ROASTED

I have a confession to make:   until yesterday I had never made a pot roast. Or any roast.   I love them; my mom made post roast almost weekly as a kid and the smell and taste are so yummy and familiar.  And roasts are super hygge-esque.   But, despite cooking 4-5 times/week most of my adult life, I have avoided big hunks of red meat.   They intimidate me!  There are so many different cuts! They're scary looking!  What do you do with them?

SO - I decided yesterday was the day.  I used Pioneer Woman's recipe.  (I love Ree.  I kinda wish I WAS Ree.)  Her recipe called for a 3-5 lb chuck roast.  So I went to the Jewel, to the scary hunk-of-meat section, and they had no chuck roasts.  Panic!  THIS, my friends, this is why I always run away, screaming, from the hunk-of-meat section.  I feel like this happens every time.  But I stayed brave!!  I pulled out my phone and starting googling the difference between a chuck roast a bottom round roast and other classes of roast, and one site said a bottom round roast was fine and I went with it.  And it was.  In fact, it was killer.  And the meal was ridiculously, embarrassingly easy.

 Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast

 Heat up a few Tbsp olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven

Salt & pepper your roast generously

Cut 2-3 onions in half

Brown the onions in the hot oil, about a minute per side, then remove from the pot.

 So the same with 5-6 whole carrots. If you don't have any, and cannot bear to go back to the store, use a package of baby carrots.  Dry them so the oil doesn't maim you, then dump them and brown them in the hot oil for about a minute, then remove them, too.

 Add your hunk-o-meat and sear, about a minute per side, then, you guessed it, remove it from the pot, too.

 Pour in a cup of beef broth or red wine, whisk over high heat for a minute or two to deglaze the pot.

 Add the meat back in, then enough beef broth to cover the meat halfway (about 2 cups for this roast), then add the vegetables and  a few sprigs each of fresh thyme and rosemary.

 And that. is. it.  

Cover and put in a pre-heated 275 oven and cook for 3-4 hours, roughly an hour per pound.  

You'll know it's done when the meat falls apart with a fork. 

Your house will smell absolutely incredible all day.

Your dog will bark for dinner every five seconds, driven crazy by the scent. 

We had band practice at our house last night and our drummer, Max, commented on the incredible smell when he came in.    A little while later, during a break, I went up to the kitchen and found Max leaning over the pot, fork in hand, frozen, as he realized he was busted.  I wish I had a picture - it was priceless.  Pot roast will do that to you!

And now I know how to make a dang pot roast. What was the fuss all about?  

It was phenomenal. 

Next week:  training generation II to cook.  It's happening.

Hygge

Hygge, have you heard of it?  I have my lovely neighbor Maura Farrell to thank for this revelation.    Hygge  made it to the front of the Sunday NYT Business section on Christmas day.   But Maura is a trailbblazer:  she posted this Popsugar article in November:

 

11 Ways to Embrace the "Hygge" Lifestyle and Find More Joy   

Have you ever had a wonderful night sitting by the fire with a glass of cocoa, enjoying the company of your loved ones, and just thought, "This is the life"? Well, that, my friend, is hygge. Have you woken up on a chilly morning, lit a candle, wrapped yourself in a blanket, and read a book? Hygge again. Escaped a stormy night by sitting around the dinner table discussing current events with friends? That's hygge, baby. 

Hygge, pronounced "HOO-gah," is a Scandinavian way of life that celebrates coziness, shared meals, and companionable interactions with loved ones. Emphasizing warmth, kinship, and an appreciation for the little things, hygge is a perspective on life that started in Denmark and has contributed to the nation's consistently high happiness ratings. Now, in times of stress and unrest, more Americans are turning to hygge as a way to find happiness from within.

Many see hygge as an excellent form of self-care, especially during seasons when weather-related depression runs high. By embracing the indoors, welcoming others into your home, and taking plenty of time to treat yourself to little luxuries, hygge is the ideal way to combat seasonal affective disorder.

Hygge!  It's the greatest concept ever.  I have spent most of my adult life fighting and complaining about winter.   It's such a revelation to me:  instead of fighting the winter, embrace it.  Instead of feeling like you should go out, light a fire and stay in: you'll be happier.  I returned to work today after ten days off.  There was holiday madness, yes, but mostly the Holt family firmly embraced Hygge.  And it was awesome. 

We did a lot of this:

in front of this:

and a lot of this.

don't judge.  it's really hard.

Hubble was an early adopter of Hygge.

In keeping with all things Hygge, I also led my sons on a hilarious wild goose chase in search of body butter.  They were looking for a gift idea and I told them I'd love some body butter.  But not too smelly.  Something earthy or herbal, not too perfumey.  And not too expensive.  Easy, right?  OMG a hilarious text exchange from TJ Maxx ensued.  They got me an awesome dri-fit shirt.

I read these three books:

I saw these movies

It wasn't all grins and giggles - life and its messiness did still go on - but on the whole it was pretty heavenly.  

So what does one COOK while embracing Hygge???   First up?  Chili.  

 Brown 2 lbs ground beef with one large chopped onion.

 Drain fat.  Add 4 Tbsp chili seasoning.  I make my own:

 Add it to the browned meat along with:

2 cups tomato sauce

one 12 oz jar salsa

1 or 2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes

 Let it simmer for hours.  Then serve it up to a bunch of hungry boys.

I told them I was going to blog about Hygge.  

You can imagine the perplexed looks.

HYGGE.  Embrace it.  Happy 2017!