Sunday Sliced Roast Beef

I find myself following a routine, more and more. Sometimes I don't plan it sometimes I do. This one I do. Sunday morning I get up earlier than everyone in my house to make breakfast, and to decide what I can slow cook all day for lunch/dinner. This is my families favorite roast recipe. I recently discovered it watching Trisha Yearwoods new show on the Food Network.  It's perfect to put together, and when we get home (we go to church early) all I need to do is throw it in the oven. Comes out yummy every time!

One 5-pound boneless chuck roast
Salt and black pepper
1 large red onion, sliced
1/4 cup cider vinegar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Line a 9-by 13- by 2-inch pan or your oven's broiler pan with a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough to fully wrap the roast. The shiny side of the foil should be up. Sprinkle the roast on all sides with salt and pepper and place it in the center of the foil. Spread the onion slices over the top of the roast and pour the vinegar around it. Bring the ends of the foil together and fold several times, and then fold the ends together to completely enclose the roast. Pour about 1 inch of water into the pan around the foil-wrapped roast. Bake until the meat is fork tender and brown, 3 to 4 hours. Check the water level in the pan regularly during cooking and replenish it if necessary. If any juice seeps from the foil seals during roasting, save it to use in making the gravy.

When the roast is done, remove the package from the baking pan and let it cool for a few minutes. Open the package carefully to preserve all the juices and transfer the meat to a platter. Cover with a tent of foil to keep it warm while you make the gravy.

Pour the roasting juices into a measuring cup and let the fat rise to the surface. Skim off the fat, reserving 4 tablespoons in a saucepan and discarding the rest. (If the fat measures less than 4 tablespoons, add enough butter to make up the difference.)

Measure the remaining defatted pan juices and reserve. If you have less than 2 cups, add water to make 2 cups. Add the flour to the fat in the saucepan and stir with a wire whisk to make a roux. Cook over medium-low heat until the flour is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the reserved pan juices and stir until thickened.

Slice the roast or cut it into chunks (it will be very tender), and serve it with the gravy.

Angel Food Cake

Here is my confession.....boxed angel food cake taste exactly the same as a homemade one. Really it does. This was made from a Duncan Hines box. I followed the directions on the back of the box, exactly. Well I did take it out of the oven 5 minutes early, because that is the one trick my grandma taught me a long time ago. The cake keeps cooking in the pan once you take it out, so take it out a little early. I have made the homemade one for years and years, and years, but this time I was in a little hurry so I tried the box. No one in my house noticed. Really no one, not even my hubby. Looks like that homemade recipe card is going in the back of the the book.

Homemade Lip Gloss

I found these cute rainbow pill cases at dollar tree today. I thought hmmmm....those are so cute, what can I do with them????

Well of course what a cute little container for rainbow lip gloss. I remembered reading somewhere....I have no idea where, but somewhere that you can mix 1 tablespoon of vaseline with one tablespoon of kool aid, and it makes yummy lip gloss! So of course I had to find Kool Aid to match the colors of the pill case. We ended up with Red Fruit Punch, Orange, Yellow Lemonade, Green, Green Apple (this we had to use crystal light because we couldn't find green Kool Aid), Blue Blue Raspberry, Purple grape. This was a fun little craft to keep two little girls busy for an hour or so, and it was fun for Mommy to taste test all the yummy flavors! These turned out so cute, I think they would be really cute party favors too!

Fresh Herbs

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Summer is one of my favorite times of the year. All the fresh produce and herbs are everywhere! I love to just keep mine out in a cup of water on my counter, something about the freshness just looks so pretty!! Keep watching the next week and I will post recipes, that have lot's of fresh herbs as ingredients.

Oven Baked Salmon

Here is a quick and delicious way to make salmon. Not only is it healthy, but taste delicious too!

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoon garlic salt

• 2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 (6 ounce) fillets salmon   
• Balsamic vinegar to drizzle over fish once cooked                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
• In a medium glass bowl, prepare marinade by mixing garlic, light olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley. Place salmon fillets in a medium glass baking dish, and cover with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator about 1 hour, turning occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees 
• Place fillets in aluminum foil, cover with marinade, and seal. Place sealed salmon in the glass dish, and bake 35 to 45 minutes, until easily flaked with a fork.
• Once cooked drizzle with Balsamic Vinegar