A day in the life...

We were all raised with foods that to this day we love to prepare for our families. Those foods that take us back to when we were kids. I remember as a young girl coming home from school, doing my homework and taking a nap curled up in a chair in the living room, Mom fixing dinner. The smells...the sounds from the kitchen...comfort food.

One of those meals for me is Pot Roast with whipped potatoes and carrots.
I love it....though do not really eat it that often. For that reason I do not feel bad that I do not follow a "low fat" recipe. yes, you can indeed cut the fat and it would still be very good....however...if you do not have all that often...splurge.

Pot Roasts is just one of those meats that is so easy to prepare...and so many methods to cook it. For this pot roast I used my dutch oven pot on the stove top, heated it up while I placed the meat on a paper towel making sure it was dry on both sides. I then cut up two med. sized onions, removed the peel on four med. sized garlic pieces....I peeled about six carrots and cut in half. I salted and peppered the meat...drizzled a little olive oil on it and placed in the heated pot...while in the pot I salted and peppered the other side, drizzled a small amount of oil of it. Once it was nice and browned I turned it over and browned. Then time to de-glaze....I pour a good bit of red wine in...simmer for a few minutes then add beef broth. I place the cut up onions in the pot, garlic goes in, and place the carrots on top of the meat....not in the broth and wine. they actually steam rather then becoming mushy when placed in the liquid. Cover and simmer until the meat is so very tender and juicy.

Whipped potatoes...peel and cut up potatoes...add to salted water boil 'til tender, drain add to your mixing bowl...butter, and whole milk...beat until creamy and lump free.





Fudge Brownies, and not the boxed version. I know, so many of you love the boxed Brownies...to me they are a little too sweet so when I want something like brownies, I want homemade. Again, this is something I do not make too often, truth be told I had not made these in several years.
the best ingredients are used:
Ghirardelli Chocolate Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, unsweetened chocolate,unsalted butter, pure vanilla extract, sugar,eggs, instant coffee, flour, baking powder, kosher salt, walnuts, peanut butter.
My batch I did half with peanut butter swirl.
Topped with Purely decadent Vanilla Bean ice cream (it is made with coconut milk is is so very tasty and found in your local grocery).

My image of the brownies...after giving most away to guests, I was left with less then perfect pieces for my photograph...matters very little what it looks like....it was very good. this piece happened to have some of the peanut butter....yummmmmy ;-)


The image below of the Goldens, just a moment captured this afternoon after a good play, then all got to rest in the grass...I took the opportunity to catch up on a little reading.

Remember, when photographing your furry friends, wonderful to get images when your dog is looking directly at you and the camera, don't forget that those moments when your pets are just doing their thing make some of the best photographs ;-)

Comfort Food...