Sunday Supper Roast

Since getting pregnant with, and having, baby #3, we've eaten out so much more than ever.  I know it's partly due to those crazy pregnancy hormones affecting my taste buds and also partly due to the lack of energy.  If you've had a baby, you know what I'm talking about!  Well, upon review of not only my waistline but also our financial goals, I decided that one of my New Year's resolutions goals is to eat out only once per week...if that.  So, I'm working on finding some great FAST, go-to menus that my family loves.  

This is one of those recipes because: 

  1. Both kids and adults gobble it up.  

  2. It's fast to prep and throw together. 

  3. It can cook all day in my slow cooker while I'm at work so I can come home to a delicious smelling house and a meal ready to go! 

Not only does the slow cooker make the meat fall-apart delicious, but the combination of the onion soup, garlic and seasonings creates such a beautiful symphony of flavors in your mouth!  The potatoes and carrots are perfectly tender and the gravy so easy to make, although it is delicious without it, too!

{sunday supper roast}

1 (2.2 oz.) box beefy onion soup (2 env.)
1 (3 1/2 lb.) beef rump roast
2 lb. small red potatoes, scrubbed and halved
5 large carrots, chunky sliced (about 1 1/2" sections)
4 celery ribs, chunky sliced (about 1 1/2" sections)
8 garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp. garlic pepper
2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans beef broth, separated
1/4 cup flour
 
Roll the meat in both packages of onion soup. Set aside. In a 5-6 quart crock-pot, place half each of the potatoes, carrots, celery, and garlic. Season with half each of the garlic pepper and thyme.  Tuck the bay leaf into the veggies.  Pour all but 1/2 cup of broth over veggies.  Add the roast and scrape any dry soup mix left on top.  Cover with the remaining veggies and seasonings.  Cover and cook on LOW for 9 to 10 hours.  Remove meat and veggies and keep warm.  Pour the juices from the pot into a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Whisk together the saved 1/2 cup broth and the flour.  Pour slowly into boiling juices.  Stir until gravy is thickened, about 3 minutes.  Pour over meat and vegetables and serve.

Mustard Pork Chops with Smashed Potatoes and Peas

In my continued quest to find fast, easy and delicious recipes for my family to eat, I found this recipe for Mustard Pork Chops with Smashed Potatoes and Peas.  It delivered on all three counts!  We loved it!  The potatoes have so much flavor from the olive oil, peas, green onion and salt and pepper that you don't miss having gravy atop one bit!

{mustard pork chops with smashed potatoes & peas}

   Serves 4

1 lb medium red potatoes, cut into 2-in. pieces

Kosher salt and pepper

1 10-oz pkg frozen peas

2 green onions, thinly sliced

3 Tbsp olive oil

4 6-oz boneless pork chops (about 3/4 in. thick)

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/4 c. apple juice

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Add 1/2 tsp salt, reduce heat and simmer until tender, 12 to 15 minutes, adding the peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and gently smash with the scallions, 2 Tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the pork with 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per side; transfer to plates.

Add the broth and apple juice to the skillet and simmer, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until desired thickness. Stir in the mustard and spoon over the pork. Serve with the smashed potatoes and peas.

Zuppa Toscana

I know.  I know.  It's getting warmer outside, turning into Spring even, but I still {HEART} soups.  I'm a year-round soup eater.  This soup.  It has to be one of my all-time favorites, too.  I first fell in love with it at Olive Garden.  Then a couple of years ago my Sister-in-Law introduced me to kale.  It's been love ever since.  I {HEART} kale!  What's so awesome about this soup is how incredibly easy it is and how amazing the flavors are!  It tastes EXACTLY the same as Olive Garden's version.  Normally it wouldn't be purple, either.  I substituted Salad Savoy I got one week from my Bountiful Baskets Co-op Produce basket since they're basically in the same family...and it just brightened my soup up, too!


{zuppa toscana}
1 lb ground Italian sausage
1½ tsp crushed red peppers
1 large diced white onion
4 Tbsp bacon pieces
2 tsp garlic puree
10 cups water
5 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
¼ of a bunch of kale

1. Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
2. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.
3. Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.
4. Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
5. Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve. Delicious!

Serves 6-8.

{Photos of step-by-step directions}

Chili-Crusted Salmon with Roasted Red Potatoes

Salmon on the grill is one of my most favorite summer treats and this recipe is TOPS! Combining the chili powder and the brown sugar give this a kick of chili flavor with a side of sweetness. I made it for years just as the oven recipe directs until I found Cedar Wood Planks at Costco.

OH my! If you've never grilled anything on cedar, you're in for a BIG surprise! Just the aroma of the smoldering cedar coming from under the grill lid is enough to start those taste buds watering. The smokiness from the cedar is definitely NOT overpowering in any way, but adds a light finishing touch to an already great recipe! PLUS, you can reuse the cedar planks over and over until there's nothing left to them!

Chili-Crusted Salmon & Roasted Scalloped Potatoes
from Remedies for the I Don't Cook Syndrome by Janet Peterson

1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3 green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 skinless salmon fillets (or one LARGE fillet with or without skin)
1 pre-soaked cedar wood plank

Grill Directions:

Preheat Grill.

In a small bowl, combine chili powder, brown sugar and salt (I double seasonings for more intense flavor).

In a separate microwaveable bowl, toss potatoes with chopped green onions, oil, pepper and 1/3 of the chili mixture. Microwave on HIGH for 8 minutes or until crisp tender. Put into grilling basket or aluminum foil type "basket".

While potatoes are cooking, rub remaining chili mixture on salmon. Spray pre-soaked cedar plank with non-stick spray and place chili-rubbed salmon onto plank.

Place both onto the grill away from direct heat. Grill for about 15 minutes , or until fish flakes easily and potatoes are tender. Garnish with additional chopped green onions.

Oven Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine chili powder, brown sugar and salt. In a 9x13-inch glass baking dish, toss potatoes with chopped green onions, oil, pepper and 1 Tbsp. Chili mixture. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.

While potatoes are cooking, rub remaining chili mixture on salmon. Place Fillets over potatoes and bake, uncovered, 10-12 minutes longer, or until fish flakes easily and potatoes are tender. Garnish with additional chopped green onions.

Serves 4-6

Potato Peeling Tip-AMAZING!

Take two minutes to watch this fun video on a super easy and slick way to peel potatoes! I'm definitely going to try this the next time I need potatoes, though that may mean I need to eat them, too...ICK! I'll take one for the family and try it out!