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What's for Dinner?

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17,196
Location
New York City
Yeah, that didn't happen either. My plan got vetoed.

Hawaiian pizza and a large green salad won tonight.

Tacos got vetoed? That just doesn't sound right. And despite being one of the world's leading lovers of pizza (see my avatar just to the left and up a bit), ham and pineapple never seemed right to me on a pizza - I'd have voted for the tacos.

Pot roast last night. :D

My mother was a horrible cook (and she'll tell you that herself), so, growing up, we didn't have interesting or tasty meals and, when she could get away with it, TV dinners, toast, or something else served as dinner. That said, she did try her hand at "pot roast" a few times and it was terrible - dry, stringy unidentifiable meat with some unattractive looking sauce - blah.

My father finally revolted and said "no more" and it fell off the limited menu. That was in the '70s and I haven't had or, all but, heard about pot roast since. All that said, I know the cook you are - my guess is your pot roast is a 1000 miles away from what I had as a kid.
 
Messages
11,369
Location
Alabama
Tacos got vetoed? That just doesn't sound right. And despite being one of the world's leading lovers of pizza (see my avatar just to the left and up a bit), ham and pineapple never seemed right to me on a pizza - I'd have voted for the tacos.

FF, I'm with you on this one. Though I don't have the pizza experiences you do, (location, location) we do have a couple pizza restaurants nearby we're fond of but the ham and pineapple belong on a holiday dinner table, not my pizza.

Thanks for the kind words on my cooking ability. It's something I really enjoy. Sorry for your pot roast experiences. It's really one of my favorite comfort foods that produces leftovers that never go to waste around here.
 

Babydoll

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,483
Location
The Emerald City
Tacos got vetoed? That just doesn't sound right. And despite being one of the world's leading lovers of pizza (see my avatar just to the left and up a bit), ham and pineapple never seemed right to me on a pizza - I'd have voted for the tacos.



My mother was a horrible cook (and she'll tell you that herself), so, growing up, we didn't have interesting or tasty meals and, when she could get away with it, TV dinners, toast, or something else served as dinner. That said, she did try her hand at "pot roast" a few times and it was terrible - dry, stringy unidentifiable meat with some unattractive looking sauce - blah.

My father finally revolted and said "no more" and it fell off the limited menu. That was in the '70s and I haven't had or, all but, heard about pot roast since. All that said, I know the cook you are - my guess is your pot roast is a 1000 miles away from what I had as a kid.
Hubby chose pizza, Lily chose the kind. It was rebellion, I tell ya!

Pot roast was about the same for me as a kid (sounds like our mothers went to the same "cooking school"). As an adult, I've learned that there are a few vital points to making a tasty roast.

1. Cut of roast matters. I get a chuck roast. Some fat is ok. It will cook out.
2. Sear the roast well on all sides. Searing helps create flavor & locks in juices.
3. Season it simply. I do kosher salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder, and sometimes a bay leaf (remember to remove! ). I also cut up an onion and put that in with the roast. Big chunks of onion will not melt down over the coking time, so if you want onions to eat at the end, make 'em chunky.
4. Add some liquid. I add about 1.5 cups of low sodium beef broth. Helps keep it moist.
5. Let it cook for a long time. I do about an hour per pound at 350°. At the end, remove from oven and let "rest" for 20 minutes. Roast will absorb the juices in the pot & be really moist. If you want potatoes & carrots cooked with it (for tons of beefy flavor!), those go in about an hour before roast is done.
6. Find the grain of the meat (it is the direction the "strings" of the meat goes). Cut against them! This will make the strings shorter & roast more tender.

It really is that easy. You can do it!!
 
Messages
17,196
Location
New York City
Hubby chose pizza, Lily chose the kind. It was rebellion, I tell ya!

Pot roast was about the same for me as a kid (sounds like our mothers went to the same "cooking school"). As an adult, I've learned that there are a few vital points to making a tasty roast.

1. Cut of roast matters. I get a chuck roast. Some fat is ok. It will cook out.
2. Sear the roast well on all sides. Searing helps create flavor & locks in juices.
3. Season it simply. I do kosher salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder, and sometimes a bay leaf (remember to remove! ). I also cut up an onion and put that in with the roast. Big chunks of onion will not melt down over the coking time, so if you want onions to eat at the end, make 'em chunky.
4. Add some liquid. I add about 1.5 cups of low sodium beef broth. Helps keep it moist.
5. Let it cook for a long time. I do about an hour per pound at 350°. At the end, remove from oven and let "rest" for 20 minutes. Roast will absorb the juices in the pot & be really moist. If you want potatoes & carrots cooked with it (for tons of beefy flavor!), those go in about an hour before roast is done.
6. Find the grain of the meat (it is the direction the "strings" of the meat goes). Cut against them! This will make the strings shorter & roast more tender.

It really is that easy. You can do it!!

I'm concerned about the rebellion brewing in your house. I think the "masses" have become a bit spoiled - we need to throw them in a time machine, let them live in the house I grew up in for a few days - sample that fare - and you'll not only not have a rebellion on your hands, you'll never even hear a peep of complaint out of them again. :)

Thank you for the pot roast tips. From my nightmare childhood memories to trying it again is a bridge too far, but I appreciate your good intentions and efforts (typing all that out) - thank you.
 

Babydoll

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,483
Location
The Emerald City
I'm concerned about the rebellion brewing in your house. I think the "masses" have become a bit spoiled - we need to throw them in a time machine, let them live in the house I grew up in for a few days - sample that fare - and you'll not only not have a rebellion on your hands, you'll never even hear a peep of complaint out of them again. :)

Thank you for the pot roast tips. From my nightmare childhood memories to trying it again is a bridge too far, but I appreciate your good intentions and efforts (typing all that out) - thank you.

Hubby took his rebellion further.... he refused the salad I offered. Lily heard him, and tried to refuse it as well. That led to the "your body is growing & needs veggies to keep it healthy" talk. She bought it & ate the salad. I told him he gets double veggies tonight! The stinker.

I get it. There are many traumatic meals for me from my childhood that I cannot revisit. Liver & onions with Brussels sprouts on the side was one. Gah! Hubby enjoys pot roast so much that I had to reclaim it. I do not cook like my mother. Thank goodness!
 

Babydoll

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,483
Location
The Emerald City
We also were a Clean Plate Club family, so I sat at the table for many, many meals with cold, unappetizing food staring back at me waiting to be finished before I could get up from the table. I do not do that as a mom. Lily tries one bite of everything on her plate & she can say no thank you to finishing it. Her choice. However, I am not a short order cook, so I make one (delicious) meal for the family & if she chooses to not eat it, she can have the next meal. I also realize some veggies are better raw to her, and will give her an "appetizer" plate of veggies before dinner so if she is really hungry she can munch on them. Believe it or not, this makes her giddy.
 
Messages
17,196
Location
New York City
Bacon wrapped filet mignon, garlic red mashed potatoes, a dinner salad, biscuits, and a Sprite.
:D

"Bacon wrapped filet mignon -" followed by Fading Fast's brain going into some sort of extreme-happiness-induced vapor lock as images of crisp bacon girding a wonderfully charred filet mignon shut down all ability for his (acknowledge small) brain to continue working.
 

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