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Monday, August 12, 2024

Recipe - Best Pot Roast

 Because of food allergies, we've had to adjust and adapt recipes at our house. And because of that, I've found the best way to make a tender, juicy, flavorful pot roast. Trust me, this is delicious and very easy.

Best Pot Roast with Gravy

2-3 lb beef roast (a cut with more fat will be a better pot roast but any cut will work)

1 c. prune juice

1 c. sliced onions

1 t. salt

1/2 t. ground black pepper

1/2 t. powdered ginger

3 T. flour

1/3 c. cold water


Lightly grease the sides of a covered roaster pan. This helps make clean up easier later.

Spread onions in the bottom of the pan. Place roast, fattiest side up, on top. Sprinkle with the seasonings, then pour the prune juice over top.

Cover and roast in a 325°F oven for 1 1/2 hours. Baste with the juices in the pan and check doneness - it should shred easily and be tender. Roast for another 30-60 minutes. Rule of thumb is about 45 minutes per pound of roast.

When it is done, remove from the pan to a platter, cover with foil, and let rest. Strain onions out of juices and place with roast. KEEP THE JUICES! Add enough water to measure 2 c. of drippings. Make sure you scrape the dark stuff out of the roaster pan. It's great for flavor. Put the drippings into a saucepan.

Stir the flour into the 1/3 c. cold water until it is smooth. Stir it into the drippings. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. It should thicken. Boil and stir for one minute. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Shred the roast into chunks. Serve with plenty of vegetables, rice or mashed potatoes, and the tasty gravy you just made.

*If you aren't allergic, you can add chopped carrots and celery with the onions.

*A teaspoon of dry mustard powder is also very tasty sprinkled over the roast with the ginger.



Sunday, August 11, 2024

Recipe - Best ever White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

 No nuts, because I'm really not a fan of nuts in cookies. But the lemon zest really takes this over the top. Don't skip it!

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 1/2 c. sugar

zest of 1 lemon

1 t. vanilla

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

2 eggs

2 1/4 c. flour

1 1/2 c. white chocolate chips

1 c. dried cranberries

 Cream butter, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla together until light colored and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and keep creaming for another minute or so. Add in baking powder, baking soda, salt, and eggs. Beat together until very light colored and smooth, about 2-3 minutes, scrape down the sides a couple of times.

Add in flour, white chocolate chips, and cranberries. Stir just until it comes together as a dough. Cover and let it sit for about half an hour.

Heat oven to 375°F. Scoop cookie dough into balls, about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Place on lightly greased baking sheet with a couple inches between cookies, they will spread a bit. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until very light browned on the edges. Let cool before removing from the baking sheets.

Makes 3-4 dozen cookies.