In my Defense

For all of you who read the pot roast blog, and especially Brian’s comments about the roast being dry.  Let me teach you all one thing.  First in first out in the freezer, and date the packages so that you known when it was purchased! 

In defense of my abused honor regarding the so-called dry pot roast, my sister cleaned out her freezer and gave me a bunch of meat.  Most of the packages did not have dates or even discernable marking as to what was inside.  Today I opened what appeared to be a roast.  After opening it, I could tell that the meat had dried out a bit in the freezer.  I wondered to myself, “How old was that meat?”  Going against my better judgment, because we are on a very tight budget, I decided to cook it.  Although the marbling looked damaged, I thought I could save it.  I hate throwing away a good piece of meat.  Let me say, the meal tasted great, in spite of the dry meat.  I had no other choice short of throwing it in the trash and serving chicken. 

An urgent plea:  Please do not waste good food simply because you do not push the old packages to the front and the new ones to the back.  That once juicy roast could become the nightmare meal you serve while company is over for dinner. 

So, Brian:  “It was not my fault!”  (In his defense he did say he is still counting on one hand).

Pot Roast

I have two friends who make good pot roast.  Bobbi has perfected this classic entrée to such a point that it is the one dish I look forward to eating at her home.  She is a traditionalist; thirty years of Sunday practice makes perfect.  As for me, as much as I love it, pot roast is actually seldom seen on my table.  Today counts for a “bingo!”  Plus, there is an added bonus.  By popular request, I will give some measuring proportions (on occasion at least).  The challenge with this is that I do not ever measure!  Bobbi calls me the “fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants" cook.   Barb wants to come and write down the measurements as I cook so the integrity dish is preserved. But, hey!  Why copy someone else’s recipes, when I can create my own?

Today’s roast:  One pot roast, 3 cloves of garlic, one large onion, three carrots, three whole beets, one green pepper, three bay leaves, two beef bouillon cubes (sorry, these are the Euro-cubes I get at the international store), one dried onion soup packet, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, a couple shakes (is that precise enough?) balsamic vinegar, and enough water to cover the roast.  Covered in the oven until tender, the last hour uncovered.  I removed all the liquids and vegetables to a separate pan and cooked this in the oven along with the uncovered meat (to brown and crisp the fat) for about forty-five minutes.  Finally, I pureed dill with sour cream and added it to the vegetables, resulting in impromptu borscht.

Note from Brian:  As my son poured the remaining meat juice over his slices of pot roast, he asked why Dorothy was offering a disclaimer with her meal.  I told him that we are all on thin ice in the presence of a dry pot roast.  Historically, few things have such potential for touching off a domestic war.  An ugly rumor has it that George Washington actually crossed the Potomac to escape Martha’s wrath following a few imprudent remarks about her roast.

Mac & Cheese

Today my husband and I were walking Luna and Fen.  When we arrived back at home, mom Rabourn’s white Bonneville was in our driveway.  Her refrigerator had stopped working; before she could get the new one installed, she parceled out her perishables to avoid disaster.  Our ration included a big bag of shredded cheddar cheese.  From the moment I laid my eyes on that cheese I craved homemade macaroni and cheese.

I make this bit of heaven only once or twice a year for two reasons.  First, it is not what I call a healthy meal.  Second, it takes a lot of cheese to make it properly and I am too thrifty to splurge often.  For tonight’s offering, I owe my sister’s junior high home economics teacher.  I am not entirely sure the recipe hasn’t developed a little.  The essentials are milk, sour cream, butter and, of course cheese!  The crispy browned cheese melted on the top is my favorite.  Who doesn’t love burnt cheese?

Help my Stomach Hurts

We lived in Slovenia and Germany, together for almost seven years.  One of the most interesting experiences for my kids was attending school in the recently communist village school in Log Dragomer, Slovenia.  (Slovenia became a democratic republic just six years before we arrived)  In school the children learned more than the usual reading, writing and arithmetic.  They had field trips in the forest hills behind the school to learn which plants have healing properties, which mushrooms are edible (and which will kill the whole family at Sunday dinner)  I have kept some of the home cures in mind since coming home.

Last night I wanted sleep but my stomach had other plans.  Most nights around ten I drink a cup of hot water with ginger, lemon and honey.  This special “tea” largely keeps the angriest of stomachs under control.  It is particularly good for a budding ulcer.  I was tired and lazy; neglecting to drink my nightly tea I had a little burning sensation in my gut.  I thought nothing of it, but that turned out to be foolish. 

Waking up with only four hours of sleep, I made a grumbling reflection on the food items I had added to my diet to keep me out of trouble.  I have also been neglecting my morning bowl of oatmeal with fruit and coconut oil. (This has nothing to do with my husband calling it “prison food”)  For my last several breakfasts I broke the monotony by making some combination of fried eggs, sausage, pancakes, and French toast.  My stomach sent me a message.  It doesn’t care if my mouth is bored, I had better get back on my program…or else!

On the way home from school my husband and I stopped at the “Mediterranean Island,” a local international food store.  I had to stock up on my ginger, and I also bought some more genuine licorice tea from the Middle East.  I actually like the taste, no matter what my husband says.  Regardless, they both work wonders in taming an angry gut.

Dan's for Dinner

This is our first back to school weekend.  On the plate is a serving of studying, reading and writing papers.  I personally did not have as much work to do as my husband Brian, who loves math so much that he took two classes this semester, in addition to his two English and the theology class.  If I ever want to complain about my homework load all I have to do is look into my husband’s study and realize how easy the semester really is with two British literature, a non-fiction writing class and my journalism class. 

Today, while we were settling into our new school weekend study time, the phone rang.  Brian answered the call and accepted the first diversion from homework this year, dinner at his brother Dan’s house.  We knew that the meal would consist of some form of BBQ meat and beer, so we could not refuse.  We were not disappointed, as we met Dan in his driveway with his gas grill.  Dan quickly got out one of his special beer he picks out especially for me:  Key lime.  Often the beer that he selects for me at the store has something to do with fruit. Once he got me a blueberry beer from Colorado.  Since then I have tried every blueberry beer in Michigan, but none can compare.  Once for Christmas he bought me a peanut butter and jelly beer.  My son Ted and his buddies drank it.  Ted said that it was truly awful.  Today’s selection was actually pretty good.

Over the usual family chat, Dan brought the mystery meat in from the grill.  We had glazed teriyaki chicken breasts, fresh green beans, frozen peas with butter, blueberries, cucumber slices, and rice pilaf.  The glazed chicken was especially good.  Dan’s special ingredient is a garlic oil that he added directly to the little bottle of teriyaki sauce he bought.  Dan pours olive oil into his container of ground garlic.  He cooks a lot like me, winging it after skimming a recipe.  I had expected something outlandish, but in the end, this simple sauce worked perfectly with on the grill.  The caramelized pieces were a nice extra.