An Easter Feast

Mr. Bear and I had a low key Easter Sunday with basically just the two of us and my father-in-law.

Easter Dinner Menu
Pot Roast with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
French rolls
Apple crisp a la mode


I almost forgot to take a picture of dinner, so this plate is half eaten, LOL.



Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast
From: allrecipes.com

I modified the recipe by adding some veggies and by cutting it in half since it was only Mr. Bear, my father-in-law, and me for dinner. My modifications are in blue italics.

INGREDIENTS
1 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup water
2 3/4 pounds pot roast

My additions: salt, pepper, baby carrots, 1 onion, 1 beef bullion cube, and mushrooms

DIRECTIONS
In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and water.
Add carrots, onion, and beef bullion cube.
Season pot roast with salt and pepper.
Place pot roast (on top of veggies) in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture.
Put mushrooms on top of roast.
Cook on High setting for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.

Gravy

Using the drippings and flour, I made a wonderful gravy to go with the roast and the mashed potatoes. Add flour until you get the right consistency. My father-in-law had two helpings of everything. A great sign, dinner was so yummy!! Now for dessert.



Apple Crisp

I had never made an Apple Crisp or any kind of apple dessert before. I looked around for a recipe and decided to combine a few different recipes. The result was perfect. I was very pleased with my recipe combination, not too sweet and or runny. It was so yummy with some vanilla bean ice cream.

INGREDIENTS
4 cups sliced apples (peeled and cored) - I used 2 large granny smith apples and 1 medium gala apple
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
3/4 cup brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup of oats
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat flour

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.
Soak apples in water then drain and place apples in prepared dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 cup of brown sugar.
In a bowl, mix the 1/2 cup brown sugar, flour, oats, and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the apples.
Bake in preheated oven 45 minutes, until apples are tender and crust is golden.
Top each serving with ice cream.

Yummy! Two recipes I will definitely use again!

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Low-Fat Baked Chicken

This is one of my favorite chicken recipes. It is easy and healthy for you.



Best Ever Low-Fat Baked Chicken
From: http://www.recipeland.com/recipe/32827/

4 each chicken breasts skinless, boneless
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan, parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated fat free
1 teaspoon rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon parsley leaves flakes
1/2 cup liquid margarine fat free (squeeze bottle) - I used olive oil instead

Mix bread crumbs, cheese and seasoning in shallow bowl.
Dip each chicken breast in liquid spread, then in bread crumb mixture.
Place each breast on baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Bake for approximately 30-45 minutes on 375 degress or until golden brown.

Yields 4 servings

Gourmet Club

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to a gourmet club meeting. The theme was New Orleans cuisine, so everyone made something. I was invited just a few nights before so I brought wine to my first club meeting. Our next meeting in May and it will be a Spanish theme. Yummy! I studied abroad in Spain for a summer while I was in college and so I have a few favorite dishes, I only hope I can find a good recipe.

Here are some pictures from the New Orleans Gourmet Club meeting. Everything was soooo good. Great food with great friends, what can get better than that!



Cajun Garlic Barbecue Ribs


Yo Mama's Rice


Jambalaya


Not pictured: crab cakes, bread pudding with whiskey reduction sauce.

Enter to Win!

Check out this food blog. Megan is having raffling off some goodies; a basket of some great spring items. All you have to do is reply to her post and there are other ways to earn more entries, check it out. Don't forget to let her know that sherthebear referred you!

Smoky Joe's Slow-Cooker Beef Stew

I found this website with a ton of healthy crock pot recipes. I decided to give one a try yesterday and this was a pretty yummy recipe. Mr. Bear even went back for seconds, always a good sign!



Smoky Joe's Slow-Cooker Beef Stew

1 pound well-trimmed beef cubes
3/4 cup each drained salsa and barbecue sauce
1 (1.25-ounce) packet reduced-sodium taco seasoning mix
2 cups frozen corn
2 (15-ounce) cans rinsed and drained black beans (I only used 1 can)
1 (19-ounce) can rinsed and drained chickpeas or garbanzo beans (I used white beans since that was what I happened to have)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro

In a 3- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine beef, salsa, barbecue sauce, taco mix and corn; mix well. Cover and cook on high 3 to 4 hours or low 6 to 8 hours, or until meat is tender. Add beans and cilantro; mix well. Cover and let stand 5 minutes for beans to heat through.

Serves 8. Nutrition information per serving: 301 calories; 23g protein; 5g fat; 40g carbohydrate; 35mg cholesterol; 1,002mg sodium; 11g fiber. 4.5 WW points.

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