Resale & Roast

Lucy: "Oh that reminds me, I need to put a roast in the oven...."

There's something so homey and inviting about that simple statement- 'Ricky' certainly agrees & so I set out to accomplish just that today, amongst many other things.

And now that we've weathered the worst of the tummy bug that captured Livy's person for the past week, I felt my little M's would welcome some distraction and a visit to Kid to Kid to "pay toys".

Here are some of the treasures we brought home:

Melissa & Doug various wooden trucks:

I was mildly disappointed to discover that the wheels are plastic vs wood, however my satisfaction was quickly restored when I saw that the pieces to each truck stack on the wooden pegs, providing even more playtime fun!  These got wrapped for Christmas:)

Melissa & Doug Magnetic Activity Board:

  

The kids played with this all day & love it!  There are 3 cardboard scenes and then corresponding magnets for each- Olivia still insists that the whale belongs at the farm vs under the sea:)

Melissa & Doug Magnetic Maze:

This is still a bit advanced for Livy but she happily watched as I matched up the beads and has attempted it a few times- she inevitably went back to squeezing as many of the magnets on her new 'farm' magnet board though:)

Elephant Backpack/Leash:

We'll be enjoying a family vacation at Disney World in just a few weeks and decided that both our little M's should be leashed- Jonah will be sporting the "baby enno" aka "baby elephant" while Livy leads the way with her pink puppy, "Patches".

Mr. Men DVD:

Growing up in the UK, Mr. Men were extremely popular like 'Dora' is here...only Mr Men are way better than 'Dora'!  

So, how much for all this loot?  Well, with a $5 coupon & $10 rewards card credit, it came to the grand total of $14 with tax- score!  That makes each of these treasures less than $3 each!

Livy helped me clean the toys while Jonah napped and then it was time to start on my roast: a marmalade glazed pork roast with glazed veggies...mmmm.

Here's the recipe (courtesy of Cook's Country)- hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 lb pork roast, center cut

1/3 cup marmalade

1 tbsp fresh rosemary 

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lb parsnips, peeled & cut in 3 inch pieces

2 red onions, sliced in 1 inch wedges

salt & pepper

Directions:

1. With oven rack in middle position, heat oven to 375 degrees.  Place roast in center of roasting pan and liberally season with salt & pepper.

2. Mix marmalade & rosemary together in bowl and spread 1/2 the mixture over the top of the roast.  Add orange juice & olive oil to remainder of sauce and toss veggies with 2 tbsp- arrange veggies around roast.

3. Cook until instant read thermometer inserted in thickest part of the roast registers 120 degrees, 30-45 mins.  Pour remaining sauce on top of roast and raise oven temp to 450 degrees.

4. Cook until roast registers 140 degrees, 10-15 mins and remove to platter & tent with foil.  Toss veggies in pan juices and continue roasting for 10 mins until caramelized and sauce thickens.

5. Slice roast and serve with veggies & pan sauce!

I subbed carrots and sweet onions for the veggies and fresh thyme for the rosemary- it was divine & I got a huge thumbs up from 'Ricky'!  This is a 'cheap' roast dinner (especially if you get your roast on sale!) so can be made often.  And since it's so easy and outstandingly yummy, what are you waiting for?  "...put a roast in the oven" and get ready for happy tummies:)

Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany

Chili & Cinnamon Carrots

When fall finally peeks through the hot summer temps, I'm ready to cook something different...like chili:)  This is also when I tend to take a look at my spice cabinet to see what is lacking which would result in a highly enjoyable activity: placing a Penzeys order!  Few things seem to excite me as much as ordering spices, especially when there's always a free surprise in the box:)

So, this afternoon, as Jonah napped and Livy played quietly (Hallelujah!) I placed my coveted Penzeys order including yummy things like: Bouquet Garni, French Thyme, Whole Nutmeg, Lemon Extract & a free jar of 'Raspberry Enlightenment'...hungry already.

A great recipe for using lots of wonderful spices is chili- here's my recipe which we enjoyed last night and see what I like to pair it with too:)

Basic Beef Chili
Ingredients:
2 tbsp veg oil
2 medium onions, minced
1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded & diced
6 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 pounds 85% ground beef
2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz) can tomato puree
table salt

1. Heat the oil in a large heave bottomed nonreactive Dutch oven until shimmering.  Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, oregano and cayenne and cook, stirring often, until onion is softened and beginning to brown, approx 10 mins.
2. Increase heat to medium high and add 1/2 the beef.  Cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink  and beginning to brown 3-4 mins.  Repeat for second 1/2 of beef.
3. Add the beans, tomatoes with juice, tomato puree and 1/2-1 tsp salt.  Bring to boil then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 hour.  TIP: If the chili is sticking to the bottom of the pan, add 1/2 cup water.
4. Remove the lid and simmer for an additional hour until beef is tender and chili is dark, rich & slightly thickened.  Season with salt & serve with condiments.

Recommended condiments:
Sliced avocado, lime wedges, diced fresh tomato, shredded cheddar or Monteray Jack cheese, sliced scallions, sour cream & cilantro.

Since I'm a wuss when it comes to heat in my food, I don't use the full amount of chili powder etc... and like to pile my cooked chili on Cinnamon Carrots- the added sweetness from the carrots is delish!

Cinnamon Carrots
Ingredients:
1lb carrots, sliced thick
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp boiling water
salt to taste

Place carrots in casserole dish.  Combine other ingredients and pour over carrots, coating well.  Cover & bake at 350 for 1 hour or until carrots are tender.
TIP: this is a really old recipe and since I end up with a large amount of 'carrot juice' afterwards, I'm working on tweaking this since I love them so much...maybe subbing Stevia for the sugar:)

Both of these recipes are very easy to tweak to personal taste & preference- I made the chili with just 1 lb of ground beef and no one was the wiser!

Have fun with your spices and cook something yummy for your family:)

Thanks,
Tiffany