I just signed up today. Only to find that nobody has cooked in over a month!?

Well, today I making a simple beef roast with potatoes and carrots. Put it in the oven around noon at a really low temp (235). It's starting to smell good in here.

trying to turn over a new leaf in this new year. it sucks cooking for just me so I usually just eat cereal or toast. so, being hungry tonight spurred me on to make tacos! extra lean burger, sharp shedder cheese, fresh spinach, sauce and a few dollops of top o'the tater. might tasty! and some left over for two more meals.

I haven't had time for doing much lately other than really ordinary stuff, but I did roast some beets last week. If you've never done it give it a try. They are good if you chiffon the greens and sauté those with some onion, garlic, salt and pepper, then serve the chopped roasted beets over them. You can also add chopped walnuts, celery and apples with some olive oil to make a more substantial salad.

They can also be used to make a pretty mean smoothie, mr. barley.

I love beets!!! pickled, boiled, baked, cold, hot... and they are really good for a person!

making a crock pot of beef stew overnight tonight so I have something to eat the next 5 or 6 days. stew meat, taters, carrots, celery, and a whole onion. forgot to get cabbage so I used the whole onion (will probably regret that!).

I really wish I enjoyed cooking for just me.

You've got the right idea using the crock pot cooking for one. First of all, the house smells progressively better as the cooking continues. I have a couple meals for the next two days and freeze the rest in individual serving sizes that can be taken out of the freezer and put in the fridge the day before you plan on eating them to thaw. Actually, some meals like chili or beef stew are more savory after they sit awhile. Now about beets......

quote h20: "You've got the right idea using the crock pot cooking for one. First of all, the house smells progressively better as the cooking continues. I have a couple meals for the next two days and freeze the rest in individual serving sizes that can be taken out of the freezer and put in the fridge the day before you plan on eating them to thaw. Actually, some meals like chili or beef stew are more savory after they sit awhile. Now about beets......"

I have been using the crockpot to make dinner meals for the hubby/boys before I head off to work at lunch time. I love that we end up with leftovers that I can freeze to take to work for my dinners later on!

Friday I am going to test out a crockpot recipe for Mongolian Beef. I showed the 16 year old how to work the rice cooker over the past weekend so they can have that with their beef.

you are right!!! the house smells so good. couldn't stand it anymore so I got out of bed and tried some. oh, YUMMY!!! now, off to bed for an hour of uninterrupted reading and then off to work.

Gonna make a crockpot chicken, cranberry sauce and barbeque sauce recipe next. Comfort food deluxe!....Should start a crock pot forum.

I made a Cheddar Ham Chowder Thursday night. Just finished some of the leftovers as a snack after the late shift.

It isn't too bad but a little on the salty side and I didn't add in any extra salt as I figured the cheese, ham, and chx stock were more than enough salt on their own. I should have added more potatoes to soak up some of that sodium!

today is a blustery, windy, snowy and cold day. the sun is trying to burn through the clouds.

put a whole chicken in the crock pot with carrots, onion, salt and pepper. later i'll add some other veggies and some rutabaga.

hopefully it will be ready to eat by 4 or 5pm.

rutabaga! such a forgotten root.

I think I'm going to take a pork roast AND a beef roast out of the freezer for tomorrow. Anybody else roast a beef and a pork roast together in a big roaster? It's something my wife's family has done for years. It makes awesome gravy.

I may have to add a rutabaga into the roaster.

+1 for the 'baga!

+1 for the 'baga! and don't forget the parsnips.

quote mr.barley: "I think I'm going to take a pork roast AND a beef roast out of the freezer for tomorrow. Anybody else roast a beef and a pork roast together in a big roaster? It's something my wife's family has done for years. It makes awesome gravy.


I may have to add a rutabaga into the roaster."

never have mixed meats. do you eat them separately or shred them for sandwiches?

quote Mocha: "

quote mr.barley: "I think I'm going to take a pork roast AND a beef roast out of the freezer for tomorrow. Anybody else roast a beef and a pork roast together in a big roaster? It's something my wife's family has done for years. It makes awesome gravy.



I may have to add a rutabaga into the roaster."

never have mixed meats. do you eat them separately or shred them for sandwiches?"

We eat them separately on the same plate. Makes for lots of good leftovers.

so tonight I've moved the remains to a stock pot and started soup!!!
I love chicken soup. put everything in this time, bones and all. usually I throw the bones out the window for the fox or other little critters but since the smallest animal I've seen lately is wolves they aren't getting the chicken bones. they have plenty of deer bones to clean up.

in my soup i'll add more mixed veggies, another onion and some red pepper flakes! gonna try something outside my palate comfort zone.

any other suggestions?

oh, after I've eaten as much soup as I can stand i'll turn the rest into chicken pot pie.

enough chicken!!! to cleanse my palate I've switch to cheerios with wild blueberries and 1% milk. too tired to cook, eating breakfast for supper allows me 10 minutes extra after the alarm goes off.