Momma H’s Pot Roast

What is better during these cold winter months than a nice big pot of warm, yummy pot roast? Not much in my opinion. I love one-pot meals and especially in the winter, these comfort foods keep me going. Below are some images of the pot roast I made the other night, recipe courtesy of my mom, Stacy. Pot roast just doesn’t get much better than hers. Make some Grands fluffy biscuits to go along with it and you are sure to please everyone in your house!

 

Dredge boneless chuck roast in flour, salt and pepper and then brown in a large pot until seared on all sides. (I used cubed pieces of chuck roast, mom prefers a whole boneless chuck roast–the choice is yours!)

Take the meat out and cook a diced white onion in the same pot

While the onions are cooking, I like to prepare my vegetables–cut up the carrots and onions in bite size pieces

Add the meat back to the pot and cover 3/4 of the way with water

Cook for 4 hours, after 3 hours add the potatoes and carrots—season with salt and pepper until you have reached your desired flavor

Enjoy!

While the food and beverages are my most favorite thing about fall….my second favorite would have to be the amazing decorations and items you can put around your house to make it look perfect for the fall season. And now it is even easier to decorate and make your house look cute for Autumn! DIY decorations are the new rage this fall–easy, simple, creative and inexpensive!

The candle sticks above are one of my favorite new trends….decorations and housewares made of trees, branches and sticks. The ones above are so cute, they can be placed on your mantle, in your foyer or on your table while entertaining. If you are not up for DIY, you can find more tips and tricks for these at: http://deutscherdesign.blogspot.com/ plus lots more!

In the latest issue of Cosmo, they have a section for “Cool Holiday Tricks” that features another branch candle stick holder. Below is their image of a DIY centerpiece. Their tip? Hammer nails into the branch of your choice and then stick small candles on top of them. An extra plus? Using branches from a pine tree can give a natural scent to the whole room–so forget using the scented candles and go natural!

You can also use the extra pine needles in a vase with pine cones as a scented and easy centerpiece.

So now its your turn….and mine. Let us know how your DIY home creations turn out!

Back in Action!

The holidays are upon us and that means Live Love Devour is too! Check back in now and like our facebook page to get the most up to date recipes, tips and reviews.

This holiday season we will be baking our usual pies, cakes and treats but there will be many new and surprising recipes you wont want to miss.

Flirty cocktails, seasonal soups, simple week-night dinner ideas and fit and healthy options too! This season’s live love devour will be better than ever. So sign up for our blog updates and be sure to head over to facebook and like our page!

Also, make sure to add your comments…we love to hear from you! Let us know if there is a recipe idea or holiday tips you are looking for.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Live-Love-Devour/149828288396472

Greek City-Ramsey, NJ

This weekend I tried out a new restaurant in Ramsey, NJ called Greek City. While I am a huge fan of hummus and a nice greek salad, I am not a traditional greek food eater. This was definitely a new experience for me and it turned out well. We started with the pita and hummus and the greek salad. For dinner, I ordered the Pastitsio (this is described as layers of thick greek macaroni and ground beef topped with bechamel cream baked.) While very rich, this dish was amazing. My only suggestion is that if you are going to order something so rich and heavy, there is no need to start with appetizers! The flavors are authentic but also familiar enough to remind you of those delicious flavors that remind your pallet of why you came in the first place. Greek City offers the flair and flavor of traditional Greek dishes in a small, quaint Rmasey, NJ location–something that surprises most.

Greek City is also a BYOB so you can save some money by bringing your own bottle of wine. I think both red and white would work with these dishes. There is the heavier, more italian style dishes that would work best with a nice pinot noir while they offer many seafood and lighter options that a Chardonnay pairs well with.

The atmoshpere of the restaurant may not be traditional greek fair, it was very welcoming and modern. The white/clear topped tables and booths look clean and modern while the people who work in the restaurant help to give you a feeling of eating dinner at home with the whole family.They even offer take-out for those saturday nights where you rather stay at home than venture out into this cold, NJ “spring” weather.

Overall? I give it a rating of 4 out of 5 silver spoons.

Visit Greek City in Ramsey, NJ or check out their website: www.greekcityrestaurant.com

Trip to Vero Beach, Florida…Fun, Sun & Food!

This past weekend, Scott and I went to Vero Beach, Florida for a mini vacation to see my grandparents and get some much needed Vitamin D!! While there, we had some of the best food, homemade and while eating out. The second night we were there we ate at the “Beach Club” across the street on the water and it was amazing. You really don’t realize how great good food is until you get away from the traditional spaghetti, porkchops and salads night after night. While the view was amazing, the food was even better. Please see the photos below…i think my favorite was the salad–pears, feta cheese, red onion, squash, and greens….so good. The dressing was a little sweet and the feta with the pear and red onion was such a nice comnination.

I tried to remember to take pictures of our yummy entrees, but I was so excited I didn’t remember until we had eaten half of our meal already. So…I will still post the photos, they were so good we just couldn’t wait!

I had the Asian BBQ Salmon with a side of Mash Potatoes and Mushrooms:

Scott Had the Prime Rib with Mash Potatoes and Vegetable Cous Cous:

Finally, my grandmother had the Seared Crab Crakes with Mushrooms and Cheddar Cheese Grits:

I didn’t get a picture of my grandfathers bolognaise but I heard it was very good–huge portion!

Scott and I finished the meal with a shared Amaretto Coffee…(a little stronger than we would have liked, but still very good for our first experience)

Hope your holiday weekend was as good as ours!

Pictures….Finally!!

Finally…here are the pictures of the eggplant parm I made a couple of weeks ago! Enjoy

 

 

 

 

Homemade Pizza

We made the best homemade pizza tonight….its a great option for all of you vegetarians out there too! We just bought frozen, pre-made pizza dough and let it defrost all day. Then we also got pre-made alfredo sauce in a jar (although if you have the time and are feeling creative you can definitely make your own white sauce)! In a saucepan, add some olive oil with a tablespoon of butter. Add some minced garlic until lightly browned. Then, add some chopped up mushrooms ( you can use your favorite mushrooms here, i like just white button mushrooms). Cook these until they are lightly browned as well, then add chopped onion until they are translucent. Finally, add a package of frozen spinach. This is precooked so just cook until everything is hottt When all of the veggies are almost done, add in the white cream sauce/alfredo sauce. Add salt and pepper for taste. After you roll out the dough, spread the mixture onto the dough and top with some provolone cheese and mozzerella cheese. Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes (longer if you like your cheese browned). Enjoy!! This pizza is so good. Make it for friends or family next time you get together; it is simple but has great flavor and people will think it tastes better than going to a restaurant.

Oh yea, and my husband made a simple pep and onion pizza….yummy but kind of boring. Perfect for picky eaters or kids!