$0.88 per serving ~ Bottom Round Pot Roast with Onion Gravy, Sheri's Roasted Carrots, and Mashed Potatoes

Every now and then my supermarket runs a bottom round special... a 2-3 lb. roast, a pound of stew cubes, and 2 pounds of sirloin steak at 99 cents a pound!!! That is just too good to pass up, but I rarely get to actually use the roast as is because a good roast takes a long time. It's been dreary, cold, and rainy this weekend, and I'm not going out, so I get to experiment! My girl Sheri, whom I've never met but know online for nearly 5 years, talked about this fantastic recipe for carrots as well, so I decided to try them too!

Bottom Round Pot Roast with Onion Gravy~ $5.00 total cost
1 3 lb. bottom round roast ($3.00)
Kosher salt
black pepper
crushed bay leaves
rosemary
salt-free steak seasoning
1 cup beef stock ($1.50)
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 large onions, sliced ($0.50)
4 tbsp minced garlic
more spices to taste
1-2 tbsp cornstarch
1-2 tbsp water

1. Mix the salt, pepper, and spices together in a small bowl (eyeball it, you need about 1/3 cup of the mixture.) Rub the mixture onto all sides of the roast. Brown the roast on all sides in a dutch oven or deep coverable stock pot.
2. Remove the roast to a plate. Deglaze the pot with stock and vinegar. Add more spices if desired (I added more rosemary and bay), sliced onions and minced garlic. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Place the roast on top of onion mixture, cover and reduce heat to low.
3. Simmer over low heat for 3 hours. Remove roast to platter and tent with foil, let stand 20 minutes. Meanwhile, mix cornstarch into water and then add to pot drippings. Stir until thickened. If desired, use immersion blender to puree onions.
4. Slice roast against the grain and serve topped with pan gravy.

Sheri's Roasted Carrots ~ $1.00 total cost
1 pound baby carrots ($1.00 at the Acme "buck a bag" sale!)
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss carrots with olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. Roast at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes, tossing once while cooking.

The Verdict
Josh did not speak until his plate was emptied. Jim pronounced it "fantastic", Jim's mom said it was delicious, and Julia said "yummy", disregarded her fork and proceeded to shovel it into her mouth with her fingers. I served it with Idahoan Four Cheese Mashed Potatoes (they are so good and so fast) for a total meal cost of $8.00! We had at least 4 leftover helpings, so I'm calling this a 9 serving meal though I may use the leftover roast and onions for something else.

$0.63 per serving ~ No Tomato Pasta Fazool

Snowed in with the second of back-to-back major blizzards, it was definitely time for comfort food! "Pasta e fagioli", or beans and macaroni, are a staple of Italian immigrant poverty food. Most versions are made with tomatoes, but with Julia wearing as much as she eats lately, I wanted to make something with a little less stain potential.

No Tomato Pasta Fazool ~ $0.63 per serving, $5.03 total cost
olive oil
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed ($1.00)
1 15 oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed ($1.00)
2 medium carrots, chopped ($0.08)
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced ($0.10)
1 small onion, chopped ($0.10)
minced garlic
5 cups vegetable stock ($2.50)
1 cup small shell pasta, uncooked ($0.25)
basil
oregano
parsley
crushed red pepper
salt & pepper
grated cheese

1. Separate 1/2 cup of the cannellini beans, mash them thoroughly and set them aside.
2. Saute carrot, celery, onion, and garlic in olive oil until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add stock, pasta, all mashed and whole beans, and spices to taste. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Serve topped with grated cheese.
Makes 8 servings

The Verdict
Everyone seemed to enjoy this except Julia, who pushed her bowl aside and only ate the bread. I served this with fresh semolina bread (recipe to come, I need to tweak it more) to sop up all the delicious broth. You can certainly use all cannellini beans for a more traditional soup, but I like to make food as colorful as possible for the kids. I definitely would use the more expensive extra-virgin olive oil to saute the vegetables as it does make the soup more flavorful. This hearty soup goes a long way. When reheating it, be sure to add some extra water or broth, as the pasta and beans will soak up all the liquid when refrigerated. I think Grandma would like this version of old-fashioned pasta fazool!

$0.48 per serving ~ Clean-out-the-Crisper Pasta

The school year has begun, and with me working with the marching band after school, we've been too busy for me to come up with new recipes! However, we had a lot of veggies in the fridge and I wanted to use them all up. This was inspired by something I saw on a cooking show with someone whose name rhymes with Machael May.

Clean-out-the-Crisper Vegetable Pasta ($0.48 per serving, $2.88 total cost)
1 pound whole wheat penne ($0.88)
1 medium zucchini (all veggies free from our CSA)
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium bell pepper
1 red onion
3/4 cup flaxseed meal ($1.00)
3 branches fresh basil (all herbs grown in our garden)
2 branches flat-leaf parsley
2 branches mint leaves
3 tbsp. minced garlic
3/4 cup grated cheese ($0.50)
1 cup ricotta cheese ($0.50)
nutmeg
black pepper
salt
balsamic vinegar
olive oil

1. Cut all vegetables into a 1-inch dice. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place vegetables on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and grated cheese. Roast 15-20 minutes in oven.
3. Cook penne in salted water according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup cooking water.
4. Place flaxseed meal, herbs and garlic in food processor. Pulse while drizzling in 1/4-1/3 cup olive oil. Put herb mixture in a large bowl and stir in about 1/4-1/3 cup grated cheese.
5. In a separate bowl, mix ricotta with nutmeg and black pepper to taste. Set aside.
6. Stir reserved cooking water into herb/cheese mixture. Toss together roasted veggies and cooked penne with herb sauce. Stir ricotta into pasta and serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings.

The Verdict
Jim and I both went nuts over this. Josh said he didn't like it, ate all the veggies and left the pasta behind?!? Julia enjoyed it, but as of yet we've not found a food she doesn't like. When I make it again I will try different veggies and use more garlic and cheese... the flavor was subtler than I expected.

It's been so long...

But we've been loving our new mini deep fryer! Potatoes sliced thin, deep fried and topped w salt and pepper, zucchini fries, you name it. So let me share the best way to batter and fry, well, ANYTHING.

Beer-Battered Anything

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 cup beer (I recommend a darker beer, we used Newcastle Brown Ale)
  
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• salt
  
• pepper
• paprika
• garlic powder
  
• 3 large onions, sliced into rings (or zucchini in strips, or cleaned mushrooms, or...)
  
• 2 quarts oil for frying

1. Sift flour into a large bowl. In another large bowl, whisk egg yolks. Mix in beer, butter and spices to taste. Set aside 1 cup of flour for dipping the veggies. Slowly stir the egg yolk mixture into the remaining flour and mix well. Allow the mixture to stand 30 to 60 minutes.
2. Heat deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3. In a small bowl, stiffly beat the egg whites. Gently combine the egg whites with the batter.
4. Coat each veggie with flour and dip into batter.
5. Deep fry the battered veggies, several at a time, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve.

The Verdict
This was amazing on onions and zucchini! There was NOTHING left on the table. I want to try it on fish because it tasted like fish and chips batter. Wow. Just wow.

Zucchini Parmesan

Anyone who gardens knows that Zucchini is the Italian grandmother of the vegetable world... "Eat, eat, don't you want more? But I made this just for you!" As usual, my zucchini is overproducing and I am coming up with as many different ways as I can to cook this stuff! Good thing everyone in my house likes it.

Zucchini Parmesan
Zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
Italian dressing of your choice
Breadcrumbs (I used a mix of seasoned and panko)
Tomato Sauce of your choice
Shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Marinate zucchini in Italian dressing for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3. Coat zucchini rounds in breadcrumbs (no need to dip in egg, the dressing will hold the breading on.) Place in one layer in a baking dish
4. Bake uncovered about 15 - 20 minutes
5. Remove from oven. Drizzle with sauce and top with cheese. Bake again 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

The Verdict
We made 3 trays of this... it was all gone within two days. We cut it up small for Julia and she loved it too! You could serve this with pasta as a side, over rice, in a sandwich, or as a stand alone dish. You can certainly use jarred sauce... I know, you're thinking, "But Puttanesca! You're Italian! Don't you make your own?" Yes, I do, but jarred sauce is very convenient, especially for parmesan dishes, pita pizzas, etc. I open a jar of sauce, pour it all into a saucepan, spice it up (extra garlic, onion powder, and oregano, usually) and return it to the jar. Stored in the back of the refrigerator, it will keep a few weeks.

"Mess o' Produce" Stir-fry and a Yummy Meatloaf Glaze

Mess o'Produce Stir-Fry
Stir-fry oil of your choice
Minced garlic
2-inch piece of fresh gingerroot, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup fresh green beans, sliced in 1 inch pieces
1 head bok choy, chopped (reserve leaves for a salad!)
Vegetable stock
Soy and teriyaki sauces, to taste

1. Heat oil in a large wok or skillet. Saute garlic and gingerroot until fragrant.
2. Add green onions and saute until soft
3. Add carrots and stir fry 2-3 minutes
4. Add green beans and stir fry 2-3 minutes
5. Add bok choy and stir fry 2-3 minutes
6. Add enough vegetable stock to fill about halfway to top of veggies. Bring to bubbling. Cover and cook another 5-7 minutes.
7. Remove from heat. Stir in soy and/or teriyaki sauces to taste

The Verdict
Everyone loved this as a side dish! It was a big hit. I will try it with other vegetables. Just try to add the veggies in order of which needs the most cooking time, so nothing is over- or under-done.

Yummy Meatloaf Glaze
Equal parts brown sugar, ketchup, and pineapple preserves (1/3rd cup of each for 4 servings, 1/2 cup for 6 servings.)

1. Mix together well. Pour over meatloaf and cook for the final 20 minutes of cook time.

The Verdict
This is Josh and Jim's favorite way to eat meatloaf, though it makes leftover meatloaf sandwiches very messy...

The long lost Puttanesca!

I know, I know!

This blog is shifting focus slightly for the summer. We purchased a CSA from a local organic farm. We also planted 3 "square foot gardening" plots. So I'll be focusing on our recipes for xall our wonderful fresh produce!

Grandma's Cook-Any-Greens
1 bunch fresh greens of any kind (kale, swiss chard, collard greens, beet greens, mustard greens, rapini, etc.)
Olive Oil
Minced Garlic
Chicken or Vegetable Stock

1. Chop greens (1/2 inch pieces for stems, 1 inch for leaves)
2. Saute garlic in olive oil until fragrant.
3. Add stem pieces and saute 5 minutes.
4. Add enough stock to fill the bottom of the pan but not cover the pieces entirely.
5. Cover and braise stems about 10 minutes.
6. Add leaves, re-cover, and braise 5 more minutes.
Serves 6 as a side dish

The Verdict
What a great side dish! So far I've cooked chard, dinosaur kale, and beet greens this way. Josh didn't express an opinion but ate his whole serving. Good thing, because there's always TONS of dark greens in NJ gardens!