just in time for sunday dinner

A few years ago, my mother passed on a recipe to us that had been passed on to her by my Aunt Bunny. Who happens to be married to my Uncle Ed. Who happens to be my mother's older brother who is in his 90's and still does yoga every day and two years ago was hit by a car while riding his bicycle. He broke a couple ribs and was pretty bruised up, but that didn't slow him down for long. Uncle Ed being the strong man that he is, was back riding his bicycle within a few months.

I wouldn't be surprised if this incredibly easy recipe for the perfect roast beef is what gives him the protein he needs to be so strong and agile. This recipe is surely one of our favorites and I thought this Saturday eve would be a good time to share it, whilst giving a preview of our cozy little kitchen and adorable 45-year old oven.

First, you need to buy a roast beef, as pictured below.



Once you're ready to prepare the roast beef (and not a minute before), you need to turn your oven on to 500 degrees.



After you remove the roast beef from the packaging, you can rinse it off and blot it dry with a paper towel. Then, peel a few cloves of garlic and slice them in half, long ways.



Cut small slits in to the roast for your sliced cloves of garlic.



Plug in the sliced cloves of garlic.



Find a nice cookie sheet and line it with tinfoil. Please do not forget this step because you definitely do not want to clean a cookie sheet that has been baked in a 500 degree oven WITHOUT tinfoil. Especially a cookie sheet that has a roast beef on top that is about to be smothered with Gravy Master. (I think they call this counter top "speckled gold laminate" or "white gold textolite.")



Coat the roast in approximately 1/3 bottle of Gravy Master (or approximately three tablespoons. Maybe four. Highly doubt anything more than five.)



Make sure it's nice and coated.



Sprinkle salt on the top.



And a little pepper.



Then, place the uncovered roast in the 500 degree oven and bake it for SIX MINUTES per pound. (See our oven? Isn't it cute? It's not much larger than our toaster oven. Although this oven is almost five decades old, it works GREAT. For that matter, so does our 20+ year old dishwasher, and 30+ year old refrigerator. Does anyone remember all the hassles we had with our fancy top of the line computerized dishwasher in California? That thing broke 10 times in three years and five times in one year, before we complained so much the manufacturer finally replaced it under the Lemon Law. All this to say, it's a fact things aren't made as solidly now as they used to be. )



In our case, our roast was 2.5 pounds so 2.5 x 6 = 15 minutes.



After your timer goes off, turn the oven off and leave the door closed for TWO HOURS. When you open the oven and remove the roast after exactly two hours, it will be the most perfectly cooked, juicy and moist roast beef you've ever tasted.



This is an incredibly great and exceptionally easy recipe for anyone. Unless, of course, you are a vegetarian. In which case, I'll post an equally great recipe for eggplant parmigiana next time.

favorite thing friday (& KitchenAid giveaway!)

I've written on more than one occasion about our family's ancient O'Henry Bar recipe. When I went back to search for my original O'Henry Bar post, I found that after I wrote that first O'Henry Bar entry, a mere four months after starting my blog, I have made reference to O'Henry Bars on at least 40 other occasions. If that doesn't border on obsessive, I don't know what does.

Suffice to say, I love O'Henry Bars.

Everyone in my family loves O'Henry Bars. Although seeing as other members of my family also have an insatiable appetite for sweet things, it's really no surprise. (For example, here's a link to my cousin Anne Marie's new baking blog. Once I caught a glimpse of the baked goodness that she was capable of creating, my desire to move back to Massachusetts and live next door to her, went up ten-fold.)

For that matter: everyone I've ever met in my entire life - who does not have an allergic reaction to peanuts or chocolate and is not crazy - loves O'Henry Bars.

This oatmeal, chocolate and peanut butter treat from heaven, is such a part of my heritage, such a part of who I am, that my son is named after them.

(Seriously, it's true.)

Although I've written about O'Henry Bars before and have provided basic instructions on how one might set about cooking up a batch, I have never posted a visual on how these bars are made. And based on some of the feedback that I have received over the past three years, I think a tutorial might be useful, if not downright necessary.

I would like to apologize in advance for the increase to your waist size that this recipe may precipitate. However, it may also serve as a great opportunity for you to embark upon a fitness program that you've been putting off. So with that introduction, here's to your health!

To make O'Henry Bars, you will need:
1 stick butter
¾ cup brown sugar
3 tsp. vanilla
4 cup oatmeal
¾ cup Karo syrup
Up to 2 cups of chocolate chips
Up to 2 cups of peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

** Warning: Small helpers are useful and fun to have around, although they will rapidly diminish your chocolate chip supply if left unguarded.**

In a large mixing bowl - or preferably, KitchenAid mixer - add a stick of butter.


Then add in ¾ cup of brown sugar.


Add in your 3 teaspoons of vanilla - but beware that if your small helper assisted you with adding the aforementioned stick of butter, their little hands might be especially slick and you may lose your measuring device. Fear not. Just fish it out.


Add four cups of oatmeal.

One cup ...


Two cups ...

Three cups...


Four cups.


Now, you'll need to add ¾ of a cup of Karo syrup. But if you are anything like me, you will just pour that Karo Syrup directly in to your mixing bowl because you can never get all the Karo out of your measuring cup, or off your spoon, and this way - you save yourself something to wash.

(Notice the pink breast cancer ribbon. Making O'Henry Bars is helping to raise money for cancer research. Could I just bake for a cure instead of run for a cure?)

Grab a spoon and start stirring.

Or, turn on your KitchenAid mixer and let it work it's magic.


Once everything has been thoroughly mixed, pour (dump?) this concoction on to a rimmed un-greased cookie sheet. Then, using a spatula - or a spoon - or your hands, begin the process of spreading the oatmeal base. Because of the Karo, you might find that the oatmeal base is very difficult to distribute and sticks to everything.

I have found that it helps the spreading process significantly, if you frequently dip your spatula (or spoon, or hands) in to a small bowl of water. You don't want too much water on your spreading utensil, but just enough so that it's not as sticky.


Continue the spreading process until every square inch of your ungreased cookie sheet is covered with the oatmeal base.

It should look like this.

Although, it might look like this if you decide to taste the oatmeal base.


Or like this if you determine WOW that is good.

But before you place your cookie sheet in to a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes (not a minute less, not a minute more), you'll want to be sure that there are no gobs of oatmeal base missing.

Once your base is evenly distributed, place it in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 10 (TEN) minutes, maximum. Do not overcook these or they will be way too hard and might break your teeth. When the bars are done, remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool.


Now. In a saucepan, mix together approximately 1 cup of chocolate chips ...


With approximately one cup of peanut butter.

I'd like to add in here, that much like the Karo Syrup issue above, I do not measure out the exact quantity of peanut butter because a precise measurement is too difficult to accurately gauge. So, I just ration out what I believe to be approximately one cup of peanut butter.

Then you'll turn the stove on low, and while continuously stirring, let the peanut butter and chocolate chips INFUSE together.

Oh! Dear! God!


My heart is skipping out of my chest just looking at this picture.


As for me, I test the peanut butter / chocolate chip mixture pretty frequently and prefer it to be a little more peanut-buttery.

(Oh, and notice my saucepan? That was a gift from my sister Beth the year I moved away to college. I think she picked up an entire set of Faberware at Filene's Basement in the late 70's. Thirty years later, they still work great. Thanks again, Beth!!)

Once your peanut butter / chocolate ratio is just where you want it, pour the mixture over your cooled oatmeal base.

Then, using a spatula - or spoon - but preferably not your hands, begin the process of evenly distributing the chocolate topping.

When completed, your cookie sheet should look something like this. Notice there are no divets or obvious undulations to indicate that I ate half of the uncooked base.

You will then want to put your cookie sheet in to the refrigerator to cool. Typically, it takes at least an hour before they are ready to be cut up in to squares, although, I have witnessed people diving in to a tray of not-fully-cooled O'Henry Bars after less than 10 minutes of refrigerator time.

OK. Fine. It was me.

I would really love to show you what a picture of the finished bars looks like, but alas, as I was standing up from taking the picture directly above, I fumbled my Nikon SLR and it landed on our tile floor with a CRASH. This is the last picture that was snapped off a millisecond before my LENS broke off the camera. And trust me, if it wasn't for a tray of O'Henry bars in the refrigerator right now, I would still be crying.


The purpose of this Favorite Thing Friday post is two-fold.

First, to share with the world one of my favorite recipes. Second, to share with the world that one of my favorite kitchen appliances is my KitchenAid mixer.

We bought our KitchenAid a week before our triplets turned one. Up until that time, I could never rationalize why we needed one of these professional mixers that grace the kitchens of people who actually know how to cook. Sure, I would have loved to have owned a KitchenAid, but they are rather pricey and I had never been terribly opposed to mixing things the good old fashioned way. Mostly because I didn't KNOW better.

But when Charlie had decided that he was going to bake his family's ancient tradition five-tiered, one-year birthday cake for our children, we were told that in order to make the batter, we would absolutely, positively need a large capacity KitchenAid mixer.


We also needed specially sized baking pans and a host of cooking supplies and ingredients that I thought for sure we'd never use again.

Unless of course we had another baby. Which lo and behold we did, but due to our being on a huge road trip, three thousand miles from home when our baby turned one, he shared a sheet cake with his grandmother, that was decorated in patriotic colors.

So we bought a KitchenAid and four years later, I cannot imagine my life without it.

And whenever I was directed to this post yesterday on the King Arthur Flour website (thanks Amanda) I jumped out of my seat with joy. LOOK!! Here's one more thing I can make with my KitchenAid!! (And one more reason I must NEVER stop running.)

Do you like it?

Do you want one?

Now that Charlie and I have reached our fundraising minimums (or will once the bundle of checks we've received are deposited), for a minimum $5.00 online donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society via Margaret and a comment left on THIS post, you will be entered in to a raffle to win a KitchenAid Artisan Series mixer, in your choice of color. (If you donate $10.00 you will be entered twice; $20.00 four times and so on.) If you select pink, KitchenAid will make an additional $50.00 donation to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer fund.

The retail value of this mixer is $350.00.


But for a minimum $5.00 donation, you can enter this contest to win one.

Your donation is 100% tax deductible.

Your donation is fueling research for a cure.

And seeing as the most recent update from Deana indicates that the newest round of "emerging" treatment that she has been receiving is having a dramatic effect against her highly aggressive cancer, your donation will help someone live a longer life. I can't think of anything more awesome than Deana winning this fight and watching those two beautiful little boys grow up.

If you have concerns with donating on line, you can write a check made payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and mail your donation to:

The Amazing Trip to Cure Cancer
2220 Otay Lakes Road
Suite 502, PMB #99
Chula Vista, CA 91915

However, if you chose to donate online, please add KA next to your name so that is clearly visible.

The winner will be announced on Wednesday, April 1.

*******

Please for the love of all that is good and right, help us spread the word. It is our goal to not only reach our fundraising minimums but to EXCEED them. By forwarding the link to this post to anyone you know who doesn't have a KitchenAid mixer but sure would like one, you will earn yourself a special place in the heart of anyone who has been touched by cancer.

OK, ready ... set ... GO!

This concludes the longest post I have ever written. Now, I'm off to eat an O'Henry bar and mourn the loss of my lens.

favorite thing friday

** Edit: Please read the comments on this post because there is more discussion regarding the apple corer and recipe!! **

We drove up to our local mountains and went apple picking last weekend.


Because we have three children that were very interested in picking apples, and wanted nothing more than to hold their very own bag, we picked enough apples to last us for the next four months. Or, to make apple pies for 60 families.


During the drive home, I was telling the children all of the magnificent things that we would do with our three overflowing bags worth of apples. We would make pies! cobbler! sauce! juice!

Heck, we would just pick them up and eat them, like an apple!

We weren't in the door for five minutes and I had three little helpers that were PUMPED to help me cook apples. So I set to work making one of my all-time favorite recipes and ultimate comfort foods ... apple crisp. And to make apple crisp, I called upon one of my all-time favorite kitchen utensils and ultimate fruit preparation gadget .. my apple corer.


I feel an apple corer is one of those items that probably everyone has in their kitchen. But maybe (like me up until about five years ago), you have never heard of an apple corer. And when you learn how this tool can slice apples (and pears) cleanly in to perfectly spaced wedges - with no risk of cutting fingers - you will want one.

And even if you know all about the glory that is an apple corer, I'll be you don't know all about the glory that is my family's ancient apple crisp recipe.

To make this food that to me, is the true embodiment of the fall season and represents everything that is good in the world ... you will need apples. Approximately eight if they are moderate to large in size.


Or, approximately ten if they are the approximate size of a pool ball.


You will also need:

• 2 sticks of softened (not melted!) butter
• 1 cup of sugar
• ½ cup of brown sugar
• 1 ½ cup of flour
• Cinnamon
• Lemon
• Oatmeal
• Almonds (optional)

First, you will peel and core your apples.

If you want to do an OCD screening test, you could then line all of the cores up and see if it troubles anyone that some of the stems are facing a different way.


You will then place all of your nice and evenly sliced apples in to a 9 x 13 baking dish.

And squeeze the juice of a lemon over them.


Then, you will evenly sprinkle approximately one cup of oatmeal over the apple slices.


And then, you will evenly sprinkle cinnamon over the apple, lemon, oatmeal concoction. You'll want to exercise caution that your cinnamon container is set to "sprinkle" and not "pour".

Oops.


If you have little helpers, this is a great time to call upon them because they will thoroughly enjoy dumping the various dry ingredients in to a big bowl.


In goes the sugar!

In goes the flour!

The brown sugar!

The softened butter!


This is the part your little helpers will especially enjoy, because once they have nice clean hands, they get to squish all of the ingredients together.


Sure, you could use a mixer if you have one - but I think that the consistency of the "crisp" is so much better if the ingredients are gently "merged" as opposed to "mixed."


You'll then evenly distribute the sugar, flour, brown sugar, softened butter concoction over the apple, cinnamon, oatmeal, lemon concoction. If you are feeling a little nutty, you can evenly sprinkle on top of that - some sliced almonds.


And another gentle sprinkling of cinnamon.


You will place the whole getup in to a pre-heated 350 degree oven and bake uncovered for one hour, or until the apples are soft and the top is lightly brown.

While the crisp bakes - bathe your helpers who will most likely be coated from head-to-toe with flour, sugar and butter. And because the lovely aroma of apples and cinnamon will be wafting through your house, you should have no trouble convincing your helpers to get out of the tub and in to their PJ's, which on any other night, might take every last bit of energy that you possess.

Before less than a minute has lapsed once you remove it from the oven, you will carve out a piece, place it in a bowl, throw on a huge dollop of vanilla ice cream, light a candle, reflect on all that is good in the universe, and prepare to experience pure joy.

But first you must decide whether you will eat this masterpiece with a spoon or a fork...


Or, perhaps you will opt for both a spoon AND a fork if you happen to be three-years-old.