Stick a Fork in Me, I'm Done!

Hello Sweets,

Well I am still very upset and mad at myself :(, but the show must go on right?  I'm really trying to keep myself busy and not think about the colossal mess I've made, unfortunately there are so many things that remind me of him it's kind of hard.  However I figured I wouldn't bum y'all out today with another sad post, instead I am going to write about food something I don't screw up often :s

I just realized that my previous statement is going to be harder to stay true too :(  Why you ask, because this entire meal was made while in Texas and we made it together.  Maybe I can use this little post as a happy memory that will sort of pick my mood up, this is me trying to be hopeful :/  I wrote a post very similar to this earlier in the year (food wise that is), but we chose to do things a little differently this time :)  For me the pressure was really on this time around, you see we were cooking for his entire family and I wanted everything to go perfectly.  I don't know why but I always seem to put pressure on myself in these situations, but I think it works..sometimes lol like this time.  Having a family judge your cooking skills is both stressful and a learning process, I just hoped they would enjoy what they were about to eat.  Thankfully they enjoyed every part of the meal, even Nathan's dad enjoyed my yorkies!  For the record, I knew he would but he still protested lol.

Nathan and Jennifer's Collaborative Roast

Ingredients

Roast, either chuck or rump

red wine

Worcestershire sauce

garlic

garlic powder

meat tenderizer

salt

pepper

seasoning salt

 

Directions:

1)  Tenderize and season your meat to your preference, then place in a gallon zip lock bag and add enough wine and Worcestershire sauce that the roast becomes submerged.  Remember to balance the wine and Worcestershire sauce, I can't give you measurements but you should be able to tell by the smell.  Refrigerate overnight.

 

 

2)  Preheat oven to 375F.  Cut up your carrots, onions, and potatoes (anything else you want to throw in there too!).  Place in the bottom of your roasting pan, surrounding the roast.  Pour your marinade over top of the roast and veggies, add more garlic to the top of the roast.

 

 

 

3)  Cook for about 2 hours (depending on the size of your roast), checking after 1 hour to ensure the veggies aren't drying out.  If they're sort of dry add either beef broth or a dissolved bullion cube.

 

Some people like to cook their vegetables separately, but when you cook them in the roasting pan they soak up the marinade and don't need to be seasoned after :)  This was the dinner that accompanied the super yummy Cherry Dr. Pepper Cupcakes, see;

 

All the work was worth it, not just because Nathans family enjoyed it but because he did and he is a big reason I want to cook from scratch.  He's also the only person that's ever encouraged me to pursue my dreams of Canuckette's Creations as a business.  I'm making cupcakes for a party my mother is throwing tomorrow, and the box that will be carrying them will be adorned with my little logo.  It's a big step and actually kind of scary, but if I'm going to do this I need to be willing to put myself out there.  Maybe he'll read this post, if he does I want him to know how thankful I am for the encouragement and I hope it makes him proud.

Speaking of which I need to get back to the kitchen, I need to crank out two icings tonight and then decorate them too!  Wish me luck and keep your fingers crossed that I do okay tomorrow.  Until next time.............



Stay sweet,



Jennifer xoxoxo

The quickest way to a mans heart, is through his stomach!

Hello Sweets,

One of my favorite times to bake or cook is for those that mean the most to me.  Nathan is my absolute favorite person to cook for, and cooking for his family is very important to me, or better yet that they like what I make.  At the risk of sounding old fashion or dated, I really do want to be that wife and mother who cooks and bakes on a regular basis.  Some of my fondest memories as a child were being in the kitchen with my grandmother baking (my favorite part was the flour sifter lol), and watching my mother in the kitchen cooking dinner, but not following a recipe but using her sense to determine the right flavors.

Needless to say, today's post is about not one, not two, and but three recipes!  I made Nathan and his father a yummy chuck roast dinner last night with all the fixings.  I went out immediately after to spend some quality with Nathan's aunt, so I only got the "thanks for dinner Canuckette, that was good".  So of course when I returned later that evening, I asked Nathan what his dad really thought, and this is the direct quote from his father,"girl can cook".  This makes me very happy because I love knowing how much his family likes me, family is very important to me, and when you date someone, you connect two families together, and that is precisely what I want.  So for dinner last night I made a chuck roast with roasted potatoes, onions, carrots, corn, gravy, and Yorkshire pudding (a little bit of English to our country dinner).  Everything is relatively simple to make, but remember as with anything you make, make it from the heart ;)

Okay on to the recipes!!

Chuck Roast

Ingredients

coarse black pepper

 garlic powder

some fresh roasted garlic

Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce

 Lowry's Steak and Chop marinade

sea salt, Lowry's seasoning salt

 Adolph's meat tenderizer

5 medium sized potatoes, chopped

5 whole carrots, chopped

1/2 a large yellow onion, chopped

1C beef broth or 1 bullion cube, dissolved

My roast soaking in its bath lol

Directions:

1)  Go to the butcher and ask for a chuck roast or seven bone roast (the bone in the center is shaped as the number seven), the more marbling, the better the flavor.  Now I cannot give you the weight of the one I made last night as they bought a whole cow and just had the butcher package their meat for them, but we fed about 6 people.  Now, if you have time you should season or marinade the beef overnight, this way the meat really soaks up all the flavor and will fall apart.  Also, pierce the meat with a fork to allow that much more absorption.  Choose what ever seasonings/marinade you would use of a steak, I do not use BBQ sauce on a roast but that is my preference.  Apply any liquids you chose to use first as to not wash away the seasonings.  Your marinade mixture doesn't necessarily have to submerge the meat, about half full will do, just be sure to flip the roast over at least once (preferably about halfway from prep to cook), then place in the fridge overnight. If you don't have time for overnight, try and get a least a couple of hours. Be sure not to dispose of the mixture the roast is in, as it will contribute to cooking in the flavor, moisten, and will serve as the main ingredient in the gravy 

2)  Preheat your over to 375F. While the oven is preheating, cut up your potatoes, onions, and carrots.  I like a rustic type of meal with my roast, so I tend to cut bigger and not uniformed.  Place the veggies around and on the roast, top with a little bit of beef broth or bullion, cover with tin foil.  Place into the oven for 2 hours, checking after one to ensure the veggies are not drying out, if they are, add a little more of the broth to moisten the veggies.

standing room only!

While that was cooking, I moved on to prepare the Yorkshire puddings!  I start this one hour into the roast cooking to allow the batter to sit for 30 minutes, and then cook in the oven with the roast for the last 30 minutes.

Easy Yorkshire Pudding

Ingredients

3 eggs

1C milk

1C all-purpose flour

2tbs butter

Directions:

1)  In a medium bowl, beat eggs with milk.  Stir in flour and set aside. 

2)  Divide butter evenly into the 12 cups of a muffin tin, about 1/2 tsp per cup.  Place empty tin into the oven to melt the butter for 2-5 minutes.  Remove tin from oven, and distribute batter evenly among buttery cups.

Completed batter and butter divided 

notice the brown on the edges?  That's the melted butter

 3)  Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350F, and bake for 25 minutes more or until puffed and golden.  It is okay to drop the heat while the roast is still cooking as it is only for the last 30 minutes.

All done, YUM!

Next up is the gravy!

Simple Gravy

Ingredients

1 1/2C of the roast drippings

flour

Directions:

1)  Transfer 1C of the drippings into a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Slowly add flour to thicken the consistency.  If lumps form, add a little more of the drippings.  Depending on your preference of thickness, continue adding flour until you've reached your desired consistency.

2)Enjoy!

Completed feast in all its glory, boys couldn't wait to dig in obviously lol

Needless to say, no one went hungry last night, and we even enjoyed some for lunch today :)  Now tonight I am going to make the famous pumpkin spice cupcakes and will be posting that little gem tomorrow!  Until then....

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo