Balsamic Pot Roast

Every time I research a recipe, I almost never find one that I love in its entirety.  It’s always missing something “I think” would make it taste just a little better.  J  I will usually get a general idea how it’s made and then just start writing away all of the additional ingredients I would like in my dish and remove what I do not like.  Although this dish is called Balsamic Pot Roast, it does not have a strong acidic taste.  It was truly very delicious and all the ingredients balanced out perfectly.  

What you need:

1.     4-5 lb Beef Chuck Roast

2.     2 Cups of Beef Broth (low sodium)

3.     ½ Cup of Light Brown Sugar

4.      ¼ Cup of Balsamic Vinegar

5.     1 tablespoon of Soy Sauce

6.     1 tablespoon of Adobo (Garlic Powder)

7.     Course Black Pepper

8.     ½ teaspoon of Dried Rosemary

9.     ½ teaspoon of Red Pepper Flakes

10.  6 cloves of minced garlic (fresh)

11.  Zest of a whole Orange

12.  10 Pearl Onions

13.  5 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary

14.  2 Bay Leaves

15.  6 Fresh Sage Leaves

16.  ½ a Cup of Red Wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)

17.  3 tablespoons of Corn Starch

18.  1 Bag of Baby Carrots

19.  4 Whole Celery Sticks (rough chop)

20.  4 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil

What you need to do:

·       Heat the oil in a skillet on high heat.

·       Season the meat with Adobo and course black pepper to taste.

·       Sear the meat on all sides

·       Place the meat in the crock pot

·       In a bowl whisk the following:

o   Beef broth

o   Brown Sugar

o   Balsamic Vinegar

o   Soy Sauce

o   Red Pepper Flakes

o   Minced Garlic (fresh)

o   Orange Zest

o   Dried Rosemary

·       Back at the Crockpot arrange the carrots, celery, bay leaves, rosemary sprigs, sage leaves and pearl onions on top and around the meat.

·       Pour the liquid that we whisked above

·       Add the red wine over it all

·       Set the Crockpot on low heat for 10 hours

·       Take 1½ - 2 cups of the liquid and add the corn starch, whisk over medium high heat until it had a gravy consistency to pour over meat and mashed potatoes.    

Serve with garlic mashed potatoes and corn.  I seasoned my corn with course black pepper and butter and the mashed potatoes, I made with buttermilk instead of regular milk.  Everything was delicious and went very well together.  Although there are a lot of ingredients, this dish was very easy to prepare.  I set the Crockpot before leaving for work and when I got home at 6, dinner was DONE!  And my house smelled AMAZING!!  Hope you guys like it!!

 

HAPPY COOKING!

Spicy Italian Hoagies

This has got to be the EASIEST meal I make during the week and it reminds me of ball games at Fenway Park!  Love to make these for the family…

What You Need:

·       Spicy Italian Sausage (5)

·       Sweet Italian Sausage (5)

·       2 Green Bell Peppers (Julienne)

·       2 Red Bell Peppers (Julienne)

·       2 Vidalia Onions (Julienne)

·       2 Cans of Goya Tomato Sauce

·       Hoagie Rolls (4)

·       Provolone or White American Cheese

What to Do:

·       I like to place the sausages in the freezer for about an hour or two before cooking them because they slice up easier. 

·       Slice the peppers and onions Julienne style.

·       Pre-heat a non-stick skillet on medium to medium-high heat until it smokes just a little.

·       Slice the sausages in half inch diagonal pieces.

·       Throw the sausages in until they are seared on all sides. (10 minutes)

·       Once seared, add the peppers and onions until desired tenderness. (10 minutes)

·       Add tomato sauce and toss until all is coated and cook for another 10 minutes uncovered.

·       Slice the hoagie’s open and place in the oven at 350 degrees for 2 minutes.

·       Stuff the hoagies and top with cheese.

One thing I notice that this dish requires no seasoning because the Italian Sausage is seasoned already.  However, I have added dried Rosemary to the dish at the end and give it one last toss before placing in the hoagie and it was delish.  Hope you like this quick and simple recipe.  When I know I am going to have a super busy day, I slice everything up the night before and literally have dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes. 

 

Last night I served the Hoagies alone, but they do go great with herbed potato wedges! Yum!

Enjoy & Happy Cooking! 

Swimming in Pesto Pasta

First off, let me start by saying “MY GOODNESS IT’S BEEN A WHILE”!  Life definitely got the best of me there for a minute.  Career, house, daughter, relationships all took precedence for a bit. 

Since my last post, I started off 2014 with a bang!  I have switched law firms, am in a new relationship, gained a step-son and have finally made time to devote more to this blog.  So without further adieu here is my: 


“SWIMMING IN PESTO PASTA” 

What to buy: 

·       Shrimp (peeled, deveined and tails removed)

·       Lobster tail

·       Chopped red bell pepper (1 inch strips)

·       Zucchini (Chopped)

·       Grape tomatoes (halved)

·       White Mushrooms (chopped)

·       Basil Pesto (homemade or Store bought)

·       Angel hair pasta

·       Adobo (to taste)

·       Course black pepper (to taste)

·       Fresh garlic (2-3 minced cloves)  

·       Extra Virgin Olive Oil
·       Fresh Grated Parmesan

What to do:

1.    Cook angel hair pasta al dente according to box directions

2.    Heat frying pan (Medium to high heat)

3.    Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil (until you see a little bitty smoke)

4.    Add shrimp (which you have seasoned with adobo and course black pepper)

5.    Do not move the shrimp around or they will not get a crispy exterior

6.    Once you see shrimp turning pink check one shrimp for desired crispiness.  If at desired texture, flip them all and let the other side crisp

7.    Remove shrimp

8.    Add one inch pieced of lobster tail and repeat same process as with the shrimp

9.    Remove lobster

10.                   In the same pan add red bell peppers, zucchini and mushrooms and sauté

11.                   Once the veggies are tender, add the tomatoes until they are heated through but not reduced

12.                   Drain pasta, add pesto and toss

13.                   Once pasta is well coated in pesto, add the shrimp, lobster and sautéed veggies and toss

14.                   Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve right away

I Served this with Texas toast and a Cesar Salad and it was AMAZING!

I hope you guys enjoyed this recipe and stay tuned for many more to come.  Although I have been unable to frequently update my blog, does not mean I have stopped cooking!  I periodically post photos of my dishes as I go on my twitter: @JesMarie813.

Buen Provecho and Happy Cooking!