Jo's Roast Beef

I like to find easy recipes and then cheat and make them even easier. I found this recipe on Jo's Blog:

Instant Pot Deli-Style Roast Beef

3 1/2 lb eye of round beef roast
1 12 oz bottle beer or red wine (I didn't have beer or wine, so I skipped this step) 
1/2 cup dry English Mustard (I used spicy mustard)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (I used regular salt)
1 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground (I used whatever was in the shaker)
1 tsp garlic powder (I also added some onion powder)
1 Tbs vegetable oil

1 1/4 cups beef stock (I used a small can)

 1/4 cup Flour 

Now, if you head over to Jo's blog, you can read the steps for what is undoubtedly a better roast, but here's the easier cheater's way:

I cut my beef into chunks and browned in my instant pot seasoning the meat as I browned it with salt and pepper, garlic, and onion. Then I poured the beef broth over it and let cook on one meat cycle in the instant pot without the trivet (I think it was 19 minutes).

When that was done, I used my Pampered Chef Mix and Chop - a handy little kitchen tool that

smashes cooked meat. Once the meat was about the consistency of pulled pork, I added the brown sugar and the spicy brown mustard and cooked for another 10 minutes, adding a quarter cup of water to make sure there was enough broth to allow the pressure cooker to work.

Once that was finished, I mixed in a bit of white flour (about a quarter cup, mixed in water to avoid lumps) setting the pot on saute until the juice was made into a gravy.

I toasted some thick bread and layered it with the meat and it was delicious!

Honey Glazed Chicken & Sweet Potatoes #Recipe #chicken #instapotsweetpotatoes

Carter enjoying honey glazed chicken, 

sweet potatoes with cranberries, 

and regular old applesauce from a jar. 

Kid tested and approved! I'm always looking for fast, easy food that all of my guys agree on. This meal is almost a unanimous hit. Not all the boys like sweet potatoes, but they all agree the chicken is seconds-worthy.

For the sweet potatoes:

Peel and slice 3 pounds of sweet potatoes
Melt half stick of butter in the microwave, add 1/4 cup of honey to the melted butter, and mix

Pour over the sweet potatoes and stir.
Add dried cranberries. I added a half cup or more because we like the tart flavor with the sweet.

Add 1/4 cup water. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.

I've also cooked these in the oven. Cook covered on 350 degrees for about an hour.



For the chicken:

Sprinkle chicken breast sliced into strips with steak seasoning and allow to marinade a bit. I used Longhorn seasoning. It has a bit of a kick to it without making the chicken too spicy.

Then, I pan-fried the chicken in a bit of oil, until done, then tossed them in a mixing bowl.

Once all the chicken was cooked, I threw a half stick of butter and a quarter cup of honey in the pan and allowed it to come to a boil before removing from the heat and pouring over the chicken and mixing.

It's ready to serve!

If you don't want to run out and buy a bottle of seasoning, here's a knock off recipe:
Long Horn Seasoning Knock Off Recipe

Fall Candy Treats

It's time for tricks and treats, isn't it?

As the weather gets cooler and we spend more time inside, I enjoy making treats--I just wish I had more time to do it!

These fun Fall Candy Treats are easy and don't take much time at all. I made a video of it, to show you!

Of course I did some experimenting--the gummy bears and Twizzlers weren't to my liking--and you should experiment with things you like. You can also coat anything in chocolate the same way.

That's all for now. Happy Trick-or-Treating!

Just Desserts #Recipes

Fall is coming.

I hate saying good bye to summer. I love the sun, the warmth, and all of the fun that is summer. But as long as I live in West Virginia, a change of seasons is part of the landscape.

And you know what they say...if you can't beat it, find the good parts and enjoy them. 

For me, one of the benefits of cooler weather is that baking gives the furnace a helping hand. 

So, in honor of being able to bake without challenging the air conditioning, let's talk desserts.  

Here's a couple of tips and a recipe.

Tip #1

Put foil under the pie and wrap. Perfect crust, every time.

To keep crust from getting too dark while the rest of the crust cooks, place foil under the pie and wrap it up over the crust once it's browned. I've bought the foil rings that go around the pie and I hate them. They are never the perfect fit. Or if they come in pieces, it's like trying to put together a puzzle on a piping hot ring. With the foil, I simply bring it up over the crust and press it down with a hot mitt.

Tip #2 

Regular oatmeal in a blender.

Ready to use for cookies!

 Here's a great cookie baking tip. My Aunt Judy is a diabetic, but like many in my family, she has a sweet tooth. In order to bake and keep her carbs low, she told me she replaces white flour with ground oatmeal. I was eager to try it, so I threw a couple of cups of oatmeal in my blender and boom, I had oatmeal flour. I replaced it in a chocolate chip cookie recipe cup for cup with the flour and they were delicious. The cookies were a bit thinner and crispier than the flour variety, but for my family, that's a bonus!

Now, for a recipe. This is my mother-in-law's strawberry pie recipe. Hopefully she doesn't mind sharing. It's too easy to not to share and can be modified for whatever fruit is in season (or you have frozen). Just switch the gelatin flavor to compliment the fruit.

Strawberry Pie

1 1/2 C sugar
1/4 C starch
1 1/12 C water
small box of Jello
strawberries (I use a pound, cleaned and diced)

Mix the water, sugar, and corn starch, cook until clear. Add the Jello.

Pour the strawberries into a pre-baked or no-cooked crust, then pour the hot Jello mix over the strawberries and chill. 

Be sure to pre-cook the crust. Or use a ready-made graham cracker crust.