Foolproof Roast Beef

Most cooks are familiar with the Joy of Cooking cookbook, but I wasn't until a few years ago. I had seen the title at the library, in bookstores, and in other people's kitchens, but I had never looked inside. I knew it was very popular and that cooks have been using it to cook for decades. When I joined a cookbook club about a year ago I decided to give it the Joy of Cooking a try, and I'm really glad I did. It is my new favorite because it has just about any answer to any question you might have about how to cook a particular kind of food and how a certain food is used in cooking. This edition was published in celebration of its 75th Anniversary when a widow by the name of Irma Rombauer self-published the cookbook, using her own savings to do it. Her daughter joined in and helped her with illustrations and recipe testing. Irma's grandson now heads up the publishing of JOC. I love it when families work hard to share in a project like this. It would take me a lifetime to try all the recipes in this book (not that I'm going to try!) but I know if I have doubts about how to cook a particular food, I can usually find the answer in this one.

My most successful result of a recipe is for Roast Beef. It comes out perfectly every single time. A meat thermometer is essential for this recipe, so I recommend you get one before even trying it. The other important thing is to set your oven on the high temperature it calls for. My oven only goes up to 500 degrees but it's enough. It really does make a difference. I have used a sirloin tip roast and an eye of round roast for this recipe.

Roast Beef

These directions are for the large, tender cuts we think of as Sunday dinner roast beef. Count on 2 servings per pound for bone-in roasts, 3 servings per pound for boneless roasts. The most tender are the standing rib roast and the rolled rib roast. The sirloin tip roast, eye of round, or rolled rump may be cooked the same way.

Preheat the oven to 550 degrees. Having removed the roast from the refrigerator 2 hours before, place the meat fat side up on a rack in a greased shallow roasting pan. Do not cover, and don't add liquid. Put the roast in the oven, immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees and roast 18 to 20 minutes to the pound for medium-rare. A rolled roast will require 5 to 10 minutes longer to the pound. A thermometer should read between 125 degrees and 130 degrees for rare and 135 degrees and 140 degrees for medium. Let rest. Carve.

Pot Roast Milano

A repost from my other blog.
I had a yummy-looking picture but it was somehow deleted from my camera before I could download it onto my computer, so you will have to use your vivid imagination for this one.

Chuck roasts were on sale for $1.88 per pound this past week, which is unheard of these days around here, so I bought three of them. I've been making this recipe since my girls were small and it's a favorite. I almost always have all the ingredients (except the meat) on-hand so I rarely have to plan this meal.

Pot Roast Milano

2 tablespoons oil
3 to 4-lb pot roast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery salt, if desired
1/2 teaspoon basil leaves or Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 large onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup Burgundy or dry red wine (I used beef broth)
8-oz. can (1 cup) tomato sauce
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup water

In large skillet or Dutch oven, brown meat in hot oil. Combine salt, celery seed, basil, pepper, onion, garlic, wine (or broth) and tomato sauce; add to meat. Simmer covered 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until tender. Remove meat to platter. Combine flour and water; stir into liquid in pan. Heat until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly. If necessary, thin with additional water. Spoon sauce over pot roast. Serve with spaghetti, buttered noodles, or mashed potatoes. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Calico Beans

Since going back to work I'm learning to use my crockpot more and last week I cooked my dry beans in it to freeze for later. I also made this recipe that I got from Organized Everyday and it was a big hit with the whole family. I know there are lots of different ways to make this dish but I've never tried any of them before and since a fellow blogger recommended it, I thought I would give it a try. This recipe makes lots and lots so I usually make the whole batch and freeze the rest for another time, which will really come in handy to have when I need to focus on holiday meals in the next few weeks. My notes or variations on the recipe are in italics.

Calico Beans

1 pound of lean ground beef, (I had some already cooked in the freezer)

1 large onion, diced, brown these together and drain

1 dried bag of 15 bean mix: cook in pressure cooker until done

OR you can buy canned beans: 2 cans of kidney beans and 2 cans of garbanzo beans (or store them cooked and frozen in the freezer)

In the crockpot add:

Beef, onions, and beans plus

2 cans of baked beans (any brand)

1 cup of real bacon bits or fry your own (6 slices) (I fried the bacon and onion together)

1/2 c. ketchup

1/2 c. of brown sugar

1 T. vinegar

1 t. of prepared mustard

1 t. salt

Mix it all and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours

OR in the oven 350 degrees for 1 hour

If you choose to fry your own bacon, cooking it with the onions saves time..

If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can still cook your own dried beans in the crockpot, but you have to plan for this a day in advance. (I cooked the beans ahead of time and stored them in the freezer until I put them in the crockpot.)

This is really good with cornbread :)

I'm linking up with The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap and EKat's Kitchen Friday Potluck

Hamburger Casserole-Updated

I've blogged about this recipe a couple of other times on my other blog and there's probably a reason or two for that. It's really easy to put together and it's one of those dishes I grew up on, which takes me back to my childhood in my mom's kitchen. I've made this recipe for my daughters more times than I can count but I rarely make it anymore because I hardly ever use the canned cream of mushroom soups. But, now that I know how to make my own cream of "whatever" soups, I can make dishes like this more often. In fact, after making my homemade cream of mushroom soup the other night, I went ahead and made this casserole, too. I've only known this recipe as Hamburger Casserole and I have no idea where my mom got it but here it is, updated from when I was a kid.

Hamburger Casserole

*1 lb. ground beef
1-1 lb. bag of noodles or other pasta shapes
1 can cream of mushroom soup or make your own
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook ground beef until browned. Drain or rinse as desired. While that's cooking, start boiling water for the pasta. Add the mushroom soup and tomato sauce to the ground beef. Drain the pasta when cooked al dente and add to the ground beef mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the cheese and combine until the cheese is melted. Serve. OR, you can combine everything except the cheese, spoon into a casserole dish, sprinkle the cheese on top and put in a 375 degree oven until the casserole starts bubbling, about 30 minutes.

*You can use less ground beef here to save on the grocery budget :)

I'm linking up with Foodie Fridays.

Swiss Steak

Nothing says comfort food to me more than this dish, especially if I serve it with mashed potatoes, which I always do. I instantly feel good when I eat this. I found how to make this about 20 years ago on a local Christian television station, long before Food Network came along. A lady had a cooking show and showed how to make this recipe and I just wrote down the ingredients and directions as she cooked. It has turned how so good every single time.

Swiss Steak

2-3 pound round steak cut into serving pieces
1 cup of flour seasoned with salt and pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 (8-oz) cans tomato sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large skillet with a couple tablespoons of oil. Coat the meat in the flour and brown on each side. You may have to do this in batches. After browning, place the meat in a large casserole dish. Turn the heat down to low and add about 1/2 cup of water to the skillet to deglaze the pan and pick up all the good browned bits from the meat. Add the deglazing liquid to the casserole.

Add the onion and green pepper to the meat. Mix the remainder of your coating flour to the tomato sauce in a bowl and pour over the meat and vegetables. Cover and place in the oven. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is fork-tender. Check the meat after about an hour to add more water if necessary (I've never had to do this, but you might).

Serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable. And be comforted.

I'm joining the Make It From Scratch Carnival this week.