My New Favorite Item in the Kitchen

Cooking is something I don't blog about much.  I don't know why, because I do like to cook.... especially when I have great kitchen tools.

I have a new favorite item in my kitchen:  The  3 1/2 qt. Le Creuset Dutch Oven!  

 

This is one of those things that will last a lifetime and is just a quality piece for your kitchen.   I must say I love the bright blue - in fact I just leave it on my stove because I like to look at it... (oh, and Williams Sonoma has the smallest ones on sale, so they are more affordable!) 

I have never really cooked in a Dutch Oven (until last week), but I found a fabulous recipe I just had to share.   Of course, if it's from Emeril, you know it's good.  So here goes:  Emeril's Pot Roast!  

The recipe calls for a Goose Neck roast (HUH?!?!) or a simple beef roast.  Can you guess which I chose?  Right.  The beef roast.  We did learn, however, that the Goose Neck roast is quite a delicacy and can be purchased in specialty stores.  The flavor is wonderful because it is such a fatty cut of meat.  

I bought elephant garlic (a change from the recipe), cut it is pieces, and inserted it in 10 slits in the meat, then seared the roast on each side for about 5 minutes.    I did all of this around 1:00 in the afternoon, since the roast had to cook for 4 hours before I put the vegetables in for the final hour.   

I love a meal that I can get mostly prepared in the early afternoon! 

After this, I put the meat in the dutch oven and covered with beef stock.  

This baked at 325 degrees for four hours (in those four hours I went to the pool with my kids... we had to race home because "the roast was waiting!")

I added turnips, parsnips, red potatoes, baby carrots, and onions on top of the roast.   See how everything is cut crinkled?  That's because I love my crinkle cutter from the Pampered Chef.  It cuts everything wonderfully!  

After cooking for the additional hour the roast came out of the oven looking just beautiful.   My poor dog was out of his mind because the house smelled sooooo good!  There's also nothing better for your husband than to walk in the door after a long day and almost be knocked over with the smell of a fabulous dinner.  (It put him in such a good mood he ran out after dinner to pick up Italian Ice for dessert!)

The meat was literally falling apart, so the presentation left a little to be desired.   It was such a wonderful meal... truly the BEST pot roast we have ever eaten.   The recipe calls for a gravy to made at the end, but I just spooned the juices from the dutch oven over the meat and veggies and it was great.

The dutch oven washed up so nicely, so clean-up was a breeze.   This meal is definitely a keeper!

Linking up today with Living Well Wednesdays at Women Living Well!

Cooking Class: Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

  

We were giddy when the first zucchini was harvested from our garden!  Huge, isn't it?   Immediately GMan yelled "Zucchini Bread" (a tradition each summer).    Rather than use my same old recipe, I decided to troll the internet for something better.   BOY, did I find it!   This recipe is GREAT!    


I'll walk you through it:


First, shred your zucchini (1 1/2 cups, which is about 1 medium zucchini)

Place 3/4 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil,  and 2 large eggs  in your mixer -- beat until blended.


Add 1 cup applesauce (I am convinced this is what makes the bread soooo good!)  and stir into mixture.  (Do you like my shameless plug for The Fresh Market?  We just got one close to us and I LOVE IT!)

Combine 2 cups all purpose flour with 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (yep, I was surprised by this ingredient, but it works!), 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Stir it well with a whisk.

Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, stirring until just moist.  

Add your zucchini

...and 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Be sure to reserve enough chocolate chips for cute children to snack on while the bread is baking!

Spoon the batter into a greased 9x5 loaf pan and bake at 350 for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  

This recipe came from Cooking Light, and I found it at Myrecipes.com.   I find a lot of great recipes at this site.  

Do you have a recipe that uses zucchini?  We are going to have TONS of them this summer and while I love the zucchini bread, I'd like some different recipes, too!!

Basil-Tomato Grilled Cheese - Some SERIOUS Goodness!

Although I'm not doing a recipe linky each Wednesday, I did want to share our recipe from this evening.    It was YUMMY!   And, it was EASY!      I hope you enjoy, because my family did!

Basil-Tomato Grilled Cheese

8 slices Italian bread (3/4 inch thick)

8 slices Mozzarella cheese

2 large plum tomatoes, sliced

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. On four slices of bread, layer cheese and tomatoes: sprinkle with the basil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Top with remaining bread.
2. In a small bowl, combine the oil, Parmesan cheese and garlic powder; brush over the outsides of each sandwich.
3. In a small skillet over medium heat, toast sandwiches until golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted.

If you have a picky eater, you can just make plain grilled cheese without a lot of extra effort.  

*This recipe comes from Taste of Home Family Favorite Recipes.

Photo courtesy Taste of Home

What did you have for dinner?