Challenge 11: Pot Roast

Confession: I made this probably 2 months ago. And I am just now posting it. Go ahead, yell and pump those virtual fists at me. I deserve it.



This pot roast claims to be perfect. I was pretty skeptical going in to it, but it proved me wrong. It was perfect.

But it's also dangerous.



Browning these onions in scorching hot oil is just asking for trouble. Hot oil and onions were popping and flying all over my kitchen!!

But she said to do it, so I did it. And then I did the same thing to the carrots.



Not as dangerous.



Delish.

Real whole carrots are 10 X's better than baby.



I then seared the roast before cooking it completely and I have to tell you, I've never done this before. It seems pointless, but PW said to, so I did.

And I'm glad I listened. It's NOT pointless.





I love the unique herbs she throws in the pot roast. Makes for a flavor explosion!



Simmer, baby. Simmer down.



Into the oven she goes and she came out....



absolutely perfect.

Challenge 10: Chicken Pot Pie

There are few dishes as comfortable and homey as Chicken Pot Pie. I am a self proclaimed CPP connoisseur and with all of the fabulous ones I have had, I have had my fair share of disgusting ones.

This, my friends, was one of the best in the world.

I saw a Throw Down with Bobby Flay not long ago and the challenge was CPP's. Since that day, I've craved them some intensely that I couldn't wait any longer to make it. I usually make one several times during the Winter season, but for whatever reason, I didn't make one at all this year!

And wouldn't you know that when I buckled down and finally bought the ingredients for it and planned an evening to make it, the temperature was 83 degrees outside. Ho Hum. Oh well, it was still scrumptious! Seriously, the best homemade pot pie I've ever had. Make it. Now.



I don't know how people dice carrots into teeny tiny squares. Really, it's a mystery to me. But I prefer big chunks of carrots anyway, so I just cut 'em up like I usually do. The base of this recipe is a beautiful trio of carrots, onion and celery. Oh, and half a stick of butter. Buttah.



A pot pie isn't a pot pie without some sweet peas. Delish, friends. Delish.



Well look at all of those beautiful colors. Pretty like a picture! Oh wait...



Chunks of chicken. Roasted chicken. This chicken smelled so good I wanted to hide in a corner with a jar of salt and pepper and commence to gorging.



A cup of flour covers the mixture and makes it really sticky and really thick. But just for a minute.



In goes the chicken stock and bouillon cube. I love bouillon cubes because they are so little and cute yet they throw a kick of flavor that will knock your socks off.



See? Cute little cube.



After lots of salt and pepper, it was time to add some heavy whipping cream and stir for a few more minutes to let thicken. The saucey gravy this makes is UN.REAL.



In to the pie dish we go! Make sure your pie plate is super deep. You've been warned.



What a pitiful little X I made. Silly me. That's what happens when you have a Weebie tugging on your legs.

After half an hour in the hotsy totsy oven, this is your result!!





It is so hot, creamy, and packed full of robust flavor. It is absolutely delicious and I want to give Ree a standing ovation for sharing this recipe with the world.



If Husby told me once that it was "fantastic", he told me 87 times. Seriously. Yum.

Challenge 9: Breakfast Burritos

I'm not gonna lie to ya. I'm not a big fan of breakfast burritos. Mainly, because I don't like eggs much, and most all breakfast burritos consist of eggs.

This one is no different.

But, these also have potatoes, so I thought they might change my opinion.



I started by grating a lot of cheese. Anything with this much cheese is bound to be good, right?



Next, I browned my sausage and drained the fatty grease.



Next in were the frozen breakfast potatoes. I bought the kind with red bell peppers and onions included, because hey - I like my spice.



Pioneer Woman says to cook the potatoes in the sausage for five minutes, but I'm here to tell you that I had to cook mine for twenty WITH a foil tent over them. After 5 minutes they were still frozen. Just a little heads up.



TEN eggs go into these bad boys. Along with several spices. I should have halved the recipe, but we all know how I feel about halving recipes. Right?



Nothing says Good Morning like raw eggs and rubbery sausage. Yum.



Finally, the eggs set and our filling was ready to be rolled up into flour tortillas!



Heat, fill, roll, repeat. Heat, fill, roll, repeat. Heat...fill...roll....

REPEAT!



If you are feeding an army, I recommend using the whole recipe. It made ten burritos, so I guess it calls for one egg per burrito if you add it all up.



I made them all in hopes that Husby would eat them in the morning for the rest of the week before work. He didn't.



In our opinion, these were just "alright". I felt like all you could taste was the potato. We probably won't make them again, but hey, if breakfast burritos are your thing, go for it!

Challenge 8: Chicken Spaghetti

This was my first encounter with chicken spaghetti. I have often heard of it, but have never tasted it.



The very term "chicken spaghetti" doesn't sound too appetizing. Some things just don't belong in the same sentence. Like toenails and ice cream. But it doesn't at all taste like it sounds. It's not your typical red sauce spaghetti with chicken chunks instead of ground beef. Thank goodness.



I've noticed that a lot of these recipes call for a green bell pepper. Or a red one. Which is fine by me because I love bell peppers. My nickname in high school was Bell Pepper Whitney.

Just kidding.



My water boiled over. Can you tell? It made a sizzling, smoking mess.



I could be a Top Chef with my chopping skills.



Al dente!



In a very large bowl, you mix the noodles, cream of mushroom/chicken soups, peppers, onions, cheese, pimentos and a variety of seasonings! Oh, and of course, the chicken.

I forgot to get any pictures of the chicken. Oops. I just boiled a few breasts and shredded them.



This is a very colorful dish. But you can't tell because of all the cheese I threw on top. Ree made me do it.



Hot, bubbly and simply delicioso!



Want some?

Come on over. I need someone to help photograph my steps because I get to cooking and forget to snap pictures. So come on over and help me. K? Thanks.



Chicken. Spaghetti. Yummy.

Challenge 7: Mac N Cheese

I totally botched this recipe.

I want to blame it on Husby, though, because he made me half the recipe. I told him that halved recipes never turn out right and that it was impossible to half an egg. But he insisted that two pounds of macaronie was a little excessive for two people

HURRY UP AND EAT TABLE FOOD, LEVI, SO I DON'T HAVE TO HALF RECIPES!



The whole roux thing turned out fine. Flour, butter, vigorous stirring. Cake walk.

Things took a turn when I added milk. Ree specifically called for whole milk. Did I have whole milk? No. So, Husby suggested I use part 2% and part half and half.



This whole disaster was all Husby's fault.



The creamy cheesy sauce LOOKED good in the end, but it did not taste right.

It tasted WEIRD.

It was probably that half an egg Husby made me use. And the half and half with half 2%. I'm sick and tired of halves. I was never good at math.



I thought that maybe once it was covered in a healthy dose of cheese and baked, it would cover up the weirdness and taste like it was supposed to.



It did not.

I'm telling you, I TRIED to eat it, but I couldn't. I strayed from the path set before me and added things that shouldn't have been.

And I halved it.

Don't half it.

It will come back to haunt you.



What a waste.

Should you embark on the Mac and Cheese Mission, do not veer from the recipe. Use whole milk and make the whole batch. Oh, and keep your Husby OUT of the kitchen!!!