Mississippi Pot Roast

I didn't grow up eating pot roast - or any roast for that matter. I actually eat mostly meatless when I'm out with friends or alone. I make many meatless meals when my husband is out of town. I saw this recipe on the Food Network's show "The Kitchen". This is the number 1 MOST pinned recipe on Pinterest - so I had to try it.


I did have to make a few tweaks though. You can see the original recipe HERE.





Mississippi Pot Roast
One 2 lb grass fed rump roast
1 stick butter
1 package au jus gravy mix
1 package dry ranch dressing mix, such as Hidden Valley
Pepperoncini peppers, number to your liking, and a little juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper, if desired I just couldn't do a 3-4 lb roast - even with 6 of us I knew we couldn't eat all of that especially with sides. I cut the time down to 6 hours instead of 8 because of the size difference in the roast. I kept an eye on it because the recipe doesn't call for a lot of "juice" and when I use my crock pot I usually make enough "juice" to cover the meat - just so everything stays tender and juicy. I ended up adding another stick of butter just to get a little more moisture in there. If I had to do it over again - I would've added a couple of cups of beef stock instead.

Husband and kids all loved it - I thought it was okay - keep in mind I don't like pot roast.

Sweet Italian Dressing

Recently, I had an AMAZING Italian salad - complete with cannellini beans and the works. What made this salad so incredible? THE DRESSING. It was an oil and vinegar based dressing - like an Italian dressing but it's sweet. Since I use this site as my own personal recipe book - I'll post it here for future reference.

THE DRESSING!

Sweet Italian Dressing
1/4 c Red wine vinegar
3 TBSP Water
1 package dry Good Seasons Italian dressing
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c sugar

Add all ingredients except oil. Shake until combined. Add oil in 1/4 c at a time - shaking after adding each time.

Chicken Spaghetti

I know. I did not like the sound of this. Not at all. BUT - one of my favorite bloggers/Food Network celebs The Pioneer Woman recently made this recipe on her FN show and she swore that her husband, her kids and even she LOVED this recipe.

I'm willing to take a chance on that. This picture is after my family (6 of us) dished up our first servings - so the pic is half of what the recipe makes. EVERYBODY went back for second servings. 2 of my girls went back for 3rds. Who knew?

I made this during the day knowing that I had to coach soccer practice from 5-7 this evening. I made it, covered it in foil and put it in the fridge until we were ready to eat. Yes - we didn't get to eat until 7:45 - BUT - it was worth it with all the compliments and Yummy noises around the table. You can find the original recipe HERE - I made a few changes to mine.

Chicken Spaghetti

• 2 cups Cooked Chicken *I bought a 2 lb pack of Rotisserie chicken from Costco. I used about 1/3 of the package and cut it into bite sized pieces. 
• 3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces *Costco Garafalo 17.6 oz
• 2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
• 2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese *Costco Colby and Monterey Jack blend
• 1/4 cup Finely Diced Green Pepper *Red and yellow peppers - for fun
• 1/4 cup Finely Diced Onion
• 1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained - NOPE - I bought them and tried them - had each of my kids try them and just no. 
• 2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot *stock from the box
• 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• 1/8 teaspoon (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese *Colby and Monterey Jack blend

Instructions

So - if you are a cheater like me - cook spaghetti in water 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain pasta and add a couple TBSP of butter to keep the pasta from sticking together. 

Combine all ingredients except chicken and spaghetti and whisk until well incorporated. Add chicken and spaghetti and mix until incorporated. Put mixture in a 9x13 casserole pan and top with remaining cheese. Cook at 350 for 45 minutes or read PW's suggestions on freezing or making ahead.