Grilled Roast and Veggies!

 

In the summer, it gets extremely hot in Kentucky, especially in southern Kentucky and it is one of the most humid places on earth.  I thought it was so funny that when Paula Deen was here one summer filming the movie "Elizabethtown", she was interviewed and said this was the hottest dang place she had ever been in her life and she is from Georgia.  

 

 Needless to say, when those temperatures and humidity start to climb, I like to find ways to eliminate excess heat from the house.  I probably use my slow cooker as much or more in the summer than I do in the winter.  I also use my gas grill for as many things as possible and for things that I can do with indirect heat that don't require me standing outside over the grill.   This is one of those meals.   You cook just about your entire meal in one pan outside on the grill and then throw the pan away.  Does it get much better than that?   There is a key to grilling a roast that is edible and not dry and tough... indirect heat, marinade and using a good chuck roast.  Here is what you will need:

 

3-5 lb. beef chuck roast

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbs. minced garlic

1 cup water

seasoned salt or Cajun seasoning

black pepper

5-6 red skin or Yukon Gold potatoes (scrubbed and cut and large chunks, skin left on)

2-3 sweet onions, peeled and cut in large chunks (I like to use Vidalia onions)

1 bag baby carrots

2 cups white mushrooms, halved (optional)

1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

 

***You can get creative with the veggies.  I also like to add zucchini, yellow squash and even fresh asparagus sometimes.  If you use these vegetables, place them on top of the potatoes and carrots, because they take less time to get tender.  If you are only cooking things like squash and zucchini or asparagus, you can add them later for just about 30 minutes. 

 

Place the roast in a gallon size Ziploc bag with the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and the minced garlic.  Seal the bag and mix it around.  Place in the refrigerator and marinade for a couple of hours...at least 1 hour if you are short on time, turning the bag over a couple of times to distribute the marinade. 

 

Spray the grill racks with nonstick spray and then light all of the burners.  Place the roast right on the racks and grill on each side for about 15 minutes or until it's got good grill marks and is nice a browned.  Watch the roast during this time, because of the fat content, it can flare up. 

 

 

 When the roast is nice and browned, place in a disposable aluminum roasting pan.  You need one of the bit heavier types used for meats, not one of the flimsy thin ones used for cakes.   I like to splash just a little more soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce on the roast and then sprinkle it with either seasoned salt or sometimes I use some Cajun seasoning and some black pepper. Pour about 1 cup water around the roast in the pan and cover tightly with foil. 

 

 

We will cook this with indirect heat, so the pan with the roast will not be over the burners that are on.  I have four burners, so I turned the two the roast is over OFF and left the other two on low.  Close the grill and if it has a temperature gauge, it should get to around 400 degrees.  If it gets a lot higher than that, turn another burner off.   Cook for 1 hour at this temperature with the grill lid closed.  As long as the pan is not directly over the burners that are on, it will be fine. 

 

 

After the roast has cooked for an hour, mix the onion soup and the olive oil in a gallon Ziploc bag and add the veggies to it.  Close it and mix the veggies around really good to coat. 

 

 

Spread the veggies with the onion soup and oil mixture around the roast in the pan.  Sprinkle the veggies with a little more seasoned salt and back pepper.  If the pan is dry, add another cup of water just to the bottom of the pan.   Recover with the foil and seal.   Close the grill lid and let the temp rise to between 350 and 400.  Cook for about 1 more hour. All gas grills do not cook the same, so you have to use your own judgment on how long to cook this total.  Some grills may need a little longer, some less time.  It just depends on how even and hot your grill cooks.

 

 

  Carefully remove the pan from the grill and allow it to sit, covered for about 15 to 20 minutes, then uncover and move the roast to a  large platter to slice.  Place the veggies around it.  Add a salad and bread and dinner is done! 

 





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Kicked Up Caramel Pie!

 

 

One of my favorite desserts is caramel pie.  O'Charley's, which is a restaurant chain primarily in the southeast...I think, is the creator of the caramel pie.  At least, that is where I discovered it.  This is the homemade version which I have kicked up a bit and even if I do say so myself, I think I improved on it a little.  Like it wasn't fattening and rich enough, I add extra chocolate chips and nuts for additional flavor and crunch.  This is really a simple dessert to make and you will get so many oohs and aahs when you serve this! 

Here is what you will need:

A large graham cracker crust (the 2 extra serving one), walnuts, mini chocolate chips, whipped cream, and sweetened condensed milk (2 cans).

Remember this step from the 'White Chocolate Caramel Banana Pudding' post?  If you missed it's under Best Dishes.  Take the labels off of 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk and place them in a pan of water that just covers the top.  Bring this to a low boil and boil for 3 hours.  DO NOT let the pan boil dry, keep adding water to keep it over the top of the cans.  This can be dangerous and it might explode if you do not keep an eye on it.  I always set the oven timer for this.   Once the 3 hours are up, carefully pour off the hot water and run cool water over them.  Once they are cool to touch open them carefully (in case the caramel is hot). 

 

An alternative method for turning the milk to caramel is putting the cans in your slow cooker, cover with water just to above the tops, and set on low for about 10 hours.  The water doesn't evaporate in the slow cooker with the top on it, so you don't have to worry about adding water.  It's best if you lay some foil on the bottom of the slow cooker because the cans might stain the crock.   Remove the cans with tongs when the time is up to cool.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans in the bottom of your pie crust.  This is the difference in the O'Charley's version.

Now spread the caramel over the nuts and chocolate chips. This doesn't have to be smooth.

Cover the caramel with whipped cream and 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts!  Chill in the fridge until ready to serve. 

 

Ingredients:

1 large graham cracker crust

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

1 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans or you can use walnuts

12 oz. whipped cream

 



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Fresh Asparagus and Bacon Pasta!

 

 

 

 

This is a recipe that makes a great side dish or you can even serve it for lunch or a light supper.  Asparagus is a vegetable that I think a lot more people would like it they gave it a chance and if they tried the fresh asparagus instead of canned.  There is a world of difference.   I love asparagus and I am always trying to find new ways to serve it.  This is such a simple dish, here is all you need:

 

 

5-6 strips of bacon, fried crisp and crumbled (reserve drippings)

8 oz. bow tie pasta (could use penne or rotini also)

1 lb. fresh asparagus, cut in 1 inch pieces on the diagonal

3 Tbs. butter

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 Tbs. garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1  1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese, divided (fresh is best)

1/2 cup half and half cream

1 Tbs. parsley, chopped

 

Fry the bacon in a skillet until crisp.   Remove to a plate. 

 

Cook the pasta and the asparagus boiling salted water for about 4-5 minutes.  Drain. 

 

 

Place the butter in the skillet with the reserved bacon drippings and sauté the onion and garlic just until crisp tender.

 

Add the pasta and asparagus and toss.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.   Add 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese and the half and half and toss until coated.  Remove from heat and plate.  Sprinkle the top with the bacon you have crumbled, the remaining Parmesan cheese and the parsley. 

 

I served this with Loretta Lynn's Creamy Lemon Chicken and it was a complete meal!







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Fruit Cocktail Cake...a Blast from the Past!

 

 

 

 

This "Fruit Cocktail Cake"  takes me back in time.  I can't specifically tell you exactly the period of time, but it must have been the seventies and maybe even the eighties.  I remember my mother making this cake quite often back then and after I was married I made it also, because it was always one of my husband's favorites.  Then, for some reason, we just quit making it.   I am not sure why though, because it's a really delicious cake and it's relatively easy also. Since so many of our readers have asked about this cake, I decided to revive it.  Here is what you will need:

 

2 cups self rising flour

2 eggs

1  1/2 cups white sugar

1 (15 oz.) can of fruit cocktail, undrained

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

 

Frosting

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup pecans, chopped

2 cups flaked coconut or a 7 oz. bag

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

 

Mix the flour, eggs, sugar, fruit cocktail, vanilla and cinnamon together until well blended.  Pour into a well greased 9"x13" baking pan.   Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. 

 

Near the end of the baking time, prepare the frosting.   Place the butter, milk, white and brown sugars, vanilla in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.  Reduce the heat and add the pecans and coconut.  Mix well. 

 

 

Remove the cake from the oven.  I like to take a fork or wooden skewer and poke just a few holes in the cake to allow some of the frosting to run down into the cake, but you don't have to do that step.  Pour the frosting evenly over the warm cake.  Make sure the coconut and pecans are evenly distributed.  Now, some recipes end here.  You cut it and eat it, but I remember that Mama always cranked that oven up to broil and put the cake back in for just a few minutes to toast the pecans and coconut and sort of caramelized the sugars a little.  

 

 It just really makes all the difference to me in the taste of the cake, but you have to watch it really close, because it will burn those pecans in no time at all!   This step is optional, but I do recommend it!   Now, you can cut it and eat it and I do think it is so good warm right out of the oven! 

 

 I like to put a cherry on top to serve since that is the best part of fruit cocktail to me and it's pretty!

 

 

 

 

 

 





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Chocolate Chess Pie!

 

 

 

 

If you are familiar with the Chess Pie, you know that it is a simple, but rich pie that has been made and served in the South since before the Civil War.  The exact history of the Chess Pie not completely clear, but it was a pie that could be made with pretty much what they would have  on hand back then...eggs, sugar, cream, butter.   It is also a pie that will keep for a day or two, if it lasts that long, without refrigeration, which was important back in that time.    This "Chocolate Chess Pie" is just a Chess Pie with cocoa powder added to it and it is delicious.   It tastes like a brownie pie with a much lighter and less dense texture.  Here is what you need for this pie:

 

 

1 unbaked 9" deep dish pie shell or a 10" pie shell

1 stick butter, melted

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1Tbs. flour

2 Tbs. cornmeal

1 Tbs. white vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup half and half

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. 

 

Place the unbaked pie shell on a cookie sheet.  Pour the mixture in the shell and carefully place in the oven on the center rack.   Your pie shell will be full so transfer it carefully.  The cookie sheet not only helps the pie bake evenly, but aids in moving it in and out of the oven. 

 

Bake for 50 - 55 minutes.  If you use the 9" deep dish pie crust, it will probably take the full minutes.  Remove and allow to cool.  See how it just starts to crack a little on top, it's done, when that just starts.  As it cools, it will settle some.

When it has cooled, serve with whipped cream! 

 





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Southern Fried Cabbage!

 

  

Fried cabbage is a whole lot like so many other things we 'fry' in the South...fried apples, fried corn.  We call it fried, but it's not really what someone not from the South would probably consider fried.   It is cooked a whole lot like fried corn though.  My recipe is sort of my own version and not completely traditional, but it is so good and it's really simple.  Here is what you will need:

 

4-5 strips of bacon

2 Tbs. butter

1 sweet onion, diced (I like to use Vidalia onions if available)

1/2 red or green bell pepper, diced (optional)

1 small head of cabbage or 1/2 large head of cabbage, rough chopped

salt to taste

black pepper to taste

1/2 cup water

 

In  large skillet with a lid, fry the bacon until crisp.  Remove the bacon to a plate and add the butter to the bacon drippings.  Add the diced onion and bell pepper.  The bell pepper is my addition and is completely optional, but I think it adds some really good flavor and color to this dish.   Saute on medium heat for a couple of minutes.

 

Add the chopped cabbage and toss to coat with the butter and bacon drippings.  Stir fry until the cabbage starts to get tender.  Sprinkle with salt and black pepper to your taste.  Pour 1/2 cup water in the pan around the cabbage and cover to steam it until just tender for about 20-25 minutes.  I don't like my cabbage cooked to death.  I like for it to still have a little body to it.  If you like yours cooked down more than this, just cook it a little longer.  

 

 When it's done, place in a bowl and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon.   I actually like mine with a little soy sauce or some hot sauce on it and some like vinegar, but it's good just like this.

 

 

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Loretta Lynn's Creamy Lemon Chicken!

 

 

Loretta Lynn is one of Kentucky's most famous ladies and I have always admired her.  My admiration is not just because she is from the hills of Kentucky, but because of her strength and really just common sense way of approaching things in life.  If you have read much about her life, you know that it has been full of heartbreak as well as wonderful success.  I am going to feature more of Loretta Lynn's recipes in the future and I will tell you more about her, including the story about the time I met her, sort of.

 

 Loretta Lynn is known as a fabulous southern cook and I have a cookbook with her recipes and the stories about how she learned to cook and who taught her different things about certain dishes.   Her recipes are very familiar to me, because a lot of them are just like what my mother taught me to cook.   This one is a favorite of mine, because it's really basic and very easy and most everyone really likes it.  Here is what you will need for this lemon chicken:

 

 

4 Tbs. butter (1/2 stick)

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt

black pepper

garlic powder

1 cup mayonnaise

1  1/2 cups sour cream

1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh is best)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

 

Melt the butter in an oven proof skillet.   Brown the chicken breasts you have sprinkled with salt, pepper and garlic powder on each side.  

 

 

  Mix the lemon juice with the mayonnaise and sour cream and pour over all.  If you don't have an oven proof skillet, you will need to transfer the browned chicken to a casserole dish and then pour the creamy mixture over all.  I like to use the oven proof skillet because it just saves time and it's one less dish.   Cover the skillet or dish and place in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.   Uncover and sprinkle with the shredded cheddar cheese.  Return to the oven for about 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is just starting to bubble and brown.

 

I like to serve this with pasta or rice, but it's also really good with mashed potatoes.

 

 

 

 

* This recipe was adapted from "Your're Cookin' It Country" by Loretta Lynn, Copyright 2004. 

 

 

 

 

 





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