A Traditional Sunday Meal...on Thursday!

Quick & Easy Garlic-Parmesan Rolls
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

20 rise and bake frozen rolls (like Rhodes)

As you can see I did not have those on hand.

Place the butter, garlic, and Italian seasoning in a microwave-safe dish and heat until melted. Whisk in the Parmesan cheese.  Place the frozen dough balls in a large bowl. Drizzle the butter/cheese mixture over the dough and then toss quickly to evenly coat the dough in the butter and cheese. Place the dough in a 9×13″ pan and allow to rise until doubled (follow the package directions). Bake according to package directions until the rolls are evenly golden on top and serve as soon as you can pull them apart without hurting yourself. Makes 20 rolls, but don’t count on people being able to stop after 1 roll…

Perfect Pot Roast

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

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.

These two recipes we tried made me think of the perfect Sunday meal but since football is the dominate theme in our house on Sundays I made the meal on a Thursday.  It was delicious.  We had a generous helping on mashed potatoes and the roast juices with the vegetables gave the best base to make gravy.  This was super delicious too to reheat the next day.  The parmesan rolls were so easy to make that I felt a little guilty serving “homemade” rolls with so little effort.  Again this meal made the Mini’s & Meringues alike be members of the clean plate club.  My kids even had seconds!