Okay, so it's that time again . . . you know, the one where I realized I've been neglecting my blogging commitments! :) And yes, I view this as a commitment. We have had sickness here at our house, so I could blame that, but really, I can't . . . as I was laying in bed for over a week! Wasting away the hours sleeping and catching up on all things Netflix. So we have eaten very few REAL meals the past two weeks, but I have had a couple of triumphs in the kitchen. One, I didn't think to take pics of, and as it was still while I was in the ends of my sickiness (<--- is that a word?) I don't clearly remember all of the meal. I must've still been in a haze! Last night though, I remembered. This was such an easy meal that I just had to share it! So, you may have figured out by now that my favorite Pampered Chef product. . . EVER. . . is the Deep Covered Baker. It is. It really is. My favorite! I own two, and need another one! This meal is proof. :) So, we are a "meat and potatoes" kind of family, and I grew up eating pot roast for many a Sunday dinners. It's the easy thing. Throw some meat and potatoes in the crock pot, and then when you get home from church, it's a meal! As a pastor's kid, I spent many more Sunday morning hours in church than most kids - first ones there, last ones to leave . . . you know. Anyhow, we had planned to make a venison roast for dinner, but forgot to put it in the crock pot before church! What to do??? Well, I just panicked a bit, then realized I had the perfect solution sitting right in my kitchen! So, I pulled out my Deep Covered Bakers. They are my go to kitchen tool. In the first I put a large bag of baby carrots, a little bit of water (maybe 1/2cup) and then we put the venison roasts on top. Karl topped it with chopped onions (thanks to the Pampered Chef Food Chopper!) and pressed garlic (thanks to the Pampered Chef garlic press - love that!) He also sprinkled some seasonings on the top as we wanted a little saltiness. Didn't it turn out beautifully?!?!?!? It was SO good! Oh, and just in case you were wondering, we put the carrots on the bottom because we didn't want the meat to sit in the water/juices, but the carrots greatly benefit from it!
This picture above is of our baked potatoes. I love Yukon Golds, so that's what these are. I just scrub the potatoes, and rinse. While still dripping with water, I set them in the Deep Covered Baker. Both dishes I covered with the lids then I cooked at 350 degrees for approximately 90 minutes. They both turned out perfectly*, and the potatoes were so soft and yummy, and the little bit of moisture that was on them, kept the skins so soft. AMAZING! and easy.
While we are totally a meat and potatoes family, I am still a mom that thinks there should be something green at the dinner table, so I just cooked some green beans in my Pampered Chef Large Micro cooker! 6 minutes in the microwave and they were nice and hot! So good.
So here's the why. That handsome guy on the right, that's Karl, my hubby. I just love him! I love to cook for him. And the four other beautiful people in the picture, those are my wonderful children. They are chomping at the bit to dig into dinner. It was so good, and so easy . . . I will definitely have to repeat this one! So for those of you wondering why? They are my why. These gorgeous creations are the reason I cook and the reason I am a Pampered Chef Consultant. This business offers my family flexibility. It brought me home from TWO part time jobs, and Karl home from one. It has paid off credit card debt and allowed for riding lessons for Katy. It has allowed us to more than double our families charitable giving over the past year, and has allowed for some wonderful family/business road trips and all the memories that come along with that. It has been such a wonderful journey for all of us, and it's only just begun! ~
So, for the proof that I need another Deep Covered Baker . . . well, what if this was a night that I had a show to go to?? I wouldn't have had one! Oh, the horror! So those of you who have been to my shows and heard me say that I own two and need another . . . this is it, the proof.
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*A couple of side notes about the recipe/process. We used venison (deer roast) because we had it. This same idea would work with beef or pork roasts as well and be oh so yummy, but you may not need as much water, as both those options have a higher fat content and would "juice" more. Also, you could probably cut the cook time down to about 1 hour if you cooked it at 375, but I've never tried it. Roasts should be cooked to 145 degrees internal temperature. If you don't have a good meat thermometer, check out The Pampered Chef's option. Our Digital Pocket Thermometer. It's so easy to use and works so fast!
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So while you all, already know that I am Not the Perfect Chef, you now know that I am not the perfect blogger either. Have a blessed week, until we meet again . . .
