Roast

Perfect Prime Rib Roast

/ Jodi / 51 Comments

Perfect Prime Rib Roast.

On Christmas Eve this year, we decided on a Simple Surf and Turf Dinner menu to have with the family.  The Surf was Bacon Wrapped Scallops.  The Turf was Prime Rib.  Both were prepared simply, and turned out delish!  Baked potatoes, Roasted Brussels Sprouts and a Salad of romaine lettuce, apples, dried cranberries and walnuts accompanied the entrees.

I managed to quickly snap this iPhone photo of Hubby cutting the prime rib.  Not the best photo, but this recipe I found and slightly modified is such a keeper, I had to share!  The roasted vegetables not only help to make the perfect base for the au jus, they also taste great too as an extra veggie.

Whenever you want a simple, but elegant entree, this is a winner you will want to try.

Perfect Prime Rib Roast

Ingredients:

  • 7-8 lb Prime Rib Roast (with bones)
  • 1-2 Tbsp Horseradish
  • 1-2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
  • 2 tsp coarse salt
  • 2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
  • 4 tsp fresh thyme
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 4-6 stalks celery, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
  • 1 cup carrots, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
  • 1 large sweet onion, quartered
  • 2 beef bouillon cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Rub roast with horseradish and mustard.

Combine salt, pepper thyme and garlic powder, and sprinkle over roast.

Place celery, carrot, and onion chunks in the bottom of a large roasting pan.  Place roast on top of vegetables.

Roast for 30 mins.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and roast until meat is 135 degrees F.

Remove from oven, cover with foil, and allow to rest for 30 mins.

Make  au jus sauce by placing pan drippings in roasting pan (veggies removed and reserved to serve) over a burner set to medium.  Stir in beef bouillon and water.  Bring to a boil.  Combine cornstarch and water, and whisk into sauce.  Allow sauce to thicken slightly, and serve with roast.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Crockpot Honey Balsamic Pork Roast

/ Jodi / 37 Comments

crockpot-honey-balsamic-pork-roast-with-onions

Crockpot Honey Balsamic Pork Roast.

Oh my dear programmable crockpot – how do I love thee?
Let me count the ways….

All kidding aside, I do love cooking in the crockpot, and I love this new one I got that is programmable and then keeps dinner warm once its done cooking.  They have come such a long way since the first one I got oh so many years ago as a newlywed.  I use it at least once a week – especially in the colder weather months.

This past Sunday was a bit of a cold, lazy day, so this Honey Balsamic Pork Roast was just the ticket for dinner.  That hubby of mine is going to make a pork lover out of me yet!

crockpot-honey-balsamic-pork-roast-plated

A tender white meat pork loin with a full flavored simple sauce that turns into a rich, easy gravy warmed up and filled our tummies – especially with a dollop of mashed potatoes and healthy serving of steamed broccoli.

Just look at that yumminess!  I am beginning to think pork is the “other white meat” Hubby keeps trying to convince chicken-lover me into believing.

crockpot-honey-balsamic-pork-roast-close-up

Here is the simple, yet hearty and flavorful recipe I slightly adapted from SixSisterStuff.   Hope you’ll give it a try.

Crockpot Honey Balsamic Pork Roast

Ingredients:crockpot-honey-balsamic-pork-roast-with-onions

  • 2-3 lb. pork loin roast
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 cup beef broth (I made using 1 cup water and 1 beef bouillon cube)
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (I realized I was out, so used Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing – I am the queen of improvising!)
  • 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
  • 1 large sweet onion, sliced (optional)
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup flour

Directions:

Place pork roast in crockpot and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  Drizzle honey over top of roast.  Add rest of ingredients except for the last two (butter and flour).  Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours.

When ready to serve, remove roast to cutting board to rest.  In a small saucepan, melt butter, then whisk in flour to create a roux.  When thickened, pour juice from crockpot into roux, and stir to incorporate and thicken into gravy.  Slice roast and serve with gravy.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Coffee Bean Christmas Tree

/ Jodi / 15 Comments

Do you have a coffee lover on your holiday gift list?

I do, so I was excited to try this idea for a simple homemade gift.  It’s a coffee bean tree!  What do you think?

coffee bean christmas tree

styrofoam coneI started with a 12″ Styrofoam cone and painted it with brown acrylic paint.

Once dry, I adhered the coffee beans with hot glue, then decorated with a few red berries and a festive bow.

(When gluing the beans on, I laid the cone down horizontally on a large paper plate, applied an area of hot glue, and poured a handful of beans on, pressing lightly.  Once the whole side was covered, I rotated the cone and repeated.  The loose beans fall off onto the paper plate, and you can redistribute.  For the 12 inch cone, I used about 2/3 of a 1 l lb. bag of beans.)

To finish it off, I glued a brown felt circle to the bottom.

Not only does it look pretty and festive, it smells wonderful too!  I used a dark Colombian roast, but you could do a hazelnut or french vanilla or any other flavor/scent you like.

You might even like to make one for yourself.   It’s a great little kitchen Christmas tree.

I love how it turned out, and I think my coffee-lover liked it too!  🙂

Cheers & Latte Hugs,

Jodi