Night Before Pot Roast

It had been a while since we'd last had pot roast, and I was craving it. But having a day job means it's sometimes difficult to get everything together that early in the morning. So I came up with this recipe that's mostly made-ahead. All you have to do is a little prep the night before, and then throw everything in the crock pot before you leave for the day.

To make things easier in the morning, get out everything you need the night before, so it's on-hand and ready to go.

 I thinly sliced an onion.

Then I added some garlic cloves, dried thyme, and a bay leaf.

I threw them all in a plastic container, since my crock pot insert barely fits in the fridge.

I added some peeled and chunked carrots on top.

And there's your night-before prep, all done!

The morning of, dump the contents of your container into the crock pot.

Sprinkle some dried mushrooms over the top.

You could use fresh mushrooms, too. I just liked the idea of using dried food in a long-cooking meal. And the dried mushrooms I used were a blend--I believe there were portabella, oyster, morel, and a couple other kinds. Something kind of neat and different.

Scatter them around the crock.

Then lay the pot roast over the top.

 Liquid will help the pot roast braise. First, I added beef broth.

Then I added a bottle of beer. I used a bottle of Mr. Kim Chee's homebrewed Oktoberfest.

Pretty, right?

As always, salt and pepper came next.

And just because I like the flavor, I added a few dashes of Worcestershire.

All ready to go! Just turn the crock pot on low (for 7-8 hours) or high (for 5-6).

If you remembered to plug the crock pot in, you'll come home to a perfectly-cooked pot roast! It should be moist from the liquid, with a slight beer-y taste. The earthiness of the mushrooms should be detectable, and the onions will have melted into the flavorful sauce. And all for 10 minutes of effort!

Recipe: Night Before Pot Roast

1 onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
3 large carrots, cut into large pieces
1 oz. dried mushrooms
1 3-4 lb. chuck roast
1 bottle beer
1 can beef broth
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large crock pot. Cook for 5-6 hours on high or on low for any amount of time over that. Serve and enjoy!

Steak With Mushroom Wine Sauce

Some days, I crave a big hunk of red meat--especially in these turkey-and-ham filled days. But I like to serve it with some kind of sauce--something rich and meaty and that can hold its own against a piece of rare beef.

To prepare my steak, I rub it with a mixture of olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt, and pepper. I let it marinate for at least 30 minutes, to let all the flavors come together.

Sear the steak over medium-high heat in a dry pan that's not nonstick (does that make sense?)

Cook both sides for 2-3 minutes a side (for rare--you may need to finish the steaks in a 350F oven for a bit longer if you like your steaks well-done.)

Once your steaks are seared, place them on a plate and set them aside.

Now dice a few cloves of garlic and a small onion.

Add the garlic and onion to the same pan you seared the steaks in. Add a pound of mushrooms (halved or quartered if you like.) And a pat of butter, to ensure everything cooks evenly.

Saute the onions, garlic, and mushrooms until softened. The mushrooms should soak up the meaty butter, and the garlic and onions should be giving off a nice, rich flavor.

Once the vegetables are softened, you can add some flour. This will thicken the sauce a bit. There should be enough liquid from the butter and the vegetables, but if not, a bit of butter or oil will help you out. You don't want a sandy-looking roux.

Once the flour has been stirred in completely, you can slowly add a can of beef broth. (This is chicken in the picture--apparently I was out of beef. But do use beef, for maximum flavor.)

Half a cup or so of red wine will make your wine sauce a wine sauce.

Taste the sauce, and salt and pepper as needed.

It smells amazing. I could eat this as its own side dish.

To add some "restaurant richness", add a pat of butter right before serving.














Pour your delicious mushroom wine sauce over your steak and serve!

 Recipe: Steak With Mushroom Wine Sauce
 2 strip steaks
Olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt, and pepper to taste

1 lb. mushrooms, halved or quartered
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. flour
1 can beef broth
1/2 c. red wine
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp. butter


Season steaks with olive oil, Worcestershire, paprika, salt, and pepper. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes.

In a dry, non-nonstick pan, sear steak over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes per side. Set cooked steaks aside.

In the same pan, saute mushrooms, onions, and garlic with butter until softened.

Add flour; stir well for about a minute. Slowly add beef broth and wine; return to simmer. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Add butter; serve sauce over steak.

Salisbury Steak

Like any good midwesterner, I had the sudden craving for meat and potatoes. Something old-school. And there's not much more old-school than salisbury steak. There's not much easier, either!

Salisbury steak is nothing more than a thin hamburger patty smothered in gravy. Kind of like meatloaf that you cook on the stove instead of in the oven. I flavored my steak with onions and garlic, but, like meatloaf, you can add any vegetable fillers that you like. Or, you can add no vegetable filler.

For extra easiness, I threw the onion and garlic in my mini food processor.

The processor did all the work for me!

Two eggs bind your meat and prevent it from falling apart as easily.

Bread crumbs add additional stability to your patties.

Dried parsley gives your bowl of meat some color.

There's a whole lotta brown in this recipe. I had to photograph something green.

Gently mix everything together. You don't want to mix too violently or your patties will be tough. Just mix until you no longer have lumps of whole eggs, pockets of bread crumbs, or solid masses of onion and garlic.

Melt some butter in a big pan (after washing your hands, of course. Or have someone else set up the butter and pan for you.)

Once the butter has melted, gently add your patties. I made 5 patties out of my meat mixture (I slipped the fifth guy in after the first four shrank down enough to make room). Make more or less depending on your number of guests and your hunger level.

If you're by yourself, you could always make one humungous patty. Just one of the joys of living alone.

Once your patties are golden brown on one side, flip 'em over.

I had some mushrooms in the fridge that needed to get used, so I cleaned and quartered them.

After the patties are cooked on both sides (but not necessarily cooked all the way through), you can take them out of the pan and set them aside. Throw in the mushrooms and let them pick up the beefy goodness left behind.

Now for your gravy. A tablespoon or so of flour is necessary to get it started.

The mushrooms likely soaked up a fair amount of the butter and meat juices. To make a proper gravy, you need an equal ratio of flour to fat. If your pan looks like this, it means there's not enough fat in the pan. A pat of butter or a swirl of olive oil will solve your problem.

Much better.

A can of beef broth completes your gravy.

Let the gravy come back up to a simmer.

Carefully slide the salisbury steaks into the pan with the gravy. Scooch the mushrooms around a bit to make room, if necessary.

A shake of Worchestershire sauce will give your gravy a deep, salty, delicious flavor.

Cover with a lid (or tinfoil, if your pan is too big) and let your steaks simmer for 30-40 minutes.










Serve your salisbury steaks with some mashed potatoes and a veggie. For an extra vintage feel, serve in a sectioned plate, make your veggie mixed vegetables, and grab yourself an individually-wrapped brownie. Then grab a TV tray, turn on your favorite show, and sit down in front of it with your stovetop TV dinner.

Recipe: Salisbury Steak

1/4 onion
1 garlic clove
1 lb. ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. dried parsley

1 tbsp. butter

1/2 lb. button mushrooms, quartered

1 tbsp. flour
1 can beef broth
a splash or two of Worcestershire sauce


Finely mince the onion and garlic. Add to a large bowl, along with ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs, and parsley. Mix lightly until just combined. Shape into thinnish, slightly oblong patties.

In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add beef patties. When patties are browned on one side, flip to cook other side.

When patties are browned on both sides (but not necessarily cooked through), remove from pan and set aside. Saute mushrooms in the same pan.

Add flour to make a roux; if flour mixture looks dry, add enough additional fat (oil or butter) to make a paste. Add beef broth and Worchestershire. Return to simmer.

Add patties back into pan. Cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes.

Chimichurri Sauce

I remember a couple years ago when chimichurri sauce was all the rage. Everything had this weird green sauce on it. I ignored it and went on with my day.

But one day I wanted to do something new with steak. I'm a big believer in a simple steak--salt, pepper, maybe some Worcestershire or grill seasoning. But I do like adding steak toppings. I was bored with butters, though, and in the interest of keeping my fridge as condiment-free as possible, I don't have any steak sauce. So I finally decided to take the plunge and make chimichurri sauce. And guess what? It was quick, easy, fresh, and I would totally make it again.

All you need is a food processor or blender. Pack it full with a couple cups (about one large bunch) of parsley. Cut off the leaf parts and leave the stems for chicken broth.

Drizzle in some olive oil.

Some red wine vinegar will give the chimichurri a little zip. I feel like vinegar brings out the bright green-ness in fresh produce, too. Crisps it up and whatnot.

A few garlic cloves will give you great garlic breath.

The recipe below says 5-6 garlic cloves, but my store is still selling mammoth garlic cloves, so only used 3.

I like a little spice, so I added some red pepper flakes too. A little fresh jalapeno might be good here instead, to go with the fresh flavors.

Ready to go for a spin. 1, 2, 3, go!

Here's what it looks like after whirring around in the food processor.

I stuck the sauce in the fridge while I prepared the steak. That way, the flavors could mellow and come together.

I also tossed some of the sauce with boiled potatoes. Makes a great side dish.

Here's the steak I'm serving it with. That's what I like to call a Flintstone steak. 4 minutes a side, and it was ready for its green bath!













Add some color to your steak by spooning some chimichurri sauce over the top! Red meat is healthy when you offset it with something green, right? ;)

 Recipe: Chimichurri Sauce

2 c. parsley (1 large bunch)
1/2 c. olive oil
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
4-5 cloves garlic
1 tsp. red pepper flakes


Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Serve over meat or vegetables. Enjoy!