Heather Solos's Blog, page 14

Simple Beef Gravy – Comfort Food for Troubled Times

Look, it’s January. We may have turned the page to the new year, but the pandemic isn’t done with us yet and some of us may need some good old-fashioned comfort food before this is over. So, let’s start with the most basic.

Gravy, it sounds so simple, yet it vexes so many home cooks. It’s made of three key ingredients, plus the seasoning. First, you start with relatively equal amounts of fat and flour, and then you add liquid slowly until the emulsion is the right consistency. (The fat surrounds the flour and suspends it in the liquid, this is what makes it an emulsion.)

The key with gravy is to be patient with yourself and with the process. First, I need you to understand that there is and always be an ugly stage where it looks like you messed up. It will look like dough for just a moment. It’s a transition and it will pass.

Each time you add a little more liquid keep calm and stir on.

I’ve made a time-lapse video so you can see this batch of gravy through all of the ugly stages. I’ve not gotten the staging set up in our kitchen perfectly, so it’s not the best video, but you get the gist.

This “recipe” is more of a ratio. I’m writing amounts but know that you can expand or contract the amounts based on your preferences and your needs. We are generally feeding 6 – 8 people; you may not need a vat of gravy. You might be able to get away with a quarter as much. It will work. I usually use Better Than Bouillon, but because of the pandemic, I did stock up on bouillon cubes, so I was using up some of those for this demonstration. That’s why I had to cut some of the video, I was waiting for the second batch of cubes to dissolve.

#zrdn-recipe-container {background-color:#ffffff;}#zrdn-recipe-container {border-color:#000000;}#zrdn-recipe-container, #zrdn-recipe-container h2, #zrdn-recipe-container h3, #zrdn-recipe-container h4 {color:#000000;} #zrdn-recipe-container ol.zrdn-bordered li:before,
#zrdn-recipe-container ul.zrdn-bordered li:before{
border: 2px solid #000000;
color: #000000;
}
#zrdn-recipe-container ol.zrdn-solid li:before,
#zrdn-recipe-container ul.zrdn-solid li:before{
background-color: #000000;
}
#zrdn-recipe-container ul.bullets li:before,
#zrdn-recipe-container ol.zrdn-counter li:before,
#zrdn-recipe-container ul.zrdn-counter li:before {
color: #000000;
}
#zrdn-recipe-container .zrdn-tag-item a, #zrdn-recipe-container .zrdn-tag-item{
color:#000000;
}
#zrdn-recipe-container {border-style:initial;}#zrdn-recipe-container a {color:#000000;}#zrdn-recipe-container {border-width:0px;}#zrdn-recipe-container {border-color:#000000;}#zrdn-recipe-container {border-radius:0px;}


#zrdn-recipe-container .zrdn-color {color:#000000;}
#zrdn-recipe-container .zrdn-bg-color {background-color:#000000;}




Simple Brown Gravy












January 5, 2021
by Heather Solos

Cuisine

American


Category

All
Cook It





Persons
8



Serving Size
1/4 cup



Prep Time
3 minutes



Cook Time
10 minutes



Total Time
13 minutes






Notes

Just be patient.

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter or pan drippings


1/4 cup flour


3 – 4 cups beef stock or broth


Fresh ground pepper


Optional – additional seasonings to complement the main dish



Instructions

In a skillet with straight sides, melt the butter over medium heat. If you wish, at this time you may add seasoning that complements your main dish.


When the butter has fully melted sprinkle the flour evenly over the melted fat.


Stir to combine the fat and flour until completely smooth.


Allow to cook for two to three minutes to get rid of the raw, flour taste.


Slowly add the beef stock 1/4 – 1/2 cup of liquid at a time. Stirring between additions until the liquid is fully incorporated into the emulsion. It is going to look weird.


It will look like dough at first. KEEP STIRRING.


Add more liquid. Stir. Add liquid. Stir.


Eventually, you will have a smooth gravy and a tired arm.


Season with fresh pepper and enjoy over your favorite meal


Tags

Cooking Basics ,

cooking technique

PS, if you don’t want to just hear about food, send your cleaning, laundry and organizing questions to helpme@home-ec101.com and I’ll get them answered. (If you sent something in and I missed it in the past, please resend it.)

The post Simple Beef Gravy – Comfort Food for Troubled Times appeared first on Home Ec 101.

Menu Monday 20201 Week 1

Ready or not 2021 has begun.

The last couple of weeks have been a blur for our household. Juggling teenagers and toddlers in a blended household equals managing a wide range of expectations.

For instance, my oldest, who plays varsity football, was expected to volunteer for Toys for Tots, which is a fantastic program. That’s fine, except my husband and I were up until midnight playing Santa Clause for the one and two-year-olds. I was back up at four-thirty and missed seeing the two-year old’s reaction to Santa’s visit. It’s a bummer, but my oldest helped for a couple of hours loading up the caravans. We abandoned the volunteer opportunity after ascertaining that we wouldn’t be missed and the leaders were bickering over a paper map about the best route to deliver said toys.

I’m sure those kids were delighted. I just needed to see my own kids’ faces.

As far as New Year’s? 2020 was allowed to show itself the door. The teens were all under their other parents’ care and we were trying to keep the babies asleep. Good riddance to a tough year.

With the arrival of viable vaccines, we are halfway through the dark. Please keep going. If you have teens, PLEASE keep a close eye on them. One of my daughter’s friends had a close call yesterday, and this is pretty heavy on my heart. If you are having a tough time. Please reach out for help. IMALIVE.org is a great resource. Also, I know I’m the worst at not asking for help when I need it. I’m trying to be better about it and admit when things aren’t okay, and ask the people close to me for the help I need.

I’m looking forward to this year, and the good it will bring. I have a lot of goals, some are personal and some are professional. Some are for this website and some are just for fun.

What are you looking forward to in 2021?

Speaking of looking forward?

What’s on your menu this week? Planning a menu helps our family keep our budget under control. It also helps us better manage our time and keeps us mindful of what we’re eating.



Would a printable menu help you as you plan yours? Here you go! Do you need help learning how to menu plan?

This week’s menu looks a bit like this and will be subject to change. The low-carbers mentioned below are required to assist with the meal prep since they add to the workload and I generally am annoyed by making salads in the first place and am more than happy to outsource that task.

Monday – Meatloaf, Caesar salad, Mashed potatoes & brown gravy (for the carb eaters) cauliflower rice for the non—I am going to try to go ahead and just video making plain brown gravy this evening. Maybe, if the planets are still aligned or something. (It’s similar to the technique in this recipe, just without the beef or onions, you could have onions if you want though. Sometimes, you just want to see the technique without all the other stuff in the way.)

Tuesday – Shredded chicken tacos (yes, I know that links to burritos, it explains how I make the chicken), rice and beans for the carb eaters, side salads (big salads for the non)

Wednesday – Not-really chicken schwarma – I riff on this recipe, only I use way more garlic and a lot heavier hand with the spices and marinate the chicken with a combination of her chicken marinade and the yogurt sauce. I cook the chicken on a large propane griddle, along with a big bag of frozen vegetables that I season generously with similar seasoning as they thaw and serve on pita or over cauliflower rice depending on your carb intake. I’m going to try to get some pictures/video this week to post.

Thursday – Clean Out Refrigerator Night

Friday – Tilapia with Olive Tapenade, Green Beans, Sweet potatoes or Salad

Saturday – Mystery venison – we received some unlabeled venison. I know it was processed well because I trust the source. I just won’t know what the cut is until I thaw it, so. . . a little Iron Chef will be played. Will we be using the BlackStone, the slow cooker, or the Instant Pot? Time will tell. Sides will be determined by what the cut is and how it is prepared. We have plenty of root vegetables in the fridge and frozen in the freezer. We’ll be ok.

Sunday – Smokin’ Sunday = chicken wings, for real this time, we have them on hand and surprise, surprise, there will be a big old salad. I’ll probably make some blue cheese dip, too.

Please send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com

The post Menu Monday 20201 Week 1 appeared first on Home Ec 101.

Menu Monday Week 50: The Year Is Winding Down

OK, y’all, I’m going to get real for a moment. If you want to get to this week’s menu, you’re probably going to want to scroll a bit. I’m going to talk about stuff that might be a little bit tough, as it relates to mental health. I try to be transparent about this as I want to help destigmatize dealing with mental health issues.

COVID-19 has caused 2020 to be an especially rough year for me. For those of you who have been around a long time, you know that back in 2013, I went through a bit of medical trauma with my sister’s death.

I’ve been pretty open with the fact that I deal with anxiety and depression under normal circumstances. This year, the non-stop threat of a disease that could, even if the chance is low put one of my family members in the ICU on a respirator, brings back those memories on a very deep level. As this surge has increased and people in my area dismiss the virus as a non-issue, I’ve had an increasingly difficult time.

Add in that parents in our area are fighting to open our schools full-time and reduce social distancing in our schools to three feet as positivity levels pass 20% and no mitigation efforts are being put in place. (I completely understand that closing schools introduces a slew of other societal issues and that we need to deal with those, too.)

My rational brain knows that the chances of my immediate family suffering greatly from COVID-19 are low. My trauma brain doesn’t do rational; it just doesn’t work that way, and over the past few months, all of this has been quietly, sneakily building up. It’s been tough balancing my needs with our four teens’ four teens’ emotional and mental health needs. We’ve continued social distancing, despite others in our circles acting as if nothing has changed. Then, of course, we have two very young children who are just exhausting in their own right. After my panic attacks became a daily occurrence, I broke down and contacted my doctor. I’m back in therapy and trying to get through the day-to-day. I hope that all of you are taking care of yourselves as best as you can through this. Give each other grace because while the cause may not have been a virus, some of us do know exactly what the end of that one percent experience feels.

So that’s why the posts have been a little more sporadic and a little more prone to errors.

Hey, scrollers!

Welcome back.

Ok so on the good news front, today the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered to some of our healthcare workers and this is the very beginning of the end!

It is a good day.

This post is late because I ended up working later than I planned and then family life took over. In fact, I’m cooking Monday night’s dinner as I type. The pasta is boiling and the soup is simmering.

So what will you be having this week? Do you need a printable to help plan? Here you go.

Here’s what we’re having:

Monday – Not quite Pasta e Fagioli -it’s a riff on what they serve at Olive Garden. Eventually, I’ll get it posted. I meant to photograph it tonight, but… c’est la vie. We do the best we can. Today’s best is: There’s food. Eat it.Tuesday – Ground Pork and Cabbage Skillet – we’re shaking it up a bit and adding a little ginger and soy sauce, skipping the bay leaves. We’ll serve it ramen noodles. Wednesday – Smash burgers, steamed broccoliThursday – Clean Out Refrigerator NightFriday – Cottage Pie (Some of you may know it as shepherd’s pie, but we don’t have access to ground lamb around here) I’ll use this ground beef and gravy as a base, with a little tomato paste. I’ll add some carrots, corn, and peas to the base and then top with mashed potatoes and bake until there’s a little bit of a golden crust. If I’ve got the energy, I’ll photograph it and record it for the site. If not, well, we’ll still have a good dinner.Saturday – Chicken thighs, probably tossed in the slow cooker with some salsa and then shredded. I’ll serve it with rice, pinto beans, and other condiments for burrito bowls. Sunday – Smokin’ Sunday – we are revisiting pulled pork. I’m smoking two this time and starting MUCH earlier in the day and splitting the second between neighbors and a good friend. I figure if I’m running the smoker, I might as well fill it, right? I may document the process over on Instagram stories, so keep your eyes peeled. (@heathersolos) I’m trying to get more camera comfortable, but no guarantees. It always depends on the kind of day I’m having.

So here’s my ask. If you like Home-ec101.com and have learned anything from it. Please pass it along to one friend. It’s truly appreciated and is how we grow.

If you have any questions for the mailbag, go ahead and send them in, we’re actually pretty caught up for once, so some new ones would be great. Send those to helpme@home-ec101.com. I don’t know why I keep saying we…it’s just me.

I hope you have a great week. We’ve got this.

The post Menu Monday Week 50: The Year Is Winding Down appeared first on Home Ec 101.

Ground Beef and Gravy—Comfort Food that Saves a No-Good-Rotten-Day

I think when we look back on it, 2020 is going to be the year of comfort food. I have a friend who has a wonderful website and is an amazing resource for everything low carb and keto. (Transparency – She’s also a client at my day job.) I’ve been helping her recently and we’ve looked at her stats and finally, I just said, I don’t think most people want any deprivation right now. They’ll be there when the tide turns and it will. If you are ready to go low carb, head her way, she’s got you covered.

Yesterday, I had one of those days where nothing was working right. Recently, two of our teenagers had probable exposure, so they have been quarantining in our home. This means that they are in the rooms all day, with their windows open. They come out only to use their shared restroom. I deliver their meals as if they are sickly Victorian-era children, and we wear masks if we have to be near each other for any reason. This one hundred percent sucks. I miss my own kids in my own home. Yes, I text with them constantly, but it’s not the same, and I resent everything about this. I resent every single person who has perpetuated this pandemic by downplaying the severity or refusing to do their part to reduce the spread. I know by any standard, this is just a minor inconvenience.

I am grateful that so far no one seems sick and tomorrow they are getting tested.

What does this have to do with comfort food?

Everything.

I looked at this week’s menu and said meh.

Ground beef—mince if you’re British or Australian—and gravy has been something my family has made since I was a kid. We grew up on it because money was tight. The great thing about this extremely simple dish is that it is stretchable, not much beef on hand? That’s ok throw in some lentils and a little extra stock. Want to fancy it up a bit, my-my aren’t you flush with cash? Add some mushrooms. Do what you want, it’ll be right there to replace the love you need.

Serve it over egg noodles, rice, mashed potatoes, or even a thick slice of bread, open sandwich style.

#zrdn-recipe-container {background-color:#ffffff;}#zrdn-recipe-container {border-color:#000000;}#zrdn-recipe-container, #zrdn-recipe-container h2, #zrdn-recipe-container h3, #zrdn-recipe-container h4 {color:#000000;} #zrdn-recipe-container ol.zrdn-bordered li:before,
#zrdn-recipe-container ul.zrdn-bordered li:before{
border: 2px solid #000000;
color: #000000;
}
#zrdn-recipe-container ol.zrdn-solid li:before,
#zrdn-recipe-container ul.zrdn-solid li:before{
background-color: #000000;
}
#zrdn-recipe-container ul.bullets li:before,
#zrdn-recipe-container ol.zrdn-counter li:before,
#zrdn-recipe-container ul.zrdn-counter li:before {
color: #000000;
}
#zrdn-recipe-container .zrdn-tag-item a, #zrdn-recipe-container .zrdn-tag-item{
color:#000000;
}
#zrdn-recipe-container {border-style:initial;}#zrdn-recipe-container a {color:#000000;}#zrdn-recipe-container {border-width:0px;}#zrdn-recipe-container {border-color:#000000;}#zrdn-recipe-container {border-radius:0px;}


#zrdn-recipe-container .zrdn-color {color:#000000;}
#zrdn-recipe-container .zrdn-bg-color {background-color:#000000;}




Ground Beef in Gravy












December 10, 2020
by Heather Solos

Cuisine

American


Category

All
Beef
Cook It

This is just comfort food, it's filling and satisfying and in our family, it seems to help fix a bad day. It doesn't take much energy to prepare, it can be made with freezer and pantry staples so, for us, it usually doesn't require a trip to the store. It's cheaper than fast food and doesn't have a big clean up factor, either. 

This is one of those meals that each of my children will know by heart before leaving home. It's a great starting point for any beginner, it's very forgiving and even if you made the best version of your life, it'll never be pretty. It's beef and gravy, it'll never win any beauty contests. 

Persons
4



Serving Size
1/2 cup



Prep Time
5 minutes



Cook Time
20 minutes



Total Time
25 minutes






Notes

This recipe can be modified by adding mushrooms.

It can be made a bit fancier by using stew beef and cooking slowly. A little red wine for some of the beef stock would not hurt anyone. 

Ingredients

1 - 1.5 pounds ground beef (Preferably 85% lean, the fat makes the gravy, if you have very lean beef, you may need to add butter)


cooked lentils can be added to increase the bulk


1 onion diced


4 cloves garlic minced (optional)


1/4 cup flour


2 cups beef stock or broth - I use Better than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base


Dash of Worcestershire (optional)


Salt and pepper to taste (go easy on the salt with commercial stocks/broths/bases)



Instructions

Over medium to medium-high heat brown the beef and break it into small bits with a wooden spoon or spatula.


While the beef is browning, dice your onion and mince your garlic. As the beef begins to lose most of the pink and is beginning to approach a uniform appearance, add the diced onions and continue cooking.




Add the garlic as the onions begin to soften.


Once the onions are nearly translucent, sprinkle the 1/4 cup flour as evenly as possible across the browned meat.




Stir well to coat the meat with the flour. This step will prevent lumps in your gravy. You may notice a brown layer on the bottom of your pan, this is ok, reduce the heat a little to prevent it from scorching. This is called fond and will help increase the flavor.




Slowly add your beef broth a quarter to a half cup at a time, using your wooden spoon to scrape up any fond from the pan and incorporate the liquid into your mixture.




The liquid will practically disappear between additions at first. This is expected.


Turn the heat to low and finish adding your liquid. Stir until fully incorporated.




Do not let your beef and gravy come to a boil.


Taste and salt and pepper to your preference and serve over your choice of any of the following:


egg noodles, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, rice, or even cauliflower rice (for a lower carb alternative)


Tags

Easy Recipes








What, do you think this sounds a lot like the technique for biscuits and gravy? You are right on the money. It’s very similar.

That’s what cooking is, learning techniques and playing with them for variety.

Save this recipe on Pinterest:

The post Ground Beef and Gravy—Comfort Food that Saves a No-Good-Rotten-Day appeared first on Home Ec 101.

Menu Monday Week 49: Let’s Talk About that Pulled Pork While We’re At It

So, it’s official. I’m on board with the whole Smokin’ Sunday concept. What I need to work on though is the timing.

If you want a look at the process, I used Instagram Stories to document the process, including the much longer than anticipated stall. In the future, I will start earlier in the day, keep the smoker at 250 longer, and use the cider vinegar spritz less often. I’ll spritz more like every 90 minutes instead of the 60 recommended by the tutorial I was using. While everyone was happy with the results, I think the next round will be the winner. Here’s the link for the rub I used, which I will use again. No, I didn’t use McCormick this time around, it was mostly spices I buy in bulk from our local Indian grocer (except the chili powder. Important note, if you buy chili powder from an Indian grocer, you are getting straight ground chili peppers and not the blend of ground chilis, paprika, and other spices we Americans associate with chili powder.)

I’m trying to get more comfortable on video. It’s hard, I struggle with anxiety, and part of that is being hyper-critical of myself. So these Instagram stories are baby steps toward hopefully doing more video work here to make posts and information more accessible here on the site.

So what about this week? Well, we weren’t great about following last week’s menu plan so I still have some naan to use up, so that red lentil curry is back on the menu for this week.

What will you be having at your house? Are you looking forward to making anything special? Have there been any recipes you’ve leaned on to get you through these past months? Anything you never want to see again?

Would a printable help you plan? Here you go.

Do you need help learning how to menu plan? Great news, we’ve got an entire series on that!

Monday – Red lentil curry, for real this time. I mean it.Tuesday – Spaghetti from the freezer, so this will be a nice easy night.Wednesday – Chicken thighs, marinated in Greek yogurt with cumin, coriander, and some Saizon. I then grill these and serve them in a pita with tomato and cucumber. I don’t have a name for them, and I’m open to ideas.Thursday – Clean Out Refrigerator Night (I’m happy to note that my refrigerator is finally in a much less than embarrassing state, which is a good sign that I’m doing a bit better overall . It’s funny how we learn to judge how we are doing concerning the madness that is the current state of affairs. )Friday – Tilapia with olive tapenade, the little girls will just have butter, garlic, and lemon on their pieces. They have made their opinions on olives quite clear. Baked sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli.Saturday – Turkey noodle soupSunday – Smokin’ Sunday – I think this week’s experiment will be wings unless my eldest isn’t feeling well (We got a letter about COVID exposure from the school) if we do have wings, we’ll of course have blue cheese dressing, and probably salad, too.

Let’s keep sticking this out. We’ve got three vaccines coming. The UK is starting to vaccinate later this week, this is fantastic and exciting news. We won’t be too far behind. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Hang in there.

How are you managing?

Onward!

The post Menu Monday Week 49: Let’s Talk About that Pulled Pork While We’re At It appeared first on Home Ec 101.

Menu Monday Week 48 and the Countdown to Turkey Day PostMortem

What a morbid term, right? Well, it is what it is. How was your Thanksgiving?

Ours was nice and quiet. We traded food with my mother and stepfather and dropped off quite a bit at the gym where my oldest trains. I still have two more servings of my favorite dish in the world the andouille cornbread dressing and there’s plenty of turkey bones to make more stock.

Things I learned from smoking the turkeys… the pan juices were just a bit too salty from the rub, which lead to the gravy being quite a bit too salty, next time I’ll just use the drippings (fat) and not the juice (liquid) for the gravy. My smoker is still pretty new to me, so I’m learning the ins and outs of that, too. It’s a vertical smoker, so if you have a large item on the bottom, it blocks the heat from the top, so either you have to regularly rotate, or just be prepared for the top item to take a lot longer. This didn’t mess with our dinner plans as Turkey #2 was not to eat on Thanksgiving itself.

I think we are going to start having Smoking Sundays as an opportunity for me to have a plan to learn more. I haven’t decided for sure. (Remember when I talk about reducing cognitive load? Using mnemonics is one of those tricks.)

This week we are working on using up what is in the refrigerator to make sure that nothing goes to waste. I will go back to the long-range monthly plan, once I have a clean slate. (The pantry is bursting at the seams, I am only referring to the refrigerator in this case).

What’s for dinner at your house this week? Will having a printable help you put together your menu and shopping list? Here you go!

Here’s what’s happening in the Solos-Bergman home:

Monday – Smoked sausage and cabbage skilletTuesday – Breakfast for dinner – Buttermilk pancakes, bacon, fruitWednesday* – Sort of a twist on Must Go soup, in this case, it will utilize Italian sausage and lots of bell peppers and onions as the base and whatever vegetables are on the verge. I will have to go to the store for milk before then, so I may grab Italian bread to serve with it. Thursday – Turkey Noodle or Dumpling Soup it depends on how I feel energy-wiseFriday – Red Lentil Curry – this is the base of the recipe I use, I do deviate a bit, I am hoping to get this one written up for the site.Saturday – Flexible based on what is left in the fridge that needs to be used. I will also be doing our weekly grocery shopping. Sunday – Smokin’ Sunday – I believe I’ll be doing pulled pork, but this may change.

* Our HVAC unit has been out for over a month and yes, it has been hot and yes we have missed it terribly. Of course, now that it will be replaced on Wednesday, it is finally cooling off. In fact, as I write this, the wind is howling and the temperature is dropping.

The post Menu Monday Week 48 and the Countdown to Turkey Day PostMortem appeared first on Home Ec 101.

Worth the Extra Effort Pot Roast

First of all, everyone hates a meandering introduction. I know this. This is not an introduction. This is the methodology. Real quick, I’m sorry this was late, one of the kiddos was sick and with COVID and the holiday, stress levels were high. It was just an ear infection, but my anxiety doesn’t do well with medical stuff since 2013. I appreciate your patience. As always the best way to help out is to share the recipe on your favorite platform. THANK YOU!

The recipe written below will be bare bones and relies on your having read and understood the process. Yes, it’s an absolute lame name, and I am more than open to suggestions. Pot roast can be the epitome of comfort food. It’s that meal that can be so easy to slap in a slow or pressure cooker chunk in some onions or a packet of onions soup mix, a can of cream of mushroom. Toss in some carrots and celery and call it a day.

No one complains, it is delicious.

When I write out the recipe below, I want you to understand that this recipe is malleable. If something is important I’ll explain its role. The technique is what matters the most. Don’t be scared of the times. This recipe really doesn’t have much active participation. You have the prep step, using mise en place will make your life significantly easier, but before even that, pull your chuck roast out of the refrigerator and set it on a rack over a sheet pan (or large plate) and liberally sprinkle it with kosher salt on both sides. Set it aside to rest to approach room temperature.

This recipe calls for two batches of carrots and celery. The first is to help build mire poix, which a blend of carrots, celery and onions, which will build the flavor of your meal. The second, set aside for now.

While the pot roast is salted and resting, dice your onions, celery, and onions into relatively equal size. Any celery leaves should be set aside for later use. Place your mirepoix into a bowl and set aside.

If you have a slow cooker, have it set to low if you will be cooking for 8 – 10 hours or high if you will be cooking for only 4 – 5.

If you will be using a pressure cooker such as an Instant Pot that has a slow cooker function, go ahead and turn this on and place the rack inside. You will NOT be using the slow cook function to cook your roast, it’s to continue the cooking process as we proceed through this technique.

Place a large skillet on your stove over medium to medium-high heat. Add two-three tablespoons of oil with a high smoke point. I had peanut oil on hand, but whatever relatively neutral oil you have will work. When the oil shimmers. Place the roast into the pan.

Expect it to be loud. If there is smoke, your oil is a bit too hot, remove the pan from the heat and reduce the heat before returning it to the burner. Allow the roast to cook for about two minutes before turning. If the roast does not have any brown on the side that has been in contact with the pan, it needs a little bit more time or you may need to increase the heat. Allow the roast to cook for another two minutes. Move the roast to your slow cooker or pressure cooker and cover.

The next step will likely take at least 15 minutes, it may go as long as twenty. Turn the heat to medium or even medium-low (it depends on your stove) and add the mirepoix to the pan that was cooking the roast. Give it just a minute and then use a wooden spoon, preferably with a flat edge to scrape up the browned bits (fond) from the bottom of the pan. Now comes the hard part. Leave it alone.

To do this, I use this time to halve my grape or cherry tomatoes, to slice my mushrooms, if I’m using any, to mince my 6 – 8 cloves of garlic, to open my bottle of wine, or to heat up my beef stock if I am not using wine. You can stir the mirepoix once in a while, but not often. I want you to resist the urge to hurry this step. Give it time, the flavors NEED to develop and you really can’t rush this. First, your onions will start to get soft, then they will get translucent, then they will turn golden, and finally, they will start to darken. THIS is the moment you are waiting for. Add your tomatoes.

Add your garlic, and your mushrooms, if they will be joining the party. Let the moisture from the new friends be released and begin to scrape up the new fond that has developed. Now is when you can add your seasonings of choice – add your thyme, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper, and wait for the smell to strengthen.

And finally, this is the moment you hit that pan with your wine or beef stock. Be generous, a good cup if you are taking the slow cooker route, a cup and a half for the pressure cooker crowd.

Stir well. Scrape every bit of goodness up. Bring to a simmer and then pour over your roast. Don’t miss a drop.

Remember those celery leaves? Add them on top.

If you are slow-cooking Add the root vegetables that will cook with your roast. Salt and pepper, don’t go too nuts if you used beef stock. Cover. If you are doing this in the afternoon, put it on high and come back in 4 hours, stick a fork in the roast, if you can turn it, it’s done. If you can’t give it another hour. Roasts are individual, it depends on your cow, some were tough old broads and some were delicate flowers. I can’t tell you what you have in your pot. If you are doing this in the morning, set it to low and let it go for 8-10.

Set your pressure cooker for 55 minutes, but let it release naturally for 15 minutes before venting. You can cook the root vegetables after removing the roast and setting it aside. It will take about 20 minutes total with 5 minutes at pressure, but it will take 15 to get there.

Now this pot roast is perfectly fine served with rice and the vegetables, but… if you have pot roast, you want gravy, right? I got ya. I made a video over on Instagram of how to make pan gravy from the pan juices. You will want to use a fat separator. Our 3lb roast had about 1/4 cup of fat, so I used about 1/4 cup of flour. If you want to get fancy, you can weigh your fat and weigh your flour. I kind of eye ball it. In the same pan I cooked the vegetables in, I warmed it to medium. Added the fat, straight from the separator. Since I wasn’t SUPER careful, a little of the liquid made it into the pan and quickly cooked off. I waited for that before adding me flour. I also want to state that I squashed the heck out of the remaining veg (not the ones to be served with the meal) to be sure I got all of the goodness into the pan juices. If you felt like it, now would be a great time to break out an immersion blender, if you have one.

I stirred the flour into the fat to make a roux. Now a lot of people make gravy out to be this thing. I need you to understand it LOOKS scary. It always looks scary. It always looks like you screwed up. It always will. I pretty much say at least three very bad words every time I make gravy. It’s just the nature of gravy and that is ok. The key is to tell yourself it is going to look like crap for a moment, just KEEP STIRRING. When it bubbles up and looks like dough, that’s normal, STIR. As soon as it smooths, add more liquid. As soon as it smooths, add more liquid. The link below is from the Instagram highlights I put together that demonstrate how obnoxious gravy can look before it all comes together.

Now, about the video, I’m pointing to. I asked my husband to hold my phone to film it. I didn’t realize he got his feet in the video

Menu Monday Week 47: Holy Leftovers and Countdown to Turkey Day Edition

Do you know how teenagers will occasionally eat anything that is not nailed down? This week I planned for that and bought extra ribs. It was only my second time using the smoker, and then they took a lot longer than I planned, so all the teens snacked before dinner. The next morning they went to their other parents’ houses for the weekend. Then Sunday rolled around, and I needed to make that pot roast for tomorrow’s post/tutorial, which you can get a sneak peek on my Instagram Highlights, including a quick gravy making video. Balancing a blended family can be an adventure, and sometimes even when you try to plan carefully, things go a little sideways. So, right now, we have a lot of leftovers. A LOT.

With this in mind, this week we’re scrapping everything from the end of November’s plan and using what is in the fridge until Thanksgiving. Most of the teens will get home today, so I will be posting a list of what they are encouraged to eat if I’m not immediately available to answer questions shouted at me across the house. (I’m never immediately available to answer questions shouted at me across the house. I hate that.)

TIP: I highly recommend having a whiteboard or something on your fridge for shared food situations. Use it to note what is completely off-limits and what needs to be eaten. It’s also good for tracking what needs to be added to the shopping list.

Yesterday I had the best call with my friend Amanda, she and I were on a Zoom while I was filming/photoing that recipe. I was coaching her through menu planning for her family. We talked for a long time about how hard it is to make decisions right now. It’s not just her, it’s not just me, it’s all of us. We are all exhausted. Right now the ambient stress level is ridiculous. If you are anything like me and already deal with anxiety and/or depression in the best of times, getting through these days can be very challenging.

Be gentle with yourself, please.

Try to limit the decisions you have to make because there are just too many to make every day and they all feel important. Do I let my kids go to school? Do I nag them to stay six feet from their friends or trust their judgment? Do I take my toddler to the park and risk the meltdown if there are other kids already on the equipment or do I just let her have too much screen time again today because I just don’t have the energy? Do I ask that person standing too close to back up and risk a confrontation?

Do I cancel my Thanksgiving plans because the numbers look bad? (We did, even though we were taking precautions.)

It’s hard, but good news is coming. I read this morning that vaccines for the general population should be here by late March or early April. Y’all, we’ve made it through almost nine months, we can do four more with easing pressure. We just have to hang on through this winter. Don’t throw away all the work you’ve done. We can celebrate in April or throw the biggest party in May. Hell, I’ll cater it. (We should even have working AC by then—there’s a story I’ll share later)

This week’s menu would be a little silly to type out. It’s all leftovers until Thursday and then this weekend will be leftovers followed by turkey noodle soup on Sunday.

Thursday’s menu looks like this:

Smoked turkey,Whole cranberry sauce (I follow the package directions, EXCEPT I first make a simple syrup with the sugar/water and toss in a sliced jalapeno, to infuse while the sugar is dissolving then strain that out, using a chinois)Cornbread Dressing with Andouille SausageApple Cranberry and Sage DressingCollard GreensMashed PotatoesGravySweet PotatoesRolls

My mother will be providing homemade pumpkin and pecan pie. We’ll be dropping off food in a no-contact trade.

Do you need a printable for this week’s menu?

If you are looking for more Turkey Day resources, check out this tag for recipes and other tips from years where big dinners were more the norm.

What are you having this week?

If you’re having turkey is it thawing safely?

Onward.

The post Menu Monday Week 47: Holy Leftovers and Countdown to Turkey Day Edition appeared first on Home Ec 101.

The Turkey Thaw and COVID Safety Check—2020 Countdown to Turkey Day

Under normal circumstances, today’s mission would be to determine how long your turkey needs to thaw if it is frozen and your cooking timetable.

This year, we, unfortunately, have to add another big task to today. This task will be revisited over the next few days. If anyone who is not in your pandemic bubble will be participating in your Thanksgiving dinner, the following are minimum safety bars to meet: If the meal is to be held indoors, participating households need to have been isolating for two weeks. Testing is not perfect and is not enough for two reasons.

False negatives do occur, this is more common with the antigen test versus the PCR test.Timing, a negative test a couple of days prior to Thanksgiving is a good idea but is not foolproof. If you contracted COVID just prior to your test, your viral load could reach contagious levels after your test and before you feel symptoms.
If you have not been isolating, do not dine indoors.

If you are eating outdoors with another household how can you keep risk levels as low as possible?

Don’t sit shoulder to shoulder, keep the six-foot rule in place between households, even outdoors. Use a table to hold drinks and flatware (pre-wrapped in disposable napkins). Have guests serve their own food, while masked. Keep windows open and fans on indoors to increase airflow, to reduce potential virus load from anyone who came indoors to use the restroom. If you serve alcohol, be aware of lowered inhibitions and people drifting closer. We’re social, we miss each other, it’s natural.

For transparency, after a lot of thought, we’re not having my mother and stepfather over for even an outdoor meal. We’re just going to drop off some of their favorite food and my mother is making pies for us to take home.

On to the turkey portion of today’s countdown.

A note about thawing your frozen turkeys:

Frozen turkeys need a full 24 hours per 4lbs to thaw in a 40°F refrigerator. Once thawed the turkey can be held for up to 72 hours.

For example, an 18lb turkey will take 4 days to thaw and be used by the 7th day. Your 18 pounder should be in the fridge today.

20 lb turkeys should have started their thaw on Thursday.

But don’t worry if you didn’t do that; you can safely use the water bath method tomorrow or Tuesday and be ready to go on Thanksgiving. Don’t forget to keep that turkey in the very bottom of the refrigerator and in a pot or pan to prevent any cross-contamination through drips and spills.

If you are picking up a fresh turkey, it should be cooked within 3 days of pick-up, so play it safe and pick it up on Tuesday or Wednesday.

What is the water bath method to thaw a turkey?

I am so glad you asked.

Grab a bucket or a cooler and check the plastic wrap of the turkey for any tears or obvious holes. If you see any get yourself one of those giant zippered bags or a plastic bag that you’d use to cook a turkey or large roast. Make sure you seal the bag tightly. The goal isn’t to create a soggy turkey, it’s to thaw the turkey safely.

Place the cooler or bucket in the tub and fill with cool water. You have the choice of either dripping water into the bucket or cooler and allowing it to overflow into the tub (keep the drain open) or change the water every 30 minutes. Either method is safe.

You’ll need to allow at least 30 minutes a pound for the water bath thaw. Once your turkey has thawed, store it in the refrigerator for Thanksgiving. (You’ll want to cook the turkey within 72 hours of its being fully thawed.

So now you know what is happening with your turkey. What about everything else you’ll be making?

Grab your menu from the 5th. How did this month fly when all the others have crawled?

Get out a fresh sheet of paper and make two columns. In the first column you are going to take menu items (or necessary homemade ingredients) that can be made prior to Thursday.

Now, what time do you plan on eating? What time should your turkey be done cooking (30 minutes prior in most cases)? How big is your turkey? With your cooking method, how long will that take? What time does it need to go in the oven (or smoker, fryer, roaster, or InstantPot, I know this year is a bit different)?

Which of your other menu items are the most time-sensitive? Give them priority and decide when they need to be started and finished. Also, think about which items are dependent on what. If you use pan drippings for your gravy, don’t try to make it at 9 am, it’s just not going to happen unless you’re having brunch and started about 2 am. If you are, more power to you!

Work your other items around those.

Now you have your Thanksgiving timetable and you will be so much less stressed on Thursday knowing what needs to be made when.

One last to do: go do a quick pantry check to make sure you aren’t missing any key ingredients.

Onward!

The post The Turkey Thaw and COVID Safety Check—2020 Countdown to Turkey Day appeared first on Home Ec 101.

Menu Monday: Week 46 and Some Countdown to Turkey Day Turkey Talk

Last week was a failure if you grade on sticking to the plan. It was a win if you judge by lack of trips to the store or drive-through. So, let’s call it a wash and move on to this week.

What threw us so off track? A variety of things, it being ridiculously hot in the house, will this hurricane season ever end? (Answer: Yes, December 1), parenting challenges, yay teenagers, and just the overall ennui and exhaustion that comes from living in a time that is already borderline too stressful at all times.

On a happy note, I did finally bite the bullet and buy the smoker I have been waffling on for a very long time. (As a family of eight, if we don’t go out for BBQ six to eight times, it has paid for itself.) I had been wanting to buy it before Thanksgiving, as Ray has been wanting a smoked turkey.

This brings me to the turkey talk mentioned in the title. Every year, during Countdown to Turkey Day, I try to ask at least once if you’ve ever made a turkey. I also want to know how are you making your turkey this year? I go over a bunch of methods in this post, Cooking Turkey. Also, I really do want to know. Are you making a turkey or even just a turkey breast this year? If so, how are you cooking it?

Saturday night, I put a fresh turkey in the garage fridge for an overnight brine. (I use a brine somewhere between the one Rachel Matthews uses and Alton Brown’s —I didn’t happen to have any jalapenos on Saturday, but they will make it in the brine for Thanksgiving, I missed the warmth.) I rubbed the turkey with a mixture of butter, olive oil, and Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Blackened Redfish Magic, my favorite Cajun Seasoning.

I’m thrilled I did the trial turkey, as I learned the jalapenos are critical (in my opinion), and I’ve got a better idea of how to use my smoker and how the timing will work. While I’m not making nearly the amount of food I normally do, I like to have the timing figured out well ahead of time. The trial turkey took the place of Sunday’s spaghetti, which will get pushed to next month.

Due to leftovers, this week’s menu is also getting a slight shuffle.

Menu Planning helps us stay out of the store and out of the drive-through. Do you menu plan? Could you use a printable to help? Here you go.

What’s on your menu this week? Are you looking forward to any meals in particular? Could I ask any more questions?

Monday – Turkey Reubens (Rachels), Salt and Vinegar Chips, Raw VegetablesTuesday – Albondigas (leftovers from the freezer, yay)Wednesday – Chicken Skewers, tomato and cucumber salad with feta, pitaThursday – Clean Out Refrigerator NightFriday – Baby back ribs, macaroni and cheese, Brussels sprouts -yes, I’ll be using the smoker on the ribs, I’m linking for the rub recipe. I also need to update the macaroni and cheese recipe for when I add bacon and onions, garlic etc. Saturday – Chicken fingers, green beans (probably leftover macaroni, too)Sunday – Company worthy Sunday pot roast, gravy, rice, roasted carrots and celery (this recipe will be photographed and posted next week)

Well, we made it through another week, take that, 2020.

Onward!

The post Menu Monday: Week 46 and Some Countdown to Turkey Day Turkey Talk appeared first on Home Ec 101.