Cold Day Says Roast Beef

Last night we survived severe thunderstorms and tornados across the entire state of Oklahoma.  We awoke this morning to really cold weather. I know, not as cold as Wyoming but much colder than usual. This looks like a roast beef dinner day to me. In my 68 years of life, I have sure eaten some awful roast beef dinners. Not that I had cooked but somewhere else. So, this is roast beef 101.  Good roast beef comes entirely from using the right pot........not from your cut of meat. In fact, the cheapest cut you can buy, chuck or 7 bone, etc, usually produces the very best flavor because of the fat.  But it is absolutely essential that you have a good heavy pot with lid. For years I had a cast iron pot that worked wonderfully but Misty bought me a beautiful LeCreuset pot that I now use and love so much. Today my chuck roast was frozen. I removed it from the wrapping, threw it in the pot with salt and pepper and put it in the oven at 325. No water.........ever........do you want boiled meat? or roasted meat? After it had been cooking a couple hours, I removed it from the oven and added carrots, potatoes and onions, salt and pepper and NO water. Remember vegys always produce their own liquid. Put the lid back on and back into the oven for another hour. I guarantee you........you will have the most perfect pot roast you will ever eat. If you choose to make gravy from the leavings in the bottom of the pot.........scrap it up a bit, add a little flour, a little hot water, stir with wisk, continue to add water til it is the perfect consisency.  Add a salad and you've got a great dinner. Oh, and a little horseradish sauce.

Okay, now I want to tell you real story about the roast beef. First of all, I used to have a huge kitchen, big enough for several cooks to be in there at the same time. Now, I have a little kitchen that is only big enough for me and one dog. And even at that, I have to step over the dog from time to time and slide him to one side to be able to open the refrigerator door. Well, when you get Bob and I and the dog in the kitchen tog it is impossible to function and I really am serious, impossible. So, today, I did put the roast in the oven and told Bob to put the vegys in, as I had to run to the store to get my lottery tickets. My exact words were, "Just put in the carrots, potatoes and onions, DON'T add anything else!"  You might find this harsh but through the years I have found that Bob always thinks more is better and tends to "doctor" up some of my favorite dishes when I am not looking.  When I returned I found a pan of overflowing cornbread on the burner turned to low. For some reason he thinks this is really cool to cook cornbread on the burner instead of in the oven.......and think of it.......the oven is ON. But I think he thinks he is camping and its a real challenge. He never uses a recipe........ever. So he mixed up flour, cornmeal, a tsp baking soda and a tsp of baking powder, an egg and some milk..........(NEVER, ever add sugar to REAL cornbread.......that turns it into cake).  Anyway, a little too much baking powder and baking soda.......the raising cornbread lifted the lid right off that pan by about 3 inches........and it was running down the sides. Oh, well, it tasted fine. And yes, when I opened the lid off the roast I found the carrots, onions, potatoes AND celery and chopped garlic. He just can't help himself. It was all delicious.