After eating turkey and all of the leftovers, the family was ready for something else.  Being busy getting ready for Christmas, I decided on making a pot roast for dinner.  Usually, I make the roast in the cock pot but I found a great recipe from The Pioneer Woman.

You start by browning your veggies in a Dutch oven.   Once the veggies are browned, remove them from the pan and brown your roast.  When browned, remove your roast from the pan and deglaze your pan.  You want to scrape up all those brown bits that are loaded with flavor.  Place the roast back in the pan and add enough stock to cover the roast halfway.  Add the veggies and the herbs and cook in oven until done.

When the roast is done remove it from the oven and place on a serving platter surrounded by all the delicious veggies.

The meat is so moist and flavorful it practically melts in your mouth.  The veggies are wonderful too.  A great family meal cooked in one pot. 

Pot Roast 

From The Pioneer Woman 

Ingredients 

1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast 
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil 
2 whole Onions 
6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots) 
Salt To Taste 
Pepper To Taste 
1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead) 
2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock 
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste 
3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste
Preparation
First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).

Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.

Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.

With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.

When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

Serves 6-8

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Who doesn't love Cinnamon Rolls.  I must say, I love them.  During Holiday time I tend to make them a lot.  They are perfect for Christmas breakfast, those times when family and friends drop over, or just a special treat for your family.

I found this recipe for overnight Cinnamon Rolls on Our Best Bites website.  They are great because the work is done the night before and you pop them in the oven the next day.  I made these for our Thanksgiving Day breakfast and they were wonderful.  The entire family gobbled them up.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls 
Recipe from Family Meals, Williams-Sonoma

Dough

1 T active dry yeast
1/2 C warm water (105 deg F)
4 1/2 C all-purpose flour (22 1/2 oz)
1t kosher salt
4 large eggs
1/4 C sugar
1/2 C (1 stick) real butter at room temp

Filling
1/2 C (1 stick) real butter at room temp, divided
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1 T cinnamon

Glaze
1 C powdered sugar
2 T butter, melted
2 T milk or cream
1 t vanilla extract

In the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the water, allow to bloom for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth. Whisk in 1/2 C of the flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm spot for about 30 minutes.

Add the eggs, sugar, butter, salt, and remaining 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and knead on medium speed until smooth 10-12 minutes. Add a bit more flour to reduce stickiness if needed.

Cover with plastic wrap, set in a warm spot and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

While dough is rising, prepare filling. Take 2 T of the stick of butter and set aside. Beat remaining butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together until combined and slightly fluffy, about 1 minute. It will be rather thick.

Butter a 9×13 baking dish. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Roll out into a rectangle about 15×10 in. Spread filling onto dough. Use a spoon (or your fingers) to spread it out evenly and then roll up length-wise.

First score the rolls so you know you’re going to cut evenly. Then slide the thread underneath the rolls, cross over the top and pull. You’ll get razor sharp cuts without smashing your pretty dough.

You can cut the rolls to your liking. This will make 12 small rolls, 10 medium ones, or 8 large rolls. I made 10, but put 2 in a little dish to cook separately.

Place cut side up in baking dish. Melt the reserved 2 T butter and brush on top of rolls. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.

The next morning, remove from refrigerator and let rise until half again as high, about 1 hour.

While rising mix glaze ingredients until combined.

Preheat the oven to 350. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. 

Then spread the glaze over them and serve.

Christmas:Gingerbread Party Mix

Gingerbread Party Mix

The kids and I planned on watching "A Christmas Story" for our movie night tonight.  Instead of eating our traditional movie snack of popcorn I decided to try something else.  I remembered a recipe I saw in "Family Circle" magazine for a holiday Chex Mix.  I decided to check it out.  The recipe was so simple and required minimal adult supervision, I thought this would be a great treat the kids could make.  No oven, just the microwave.
You start by combing all the cereals and cinnamon graham snacks -the kids used Cinnamon Teddy Grahams in a large microwavable bowl.  In a smaller microwaveable dish, the butter is melted and the spices and vanilla extract are stirred into the melted butter.  Toss the cereal mixture with the butter and microwave for 5 minutes.  Spread the mixture on paper towels and drizzle melted white vanilla baking chips over the cereal. Let it set and you are ready to eat.   The Party mix was very tasty.  I loved the holiday flavors and the touch of white "chocolate" and candied ginger.   A great snack to enjoy while watching a movie.



Gingerbread Party Mix
From Family Circle Magazine

Ingredients:
3 cups Cinnamon Chex cereal
3 cups Rice Chex cereal
1 1/2 cups cinnamon graham snacks
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, chopped
1/4 cup white vanilla baking chips

Directions:
1. In a large microwavable bowl, add cereals and graham snacks; set aside.  In small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on high 40 seconds or until melted.  Stir in cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and vanilla until blended.  Pour over cereal and stir until coated.

Cereals and Teddy Grahams

Melted butter and Spices

2. Microwave uncovered on high 5 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.  Stir in ginger until blended.  Spread mixture onto paper towels.  In small microwavable cup, microwave vanilla baking chips uncovered on high 1 minute, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted.  Drizzle over snack; let stand until set.  Store in airtight container.

15 servings

Butter and Cereal Mixture Combined

Mixture on Paper Towels

Baking Chips Drizzled Over Chex Mix

Bowl of Holiday Goodness

Happy Thanksgiving 2016

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at "From My Southwest Kitchen."  

Thanks also to all the loyal readers of this blog.  You're the greatest:)

Thanksgiving: Sweet Potatoes

I hope all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving had a great one with lots of good food:)  Every year for Thanksgiving, I try a few new recipes.  One dish that graced our table this year was Sweet Potatoes. Usually, I just make mashed potatoes and call it good, but the family also said they would like some Sweet Potatoes.

Instead of sticking to the standard recipe I make most  of the time, I modified one I found on "My Recipes" website.   They baked their potatoes in orange cups and used pecans in their recipe.  I eliminated the orange cups and pecans and added lots more marshmallows.   We love marshmallows on our sweet potatoes.  I baked my potatoes  in an 8x8-inch baking dish that was lightly sprayed with cooking oil.

This was the favorite side.  The potatoes were sweet and creamy with just the right amount of spice.  The marshmallows, well, what can I say except they were what made the dish.  Toasted to perfection with their sweet melted goodness in every bite.

This is a perfect side for any meal.  We were scraping the baking dish to get every delicious bite:)

Sweet Potatoes
From "My Recipes.com" adapted by "From My Southwest Kitchen"

Ingredients:

6 small sweet potatoes (about 2 3/4 pounds)
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons orange zest
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2-2 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Place the sweet potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 45 minutes or until tender.  Let stand 20 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
2. Peel sweet potatoes and place potato pulp in a large mixing bowl.  Add sweetened condensed milk and the next 8 ingredients.  Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth, stopping occasionally to remove any tough fibers, if necessary.
3. Lightly spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Spoon potatoes evenly into the prepared dish and smooth top.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with the marshmallows pressing lightly to adhere.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until marshmallows are melted and golden brown.  Remove from oven and serve.

Makes 6 servings

Thanksgiving:Spiced Cranberry Coffee Cake

Spiced Cranberry Coffee Cake

This coffee cake is perfect for Thanksgiving morning.  It sets the mood for the goodies that are to come later on in the day.  What makes the coffee cake so yummy are the spiced cranberries, spices and orange zest.  Cranberries are cooked with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and orange zest.   A truly delicious and seasonal filling for the  cake. I prepared the filling the night before and brought it to room temperature when I was ready to use it.  The cake is made with butter, flour, sugar, salt, eggs, buttermilk, orange zest, baking powder, and baking soda.  Once you have prepared the cake batter, you spread half of it in a prepared 9x13-inch baking dish.  Dot the batter with half of the cranberry sauce and swirl it in the batter.  Cover the cranberries with the rest of the batter.  Dollop the remaining sauce on the batter and sprinkle with the chopped walnuts.  Bake.  Drizzle a confections' sugar icing over the warm cake.  Delicious:)







Spiced Cranberry Coffee Cake
From Woman's Day

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups low fat buttermilk
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
2 cups spiced cranberries, recipe follows
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter and lightly dust with flour.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs, then the buttermilk and orange zest.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated.
3. Spread half the batter into the prepared baking dish. Dollop 1 cup cranberry sauce over the top, then gently spread, swirling it into the batter.  Top with the remaining batter, then dollop with the remaining cranberry sauce.

Batter Spread in Bottom of Baking Dish

Dots of Cranberry Sauce On Top Of Batter

Swirls

Remaining Batter Placed On Top of Cranberries

Dotted With Remaining Cranberries

4. Sprinkle the walnuts over the top and bake until the cake is golden brown and a pick inserted into the center comes out clean,  45-50 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes.

Sprinkled With Chopped Walnuts

5. While the cake cools, make the icing: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth.  Drizzle the icing over the warm cake, then let cool completely before serving.

Out-of-Oven

Confectioners'  Icing

Spiced Cranberry Coffee Cake

Spiced Cranberries

Ingredients:
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the water and the sugar to a boil.
2. Add the cranberries, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, and grated orange zest, and boil until the skin burst, about 7 minutes.

Spices and Orange Zest

Popped Berries

3. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Serves 12

Cranberry Jello Salad

Cranberry Jello Salad

When I was growing up, every year for Thanksgiving my mother would make a Cranberry Jello Salad.  It was a recipe given to her by one of my aunts.   It had  lots of yummy ingredients in it - cranberries, apples, pineapple, celery and pecans.  My job was to use the food grinder and chop up the cranberries.  All the ingredients were mixed together and then added to Cherry Jello.  She poured the mixture into a mold and refrigerated it over night.
I continue the tradition of making this salad yearly for my family.  The kids enjoy helping me like I did with my mom.  I serve the salad by itself or sometimes topped with a dollop of creme fraiche.  Either way, it tastes great.  You have the tartness of the cranberries mixed with the sweetness of the apples and pineapple.  The nuts and celery give the salad a nice crunchy texture.  A delicious addition to any Thanksgiving Day feast.

Cranberry Jello Salad
Special Equipment: Two quart mold

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh cranberries, chopped
1 1/2 cups diced apples
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple - do not drain
1 package (6-ounce) cherry Jello
1 cup sugar
2 cups boiling water
Cooking Spray


Directions:
1. Lightly spray the mold with cooking spray.  Set aside.
2. Stir together the cranberries, apples, celery, and pecans in a medium mixing bowl.  Add the crushed pineapple and stir until well mixed.

Cranberries, Apples, Celery, Pecans

3. Stir the cherry Jello and sugar together.  Add the hot water and stir until the Jello and sugar are dissolved.

4. Add the cranberry mixture to the Jello and stir well.

5. Pour the Jello mixture into the prepared mold.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm - 4-5 hours or overnight.

6. Place mold in a bowl of warm water (the top of the mold should not be submerged in the water) for a few seconds.  Invert the mold onto a platter. Lift the mold carefully.  Repeat placing the mold in warm water if necessary.  Serve
Makes 12 servings

Cranberry Jello Salad

French Rolls

Dinner rolls are a must for our Thanksgiving dinner.  This year, I am making a recipe for French Rolls that I found from  Our Best Bites  website.  I love the texture of the dough and the great flavor.  This is also a very easy dough to make and it tends to be forgiving.  I have made this recipe several times and the dough has always always made perfect rolls.

A wonderful bread to grace your Thanksgiving Day table or anytime. 

French Rolls
From Our Best Bites
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4-5 1/2 c. flour
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 egg, separated
2 Tbsp. cold water
Instructions:
1. Combine yeast, water, and sugar in large mixing bowl and allow to stand 10 minutes or until bubbly.
 2. Add salt, vegetable oil, and egg yolk (set white aside for later) and combine. Add 3 c. flour and mix well until combined. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough that barely sticks to your finger. Knead, either by hand or in mixer (my personal and very lazy choice) for another 2-3 minutes. 3. Cover and allow to rise 1 hour 30 minutes.
Punch down dough. Spray muffin pans or a 13x9-inch baking sheet and divide the dough into 12 equal pieces.  Shape into balls.   Use a scale if you have one to get equal-sized buns.
It’s okay if they touch (or will touch after having risen). Cover and allow to rise another 1 1/4 hours or until doubled. Keep an eye on things–if they seem like they’re getting so big that they might collapse, hurry and get them into the oven.
4. Preheat oven to 375. Mix egg white with water and brush over dough. Bake for 10 minutes and repeat brushing the dough with the egg wash.
Bake an additional 8-10 minutes or until bread is golden brown and your house smells like heaven.

Farfalle With Crispy Prosciutto And Peas

Pasta is one of my favorites to make.  It is easy, tasty, and quick.  Today's recipe is no exception.  Farfalle pasta is served in an easy tomato sauce season with onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  Add some crispy prosciutto, Parmesan cheese,  and peas and you have a delicious and satisfying meal for your family.

Faralle With Crispy Prosciutto And Peas
From Cook's Country Magazine December/January 2017

Ingredients:
12 ounces farfalle pasta
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin oil, plus extra for drizzling
6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)

Directions:
1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot.  Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente.  Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Add prosciutto and cook until crispy, about 10 minutes.  Using slotted spoon, transfer prosciutto to paper towel-lined plate.  Return skillet to medium heat; to fat left in skillet, addition, pepper flakes, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.
3. Add peas, 3/4 cup Parmesan, sauce, and 1/4 cup reserved cooking water to pasta and toss to combine.  Adjust consistency with remains reserved cooking water as needed.  Serve, sprinkled with prosciutto and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and drizzled with extra oil.

Serves 4

Baked Lemon Shrimp With Garlic

This is an amazing dish.  Flavorful, tender (not dry) shrimp  baked in a delicious lemon, garlic, butter sauce with some parley.  What could be better?    I served the shrimp over some rice and spooned sauce  over the shrimp and rice.  Any leftover sauce, I mopped up with a piece of crusty bread.

It takes about 45 minutes to prepare and bake this dish.  The most time consuming part was peeling the shrimp.  First,  melt a cup of butter  and add some salt, garlic and parsley.  Place your shrimp on top of the butter and bake in a 450 degree oven for about 5 minutes.  Remove the shrimp from the oven and turn to the other side.  Sprinkle with some lemon zest, remaining parsley, and the lemon juice.  Place back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or so.

Serve the shrimp over rice.  A wonderful dinner awaits your family.

Baked Lemon  Shrimp With Garlic
From Epicurious
INGREDIENTS

2 pounds large shrimp (about 30), peeled
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon mined garlic, or to taste
1/2 cup flat-leafed parsley leaves, washed well, spun dry, and chopped fine
2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (from about 2 large lemons)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Accompaniments:
cooked rice
lemon wedges

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 450°F.
In a flameproof baking dish large enough to hold shrimp in one layer melt butter with salt over moderately low heat. Stir in garlic and half of parsley. Add shrimp and bake 5 minutes. Turn shrimp and sprinkle with remaining parsley, zest, and lemon juice. Bake shrimp until just cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes more.
Serve shrimp with rice and lemon wedges.

Serves 6