October 2020 - A Haunting We Will Go

It is hot and I can't sleep so here I am up at 3AM. I have a whole rotisserie chicken from Costco. I need to see if there is a good way to reheat it whole or at least cut in half without drying it out. That is dinner tonight.

It's crummy when you wake in the middle of the night. Throws everything off for the whole day.

Hopefully you can 'drift off' for a couple hours and wake refreshed.

It was 97 yesterday and it was still 82 at 11PM. The temp had dropped when I got up but the house was still 78 and I can't sleep in that temp.

I can't think of a haunting yet. October weather here is great. I love crisp days, the sun is different, trees are starting to show off with their gorgeous yellows, reds and orange. It's like nature is giving us a visual treat before she rolls out dark, dreary days and biting winds. From my 12th floor vantage point, I can see treetops all around! I love sweater weather.

No sweater weather yet. Supposed to peg out at 107 today. I hope no new fires start.

Since I didn't know when Dane would get home this evening I took the easy way out and decided to get 'take-out' for supper.

He chose Taco Bell.....mentioned it had been over a year since he'd had anything from there (and it use to be one of his 'go-to' lunch meals years ago. I guess it filled him up.

I can't do their food and was going to order some KFC Chicken Little sandwiches (Taco Bell & KFC are in the same restaurant) but as I sat in the drive-thru line I changed my mind and called Applebee's, just down the same street, and ordered an Oriental Chicken Salad. For some reason that sounded better to me. I ate about half and that was enough.

I have a chuck roast that I'm going to make in the crockpot tomorrow ~ using the 3-dry mix recipe Norm & I both enjoy.

Boy, I feel great! I slept until 7:30 a.m.! I cannot remember the last time that happened.....

But now I've got to get going to get my supper into the Crockpot.............Hahahahaha

bethk wrote:Since I didn't know when Dane would get home this evening I took the easy way out and decided to get 'take-out' for supper.  

He chose Taco Bell.....mentioned it had been over a year since he'd had anything from there (and it use to be one of his 'go-to' lunch meals years ago.  I guess it filled him up.  

I can't do their food and was going to order some KFC Chicken Little sandwiches (Taco Bell & KFC are in the same restaurant) but as I sat in the drive-thru line I changed my mind and called Applebee's, just down the same street, and ordered an Oriental Chicken Salad.  For some reason that sounded better to me.  I ate about half and that was enough.

I have a chuck roast that I'm going to make in the crockpot tomorrow ~ using the 3-dry mix recipe Norm & I both enjoy.

Would you share the dry mix recipe, please????

Cookin Lore wrote:
Would you share the dry mix recipe, please????

OK, Lore ~ I'm going to show just how 'geek-y' I am!  This recipe originally came from the cooking.com forum by a member named 'Bev' so it's not my creation. Norm & I have been making it for many years.

I gave the 'recipe' to my neighbor and her's came out terrible....dried out and like shoe leather according to her.  Turns out her Crockpot only cooked on a super high heat even though she had it set on low.  She's since tossed the errant appliance and is going to try again.

But I took detailed pictures for her (as a kind of joke) to give her step-by-step instructions:


Empty entire packages of Ranch Salad Dressing, Italian Dressing & Brown Gravy Mix in a bowl.  Please note ~ IF you have a salt restriction THIS RECIPE IS NOT FOR YOU.



Mix the dry mixes completely.



I used a Reynolds Crockpot Liner, added a chopped onion, 1/2-3/4 c. leftover red wine (any liquid will do) and my 3.66 lb. chuck roast (price $12.66) into the Crockpot.



I spooned the combined dry mixes over the top of the roast in an even layer.



I put on the Crockpot lid and set the heat on 'high' for 1 hour, then I'll drop to 'low' for 5-7 hours, or longer, until fall apart tender.  It's important to NOT open a Crockpot as the escaping heat increases the cook time by as much as 1/2 hour every time you open it.



It takes about an hour to begin creating the steam to 'melt' the dry mixes.



OK, here I broke my RULE and opened the Crockpot just to illustrate how the dry mixes get enough condensation to 'melt' on top of the chuck roast after 1 hour on 'high' ~ at this time I lowered the heat to 'low' and will leave it alone until suppertime.



You could add vegetables (potatoes & carrots) around the Crockpot for the last 2 hours but I personally think the sauce that forms is too salty so I just cook any sides separate.

Many times I make this just to have Italian Beef Sandwiches ~ remove the roast when falling apart and shred, removing any fat or gristle.  Pour defatted juices over and refrigerate overnight.  Then you can toast Italian Hogie Rolls, add sliced mozarella cheese and spoon on the reheated shredded beef.

Thanks. That sounds interesting, and yummy! Will put those mixes on my shopping list. Soon. Right now I'm just working on using up what I've got in my freezer. I was on a cooking kick a couple of weeks ago and have pre-cooked things that I need to use up.

Supper went over really well. I par-cooked some green beans & some carrots so I could do an air fry in my convection oven. The mushrooms got mixed with crimini mushrooms and the carrots got a simple olive oil/s&p seasoning. Dane got leftover mashed potatoes & gravy from the salisbury steak meal and I spooned a bit of his gravy over my beef. Altogether, it was a pretty tasty meal.



I have about 2/3 of the chuck roast left and after it cools down I'll shred it by hand and pour over the crockpot liquid. It'll either get used in the next week or I'll stash it in the freezer for Italian Beef Sandwiches.

I made a chicken Philly cheesesteak with leftover rotisserie chicken from Costco. It was very good.

I have been on the hunt for a good coconut shrimp. Costco had one that was good but it disappeared 6 months ago. I hate it when they do that. I found 4 different brands and we will do a side-by-side taste test. Yes, I can make them myself but I would rather buy them.

I also picked up a box of Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough. I haven't been able to get that for 6 months either. I like to keep a box in the freezer to make quick cookies. I usually make and freeze my own dough but sometimes I run out so these are nice to have. I tried to buy my favorite rye bread but the store was out. It is a grocery store brand that is far superior to Oroweat and half the price. Grabbed a bottle of my California olive oil along with some paper plates.

I hand shredded the warm leftover beef ~ I like to take all the fat and gelatinous bits off the shreds of beef so it doesn't get reheated for sandwiches. The leftover cooking liquid with the chopped onion (which is mainly mush now) got defatted and poured over the shredded beef.

I've got a full quart for sandwiches, don't know if I'll make them later next week or just the container in the freezer for a time when I want it. It's got great flavor and is really tender....last time I had this much leftover I was able to make a big pan of the dinner roll size appetizers to take to a patio party. They disappeared in about 5 minutes.

Thank heavens it wasn't Covid. She needs to stay away from you and Tina.

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:I made pork spare ribs in the oven, in a pan foiled over at 275 degrees for 4 hours.
Had a cookie for dessert, oh, and Tina made potato salad.

Had a scare, because DD was sick for 4 days. Really sick w fever...sore bones.....etc.  Went to the family care, and was tested for covid 19.
Work won't let her in the building at the spa.
Today got good news.... Negative test, and the Z pack antibiotic is working.

She had to get a return to work letter from the Dr. today.

I hope Maria is feeling better. It's good to know it wasn't Covid 19, but a nasty flu is no fun at all. I hope she's taking advantage of the time she's required to stay home to rest and sleep. Hopefully you and Ms. Tina have your flu shots and try to breathe lots of fresh air.

Sounds like it's time to make a bunch of chicken stock!

bethk wrote:

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:I made pork spare ribs in the oven, in a pan foiled over at 275 degrees for 4 hours.
Had a cookie for dessert, oh, and Tina made potato salad.

Had a scare, because DD was sick for 4 days. Really sick w fever...sore bones.....etc.  Went to the family care, and was tested for covid 19.
Work won't let her in the building at the spa.
Today got good news.... Negative test, and the Z pack antibiotic is working.

She had to get a return to work letter from the Dr. today.

I hope Maria is feeling better.  It's good to know it wasn't Covid 19, but a nasty flu is no fun at all.  I hope she's taking advantage of the time she's required to stay home to rest and sleep.  Hopefully you and Ms. Tina have your flu shots and try to breathe lots of fresh air.

Sounds like it's time to make a bunch of chicken stock!

Howd You Know? ..... I told Tina to fire up the soup kettle. hahahaha

Thanks for the concern. She's doing better tonight.

Bugster2 wrote:Thank heavens it wasn't Covid. She needs to stay away from you and Tina.

I'm doing my best to keep germs under control. I'm constantly cleaning, and so is Tina.

Going out for my first real nice dinner since the you know what hit the fan all over! I'm taking my children for a post b-day celebration dinner. Son Michael turned 54 (Ykes how did I get to be that old???) last Sunday, but he and his brother thought that golfing was more important than going out with mom. That's OK, I'm not complaining, there are not many golfing days left here for this year.

We're going to The Keg.. It's in a beautiful old building that used to be a factory here in St. Catharines. It's nice to see that our city seems to have a plan for keeping some of the old buildings. It will not be cheap!

Lore ~ I'm sure your celebration dinner is going to be fabulous! Spending time with your sons is $$Priceless !

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I picked the last 7 baby red sweet peppers ! They were all ripe at the same time. I figured it was a good day to make stuffed peppers, although they don't look like much. There was a lot of flavor I wasn't expecting and we both ended up having 'seconds'.

Sometimes the most mundane meal turns out really tasty.

I have just spent a couple of hours cleaning out my pantry. I didn't realize that vinegar had an expiration date. I got rid of quite a few bottles of unusual, used once vinegars such as pear, raspberry. I also had to toss some rice, quinoa and a couple packets of ramen. It took so long because it is almost impossible to find the expiration date on some of those bottles. You need a flashlight and magnifying glass. I usually mark my bottles and packages with black marking pen but got lazy, so I had to work to find the dates. Well, I made some room in my pantry. I still refuse to toss my herbs and spices if they are past their prime. The sniff test usually works to tell me if a spice is weak or not great. I know at least that I won't get poisoned and a good sniff will tell me if something is rancid. Spices usually don't go rancid because they don't have oils. I now have to do research on sugar. Norm and I both know powdered sugar can go bad but I am not sure about other kinds such as muscovado or demerara. If it gets hard I will toss it but my sugars are stored in airtight containers.

I think I have some vinegars that also need to be tossed. I cleaned up my pantry a few weeks ago and did throw out a couple of oils. I have some grains that I think I'll look at too.

Yes, dinner was in the proverbial "priceless" category, but a hefty price on my card! LOL

I woke up thinking it was a good day for blueberry pancakes.....

And before you ask, YES, I do use the pancake-from-a-box (Hungry Jack Complete Buttermilk Mix) because I can use just a tiny bit if I only want a couple pancakes or I can use more, add just water and my fruit of choice......

I am with you Beth on the mix.