A Cook's Quest

Whenever we get a beef we go through the meat in a certain order, steaks are gone first, followed by the burger and stew meat, and lastly we always have roasts.  It isn't that we don't like a good roast, but rather that I don't have a lot of experience producing a roast that is moist and juicy and flavorful.  I don't want to waste a good cut of meat on experimenting, so I usually wait until there are no other choices left and then make the roasts. When this happened recently, I turned to Pinterest for inspiration.  If you have not checked this site out I am urging you to do so very soon.  It is a plethora of ideas of ALL kinds, but my favorite are the food boards.  I found this recipe that someone pinned from Kalyn's Kitchen .  It is a slow cooker roast recipe that is moist, tender, and full of flavor.  I LOVE the depth of flavors created by the balsamic vinegar and beef broth along with the sweet roasted onions.  We served it w...

I really love Mexican food.  Well, let me re-phrase that, I love anything that resembles Mexican food.  OK, I love anything that goes in a tortilla even if it isn't Mexican.  The tortilla is really the perfect carb for just about anything.  These pork tacos are no exception! I have been eyeing this recipe for close to two years over at A Thrifty Mom .  This is where I learned to coupon and cook from a stockpile.  Sarah has a ton of great recipes that are easy to prepare, and even easier on the budget.  But, back to the tacos, these are sweet but not overly sweet.  The pork combined with the cilantro lime ranch topping are a perfect combination all wrapped up in the warm flour tortillas  Yes, I will say they are quite delicious! I bet you could make them with beef or chicken with great results too.  Enjoy!  Sweet Shredded Pork Tacos Recipe Source: A Thrifty Mom 1- Pork tenderloin roast (6-10 pounds) ...

Every family has their own names for certain well known dishes. They are often named by the youngest members, and our family is no different. When my son was about 3 years old he discovered the French Dip sandwich and decided it was the best sandwich ever. The name was a little hard for him to say, so we have called them "Dippy Sandwiches," ever since. This is a remake inspired by many different but similar dishes--the French dip of course, the Cheese steak sandwich with onions and peppers, slow cooker pot roast, and Italian flavors of basil and oregano. The whole family loved this recipe. I paired it up with potato wedges tossed in olive oil, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and seasoning salt then roasted in the oven until crisp and golden . Dippy Sandwiches Recipe Source: A Cook's Quest This makes a lot. I had plenty for my family of five, with enough for the freezer and some for my husbands lunch. 1 Chuck Roast 3-5 lbs (Mine was 3 pounds) 1 cup of wate...

Every once in a while I have people ask me "why" I cook the way I do.  The short answer has just always been because I like to.  I have always felt more grounded and in touch with who I really am as I cook.  It is my stress reliever when times are hard and my enjoyment when life is good.  I cook when I am sad, when I am happy, when I am lonely, when I am surrounded by love, and when I just am simply bored.  I have never examined what drives me to try making something from scratch that I can easily by prepared or in a mix.  But now that I have more time to focus on food through this blog I wonder if my reasoning runs deeper than just liking to cook.  There is a certain feeling that comes when I serve food to the people I care about in my life.  I don't know what that feeling is, I don't even know how to describe it. I do know that when people gather to eat a meal that I helped create I enjoy every moment of the ...