Thursday, February 28, 2013

Adding to "QUICK AND EASY" Ideas!!!!


Ruthy here! So for those of you who are NOT writers, you're about to take a ride on the wild side of quick meals, great taste and time-saving steps which is what writers do to pump up production of books...

Tomorrow we kick off our annual March Book Push with "SPEEDBO" our version of "Book-in-a-Month."

Our job at the cafe is to provide water, coffee (hydration and wakefulness necessary to the cause) desserts and great tips on how to GET IT DONE!

I've loved cooking for a long time. But now, with a full time job and a wonderful writing career, time is scarce....

PANIC, RIGHT?

Naw.

It's all good because there are tons of quick, delicious recipes that get the job done. First I examine the parameters:

Seven days....     7

Dave's only around on five of them for supper.



Down to five days now:  

I don't eat breakfast. (That makes morning easy-peasy, right? Except my little peeps DO eat, so I don't worry about what's going on with the day job. I examine the writing time only and target that.)

Instantly I've minimized my worries and woes.

Five nights: I elect Dave to procure food for two of those nights. That's the partnership part of the extra paycheck.... And he loves the extra paycheck!!!!

So I've whittled my week down to three nights because the two nights that Dave isn't around I'll grab a salad or a salad or a salad.

:)

THREE MEASLY NIGHTS!!!!!   3

Geez, Louise, anyone can come with something quick for "three measly nights"

With  a little help from your friends!

This past weekend I slow-roasted 3 humongous, ginormous chuck roasts in the oven. Here's how:




Place large chuck roasts in big roasting pan. Sprinkle liberally with pepper, salt, garlic, and dried onion. Cover tightly. Roast at 275° for a day or so, adding water now and again as needed. The entire house smells like you're a master chef, and you're literally doing nothing but working on a manuscript.

Use one pan of meat to make pot roast. Add in potatoes and carrots, re-seal (add more water for broth if needed ) and return to oven. Raise temp to 350° and cook for an hour to an hour and a half.




Let the other pans cool somewhat, then (using your hands, it's so down-home-country FUN!!!) pull the fat from the meat...

:)

and then pull the very tender beef into pieces. Toss them into a big bowl. Add two bottles of Famous Dave's Rich and Sassy Barbecue sauce... (or your personal favorite)....



And then toss into freezer bags for quick, thaw-and-heat deliciously wonderful hot beef "Q" sandwiches.



We like ours on grilled Kimmelwick buns, a big fave up here from the German immigrants. Kimmelwick buns are chewy hard rolls covered in sea salt and dill seed. Just a wonderful taste, to die for.



So from those chuck roasts we have three meals of frozen Barbecue Beef (that I'll put up against anybody's, anytime!!!) and a delightful pot roast dinner.

I also used the juices/drippings to make beef gravy. I froze that and I'll use that for either biscuit pie or to make hot beef sandwiches later in the month. 

EASY PEASY! 

Happy Last Day of February!!!!

13 comments:

  1. We just did a pot roast this past weekend. Love a chuck roast on sale.

    We had beef and rice for two nights and then pica dillo style enchiladas for three.

    Leftovers will be a blessing during speedbo!

    Thanks for another idea or two or three!

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    1. It's like a total recipe starter, isn't it???? It's got to be about the most versatile piece of beef.... and I love it!

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  2. Oh, Ruthy, this is mouth watering. If only my husband ate beef.....I do kind of the same with turkey and chicken, but there is nothing like a roast. sigh.

    Piper

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    1. Hello my romance heroine friend!!!! Did I tell you that my "Piper's" book comes out in September with MINDY OBENHAUS??????

      GRINNING!!!!!!


      Ach, husbands. Who thought it was smart to give them an opinion????? :)

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  3. Ruthy, you are the queen of prepping ahead!

    We love beef at our house (combination of living in ranch country and being overrun by carnivores), and I know my family would love this...especially the aroma as those puppies roasted for days....

    Of course, we love pork, too. You could do the same thing with pork loin, right? When I buy one of those (on sale!), my sons always say I've bought a "log 'o meat" :)

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    1. Jan, yeah, but don't get a loin. They're too lean and they get tough. Use a pork butt.... and I love to do it with rosemary and garlic..... and then slow cook the same way. And pull the same way. Some folks like a sweeter sauce with pork, but I have a LOVE-THING going with Famous Dave's so I use it for the pork too. We've made pulled pork and beef for weddings and graduations, etc. and you can make HUMONGOUS amounts ahead, freeze and thaw.

      And no one knows. :)

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    2. I just ate lunch and now I'm hungry again! Pork butt, it is!

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  4. Pork roast, beef roast...I'm not picky. Nor are my guys. Yes, we are a house of carnivors, so this would definitely please the whole kit and kaboodle of us, Ruthy.

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  5. Well, I don't have any chuck roast in my freezer but I do have vegetarian chili frozen and ready to go! :-)

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    1. Kav, good girl! Hey, for you, take a Kimmelweck bun, slice it in half, spread both sides with butter, sprinkle with garlic and pepper (if desired), then broil lightly. Next, put any kind of cheese you like on top. Top with veggies.... Broil lightly again.

      You have two open-face Panini type sandwiches to die for.

      Oh. Yum.!!!!!

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  6. So, so smart to plan ahead! I'm not a dill fan. Just not. I'd be brushing off those little black bits.

    BUT I do love your math. Narrow it down, devide and conquer, plan ahead.

    Even if we do have to rip the fat from the emat with our bare hands. :D

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  7. Wow, Ruthy, I want some of those rolls!!! I've never seen them anywhere. Hmmm...might have to start googling...

    Thanks for your roast idea!

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