Friday, October 26, 2007

Roast Meat Sandwiches

This has quickly become one of the favorites around here.


Roast Meat Sandwiches

Take a roast ~ pork, beef, venison ~ place it in a roaster or dutch oven ~ I ususally use the dutch oven for our family, however if we’re having company, I pull out the roaster! I slice an onion, add some diced garlic, soy sauce (sorry, no measurements, I just pour it in!), and a little water. I then put the cover on and let it cook at about 350* or 375* for several hours. I have done this with a frozen roast, and I just let it cook most of the day. Do check on it periodically, and make sure that it’s not too dry.

Once the roast is cooked to falling apart status, you take it out and pull the meat apart. The onions will be cooked to a point, where they will pretty much dissolve once you start stirring the meat. Put all the pulled meat back into the dutch oven, and then either add your choice of BBQ sauce, or you can make a gravy on it with cornstarch and water. If you choose the gravy, don’t make it soupy, just make enough that it’s nice and moist.

While the meat is cooking, I make hoagie rolls. I use my

French Bread Recipe~this recipe came from my dear friend, Tiffani

4 C warm water
3 T sugar
2 T yeast
2 T salt
11 C flour (sifted)

*Dissolve yeast in water, with sugar. Add 1/2 of flour and salt, begin mixing. I also add oil, but it’s not measured, I just pour it in. Pour about a count of 2 or 3, and that should be plenty. Add the rest of the flour and knead until smooth. (You may have to adjust the amount of flour, you want the dough pulling clean off the sides of your bowl).

*Put into greased bowl, let rise until double. Punch down, let rise again.

*For hoagie rolls, divide into 16 equal parts, and shape into oval loaves. Cut a couple of diagonal slits into the top of each roll. Let rise until double. Bake @ 425* for 10 min. then turn down your oven to 375* and bake for another 10 min. Loaves should have a hollow sound when thumped ~ then they are done! ~ ~ For french bread, you’ll just divide the dough into 3 parts, but follow the rest of the directions the same ~ EXCEPT after turning down the oven you will bake for about 20 minutes instead of just 10.

To serve, we slice the hoagies lengthwise, and pile on the meat. These are also great with Pepper Jack cheese. Our friends also eat Pepperochinis (sp) on them. Warning!! These are filling! I usually can’t eat a whole one (I share with the baby). The boys often will get two down, but I’ve had company go away complaining that I fed them too much food! LOL I guess that’s a *good* complaint for a hostess to deal with?

Friday, October 19, 2007

Pear Gingerbread Cobbler

Deciding to do something new, that I can hopefully stay consistent with; I have decided to implement sharing a recipe every Friday. This one is for a great fall dessert. We have had this several times, and it is a favorite! The flavors work really well together, and I hope that you will enjoy it as well. I got it from one of those little recipe magazines ~ Land O Lakes, I think, but I’m not sure. It was a fall baking themed one, and I just got it a month or two ago. I tripled this for mud football, and it tripled quite nicely. I always double it. If you use large pears, it doesn’t take quite as many.


Pear Gingerbread Cobbler

1/3 C sugar
1 T cornstarch
6 C 1/2" slices of peeled pears (5 med.) ~ NOTE: When I tripled this, I
       just used 9 large pears in an 11×15?
3 T water
1 T lemon juice

Gingerbread Topping (below)

1. Heat oven to 375*. Mix sugar and cornstarch in large bowl. Add pears; toss
to coat. Gently stir in water and lemon juice. Spread in ungreased rectangular
baking dish, 11x7x11/2".

2. Bake 15 – 20 minutes or until mixture is bubbly around edges.

3. Meanwhile, make Gingerbread Topping. Drop tablespoonfuls of topping onto
hot pear mixture.

4. Bake 15 – 20 minutes longer or until toothpick inserted in topping comes out
clean and pear mixture is bubbly in center. Cool 20 minutes. Serve warm.


Gingerbread Topping

1 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I’ve just been using Nutmeg)
3 T packed brown sugar
1/4 C butter, melted
1/4 C molasses
1 egg, slightly beaten

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar in med.
bowl. stir in remaining ingredients just until mixed.

We have served this warm with whipped cream. Yummy!