients and sore in an airtight container for up to 6 months (I put mine in an empty seasoning container or you can just season the roast to taste if that works better for you).

 

 

 

 

 

Preheat oven to 350.

 

Add the House Seasoning, salt, and pepper to a small bowl.

 

 

Rub seasoning onto the roast on both sides.

 

 

Heat oil in a large skillet and brown the roast, searing it on both sides.

 

Place the meat in a roaster pan (or any shallow baking pan or dish...make sure you spray or grease the bottom with some oil so the meat doesn't stick).

 

Add onions and garlic to the skillet for 1-2 minutes to absorb the leftover juices from the roast.

 

Place into roaster pain with meat and top with bay leaves.

 

 

Combine the mushroom soup, wine, Worcestershire, and beef bouillons into a bowl.

 

 

Pour over the roast and add the water.

 

 

 

Cover pan with foil and bake for 3 hours, or until tender.

 

 

Remove and discard the bay leaves.

 

Use any additional liquid for gravy.

 

If not thick enough, remove the meat and pour gravy into a saucepan.

Bring to a boil and thicken by adding 2 Tbs. of cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water, stir constantly.

 

 

The actual cooking might take awhile, but the prep is quick and this would be a great weekend meal to put in the oven and get chores done while it cooks.

 

Check back for my post of the side dishes I made to go with the roast, Bacon and Blue Cheese Mashed Potato Bake and Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Bites.

Egg with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Cheese Bites

Here's another quick "breakfast for the week" recipe.

 

I recently started grocery shopping at BJ's.

 

Two things I learned:

 

1. You definitely get your money's worth

 

2. Why have I not been doing this before?!

 

They seriously have everything and more there (except for the darn formula my son drinks...)

 

I got a TON of fruits and vegetables and plan on making some creative meals with them.

 

Here's another muffin tin recipe that I could make on the weekend and have my breakfast for the week already done.

 

Just defrost and heat.

 

You will need:

 

 

Olive Oil

1 (10oz) package fresh spinach

4 eggs

1 cup shredded cheese (any kind, I used mozzarella)

1 (8oz) package mushrooms, chopped

1-2 Tbs milk or heavy cream (you can use half-and-half or whatever you have on hand that you put in your morning coffee)

salt and pepper

olive oil spray

 

 

 

 

 

Preheat oven to 375.

 

Heat oil in a large skillet.

Sauté the mushrooms until they are soft, about 5-6 minutes.

 

 

Remove mushrooms from pan.

 

Place the spinach in the same skillet. (If you can't fit all the spinach at once you can add a little at a time as it cooks down).

 

 

Add about 1/4 cup of water.

Over medium heat, cook with spinach until wilted, about 3-4 minutes.

Drain the excess water from the pan.

 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs.

 

 

Add the cheese, mushrooms, spinach, and milk to the eggs.

 

 

Mix well and season to taste.

Spray the muffin cups with the olive oil.

Divide the mixture evenly among the cups.

 

 

Bake for 20 minutes.

 

 

Then, let them cool and pop them out and enjoy your low-carb, healthy breakfast.

 

 

 

Coffee Cake Cookies

Now, I'm normally a bake from scratch kinda girl, but I found this recipe on Pinterest and followed it how it was.

 

Needless to say, if I ever make it again (and it was good, don't get me wrong) the sugar cookie will be from scratch.

 

However, there's nothing wrong with the store-bought kind, I just like to know exactly what's going into my food and I can tweak the recipe, if needed.

 

Here's the recipe that I followed.

 

 

1 roll of Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough

 

Crumble:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

4 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened

 

Glaze:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbs. water

 

In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter with a fork until it becomes a sand-like texture.

 

 

Bake cookies according to the package instructions, but take them out 5 minutes before completely done.

 

Press the back of a spoon onto the center of the cookie to create a small dent.

 

 

Top the cookies with the Crumble mixture and finish baking until they're golden.

 

 

While they're finishing in the oven, prepare the Glaze by mixing 1/2 cup brown sugar, the vanilla and the water.

 

Top the warm cookies with the Glaze.

 

 

That's it.

 

Another recipe with ingredients that most have in the fridge and pantry.

 

This cookie definitely lives up to it's name and should be eaten with your morning coffee (or after dinner coffee).

 

 

Garlic Spaghetti Bread

This recipe is definitely a keeper.

I have made this twice now...and will probably be making it again this weekend.

Fast.

 

Easy.

 

Cheap.

 

That seems to be the theme of most of the recipes I make, but being a stay at home mom and a one income household it has to be right?

 

Ingredients:

1 loaf bread dough, thawed at room temperature

(I have to be honest and say that next time I will probably make my own dough, sometimes it's difficult to really roll out the frozen ones...)

6 oz spaghetti, cooked

1 cup spaghetti sauce

8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 egg white

parmesan cheese

parsley flakes

garlic powder

parchment paper

 

Preheat oven to 350.

 

Roll dough out on the parchment paper.

 

 

 

Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10-15 minutes.

 

 

 

Cook spaghetti according to package instructions.

 

 

Drain and cool slightly.

Add the sauce to coat the pasta.

 

 

 

Remove wrap from dough.

Place spaghetti lengthwise down the center.

 

 

 

Top with the cheese cubes (you can also add any meat at this point too).

 

 

 

Make cuts on the long sides of the dough for braiding.

 

 

Alternate sides until filling is covered.

Tuck the ends under the braid.

 

Lift parchment paper right onto a baking sheet.

 

Brush with the egg white and sprinkle with parmesan, parsley flakes, and garlic powder.

 

 

Bake for 30-35 minutes.

 

Serve with additional sauce, if desired.

 

And there you have it.

Spaghetti and Garlic Bread, all in one.

 

Spinach and Three Cheese Stuffed Chicken

This chicken recipe is one of the best I've tried. I changed the recipe a little from what I found on pinterest and it turned out better.

 

Not only are you getting protein from the chicken, but if you don't feel like making a side vegetable...it's built in!

 

 

Here's what you will need.

 

4 boneless chicken breasts

1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

3 egg whites

5 oz frozen spinach (thawed)

3 Tbs ricotta cheese

4 slices mozzarella cheese plus 1/4 cup shredded

1 cup marinara sauce

Salt and pepper

Olive oil non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450.

Lightly spay a baking dish with the non-stick spray.

Wash and dry the chicken.

 

Season with salt and pepper and slice in the center for stuffing (don't cut all the way through)

 

Combine breadcrumbs and 2 Tbs Parmesan cheese in a bowl.

 

 

Combine 2 egg whites in another bowl.

 

 

In anther bowl, mix together the shredded mozzarella, the remaining Parmesan cheese, the spinach, an egg white, and the ricotta cheese.

 

 

Place chicken on a work surface and stuff with the spinach-cheese mixture.

 

 

Dip the chicken in the egg, then in the breadcrumb mixture.

Place into the baking dish and spay the chicken lightly with the olive oil spray.

 

 

Bake for 25 minutes.

 

 

Remove from the oven and top with sauce and cheese.

 

 

Bake until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 3 minutes.

 

 

Serve with additional sauce and cheese, if desired.

Our chicken pieces were so big that we didn't need anything to eat along with it. Definitely a filling, satisfying meal.

 

 

Give it a try.