gigafit

last tuesday, as celebration for my friend Christine's impending year overseas, I made another great fall meal, combining two of my favorite entrees, a staple fall side dish, cornbread, and with some wine and peach pie, the meal was complete.

first, the herbed apple chicken. it's a simple dish, which I never realized all the years my mom made it. You take 1lb of breast filets, or breasts (all boneless, skinless, of course), some finely chopped celery, sliced apples, lemon juice, salt pepper and spices, and bake. i dont have the recipe in front of me, but even without having all the right spices, it was delicious.

next, the stuffed acorn squash. cut a teeny bit of the bottom to make flat, cut about 1" down from the top to make a cap. hollow out (like you would a pumpkin), add a pat of butter in the bottom, stuff with your favorite ingredients (different recipes call for different things -- I used "spicy" sausage, pre-cooked white rice, celery, green pepper and onion.), put on parchment on a baking sheet, and bake for an hour at 400-degrees. i've had good stuffing with spinach or corn, too.

the cornbread was a straight-up boxed mix.

but, the absolutely delicious and crazy simple side was the Campbell's mushroom soup green bean casserole.

of course, we topped off the meal with a good pinot noir.

Posted by gigamatt at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Saturday, I decided to make a roast... they're easy, and generally turn out edible, despite any odd mixes of veggies you might put in.

For those of you wanting a nice enameled cast-iron dutch oven -- check the Meijer nearest you for clearances -- 7qt cost me $24, and the 4.5qt was $19 -- much cheaper than I've usually seen them, even at TJ Maxx or Marshall's.

I started with one 2.4lb and one 1.2lb cuts of beef, a plate of flour, and a jar of McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning. I seasoned the beef heavily on one side, flipped it into the flour, seasoned the other side, and then flipped it again, breading the beef on all sides, with the spice rub underneath. (Note to everyone else, cut into chunks first, for maximum coverage of spices and flour -- the flour will thicken the juices.)

In my 7-qt dutch oven, over a burner on high, I seared the meat on both sides in a little oil. Very little oil. I then removed the beef, turned the heat off, and started filling the bottom of the oven with the veggies.

I started with both a small drained and large undrained can of potatoes. Then added a large can of whole peeled tomatoes. Then a 1lb bag of frozen "stew veggies" and about 2 cups of chicken broth (I didnt have any beef broth.). When those were in, I added the beef, cut in large portion-sized chunks, and then added about a tablespoon of minced garlic, and a couple sticks of chopped celery. Then, I added the beef on top, and covered the veggies with water.

Then, I put the lid on, and shoved the whole thing in a 375-degree oven. About 2 hours in, I removed a quart or more of liquid, thinking it was going to be too watery. Nala made gravy out of more than half of the removed broth.

After about 3.5 hours, we had a really good roast. Next time however, I'll make sure I have carrots.

Posted by gigamatt at 1:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)